Nutty Harvest Honeycrisp Kale Salad.
Raise your hand if you’re into fall kale salads!
I wish I could raise ten hands, seriously.
This is one of those salads where I actually wanted to lick the bowl when finishing. It was THAT good. I mean, that sort of reaction tends to only happen with super fabulous pizza or mac and cheese or even eggs and toast but never… salad. UNTIL NOW.
This fall kale salad is straight out of my dreams. It is so absolutely fantastic that I have been dyyyying waiting to share it with you guys. It’s been so hard to keep it a secret because of the incredible flavor this big bowl is going to bring you. It’s unreal.
The kale! I love using the lacinato kale and shredding it up because it’s heartier than green curly kale and, like… less kale-ish. Does that make sense? Do you get me?
The moral of that story is that I really love this kind of kale. IMPORTANT.
SO.
This is a semi-high maintenance kale salad because it two (!!) different kinds of nuts on it. I don’t know what’s come over me but I am loving making different things with all the nuts even though most of my life I preferred if they stayed the heck away from me.
First up, we have these smoky honey pepita clusters that you make in the oven. They can totally be made ahead of time and are really delicious to snack on anytime of day – not to mention ON the salad. I love the smoky honey crunch!
Next up are some sweet and spicy pecans that I simply toasted on the stovetop and they will make your house smell amazzzzing. They also taste like heaven.
There is something about the combo of these two nuts that make this salad taste so, so freaking good. But of course, you don’t NEED both. Just like I didn’t NEED both pairs of velvet high heels that I bought in the last two weeks, both two different shades of pink, when I’m about to have two kids and probably wear heels like approximately once per month.
But I mean, I needed them. They are an investment, duh.
Think of these nuts as an investment for your salad. That you will promptly eat and be done with. Shhhhhh.
Okay okay but GUYS. The best part of this salad? Is the dressing. This cinnamon shallot vinaigrette is out of this world. The week that I planned to make this salad, I received an email from a reader named Lisa who had a cinnamon shallot vinaigrette and was just raving about it. I was fairly unsure what I was going to put on this salad before that… maybe some sort of apple cider dressing? But the moment she told me about the cinnamon shallot vinaigrette, I was hooked! She gave me the ingredients and I rolled with it.
Ohhhhh my gosh. I love it so much. The flavor is just so… FALL. It complements the apples and kale so much.
This is one of those salads that I couldn’t stop eating and it doesn’t even have bacon. Or a lot of cheese. There is a bit of white cheddar because what’s better than white cheddar and apples? Nothing.
But other than the slight handful of freshly grated cheddar, that’s it. It’s not like the cheese is the main part of the salad. In a major change for me.
Annnd now that you know what I’ll be eating for the next eight weeks straight… you can join in!
Nutty Harvest Honeycrisp Kale Salad
Ingredients
smoky honey pepita clusters
- 1/2 cup pepitas
- 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- pinch of salt
sweet and spicy toasted pecans
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
cinnamon shallot vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 shallot diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/3 cup olive oil
salad
- 4 to 6 cups chopped tuscan kale
- 2 honeycrisp apples thinly sliced
- 3 ounces freshly grated sharp white cheddar cheese
Instructions
smoky honey pepita clusters
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Microwave the coconut oil and honey together until melted, about 30 seconds. Stir the pepitas in a large bowl with the honey mixture, salt and smoked paprika. Place them on the baking sheet and smooth them out with a spatula – you still want them clustered so you can break them apart after baking!
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and toss slightly. Let cool completely before breaking apart.
sweet and spicy toasted pecans
- Heat the pecans in a nonstick skillet over low heat, stirring often, until fragrant and toasty. Stir in the honey, red pepper flakes and nutmeg. Let the honey bubble and stir for a few minutes, then transfer the pecans to parchment paper and let them cool completely.
cinnamon shallot vinaigrette
- Whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, shallot, garlic, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. This keeps great in the fridge for a few days!
salad
- Massage the kale with a tablespoon or so of the dressing and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. I like to season the kale at this point with salt and pepper too. Slice the apples and combine the apples, cheese, pecans and pepita clusters with the kale and toss well. Serve with the vinaigrette!
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Literally want to eat that up!
142 Comments on “Nutty Harvest Honeycrisp Kale Salad.”
Hi, Jessica thanks for sharing the wonderful information regarding NUTTY HARVEST HONEYCRISP KALE SALAD. You are truly amazing and inspiration for many people who love salad, because we are a big foodie but somehow we left it because of the work but I will try some recipe form it by myself surely then I will tell you how it is but you are too good to keep continuing good work. If you want to learn about some knowledge then just visit Traditional marketing vs Digital marketing.
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This is the second year I’ve made this and the second year my pepitas burned immediately. 350 is just way too hot.
Great dressing though.
This salad is on point. As other commenters noted, the cinnamon vinaigrette takes this over the top. Loved all the different flavors and textures. Would be the perfect Thanksgiving salad. There are a lot of steps here, but don’t let that intimidate you. Definitely worth the work.
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This salad sounds amazing, and I bought all the ingredients yesterday to make it EXCEPT for the Tuscan kale. I have been to 3 grocery stores around me and none carry it. Any recommendations on what to it with? Will romaine do if nothing else? Thanks!
