Yes, I just shared a couple of cozy soup recipes on the blog, but no, I’m not ready to fully transition away from big, colorful, hearty salads.
My new crunchy peanut kale salad is just that: a beautiful platter of fresh, crunchy veggies, drizzled and tossed with the most flavorful ginger peanut dressing. No boring desk lunches here! Add extra crunch with peanuts, plus pretty much any extra protein your heart desires, and you’ve got a satisfying lunch that will last for days.
I’ve included easy ways to make this salad go even further, plus simple swaps you can make to customize it. It makes such a lovely side for sharing, too, so add it to your Labor Day weekend menu or serve it up with one of my suggested main dishes!
Everything you’ll need to make this peanut kale salad
Colorful veggies and a creamy peanut dressing — so simple, yet SO crunchy and satisfying. Here’s what you’ll need to make this salad:
- Vegetables: this gorgeous salad has kale, shredded green cabbage, red bell pepper, shredded carrots, a fresno pepper (or jalapeño), and sliced scallions.
- Herbs: we’re adding extra freshness with cilantro! I also like to add fresh mint leaves for another unique herby element.
- Dressing: you’ll need natural creamy peanut butter, low-sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, honey, sriracha, fresh ginger, and fresh garlic.
- To garnish: I like topping the salad with chopped honey roasted peanuts and extra sliced scallions.
Looking for an extra protein boost?
This salad actually packs 16g of protein on its own, but it’s the perfect base for adding your fav proteins! Here’s what I can recommend:
- 1-2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken breast (rotisserie chicken is a great, easy option!)
- My grilled peanut chicken from these bowls
- 1-2 cups shelled edamame
- 1 can of rinsed, drained chickpeas
- 1 block of cooked, cubed tofu (or learn how to grill tofu)
- 1 pound cooked shrimp
Make this kale peanut salad your own
You can always customize your salad based on what you have on hand! Here’s what I can recommend:
- Choose your veggies: feel free to use more of one veggie and less of another, or even swap one of the greens for shredded brussels sprouts or finely diced broccoli.
- Try a new dressing: the dressing TRULY makes this salad extra delicious, but you can keep this salad nut-free by swapping the peanut dressing for my Sesame Ginger Dressing or my Creamy Tahini Dressing.
- Pick your spice level: I love the kick of heat that fresno peppers add, so feel free to add 2 if you love spice! Same goes for jalapeño if that’s what you’re using. If you’re more sensitive to spice, you can omit the hot pepper.
- Make it vegan: simply swap the honey for pure maple syrup in the dressing.
Want to make this salad heartier?
- Make a wrap. Fold everything into a burrito-sized tortilla, and make extra dressing for dipping!
- Add noodles. Cook a package of rice or ramen noodles, let them cool, and then toss them right into the salad for a delicious noodle addition. You may want to reduce the green cabbage or kale just slightly so that there’s plenty of dressing to cover the veggies and noodles.
Our favorite main dishes to pair
This kale peanut crunch salad also makes the perfect side dish for serving families or guests! Pair it with any of these yummy main dishes:
- Sweet & Spicy Hot Chili Chicken Noodles
- Gochujang Carbonara
- Thai-Inspired Peanut Chicken Wings
- Sweet and Spicy Gochujang Chicken Bowls
- One Pan Ginger Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce
Storing tips
Store any leftover peanut kale salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Our favorite salad tools
Get all of my favorite kitchen tools here!
More salad recipes you’ll love
- Sesame Chicken Cabbage Crunch Salad
- Grilled Chicken and Veggie Chimichurri Pasta Salad
- Vibrant Curry Cashew Chickpea Quinoa Salad
- Sesame Edamame Salad with Cilantro and Toasted Almonds
- Scoop It Up Kale Couscous Salad
Get all of my salad recipes here!
I hope you love this kale peanut crunch salad! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Kale Peanut Crunch Salad
Ingredients
- Ginger Peanut Dressing
- ⅓ cup creamy natural peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or sub fresh lime juice)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 2 to 3 tablespoons warm water, so dressing is pourable, as necessary
- Kale salad
- 6 cups chopped kale (from about 2 bunches Tuscan kale)
- 2 cups shredded green cabbage
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Optional: 1 to 2 cups shredded chicken breast or shelled edamame for a protein boost
- 1 large red bell pepper, julienned
- 1 cup shredded carrot (about 2 large carrots)
- ½ cup sliced scallions (3 large scallions)
- 1 to 2 fresno peppers, sliced or diced (or sub jalapeno!)
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Optional: 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
- Topping
- ¾ cup honey roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- Extra sliced scallions
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, sriracha, ginger, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of warm water until smooth and well combined. Add additional water if necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, until dressing is creamy, but pourable. Set aside.
- Prepare the greens: In a large bowl, add the kale and cabbage and sprinkle with salt. Use clean hands to massage for a minute or so to help tenderize the greens.
- Make the salad: Pour half of the dressing over the kale and cabbage and toss with tongs to coat the salad, then add in the bell pepper, carrot, scallions, fresno pepper, cilantro, and mint. Toss again with tongs until just combined. Add in the additional dressing until salad is to your liking, then toss again. Top the salad with the honey roasted peanuts and a few extra scallions, then serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This looks absolutely delicious! I’m going to make it for lunches this week. If I’m eating it over the course of a few days, should I wait to put any of the dressing on or still put half when I make it?
The perfect lunch! Feel free to dress it – the kale will stay good for many days 🙂
Delicious!! Added some chicken breasts, chopped peanuts and thinly sliced jalepeno and made the rest of the recipe just as it was. Sooo much flavor and texture, The great thing about hearty greens like kale and cabbage is they aren’t soggy the next day. This was a great leftover lunch!
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
This was sooo delicious especially the dressing. I plan to make another batch and use it as a sauce on some chicken. I measured the kale and cabbage which I would normally eyeball and I’m glad I did because it made a wonderful ratio.
So glad you loved it! YES this would be a great sauce for chicken, too 🙂
Made this salad for my meal prep this week. Even my husband who typically turns his nose up at salad was asking me if I could prep a batch for him after he tried it. Unique and delicious
So happy to hear that! One of my new favs 🙂