A Chopped Veggie Kale Salad recipe that has lots of crunch, texture and flavour all topped with a homemade sweet sesame-ginger dressing. A healthy and nutrient-rich salad perfect for lunch or beside any dinner.

A super salad if there ever was one.
Friends, this kale salad with all the Asian flare from that sesame dressing has been taking over both my lunch box and dinner plate lately. So crispy and crunch and fresh and bright, this kale salad is the best way to eat all the veggies.
This completely gluten-free and vegan possible salad (vegan possible when you sub out that honey for another liquid sweetener like maple syrup) is just so good and seriously easy to make.

With the warmer weather settling in, I am craving all the veggies. And not roasted veggies or steamed veggies, I want all the fresh and crunchy summery raw vegetables on my plate all at once. And salads are my favourite way to satisfy this craving.
And I don’t mean salad as in iceberg lettuce with bottled ranch dressing on top (as delicious as that can be), I mean super big and super beautiful salads made of dark leafy greens and a huge variety of textures and flavours on top. But dark leafy greens are a must!

MORE ABOUT THIS CHOPPED VEGGIE KALE SALAD RECIPE
Curly kale is the type of kale I use for all my kale salads (mostly because that is the only kind I can ever find at my local farmer’s market or grocery store). Curly kale can be tough so it’s best served in salad form when torn into small pieces and given a real good massage.
This dressing really steals the show. I have to admit I have been holding on to it for a while trying to find the perfect salad to showcase all of its deliciousness. A little bit of sesame oil goes a long way in most recipes, but especially dressings. My rule of thumb is 1 part sesame oil to 4 pars non-sesame oil. I’ve been obsessed with flax seed oil lately for dressings (that might have something to do with me forgetting to put EVOO on my shopping list for multiple weeks in a row now).
But the sesame together with a little bit of tamari (or gluten-free soy sauce), lime juice and honey make for an explosion of Asian-y flavours that taste just too good drizzled all over veggies.
I used a variety of different vegetables for this chopped veggie kale salad (if we’re being real, the salad was inspired by a fridge clean out). You can really use any combination of vegetables you’d like (or have to use before they spoil) but I found the combination of onions, snap peas, peppers, fresh herbs, carrots all chopped, sliced or grated and layered on top of the massaged kale like a rainbow to be the best.
This salad is best served the day it’s made. The flavours are the brightest, the freshest, the bestest (sorry, not sorry) on day one. If this salad, somehow, survives until day 2 I would make a little extra dressing to add on top as the sesame and honey and lime flavours get lost as the kale starts to break down even further after sitting in the fridge overnight.
This is the perfect side salad for 4 people when served beside any dinner or also makes a great meal course for 2 people when you add some protein like chicken or shrimp, chickpeas, steamed edamame or even baked tofu.

Chopped Veggie Kale Salad with Sesame Dressing
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2-4 1x
Description
A Chopped Veggie Kale Salad recipe that has lots of crunch, texture and flavour all topped with a homemade sweet sesame-ginger dressing. A healthy and nutrient-rich salad perfect for lunch or beside any dinner.
Ingredients
For the Sesame Dressing:
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 tablespoon tamari (or use other gluten free soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root
For the Salad:
- 6 (heaping) cups kale, torn into small pieces
- 1 cup shredded Brussels sprouts or cabbage (or use more kale)
- 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped (or use parsley instead)
- 1 cup bell pepper (any colour), thinly sliced or chopped
- 1 cup sweet snap peas, chopped
- 1/2 cup carrot, grated or chopped
- 1/4 cup onion (red, white or green), thinly sliced
- Optional for Serving: sesame seeds, chopped peanut or cashews, steamed edamame, baked tofu
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl or mason jar with a tight fitting lid, add the oils, honey, lime juice, tamari and ginger and whisk well or shake vigorously until smooth. Set aside.
- Add chopped kale and Brussels spouts or cabbage, if using, into a very large bowl. Pour about 4-5 tablespoons of the dressing over the kale. Using your hands, ‘massage’ or rub the dressing into the kale pieces to help break down the toughness of the kale. After about a minute of ‘massaging’ the kale, it should look soft and wilted. Stir in cilantro.
- Transfer massaged kale to your serving bowl and top with chopped veggies – peppers, snap peas, carrot and onion – and then any other optional toppings you’d like.
- Drizzle of the remaining dressing over top of the salad and serve immediately.
Notes
This salad is best served the day it’s made.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
This salad looks amazing but that dressing definitely tops it off. So healthy with great flavor blends!
Thanks so much, Kristina!
This salad has my name all over it! I love all the flavor and textures you have packed in not to mention nutrition. I have to make it soon.
Yes – big, healthy salads for the win!!
That dressing sounds full of flavor! Perfect for any kind of salad, especially this bright and colorful one! 🙂
Thanks so much, Jessica!!