This grapefruit mint kale salad is the freshest tasting salad you'll ever make! It has tender shredded kale, refreshing mint, sweet grapefruit segments, sliced almonds, feta, avocado, tossed in a citrus vinaigrette.
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Why This Recipe Works
This kale grapefruit salad is always a favorite! The shredded kale is massaged and broiled, making it incredibly tender. The combination of grapefruit and mint + the honey lime citrus vinaigrette make an incredible pairing that tastes so fresh. Add feta, almonds, and avocado to the salad and it's absolutely perfect.
Ingredient Notes
- Kale. Shredded kale makes the base of this salad. Be sure to remove the hard spines of the kale.
- Olive Oil. Olive oil helps tenderize the kale and adds some body to the citrus vinaigrette.
- Grapefruit. Fresh grapefruit segments add a burst of sweetness to this kale grapefruit salad.
- Lime Juice. Lime juice is used in the citrus vinaigrette.
- Mint. Fresh mint adds cool, refreshing flavor to our grapefruit mint salad.
- Feta. Crumbled feta adds a little creaminess saltiness to the salad
- Almonds. I use sliced almons, you can toast them in a pan if you'd like to add extra nuttiness.
- Avocado. You'll need one ripe, medium avocado. If your avocados are small you may need two.
- Salt & Pepper. Salt and pepper flavor the dressing.
How to Make this Salad Recipe
- Assemble the salad. Toss the kale with the finely chopped mint and citrus vinaigrette. Top the salad with feta, sliced almonds, and avocado.
- Prepare the kale. Wash the kale, remove the hard center seams, and shred it with a sharp knife.
- Massage the kale. Rub a little olive oil into the kale, massaging it until it starts to soften.
- Broil the kale. Spread the kale onto a large baking sheet and broil for 2-3 minutes until the kale starts to crisp up. Set aside.
- Segment the grapefruit. Cut off the outer skin of the grapefruit, then slice In between each grapefruit segment to remove the fruit, skin-free. See our full tutorial on how to segment a grapefruit if needed.
- Make the dressing. Add all the dressing ingredients (oil, lime juice, honey, salt and pepper) in a bowl or small jar and whisk together until smooth. You may need to warm the honey up if it is super thick before mixing it together.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Massaging kale softens the kale, makes it easier to digest, and reduces the natural bitterness.
Kale also has a tendency to be a little dry. Massaging it with a little oil helps breakdown the tough structure of the kale, making it nice and tender. Be careful not to overwork the kale or it can go mushy. Massage it until the kale just barely starts to soften.
We're broiling the kale to crisp it up just a little bit. I love the texture of the softened massaged kale and the crispy edges when combined with the fresh citrus flavors of this grapefruit kale salad!
Yes! The combination of sweet and tart grapefruit with refreshing, cool mint is such an incredible combination, especially in this grapefruit mint salad.
Variations and Substitutions
Substitutions:
- Kale. You can swap the kale for arugula, spinach, or mixed greens. Be sure to skip the massaging and broiling if you do.
- Honey. The honey in the dressing can be replaced with sugar, agave, or monk fruit sweetener.
- Lime Juice. You can use a different citrus juice like lemon, orange, or grapefruit juice in place of lime. You can also use a vinegar like apple cider vinegar, red or white wine vinegar, or champagne vinegar.
- Almonds. Try another type of nut like pistachios, walnuts, or pecans.
- Feta. Try using soft crumbled goat cheese instead of feta.
- Mint. The mint adds a really fresh flavor, you could use fresh basil or lemon balm in place of mint.
Variations
Feel free to add some extras to this salad, some of my favorite things to add to it are grilled chicken or steak, sauteed shrimp, fresh pomegranate, roasted beets, extra herbs (like basil), quinoa, or couscous.
Don't waste the Grapefruit Peels
There are so many great things you can do with grapefruit peels, I hate to see them go to waste! I love to throw them in a pitcher of water and make a super fresh infused water.
Pro Tip: Add some mint with those grapefruit peels to a pitcher of water for an extra refreshing infused water.
You can also use the peels to make candied grapefruit peels, they're made the same way as candied lemon peels!
Grapefruit Mint Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 10 cups 10 cups kale chopped
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons packed fresh mint finely chopped
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- 2 grapefruits segmented
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta
- 1 medium avocado
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about1 large lime, or 2 small limes)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Wash the kale, remove the hard spines down the center, and shred the kale with a sharp knife.
- Massage 1 teaspoon olive oil into kale. Spread kale onto a baking sheet and broil for 2-3 minutes until it has softened and crisped up a little bit. Let it cool for a few minutes before using in the salad.
- Cut off the outer skin of the grapefruit, slice in between the membranes and remove the grapefruit segments so they are skin-free. See our full tutorial on how to segment a grapefruit with pictures if you need further guidance.
- Make the salad dressing by whisking 3 teaspoons(1 tablespoon) olive oil with lime juice, honey, salt, and pepper. If your honey is super thick, warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds before mixing with the other salad dressing ingredients.
- Slice avocado in half and remove the pit. Thinly slice the avocado and use a large spoon to scoop it out of the skin.
- Toss the kale with dressing and fresh mint. Top with almonds, feta, sliced avocado, and grapefruit segments. Serve immediately.
Christina says
Looks and sounds wonderful!