Recipes Salads Green Salads Kale Salad 8 Ways to Dress Your Kale Salad Bitter kale is great with pungent, umami-rich, and creamy dressings. By Kristin Donnelly Kristin Donnelly Kristin Donnelly is a writer with nearly two decades of experience crafting stories and recipes for editorial publications, books, and brands. She was a food editor at Food & Wine for eight years. Kristin is the author of two cookbooks and co-host of the Everything Cookbook podcast. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 19, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Adrian Gaut Bitter kale is great with pungent, umami-rich, and creamy dressings and vinaigrettes. Whether you make a hearty vegetable and grain bowl, slaw side dish, or main course salad with fruit and nuts, these condiments pair perfectly with kale and its accompaniments. From light to bright, here are six options to help you determine the best dressing for kale salad and dishes. Creamy garlic Caesar is probably kale's most popular dressing. For a leaner alternative, puree roasted garlic with vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire, and a little mayo. Combine toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, peanut butter and rice wine vinegar to add a nutty earthiness. Get the Recipe: Sesame Dressing Chile and lime Channel your inner Bobby Flay, making a Southwestern, spicy salad dressing sweetened with a bit of honey. This recipe makes an ideal side to serve at a summertime cookout and is hearty enough to be a meal on its own. Get the Recipe: Chile-Lime Vinaigrette Yeast Noma alum Josh Lewis makes his terrific dressing with toasted nutritional yeast (sold at health food stores) and two types of oil. It’s great on all kinds of slaws and any salad with sturdy leaves. Tara Pearce Get the Recipe: Toasted Yeast Dressing Citrus Whisk together vinegar, orange juice, mustard, shallot, and garlic for this dressing from Emily Farris. Get the Recipe: Kale Salad with Cranberries, Almonds, and Goat Cheese Miso Whisk miso with vinegar, sesame seeds, oil, and brown sugar for a bright, sweet, and savory dressing by Andrew Zimmern. Kale Salad with Miso and Pistachios Yogurt Kale can handle intense dressings such as this Mediterranean one, made with garlic, red wine vinegar, yogurt, and crushed red pepper. Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Nidia Cueva Get the Recipe: Spicy Yogurt Dressing Tahini and ginger Use kale in a roasted grain bowl with more vegetables and chickpeas, then let this deliciously easy sesame-based dressing tie it all together. Make a double batch of the dressing to have enough for a full week of easy lunches. Get the Recipe: Tahini-Ginger Dressing Sunflower seed This creamy sunflower seed dressing for a hearty summer salad is flavored with za’atar, the classic Middle Eastern spice mix that often includes thyme, oregano or marjoram, sesame seeds, tangy sumac, and often salt. Get the Recipe: Sunflower Seed Vinaigrette 19 Kale Recipes to Add to Your Rotation Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit