Kale Pomegranate Salad
on Nov 08, 2021, Updated Sep 20, 2025
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I’ve done a full 180 on kale 🥬 and this salad is the reason why. If you’ve sworn off kale in the past, I get. But hear me out: Kale Pomegranate Salad is different. After testing a lot of kale recipes, this is the one that finally made me a believer. What changed my mind? A good drizzle of high-quality olive oil 🫒, sweet-tart cranberries, and a proper kale massage that turns those tough leaves into something silky and tender. It’s fresh, tangy, a little sweet, and totally addictive. Trust me on this one and make it immediately.
Key Takeaways
- This Kale Pomegranate Salad is a game changer for kale skeptics, featuring massaged kale for tenderness.
- Combines juicy pears, tart cranberries, and crunchy almonds, delivering a delicious flavor profile.
- Uses high-quality olive oil and white balsamic vinegar for a bright dressing that enhances the ingredients.
- Variations allow for cheese, different nuts, and proteins, making it versatile and easy to adapt.
- This salad pairs well with homemade bread, grilled meats, or hearty soups for a complete meal.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Kale Pomegranate Salad
Even the most committed kale 🥬 skeptics are no match for this massaged kale salad. It’s soft, silky, and shockingly tender, thanks to my foolproof massage technique (yes, your greens deserve spa treatment). This kale pear salad hits every note: juicy, crisp slices of pear 🍐, tart dried cranberries, and crunchy almonds for that perfect bite. You can keep it simple or go all-in and turn it into a goat cheese kale salad. Either way, it’s a flavor-packed winner. Whether you’re after a quick 15-minute salad or a crowd-please holiday kale salad, this kale and pomegranate salad brings the sweet, tangy, crunchy energy your table needs. Don’t skip the white balsamic vinaigrette, it ties everything together.
Ingredients
🥬 Kale: The hearty, leafy base of this salad. Once massaged, kale softens just enough to become tender while still holding onto its structure. It’s earthy, slightly bitter, and the perfect backdrop for all the sweet and tangy toppings.
🍐 Pear: Juicy and subtly sweet, a ripe pear adds refreshing contrast and a little crunch. I love using a Bartlett or Anjou for that buttery bite, but any firm-ripe pear will work great.
🌰 Sliced Almonds: Lightly toasted for extra flavor and crunch, these give every bite that irresistible nutty snap. Optional, but highly recommended!
🍒 Dried Cranberries: Tart, chewy, and just the right amount of sweet. These little gems bring color and balance, playing perfectly off the pears and almonds.
❤️ Pomegranate Seeds: Juicy, tart pops of flavor that make this salad look like it showed up ready to impress! This is especially great for holiday tables!
🤍 White Balsamic Vinegar: Milder and slightly sweeter than regular balsamic, it brings a bright, crisp tang that lifts the whole dish without overpowering it.
🫒 Olive Oil: Use the best quality extra virgin olive oil you’ve got. It adds richness and helps the dressing cling to the kale, coating every leaf in silky flavor.
🍯 Agave (or Honey/Maple Syrup): A touch of natural sweetness rounds out the vinegar and enhances the fruit. Pick your favorite!
🧂 Salt: Just a pinch, but don’t skip it. Salt brings out the flavors in every ingredient and helps break down the kale during massaging. A little goes a long way.
Nonna’s Tip 🥗
By chopping up the kale really finely, lightly salting it and then massaging the leaves with your hands for 30 seconds to a minute, you will help break down the tough cell structure of the kale. The result is a beautifully tender bite without any toughness.
Variations and Substitutions for Kale Pomegranate Salad
- If you love a bit of cheese in your salads, crumbling in some goat cheese here would be delish!
- Switch up the nuts and use what you have instead, like pistachios or walnuts.
- I like the hardiness of kale here, but really you could use any lettuce with this versatile dressing. Spinach would be great, just skip the massaging step!
- Add a protein on top of the Kale Salad with 🥚 hard boiled eggs, chickpeas, grilled chicken or beef strips.
More Salad Recipes
Green Goddess Salad
18 mins
Jennifer Aniston Salad
25 mins
Cobb Salad Recipe
30 mins
Strawberry Spinach Salad
15 mins
Best Served With
- Serve this Kale Salad alongside a loaf of homemade bread, like my 🥖 No Knead Peasant Bread.
- Also, this kale salad makes a great barbecue side dish with steak , chicken or my Best Grilled Salmon Skewers.
- A hearty and earthy soup like my creamy 🍲 Butternut Squash Soup also pairs wonderfully with the earthy flavours in this kale salad.
Common Questions
I find this is the fastest way to do de-stem kale, no tools required! First, I hold the stem at the base of the leaf and then quickly slide my fingers along the stem to break the leaves away. From here, you can thinly slice the leaves.
You can use any acid of choice instead of the balsamic: lemon juice, regular vinegar or apple cider vinegar would be nice!
The options are really endless in this Kale Salad. Crisp apple would be delicious, or you could try adding sliced peaches in summer months. If you want to go in a different direction, then add strawberries like in my Strawberry Spinach Salad.
I often use whatever nut I have in my pantry to throw together this Kale Salad, such as pistachios, walnuts or pecans.
You can definitely add cheese to this salad! Tangy goat cheese crumbles would be delicious, or cubed feta cheese works, too. You could even add shaved parmesan on top.
Yes! Because kale is hardier than tender lettuces you can certainly pack up the Kale Salad to go and it won’t be soggy by lunch time.
A sharp knife, a sturdy cutting board and a foolproof technique are the secret to super thin slices. Check out my full tutorial here: How to Thinly Slice Lettuce. I think it’s really worth the extra effort in this kale salad!
Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 6 cups kale , about 4 or 5 leaves
- 1 pear
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- pomegranate seeds, to taste
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, the best quality you have
- 1 teaspoon agave, or honey/maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Take 4-5 leaves of kale (6 cups approximately) and take the leaf off the stem. Wash and pat it dry.
- Chop your kale finely or you can even rip it in small pieces with your hands and add to a bowl. In a separate bowl mix in your olive oil, agave, and white balsamic vinegar and set aside.
- Add the chopped kale to a bowl and sprinkle in a touch of salt. Massage it for 30 seconds to a minute with your hands until it is nice and soft.
- Add the rest of your ingredients which are the nuts, dried cranberries, pomegranates, and chopped pear and drizzle on your beautiful sweet and tangy vinaigrette. Crumbling in some goat cheese would be so good in here too if you are a lover of cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
- Massage matters: Don’t skip this step; it transforms tough kale into a tender, almost silky base. Use your hands and a pinch of salt to break it down.
- Chop it small: The smaller the pieces, the better the flavor distribution and texture. Finely chopped kale is easier to eat and holds dressing better.
- Add cheese: Want to level it up? Crumble in goat cheese for richness and tang; it pairs great with the sweet vinaigrette and fruit.
- Vinaigrette tip: Mix the dressing in a separate bowl so the agave fully dissolves before pouring it on. It gives the salad that glossy, well-dressed finish.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love a good kale salad, and this did not disappoint! The flavors are a perfectly balanced blend of sweet, savory, and slightly tangy. I couldn’t stop eating it! 😍
Kale isn’t usually my first choice, but with the sweetness of the cranberries and the agave, this salad is awesome! So yummy! Go make this!