The Best Kale Slaw with Apples

Why you will love this recipe:

• This crunchy kale apple salad is packed with flavour and perfectly dressed! The combination of sweet apples, crunchy almonds and tart kale all blend perfectly.
• It is really quick and easy to make and is ready in less than 15 minutes.
• This kale slaw is made with no cabbage, giving it such a unique flavour.
• The mayonnaise based dressing is so creamy and delicious with the perfect sweet and tangy flavour.
• This kale slaw with apples stores really well in the fridge so it's perfect for meal prep! 
• This salad is healthy and is naturally gluten free and dairy free and can easily be made vegan, and paleo too.
• This kale coleslaw is simple enough for weeknights but delicious enough to serve for holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter.

Ingredients and substitutions:

• Kale — fresh kale gives this salad the perfect crisp texture. You can use any type of kale that you prefer to make this slaw.
• Slivered almonds — To add a bit of crunch and even more flavour to this salad. Feel free to use other nuts like pecans or walnuts, too.
• Carrots — shredded carrots give this delicious salad even more flavour and an extra bit of color. Be sure to use fresh carrots and not frozen carrots.
• Red apples — You can use your favourite kind of sweet red apples in this kale slaw. My personal favours are Honeycrisp, Gala and Pink Lady. If you want a little extra tang, you could use a Granny Smith apple!
• Mayonnaise — Nothing makes a creamier homemade salad dressing than mayo! You can use any type of mayo that you like, but I like to use my homemade mayonnaise that takes less than a minute to make!
• Apple cider vinegar — this gives the perfect amount of tartness and tang to the dressing. Instead of apple cider vinegar you can use lemon juice.
• Dijon mustard — This adds a bit of bold flavour to the coleslaw dressing on this kale slaw.
• Maple syrup - to add a little natural sweetness to the dressing while keeping it refined sugar free.
• Seasonings and spices - salt, ground black pepper and paprika are the only seasonings you need to give the dressing on this fall salad the most amazing taste.

Recipe variations and add ins:

• To make this kale apple slaw vegan: use a vegan mayonnaise to make the dressing.
• To make this kale and apple slaw paleo: use a paleo compliant mayonnaise. 
• If you like a sweeter dressing, add an extra 1-2 tablespoons of honey or maple syrup.
• If you would rather make the dressing without mayonnaise you can use plain yogurt instead. Just note that this will make the dressing more tangy so you might want to add an extra 1-2 tablespoon of honey or maple syrup.
• Feel free to swap the almonds for other nuts such as pecans, pine nuts, or walnuts.
• Turn this into a kale slaw with cranberries by adding some fresh cranberries.

How to make kale slaw with apples: 

Step 1

Rinse and dry the kale. Then rip or cut the kale into pieces and give it a massage. Then add it to a large salad bowl.

Step 2

Add the shredded carrots, slivered almonds and chopped apples to the bowl with the kale.

Step 3

In a small bowl or glass measuring cup mix together the dressing ingredients until smooth.

Step 4

Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well until everything is evenly coated. Then serve and enjoy!

How to serve:

This slaw makes the perfect side dish and pairs well with many different main dishes including duck burgers, honey lemon pepper chicken wings, salt and pepper chicken wings and my reader favourite gluten free burgers.

You could also turn this into a meal salad by adding a protein such as cooked chicken, beef, pork, fish or tofu.