This flavorful sweet potato apple kale and quinoa salad proves that salads don't have to be bland. Loaded with flavor from fresh ingredients – it makes for a satisfying lunch or quick dinner!

This is a dish for those of us who prefer a lot of 'stuff' in our salads – we might be a minority but we're here. We're talking no lettuce at all, less greens and more extras: quinoa, sweet potatoes, walnuts, and raisins.

Tell Me About This Sweet Potato Apple Kale and Quinoa Salad

Flavor: There's no other way of saying it – this salad recipe is a big bowl of flavor. The kale and quinoa create the perfect base to soak up the fresh vinaigrette, while the apples, walnuts and raisins add more layers of flavor.
Texture: The texture of this salad is my favorite part. The kale breaks down a bit, some added crunch from the apples and walnuts, slight chewiness from the raisins. To top it off, the quinoa adds a hearty texture.
Ease: This is actually a very simple dish and actually tastes even better when prepared ahead of time. Simply combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, make the dressing, and then toss them together. That's it!
Time: Set aside 20 minutes to pull this recipe together.

Choosing The Right Ingredients

For this recipe, we're focusing on using minimal fresh ingredients for this sweet potato apple kale and quinoa salad.

Kale: To give this salad some bulk, additional nutrients, and even more staying power, I like adding in some greens. I found that using kale adds a nice bite and holds the dressing and quinoa perfectly. Tip: After the kale is roughly chopped, massage it a bit with your hands to break it down.
Quinoa: Adding quinoa does a couple things – it helps soak up the flavor from the dressing and adds a ton of protein – each cup has 24 grams!
Sweet Potatoes: Using roasted sweet potatoes adds a nice sweetness without being too much and some texture.
Walnuts: Adding nuts, or even seeds, adds some crunch throughout the salad. I love using walnuts or pecans.
Raisins: Using raisins not only gives this salad a bit of sweetness but even more texture. You can use any type of raisins or even craisins!
Lemon Herb Vinaigrette: This is my favorite vinaigrette recipe – made with Dijon mustard, lemon juice, dried herbs, maple syrup, and olive oil.

Sweet Potato Apple Kale and Quinoa Salad Variations

Make this salad yours, add in what you love. Here's a few variations that I love to mix into the salad.

Avocado: The day of, I chop up 1/2 an avocado.
Protein: Toss in your favorite protein – chicken, sausage or even tofu. That's what is so great about this recipe, any protein works well!
Cucumber: For an added crunch, chop some cucumber and toss them in.

The Best Way To Make Quinoa

I've shared before the best way to make quinoa and I'll share it again, I learned it from my friend over at Eating By Elaine. It's truly the best way to make it and incredibly easy – it's just 3 simple steps.

Bring chicken broth to a boil.
Stir in the quinoa and allow it to cook for 5 minutes.
Turn off the burner, cover with a lid and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then, fluff with a fork.

Making quinoa isn’t hard. Here are step-by-step instructions for how to cook quinoa – it’s so simple and very little work involved!

Tips

When choosing sweet potatoes from the grocery store, look for firm potatoes even in color and without any growths.
Massage the kale! You read that right – massaging kale helps to break down its tough texture and make it more palatable.
Remember to roughly chop the kale that way all the ingredients in the salad are about the same size.

More Recipes To Try

Sweet Potato Apple Kale and Quinoa Salad

Prep Time: 5

Yield: 4 servings

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Description

This flavorful sweet potato apple kale and quinoa salad proves that salads don't have to be bland. Loaded with flavor from fresh ingredients – it makes for a satisfying lunch or quick dinner!

Ingredients

Salad

3 cups chopped kale
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 cups chicken, shredded or chopped
1 cup chopped apple
2 cups chopped sweet potatoes
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

1/3 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 lemon, juiced
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

Make the Salad: Add the kale to a large bowl, massage with your hands for a few seconds – find out why in the post above. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir together.
Make the Dressing: There's 3 ways you can make the dressing – do what works best for you. 1) Whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl, 2) Add the ingredients into a jar with a lid, like a mason jar, and shake together, or 3) Add the ingredients to a food processor and pulse for a few seconds.
Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat everything evenly. Sometimes I don’t use ALL the dressing– use the amount you like.
Store leftover dressing and salad in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

Make Ahead Instructions: This salad can be made up to 4 days in advance, with or without the dressing. Since the salad base is kale, the salad doesn't become soggy like regular lettuce.
Kale: You can substitute with fresh spinach if you prefer.
Dressing: You can use any type of dressing you prefer.