Simple Kale Salad Dressing Recipe

A small glass jar filled with kale salad dressing, with a spoon inside. Garlic cloves and a green leafy salad are visible in the background.

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This simple Kale Salad Dressing is bright, garlicky, and just rich enough to soften kale without drowning it.

Prep Time5

Cook Time0

Resting Time15

Total Time20

Servings:

Calories: 193kcal

Author: Chef Molly Pisula

Ingredients

6 ounces kale about ½ large bunch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese divided
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Pull kale leaves off their stems.
Put the slicing blade into your food processor. Turn on food processor and feed the kale leaves down the tube opening. Continue until all the kale is finely shredded. Alternatively, stack the leaves and roll into a cylinder. Then slice very thinly.
Add kale to a large bowl while you make the dressing.
Add lemon juice to a small bowl.
Peel garlic cloves, and use a microplane to grate them over the top of the lemon juice. Whisk to combine.
Slowly pour in olive oil, while whisking constantly.
Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, while continuing to whisk. Whisk in salt and pepper.
Drizzle dressing over shredded kale and stir well. Let kale sit for 15-30 minutes to absorb the dressing before serving.
Taste and add more lemon juice or salt, as desired.
Toss with additional tablespoon of parmesan cheese right before serving.

Notes

Storage Tips:

This salad dressing for kale will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I like to use a small mason jar. If you have tossed the dressing with the kale leaves already, the raw kale salad will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Recipe Tips:

I can’t stress enough that using the highest quality ingredients (fresh lemon juice and garlic, high quality olive oil and parmesan cheese) really make a difference in this recipe!

Once you have this recipe down, I encourage you to make it your own. While I made this a few times in a row to measure the ingredients I was using, typically I make this recipe without measuring anything. I shred my kale, squeeze in a lemon half, grate the garlic cloves, and drizzle some olive oil in and toss it all together. I taste to adjust the balance, then add in my parmesan cheese.

You’ll see lots of recipes for massaged kale salad, as massaging helps tenderize the sturdy kale leaves and lets the dressing flavors soak in. You don’t need to do that with this recipe because of the high acidity of the lemon juice and the shredded kale leaves. But you can if you’d like! And, if you want to serve this in a hurry and don’t have time to let it sit, massage it!

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