Winter Kale Salad
Enjoy the best of seasonal produce in this winter kale salad with sweet potato, cauliflower, cranberries, and a maple tahini dressing. This is the kind of salad that won’t leave you hungry!
As soon as the weather turns cold, I tend to favor plant-based soups and hearty pasta dishes. However, there’s still space or delicious winter salads, featuring seasonal ingredients such as sweet potatoes, cauliflower, sprouts, or butternut squash.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- If you’re worried that salad equals “all leaf and no substance”, this recipe will change your mind. This winter kale salad is filling and nutritious, as well as gorgeous to look at.
- Between sweet potatoes, veggies, chickpeas, and pumpkin seeds, you have an amazing balance of protein, fiber, carbs and fats. All in one dish, can you believe it!
- By using seasonal produce, you’re reducing your carbon footprint and most likely supporting local farmers.
- There are no outlandish ingredients or expensive equipment that you need for this recipe. The winter kale salad features accessible and affordable foods you can find in any supermarket.
- Because of its contents, this salad can be served both as a main meal or as a side salad. It’s even festive enough for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other winter holidays!
- This salad is naturally nut-, soy- and gluten-free, including the dressing.
Key Ingredients
- Sweet potato makes an amazing starch base for a salad, adding plenty of subtance and a soft bite.
- Cauliflower adds a lot of body to the salad. It’s also a great source of fiber.
- Chickpeas add yet another textural element, as well as some plant-based protein.
- Kale is the titular ingredient that brings an earthy flavor note. It’s great as a leafy green that’s more available in the fall and winter!
- Maple-mustard tahini dressing marries all of the main ingredients into a delicious, filling, and balanced meal.
Hack It!
- Many of the ingredients can be swapped for something else, depending on what you have access to. For instance, you can use butternut squash instead of sweet potato or white beans in place of chickpeas.
- If you are allergic to any dressing ingredients (such as tahini or mustard), you can swap for something with a similar flavor profile. Alternatively, try a different dressing such as my vegan cilantro dressing.
- For an oil-free version of the recipe, you can roast the vegetables in an air fryer. Depending on the size of the air fryer, you may split sweet potato, cauliflower, and chickpeas into batches.
- If making in advance, store the dressing separately and only mix everything together before serving.
- Adjust the consistency of the dressing to your liking, adding water a little at a time as you go.
How to Make Winter Kale Salad
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Add the diced sweet potato, cauliflower florets, and chickpeas to the sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika, garlic powder, and salt.
Step 3: Toss to coat, then spread them into an even layer. Roast for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway, until the vegetables are golden and the chickpeas slightly crisp.
Step 4: Meanwhile, place the chopped kale in a large bowl. Drizzle with a splash of olive oil or lemon juice and massage with your hands for 1-2 minutes.
Step 5: In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the tahini, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, garlic, salt, and pepper. Slowly add water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dressing is smooth and pouring consistency.
Step 6: Add the roasted vegetables and chickpeas to the kale, then toss in the dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds.
Step 7: Pour the dressing and toss until well coated. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve warm or cold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Only if you want to – this salad is delicious warm or cold! I would suggest mixing kale and roasted veggies while warm to help kale soften more, but it is up to you when to serve this salad.
This recipe yields four servings if you treat it as a main course. If you’re serving this salad as a side, you can definitely split it between more people!
You can, but it is usually part-cooked. I would add it in halfway through.
More Plant-Based Winter Salads
- Warm Broccoli Couscous Salad
- Warm Brussels Sprout Salad
- Cauliflower Sweet Potato Couscous Salad
- Kale White Bean Salad
- Smashed Potato Salad
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The Recipe: Winter Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato, medium, peeled and diced
- 1 head cauliflower, small, cut into florets
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 15 oz canned chickpeas, 1 can, drained and rinsed
- 1 bunch kale, large bunch or about 6 cups, stems removed and finely chopped
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup pumpkin seeds
Maple-Mustard Tahini Dressing
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice
- 1½ tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic, small, minced, optional
- 3-5 tbsp water, to thin
- ½ tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Equipment
- Small bowl or jar, for the dressing
- Mini whisk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the diced sweet potato, cauliflower florets, and chickpeas to the sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika, garlic powder, and salt. Toss to coat, then spread them into an even layer.
- Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway, until the vegetables are golden and the chickpeas slightly crisp.
- Meanwhile, place the chopped kale in a large bowl. Drizzle with a splash of olive oil or lemon juice and massage with your hands for 1 to 2 minutes until softened and bright green.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the tahini, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, garlic, salt, and pepper. Slowly add water, one tablespoon at a time, until smooth and pourable.
- Add the roasted vegetables and chickpeas to the kale, then toss in the dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds. Pour on the dressing and toss until well coated. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve warm or cold.
Notes
- Many of the ingredients can be swapped for something else, depending on what you have access to. For instance, you can use butternut squash instead of sweet potato or white beans in place of chickpeas.
- If you are allergic to any dressing ingredients (such as tahini or mustard), you can swap for something with a similar flavor profile. Alternatively, try a different dressing such as my vegan cilantro dressing.
- For an oil-free version of the recipe, you can roast the vegetables in an air fryer. Depending on the size of the air fryer, you may split sweet potato, cauliflower, and chickpeas into batches.
- If making in advance, store the dressing separately and only mix everything together before serving.
- Adjust the consistency of the dressing to your liking, adding water a little at a time as you go.