This kale beet salad is an easy, healthy side dish perfect for the cooler months.

There is a time and place for raw vegetable salads (time: summer, place: sunny patio) and the middle of January certainly ain’t it. While I generally love a juicy cucumber number or a classic panzanella, they are not what I’m craving right now. Now is a time for grounding, earthy root vegetables, and dark bitter greens.
Enter this kale beet salad with shallot vinaigrette and roasted hazelnuts. I’ve been making this wintery side dish for the past couple of weeks and am absolutely obsessed. Here, slippery slivers of sweet beets mingle with crunchy, juicy massaged kale. The tangy mustard vinaigrette brightens everything up and tenderizes the kale leaves, while the hazelnuts punctuate the vegetables with warm, nutty notes.
This simple vegan salad calls for just a couple of ingredients and works as a side dish for nearly any main (see suggestions below).
The Recipe at a Glance
This salad consists of three elements: cooked beets (a.k.a. beetroots to my friends across the pond) – boiled or roasted, your choice; curly kale massaged with a simple vinaigrette; and chopped roasted hazelnuts.
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
- Beets: I recommend seeking out small beets for this because they cook faster. However, you can use any beets you have – small or large, red or golden.
- Curly Kale: Curly kale has a fluffier texture than Tuscan kale and thus complements the beets well.
- Hazelnuts: The sweetness of beets works perfectly with hazelnuts. Although, you could use roasted walnuts, almonds, or pecans instead.
- Shallot: A bit of raw shallot adds a nice pepperiness to the vinaigrette.
- Mustard: Use Dijon, brown, or whole grain.
- Vinegar: You can use almost any mild vinegar you have here: wine, champagne, apple cider, or even balsamic.
How to Make This Kale Beet Salad
Find complete instructions with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Cook the Beets
Cook the beets either by boiling or roasting them. I often prefer boiling because it’s a bit faster, and you don’t have to bother with preheating the oven. However, while roasting takes longer, the beets do end up a bit sweeter and slightly more flavorful.
To boil: place the beets in a pot of water, bring to a boil, and simmer until they can be pierced with a knife. This takes 25 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the beets.
To roast: wrap the beets in foil and roast in a preheated 400ºF oven until they can be pierced with a knife. This takes 40 to 50 minutes, depending on the size of the beets.
Step 2: Make the Dressing
Combine the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, shallots, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, and whisk to incorporate.
Step 3: Massage the Kale
When you’re ready to assemble the salad, place the torn kale in a large bowl and drizzle with half of the dressing. Massage the kale vigorously with your hands until it wilts and becomes bright green, 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 4: Slice the Beets
When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel them and cut into thin wedges.
Step 5: Finish the Salad
Combine the kale, beets, and hazelnuts with the remaining dressing, and serve.
Why You Should Massage Your Kale
In comparison to other salad greens – say, romaine or arugula – curly kale is much tougher and more fibrous. If you try to eat it as is, you’ll be chewing for a looong time. Massaging kale with salt and acid – or an acidic dressing like this vinaigrette – softens the leaves, brings out their moisture, reduces their bitterness, and makes the greens easier to chew and digest.
When massaging, squeeze the kale vigorously with your hands – you should actually feel it crunching beneath your fingers. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s slightly wilted, juicy, and bright green.
Serving Suggestions
This kale beet salad works well alongside creamy tomato pasta, porcini pasta, or with tempeh meatballs. For a dinner party, I would pair it with my caramelized onion galette or miso shiitake risotto.
Make-Ahead Tips
Like most salads, this one’s best eaten right away. If you want to get a head start on prep, clean and tear the kale, and keep it in a bowl in the fridge. Cook the beets and keep them whole in the fridge, up to 3 days, until you’re ready to assemble the salad. Make the dressing and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day.
More Vegan Salads…
- Tuscan Kale Salad with Delicata Squash
- Cashew Kale Caesar Salad
- Moroccan Carrot Salad
- Tahini Coleslaw with Crispy Chickpeas
Let me know if you try this recipe! Give it a rating below and leave a comment, and don’t forget to tag your creation with @thenewbaguette on Instagram.
The Full Recipe
PrintKale Beet Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegan kale beet salad is an easy, healthy side dish for the cooler months.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 4 small beets (12 to 16 ounces), scrubbed
- 5 medium curly kale leaves (about 1/2 standard bunch)
- 1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts, chopped* (see note below)
For the Dressing
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
- 2 tablespoons white wine, champagne, apple cider, or balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon or brown mustard
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup or honey
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the beets either by boiling or roasting them (see notes above). To boil: place the beets in a pot of water, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer until they can be pierced with a knife, 25 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. To roast: wrap the beets in foil and place on a baking sheet. Roast in a preheated 400ºF oven until they can be pierced with a knife, 40 to 50 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the dressing. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to incorporate.
- To prep the kale, wash each leaf well under running water. Then pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- Remove the kale stems by pulling the green leaves off; discard stems. Then tear the leaves into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl.
- When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel them with a vegetable peeler. Then cut into thin half-moons.
- Drizzle about half of the dressing on the kale and massage vigorously with your hands until the kale is wilted, juicy, and bright green, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the beets, the remaining dressing, and most of the hazelnuts to the bowl. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with the remaining hazelnuts. Serve immediately.
Notes
The hazelnuts may be substituted with chopped roasted walnuts, almonds, or pecans.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe
- Calories: 263
- Sodium: 142 mg
- Fat: 17.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 24.3 g
- Fiber: 4.9 g
- Protein: 7 g
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