Kale Apple Slaw Recipe

Kale Apple Carrot Slaw in a bowl with two spoons on the side

Kale Apple Slaw recipe like you find at Tropical Smoothie Cafe made in 15 minutes! Vegan & gluten-free, it’s a great recipe to serve by itself for a healthy and nutritious meal or to serve as a side dish with tacos and meat dishes.

Course Salad

Cuisine American Vegan

Diet Vegan

Prep Time 15

Total Time 15

Servings servings

Calories 250kcal

Author Aysegul Sanford

Ingredients

For The Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons real maple syrup
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 clove garlic minced
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ small red onion sliced thinly

For The Kale Apple Slaw

6 cups curly kale (1 bunch destemmed and cut into ribbons)
2 carrots shredded
1 cup red cabbage sliced thinly
1 apple sliced thinly
1 cup sunflower seeds or any other nuts

Instructions

To make the salad dressing: Whisk together maple syrup, dijon mustard, garlic, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl or in a mason jar. Add in the sliced red onion and let it steep in it as you work on the rest of the ingredients.
To make the Apple Kale Slaw: Place kale, shredded carrots and sliced red cabbage in a bowl. Drizzle it with the dressing. Using clean hands, give them a light massage making sure to distribute the dressing evenly throughout the salad. As you massage, the tough kale leaves will soften.
Top it off with sliced apple and sunflower seeds. Give it a toss and serve.

Notes

Steep the red onion: This is an optional step but letting your red onion slices soak in the dressing will give them a great texture and make them less bitter and overpowering.
Slice everything thinly: To make sure every bite of this recipe bursts with flavor, make sure you thinly slice all of your ingredients. Small pieces make it easier for your veggies to soak up the tangy dressing.
Massage the kale: Though it may seem like an odd step, massaging the kale is crucial to giving your leaves the perfect, tender texture. The massaging process infuses the kale with the acidic dressing, which helps break down the parts of fresh kale that are hard to digest.
Storage: Once prepared, kale and apple coleslaw will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Be sure to store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

Nutrition