If the stores didn’t have lacinato/Tuscan kale use regular kale. Lacinato is often sold in the stores near regular kale. Strip the leaves off the stem , discard the stem, massage the leaves lightly with your fingers, wash the leaves, slice thin etc. Romaine is not a substitute for the kale.
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This salad was AAAAHHHHHMAZING!!! I’ve had it saved since last year but it got lost in my pinterest black hole. Omg I think I’m in love. I immediately sent it to my mom, sisters and everyone else I thought might try it. So good!!! I had to use regular kale but it worked fine. Another reviewer stated the pepitas burned but mine were perfect! I took them out at 9 minutes. 😊 Thank you for sharing your gift with the rest of us! ❤️🙌🏻
oK.. so I used prepared pre-washed regular kale.. for convenience. I used white wine vinegar, because that’s what I had. I used less than half the amount of honey for two reasons.. 1…. it’s a lot of sugar for my taste. 2.. my honey was super hard to squeeze out of the container (blame the polar vortex in ny). Next time I would just do the pepitas and pecans together in the skillet and prepare them the same. This salad… A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.
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This is a perfect weeknight salad.
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I thought pepitas are seeds from the pumpkin? Will make the salad though!
they are! pepitas are the seeds from a pumpkin!
This salad screams FALL. Since this is Labor Day weekend: hooray!!!
Thank you and please keep the fall salads coming.
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OH MY GOSH!!! I made this salad three nights ago and my husbands is still talking about it! I followed the recipe exactly and added crispy, air fried, chicken tenderloins on top! The salad is high maintenance but SO worth it!
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So yummy!! I make this all the time!
I made this tonight (but substituted dried cranberries for the pepitas because we didn’t have them but had everything else). My 4-year-old daughter helped make the dressing, so she tried a bite of the completed salad, loved it, and asked for her own small bowl of it. That is DEFINITELY a first for her with kale salad! Hooray! My husband and I loved it as well. I’m absolutely going to make it again…with the pepitas next time! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
I made this last night, and it somehow turned out even better than what it looked. I am in awe, and amazement. My new favourite food! Thanks so much for sharing.
Fabulous salad! I used sunflower seeds because I couldn’t find pepitas. The nuts and dressing are perfect for a hearty kale. Wonderful !
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We loved this salad for Thanksgiving this year! We never go traditional Thanksgiving, but always make food that has a fall feel, so this was perfect. I’m obsessed w tuscan kale and rarely use other versions so it caught my eye immediately. The nut clusters made it so special (I added chopped almonds to the pecans) and the pumpkin seed “brittle” was excellent- we even put some extra on our charcuterie!
Personal tastes, but we needed more vinegar in the dressing for more of an acidic bite. Huge hit- even with the teens at our table. I’m sure I’ll be making this again before the heartier salad season is over!
I’m in love. It came out soooo good!!! This recipe is perfection. Thank you!
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We can’t do coconut oil (or nuts). Do you have a suggestion of another oil I could use? We eat a lot of kale salad and this recipe sounds great!!! Thanks everyone for your comments on the recipe!
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I mean this salad is amazing. Im suprised I havent made it before. The nuts are great but the dressing. OH MY WORD amazing
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I absolutely LOVE all of these ingredients but I’m allergic to Kale 😢 any good substitutes?
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This salad is amazing! Worth the time (not difficult) to make the clusters. It’s also huge and easily could feed 4 or more people depending on desired size. I made half of this for my main meal and paired it with Rabbit and Wolves’ Brown Sugar Glazed tofu for a superb vegetarian, made-for-October meal :) can’t wait to make this for others!
I’ve made this and the second year my pepitas burned immediately. . As other commenters noted, the cinnamon vinaigrette takes this over the top. I’ve had it saved since last year but it got lost in my Pinterest black hole. and I used white wine vinegar because that’s what I had.
Holy moly, that was good (wiping dressing off my chin)
Made this tonight- it. Was amazing! Putting this in the regular rotation!
This was one of the best salads I have ever eaten! I modified slightly- just used a baby kale/spinach mix and for the nuts I toasted pecans and Peoria’s in a pan, sprinkled with paprika and cayenne then drizzled with honey and let them caramelize. This is on my regular rotation. Thank you!
Outstanding dressing but I found there to be way too much honey used for the pepitas and pecans (came out so sticky!) and seemed like an awful lot of trouble when you could probably just roast the pepitas and find a store brand seasoned/flavored pecan as a shortcut? Great base recipe though for a delicious kale salad.
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I have just now got around to making this fabulous salad. I prepared this for the “Boys Club” for our holiday party and all of us thought it was perfect. And the Cinnamon Shallot Vinaigrette, good lord sweet mama, compliments this salad perfectly. Keep an eye on the pepitas while in the oven, only takes about 12-14 minutes for me, but oh so good. Other times I have prepared this salad I have bulked it up with some roasted sweet potatoes or acorn squash. Absolutely divine, thank you so much.
This is the best healthy salad our family has ever tried. We have prepared it almost every week. This is the first time I have gotten my kids to eat kale and want it. It is relatively easy to prepare and worth the effort!!
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