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    Dinner » Vegan Kale Recipes You Will Love

    Published: Oct 11, 2020 · Modified: Apr 17, 2023 by Kristina Sloggett · This post may contain affiliate links · 25 Comments

    Vegan Kale Recipes You Will Love

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    Our favorite kale recipes! From salads to stews and from pestos to burgers, this cruciferous veggie performs beautifully in a wide range of dishes. Browse these vegan kale recipes that highlight the hardy green.

    article originally published September 14, 2012

     

    close up image of leaves of purple and green curly kale, with the words Vegan Kale Recipes in green font in a white box.

     

    TABLE OF CONTENTS - Jump to any section:

      1. More than a salad bar decoration
      2. Tips to soften kale
      3. How to chiffonade
      4. Best dressing for kale
      5. Vegan kale recipes

     

    Avocado Kale Florentine (kale, breaded avocado slices, tomato on an English muffin with vegan hollandaise being poured over top), included in a vegan kale recipes collection

     

    Kale recipes that go beyond salad

    Kale isn't just a salad bar decoration anymore. Kale is the salad!

    The vegan kale recipes we are sharing do include a few delicious salads, and you'll be pleased to see plenty of other ways to incorporate kale into your meals.

    If you love kale, you are not alone:

    • I love kale so much I cowrote a cookbook called We Love Kale.
    • my wedding bouquet included kale, basil, rosemary and flowers

    This leafy vegetable, which is a member of the cabbage family, is in abundance during the fall and winter months, but can easily be found year round due to its popularity.

    Kale's nutrient profile reads like a who's who of healthy: it has so much that we need daily. Kale is full of iron, fiber, calcium, antioxidants, and most of the alphabet of vitamins. This is a versatile green that works well in a variety of cooking settings.

     

    Kale is tough! How to soften it

    One of the biggest complaints about kale recipes is that kale is tough. The good news is there are a few ways to tenderize kale so more people find it palatable.

    The most popular way to soften kale is to massage it. How do you massage kale? After removing the stems, I make a dressing (see more on dressings below) and, using my hands, coat as much of the kale as possible. I squeeze the kale for several minutes. 

    My favorite way to prepare kale is going a step beyond the usual massage. I like to chiffonade the leaves of kale to break them down further, making kale much easier to enjoy. Not so tough.

    The other great thing about kale being so hardy and tough is that even after you've massaged the kale to wilt down a bit, kale salads last much longer than other green salads. Kale is the only salad I will make a large batch of, knowing it will still taste fresh for a couple days, if stored in the refrigerator.

     

    Grapefruit kale salad on a white plate, included in a collection of vegan kale recipes 

     

    How to chiffonade

    The chiffonade method is easy:

    • Thoroughly clean and rinse kale.
    • Remove kale leaves from the stem.
    • (Discard the stems, or save them for the juicer.)
    • Arrange the leaves in an orderly pile.
    • Tightly roll from one end to the other.
    • Carefully slice into ribbons - quarter to half inch, your preference.

    From here, you can add to a bowl with dressing and massage further, or at least make sure most of the kale is coated.

     

    Best dressing for kale salad recipes

    Because kale can be tough, I usually add some acidity to the dressing to help in breaking down. My top three acids to include in dressing one of these:

    • lemon juice
    • apple cider vinegar
    • white vinegar

    Even if you chiffonade the kale, adding an acidic dressing and massaging a bit can only help break down the structure even further, resulting in a soft, delicious kale. I often prep kale this way for all sorts of kale recipes, salads or not.

     

    Did you make one of these vegan kale recipes? 

    Follow spabettie on Instagram and tag us with #spabettie
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    Kale Recipes

    From salads to stews and pestos to burgers, this cruciferous veggie performs beautifully in a wide range of vegan kale recipes that highlight the hardy green.

    Lemon Avocado Massaged Kale Salad

    the easiest kale recipe! learn all the tips for the best kale salad with this quick and easy method that is nutrient rich with bright flavor.

    Lemon Brussels and Kale Chiffonade Salad

    a favorite holiday kale recipe! This massaged kale salad brings zesty flavor that is beautifully complimented by a garnish of dried cranberries and crunchy cashews. this is a tasty sweet and savory vegan salad.

    Photo Credit: www.thelittleepicurean.com

    Avocado Kale Smoothie

    Go head and stuff a handful of baby kale in your high speed blender, along with creamy avocado and a couple other nutrient rich ingredients. Blend this green machine of a smoothie into a refreshing and healthy drink.

    Miso Sesame Kale Chips

    Kale chips are a must-make for anyone craving a satisfying and healthy snack to nibble. These take less than 10 minutes to bake! Full of flavor from miso and sesame, these vegan kale chips are addicting AND pretty to look at! a classic kale recipe.

    Avocado Kale Florentine with Smoked Paprika Hollandaise

    Perfect for a holiday or a weekend brunch at home, this veggie filled kale recipe is one you won't forget. Fresh avocado, greens, and a smoky hollandaise is a stack of deliciousness. Fresh baked in the oven, or super quick in the air fryer!

    Garlic Kale Stuffed Portobello Burgers

    This savory vegan burger is full of curly kale, quinoa and portobello, and a major serving of garlic. These burgers are not only lovely to look at but the portobello can be grilled! Beautiful and nutritious!

    Photo Credit: www.blissfulbasil.com

    Vegan Tuscan Kale White Bean Stew

    This vegan kale recipe is perfect for a fall and winter comfort food fix. Full of protein and fiber, its heartiness comes from cannellini beans and lacinato kale. Add a few more ingredients and a host of spices and you have a stew that will keep you warm, cozy and satisfied.

    Hearty Portobello Kale Lasagna

    Layers of noodles with portobello mushrooms, sautéed kale, potatoes, and marinara sauce. Make enough for leftovers because you'll want to enjoy this one again!

    Grapefruit Kale Chiffonade Salad

    This gorgeous salad is a feast for the eyes as well as the body with its deeply hued tones of green and orange. Of course, it's fresh kale, juicy grapefruit and hazelnuts providing this rainbow of color and crunch. These tasty greens are drizzled with a maple tahini dressing. Beautiful!

    Kale Salad with Warm "Bacon" Dressing

    This beautiful platter of greens is a hearty plant based update on that classic spinach salad we all remember, topped with a warm, smoky dressing! the warm dressing is a perfect accompaniment to this kale recipe!

    Photo Credit: jessicainthekitchen.com

    Kale Pesto Pizza

    Vegan pizza has never tasted as scrumptious as this garlicky kale-inspired pie. A kale and pecan pesto acts as the sauce and is topped with tomato, kale, and vegan cheese. Lovely kale recipe!

    Tahini Kale Chiffonade and Stuffed Waffles

    When you are craving something different! This stack of light and crispy waffles stuffed with a bright, lemony kale and savory tahini works for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

    about Kristina:

    spabettieKristina is spabettie! She found cooking at an early age, and created spabettie in 2010 to share vegan recipes. Kristina turned her culinary training into sharing vibrant vegan food!  Read more...

     

     

     

     

     

    spabettie / Kristina Sloggett is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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    Comments

    1. Arnie Adam says

      September 22, 2012 at 7:16 am

      I found a great Kale & Walnut Pesto recipe this summer and have made up quite a few pint jars of it and stuck them in the freezer...as a way to bring that beautiful kale in my garden with me into the winter months. Freezing it meant I didn't have to cook the kale and destroy the"so-good-for-you" enzymes. You can use it in pasta, but I mostly use it as a spread on toast...and I'm really loving it as a way to get fresh kale into my diet nearly every day. It came out smoother in a blender, but was harder to process that way, so I resorted to a food processor. I had to tweak the recipe I found to get it to work for me:
      1. Lightly steam 2 large handfuls of kale
      2. Meanwhile, in a food processor mix: 3/4 cup olive oil, 1 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup vegan parmesan (1 cup raw cashews, 1 large clove garlic, 1/3 cup nutritional yeast...blended well into small particles), 1 clove galic, 1 tsp. salt.
      3. Add lightly steamed kale to above mixture and puree. Makes about 1 pint.

      Reply
      • Arnie Adam says

        September 22, 2012 at 7:25 am

        Oops...forgot that there is a tsp. of salt in the vegan parmesan...and actually when you lightly steam the kale, you are probably knocking out those lovely enzymes I spoke of. Maybe next year I'll try actually processing some in a hot water bath and see how that works...so I don't fill up my freezer.

        Reply
        • spabettie says

          September 28, 2012 at 5:53 pm

          thank you Arnie! 🙂

      • spabettie says

        September 28, 2012 at 5:53 pm

        this sounds amazing, I am definitely going to try this! 🙂

        Reply
    2. David Crowley says

      September 17, 2012 at 3:41 am

      Creative! Have been getting a lot of kale from our CSA, so always on the lookout for new things to make with it. Recently made & posted about a kale pesto that was quite good.

      Reply
      • spabettie says

        September 19, 2012 at 8:36 am

        hi David!! I'll have to look up your pesto, I am intrigued! thanks for reading!

