WHOA. Before we get into all the adjectives and descriptives about this salad, let me just say… YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS! Completely and utterly obsessed is simply an understatement.
I shared this salad a couple of years back and just had to bring it out again. This salad was inspired by one of my go-to take out spots in Chicago and their fabulous kale salad. I simply can’t get enough. It’s made with the most ridiculously good garlic tahini dressing, plus there are roasted sweet potatoes, crunchy wasabi peas (or you can sub roasted chickpeas!), sweet cranberries, creamy avocado and my special touch: sweet and spicy toasted pistachios.
Now, doesn’t this sweet potato kale salad just sound fabulous? Well, trust your girl and make this salad. I crave it all the time. It’s perfect with a hearty protein like chicken or salmon, or lovely on its own. Bonus: it’s delicious even after a few days in the fridge! Can’t wait to hear what you think.
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What you’ll need to make this sweet potato kale salad
- For the dressing: we’re making a simple maple tahini dressing with tahini, garlic powder, lemon juice, maple syrup, dijon mustard, salt & pepper.
- For the salad base: you’ll need a large sweet potato & olive oil for roasting, plus a bunch of kale. We prefer to use Tuscan kale in this recipe!
- For the pistachios: I love adding some flavor to these pistachios by toasting them with maple syrup, cayenne pepper and a bit of sea salt.
- Extra toppings: finish it off with dried cranberries, avocado and yummy wasabi peas for extra crunch.
Customize your salad
- Mix up the produce: feel free to use butternut squash in place of the sweet potato.
- Try a new dressing: if you don’t have tahini, try my feta yogurt dressing or even my greek yogurt ranch. But trust me the tahini dressing is a GAME changer.
- Add a new sweetness: chopped dates, raisins, dried cherries and even apple slices are the perfect swap for the cranberries.
- Swap the crunch: out of pistachios and/or wasabi peas? Make sweet & spicy cashews instead, and try roasted salted chickpeas!
- Make it paleo: feel free to omit the wasabi peas, too, to keep the salad paleo.
Looking for more protein?
- Chopped chicken breast (my baked or grilled honey mustard chicken would be perfect!)
- Chickpeas
- Quinoa
- Chopped bacon
- Shrimp or salmon
Tips for making salads with kale
- Be sure to chop it very finely so that the bites aren’t too large.
- Add the dressing to the kale by itself first and toss it all together really well. You can even do this with your hands and “massage” the dressing in so that all of the kale is well coated.
- Let it marinate! That’s right, you’ll want to let the dressed kale sit for at least 15 minutes before adding the other toppings so that it soaks up all of the flavor. It makes all the difference.
How to make this sweet potato kale salad
- Roast your sweet potatoes. Drizzle the cubed sweet potato with a little olive oil and roast it up.
- Make the dressing. While the sweet potato is roasting you can whisk together all of the ingredients for the tahini dressing.
- Massage the kale. Add the dressing to your kale and toss it all together well with my tips above!
- Add your toppings. Gently toss in the rest of the ingredients except the pistachios.
- Spice up those pistachios. Lastly, you’ll toast the pistachios with the maple syrup, cayenne & sea salt until fragrant, let the cool, and add them with the rest of the salad.
Make this sweet potato kale salad ahead of time
Storing tips
More salad recipes you’ll love
- Italian Chopped Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Winter Butternut Squash Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad
- Cashew Crunch Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Roasted Sweet Potato, Pear & Pomegranate Spinach Salad
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