The entire family won't miss meat with this incredible protein packed crunchy kale and white bean salad! With creamy cannellini beans, tender pieces of kale, and smothered in a zesty lemon vinaigrette, it's an irresistible dish that hits the spot.
Say goodbye to limp, boring salads and hello to my new favourite: kale and white bean salad recipe. What I love about it is that it's a veg grower's dream. It truly makes the most of tasty, fresh ingredients.
Honestly, kale has never tasted this good. The combination of kale, beans, red pepper, creamy avocado chunks and crunchy seeds with a simple lemon vinaigrette makes it the perfect plant-based bean salad.
I used kale (and red peppers) straight from my kitchen garden (sorry, I ate the beans months ago!), and the flavour was outstanding! And it's the perfect make-ahead lunch, dinner or even breakfast kale salad.
✔️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
Here's why this kale, avocado and white bean salad is our new favourite:
- Veggie and vegan - perfect dish for meat-free Mondays
- Ideal on a budget - no salad bar prices!
- You'll fall in love with health food again - it's that good!
- Enjoy a Los Angeles inspired delicious salad in the comfort of your own home!
- Nutritious, as it's full of healthy fats and antioxidants
- This kale and bean salad recipe is PACKED with plant-based protein
- Uses simple ingredients and follows simple steps
- Great for meal prep for the whole family or large dinner portions
- Easily adaptable - add your favourite veggies
🛒 Ingredient Notes
Please see the printable recipe card with exact ingredient quantities and preparation instructions at the bottom of this post.
Kale & White Bean Avocado Salad Ingredients
Kale - You can use any kind of kale you find in your grocery store. A popular one is curly kale, but I prefer growing nero di toscana (AKA cavolo nero/dino kale/lacinato kale) as it is high in vitamin A, C & K - and we love the caeser salad texture!
Canned cannellini beans - Drain and rinse thoroughly. These are cooked creamy white beans, but you can also try great northern beans, cold butter beans, navy beans, or fava for a kale and broad bean salad.
Red onion - not typical in the Erewhon market version, but we find adding onions creates the best salad. We love the sweet tang, and the anti-inflammatory properties they offer.
Red pepper - deseeded and diced (or use halved cherry tomatoes), which adds colour, crunch, sweetness and even more antioxidants to this vegan white bean salad.
Avocado - Adds creaminess and healthy fats.
Seeds - a good mix of organic pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and hemp seeds/hemp hearts adds crunch, healthy fats to support hormones, and plant-based protein. I buy mine in bulk from Buy Wholefoods Online.
Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing Ingredients
Fresh lemon - I use the zest and fresh lemon juice for sweet acidity - nothing goes to waste!
Extra virgin olive oil - helps absorption of the vitamins in this kale recipe, as well as containing polyphenols, but also loosens the dressing so it's more palatable.
Dijon mustard - softens the sharpness in the lemon juice, but also helps emulsify the classic vinaigrette.
Maple syrup - adds sweetness to balance acidity and slight bitterness in the raw kale.
Fresh garlic - I grate a clove of garlic, or you can use a garlic press to mince. It adds a delicious, complex tang to the dressing while also offering antioxidants.
Seasoning - Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Optional toppings - Grated parmesan or nutritional yeast flakes for a vegan cheesy taste.
📋 Instructions
Here's my step by step guide to making this healthy and satisfying kale and white bean salad:
1. Make the dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients along with a good pinch of salt and pepper until smooth and emulsified.
Tip - if you wish, you can blitz in a mini food processor for quickness.
2. Prepare the kale:
Remove the kale stems by pulling the leaves backwards, away from the stalks.
Then finely chop into small pieces, and wash and drain well. (I use a salad spinner for ease).
3. Massage the kale:
Place the chopped kale leaves in a large bowl.
Now, the secret to a tender, homemade kale salad is massaging the leaves.
So pour the dressing over it and get your hands in and massage for 1-2 minutes until the kale softens.
Tip - this is acidic, so you you might be more comfortable wearing disposable gloves.
4. Create the salad:
Next, add the cannellini beans, diced avocado, all the seeds, diced red onion and peppers.
Toss gently to combine and sprinkle with nutritional yeast flakes or parmesan if desired and serve immediately.
Tip: If you'd like a thinner dressing, add a tablespoon of water to loosen.
👩🍳 Substitutions
Depending on your dietary needs, here are some fun substitutions you can make:
- Kale - Swap your bunch of kale for Romaine lettuce, Swiss chard, arugula (rocket), spinach, or even chicory if you wish.
- Beans - Use any beans you wish - haricot, butter beans, black beans, or create a mixed bean salad. Or cooked chickpeas, quinoa, etc
- Lemon juice - sometimes I've swapped for apple cider vinegar, orange zest and juice, or a mix of both if I don't want to juice a lemon. Or swap for red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar or balsamic.
- Dressing - Swap the dressing for a kale salad with tahini by making this easy goma tahini dressing with toasted sesame seeds or tahini and maple syrup.