        Reply
    3. Debbie @ Live from La Quinta says

      September 14, 2012 at 4:45 pm

      I love kale too, but it wasn't until recently when I learned how to massage it that I found that I really love kale. It is delicious. Even my husband loves it and if you knew him you'd know how amazing that is.

      Reply
      • spabettie says

        September 15, 2012 at 9:21 am

        YES - that's how it is here, too. Jason likes kale in our smoothies, but now he LOVES the massaged kale salads I make, especially the chiffonades! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Eileen says

      September 14, 2012 at 11:09 am

      Who doesn't love kale? Just last night I made pasta aglio e olio with kale and olives: delicious. 🙂 Hooray for all the kale!

      Reply
      • spabettie says

        September 14, 2012 at 1:15 pm

        mmm, kale and olives - that sounds delicious!

        Reply
    5. Lisa says

      September 14, 2012 at 9:13 am

      I love kale. This summer was our first attempt at growing kale in the garden and it was HUGE! It was so hearty and healthy (until the aphids came). I loved having kale in my garden. We sauteed it with dinners, I added it to salads and I absolutely loved kale chips. Yum!

      Reply
      • spabettie says

        September 14, 2012 at 1:21 pm

        isn't it great? I love walking outside and bringing in fresh veggies for dinner!

        Reply
    6. Lauren @ Oatmeal after Spinning says

      September 14, 2012 at 7:58 am

      ooh I love that shirt... (and I love kale).
      Not to pimp myself out here, but did you see the kale recipe I posted last week? It's from a friend of mine, and it's unreal. I could eat it every single day (and usually make a huge batch of it so that I CAN eat it every day!).
      It looks a bit similar to one that you have on this post (with the beets and almonds) http://www.oatmealafterspinning.com/2012/09/07/superfood-kale-salad/

      Reply
      • spabettie says

        September 14, 2012 at 1:23 pm

        I did see it - I commented but... I have still been having that spam issue 🙁 I commented again this morning... perhaps you can fish me out? 😀 that salad looks awesome, and you also got me even more excited for football! 😉

        Reply
    7. Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) says

      September 14, 2012 at 7:04 am

      I LOVE kale! That shirt sounds super cute! I need one! I signed the petition too! I could go on and on about bigger corporations stomping on the little guys today, but I will refrain from high jacking your blog today. I think I need some kale chips today!

      Reply
      • spabettie says

        September 14, 2012 at 1:28 pm

        I know - it's crazypants. can't we all just get along?? 😉 I LOVE when people ask me about the shirt, I tell everyone the story!! make some kale chips with FRANKS! 😀

        Reply
    8. jobo says

      September 14, 2012 at 6:46 am

      I love kale too! Newly loved this year, I think...well, when I met M and his parents made authentic kale soup (given they are Portuguese and all!) and ever since, love! So versatile 😉

      Reply
      • spabettie says

        September 14, 2012 at 1:31 pm

        oooh, kale soup sounds interesting??

        Reply
        • jobo says

          September 14, 2012 at 1:31 pm

          you've never had kale soup?! really??

        • spabettie says

          September 14, 2012 at 3:41 pm

          I haven't!! you must educate me!

    9. Francesca says

      September 14, 2012 at 6:02 am

      I'm on a kale-kick too spabettie! Just made some lasagna with it yesterday and it was delicious...http://bit.ly/TS61xj

      Reply
    10. Heather (Where's the Beach) says

      September 14, 2012 at 5:36 am

      I love kale, but tend to just stick to roasting it up. Of course, that's a change from before when I'd only use it in soup then I ventured out and would only saute it LOL.

      Reply
      • [email protected] for the Soul says

        September 14, 2012 at 11:01 am

        Ahhh I roast it whenever I wanna eat it but have no time to cook it! 🙂 I think it's such a quick way to prepare it, or sometimes if I'm in a REALLY big hurry, I boil it for like 4 minutes. Hey, it's better than nothing, right? 😉

        Reply
        • spabettie says

          September 14, 2012 at 1:16 pm

          even quicker, just massage it with some oil and citrus! mmm...

      • spabettie says

        September 14, 2012 at 1:31 pm

        your kale usage goes in trends then? 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kristina!

    I am a voracious reader and chickpea eater. also known as spabettie.

    Using my extensive culinary training and work in the industry, I have been creating vegan recipes for more than a decade.

    At spabettie, you will find easy and appealing plant based recipes - vegan, gluten free, and full of vibrant flavor

    More about me →

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