Kale and Apple Slaw with Honey Dijon Dressing
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Over mayo-heavy slaws? With red cabbage, carrots, sunflower seeds, blue cheese, and honey Dijon dressing, this kale and apple slaw is crunchy, colorful, and so fresh! It’s lovely with everything from pulled pork and burgers to steak and tacos. And the slaw is make-ahead for extra easy entertaining!
Honestly, I love some good roughage. I mean, I also love brownies and chocolate chip cookies. But I am down with a good salad situation these days. It’s all about ~balance~, ya know?
And now that warmer weather is (maybe? hopefully? 🤞) upon us, I’ve been dreaming of light & fresh recipes like watermelon feta salad with nectarines or this ribboned raw carrot salad with shallot vinaigrette. But of course, it’s not summer without some slaw.
I feel like overall, coleslaw is a very divisive topic. And I get it, because soggy, mayo-laden (or even worse, Miracle Whip-laden) coleslaw is a no from me. But forget what you know, because in this recipe, we’re re-thinking the entire concept.
Inspired by a salad I used to make all the time when I was in culinary school, this slaw is a distant relative of the classic recipe you know and love. With kale, apples, sunflower seeds, and blue cheese, it’s a lot fresher, a bit crunchier, and has more contrast flavor-wise. But, as a nod to its roots, it still has cabbage and a creamy (ish) dressing to go along with tri-tip sandwiches, these grilled BBQ bacon blue cheese burgers, or my all-time favorite, Dr. Pepper pulled pork. And as a bonus, it’s beyond gorgeous for an impressive dinner party recipe!
I recommend curly kale
I like to use curly kale in this recipe because it has a softer, less fibrous texture. But of course, you can use any kale that you like! You’ll also need red cabbage as a nod to traditional slaw. Other than that, you’ll need carrots, apples (I like Honeycrisp), sunflower seeds, and freshly-crumbled blue cheese.
The dressing is also creamy but still light & tangy. It has red wine vinegar, honey mustard, mayo, garlic powder, sugar, avocado oil, Morton’s Kosher salt, and freshly-cracked black pepper.
Since this apple red cabbage slaw is so simple, quality ingredients make a big difference! It’s important to shred the kale, cabbage, and carrots by hand so the slaw is crunchy and bright. You will also want to use freshly-crumbled blue cheese. I promise it’s worth the extra effort!
Honey Dijon dressing
To make whipping up the dressing easier, use a blender or food processor. Just blend the vinegar, honey mustard, mayo, garlic powder, and sugar until smooth. Then, while the blender or food processor is running, slowly drizzle in the oil until the dressing is emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. All done!
Make the slaw
For the right texture, you’ll want to slice all of the ingredients very thinly. Especially if you’re using the slaw on top of sandwiches or tacos! If you don’t want to cut the kale and cabbage by hand, you can always use a mandoline instead.
Cutting kale for salad
This is how I cut the kale so it’s a lovely slaw-like texture! Using one hand, grip the stem of a kale leaf. Then with the other hand, gently grip the bottom of the leaves and pull your hand away from the bottom of the stem to strip the leaves from each side. Discard the stem and thinly slice the kale into strips.
If you don’t mind extra crunch, you can use the whole kale leaf with the stem. Make sure to slice it thinly so the stems are easier to chew.
Massaging kale
When kale is raw, it can sometimes have a tough texture and a bitter taste. But don’t worry, because in culinary school, they taught us how to prep and cut kale for salad so it comes out tender and peppery. All you have to do is lightly massage the kale which helps soften the leaves!
To massage the kale, drizzle it with just a tiny bit of oil. Then, gently rub the kale with your fingers until it’s softened, about 2-3 minutes. Note: don’t over-do it or the kale will end up soggy!
If you plan on making this crunchy kale salad in advance, you don’t have to massage the kale. The dressing will help soften the kale as it sits in the fridge. You only have to tenderize the greens if you plan on serving the slaw right away!
Make-ahead or store leftovers
Unlike other salads, kale salads are hearty enough to make in advance. To make this slaw ahead of time, just mix up the kale, cabbage, carrots, blue cheese, and dressing the night before. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Then, add the apples and sunflower seeds right before serving so they stay nice and crunchy.
To store leftovers, spoon the slaw into an airtight container. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
If you can swing it, I recommend making this slaw at least one hour in advance. It lets all the flavors meld together and softens the kale as it sits.
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Kale and Apple Slaw with Honey Dijon Dressing
Ingredients
Honey Dijon Dressing
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (60 milliliters)
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons honey mustard (25 grams)
- 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt (30 grams)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 cup avocado oil (100 milliliters)
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Apple Kale Slaw
- 1 head curly kale, de-stemmed & very thinly sliced (~150 grams)
- 1/2 head red cabbage, cored & very thinly sliced (~270 grams)
- 3 carrots, peeled & shredded (~185 grams)
- 2 small Honeycrisp apples, cored & thinly sliced (~200 grams)
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, toasted (80 grams)
- 1/2 cup freshly-crumbled blue cheese (70 grams)
Equipment
- Chef's knife (or mandoline)
- Cutting board
- Whisk
- large mixing bowl
- Salad tongs
Instructions
Make the dressing
- First, add the red wine vinegar, honey mustard, mayonnaise, garlic powder, and sugar to a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Then, while whisking constantly, slowly drizzle the avocado oil into the dressing until it's fully emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
Toss the slaw
- Add the kale, red cabbage, carrots, apples, sunflower seeds, and blue cheese to a large bowl. Toss to combine.
- Pour half of the dressing over the slaw and toss. Then, add more dressing, to taste. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Cover and refrigerate the slaw for 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld (optional but recommended). Enjoy!