- Maple syrup - swap for raw honey or balsamic vinegar, or grated green apples for natural sweetness.
⚖️ Variations
Here are some different ways you can enhance and truly personalise this recipe for next time:
- Cold pasta salad - use a mix of pasta and beans for some lovely al dente bite.
- Fruity - serve with fruits like strawberry, sliced or raspberry kale salad
- Hot and spicy - it tastes great with a pinch of red pepper flakes (chilli flakes)
- Italian - add sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil and balsamic vinegar for an Italian dressing.
- Warm kale and white bean salad - Sauté the kale and beans lightly for a comforting meal - amazing with chunks of blue cheese!
- White bean panzanella salad - Serve with toasted garlic croutons or even Pangrattato (Italian crispy breadcrumbs)
- More veggies - enjoy with cooked sweetcorn for a corn salad, olives, gherkins, etc
🔪 Equipment
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- Large bowl
- Small bowl for dressing
- Wooden spoon or hands for massaging kale
❄️ Storage
Storing - we prefer eating this kale salad recipe fresh, but it can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 1 to 2 days.
Note: if planning on eating the next day, store the dressing separately as it can turn the kale soggy and limp.
Heating - If a cold cannellini bean salad doesn't appeal, you can enjoy a warm kale and white bean salad by microwaving it for a couple of minutes during the Winter months.
💡Pro Tips
- If making ahead, store the dressing as the kale will be less crunchy.
- Use organic white beans, seeds, etc if you can to avoid preservatives.
- Massage the kale thoroughly for a tender texture.
- Add the maple syrup last to the lemon vinaigrette to control sweetness.
- Add extra beans, meat or seeds for a high protein kale salad.
- Serve with nutritional yeast flakes or parmesan for an extra flavor boost.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
- Serve your crunchy kale with with tahini dressing - I love this easy goma dressing - it has a nutty, unami flavour.
- Use as a filling in Italian white bean wraps, or tomato and white bean wraps.
- Drizzle with raita on top for a creamy, minty dressing
- Enjoy as a canned mackerel salad, or cooked chicken for a high-protein bean salad recipe.
❓ FAQ
You can use any kind of kale you wish, such as curly kale, or mfor more nutrition, I use nero di toscana (AKA cavolo nero/dino kale/lacinato kale) - high in vitamin A, C & K!
Kale is sturdy and packed with fibre, so massaging it helps break down the cell structure, making the leaves softer, easier to chew and more pleasant to east raw in salad.
➕ More Hearty Salads
Looking for more tasty salad recipes like this? Try these:
🍽️Salad Dressing Recipes
Here's a few salad dressing recipes you might also like:
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📖 Recipe
Kale & White Bean Salad Recipe {Better than Erewhon}
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 500 g Kale (250g/9oz prepared weight with stalks removed)
- 800 g Cannellini beans (2 x 14oz/400g cans), drained and rinsed
- 1 avocado diced
- ¼ cup Pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup Sunflower seeds
- 3 tablespoon Hemp seeds
- 1 medium Red onion diced
- 1 Red bell pepper deseeded and diced
Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1 Lemon zest and juice
- 90 ml Extra virgin olive oil (6 tbsp)
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1-2 tablespoon Maple syrup
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- Pinch Sea salt
- Pinch Ground black pepper
Optional
- 4 tablespoon Nutritional yeast flakes (1 per person)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients along with a good pinch of salt and pepper until smooth and emulsified.Tip - if you wish, you can blitz in a mini food processor for quickness.1 Lemon, 90 ml Extra virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1-2 tablespoon Maple syrup, 1 clove Garlic, Pinch Sea salt, Pinch Ground black pepper
- Remove the kale stems by pulling the leaves backwards, away from the stalks.Then finely chop into small pieces, and wash and drain well. (I use a salad spinner for ease).500 g Kale
- Place the chopped kale leaves in a large bowl.Now, the secret to a tender, homemade kale salad is massaging the leaves.So pour the dressing over it and get your hands in and massage for 1-2 minutes until the kale softens.Tip - this is acidic, so you you might be more comfortable wearing disposable gloves.
- Next, add the cannellini beans, diced avocado, all the seeds, diced red onion and peppers.Toss gently to combine and sprinkle with nutritional yeast flakes or parmesan if desired and serve immediately.800 g Cannellini beans, 1 avocado, ¼ cup Pumpkin seeds, ¼ cup Sunflower seeds, 3 tablespoon Hemp seeds, 1 medium Red onion, 1 Red bell pepper, 4 tablespoon Nutritional yeast flakes
Disclaimer
*This is an unofficial page and has no affiliation or endorsement from Slimming World. Slimming World's website can be found at https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/. Any syn values are personal estimates and not verified by Slimming World.
Nutrition
If you tried my kale white bean salad recipe, then I'd love to hear how it turned out. Please leave a ⭐ star rating to let me know what you think!
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