If you’re looking for the perfect salad for Christmas Day then look no further! My Kale Pomegranate Salad is large enough to feed a crowd and equally perfect to meal prep for delicious lunches throughout the week. With perfectly roasted, tender sweet potato, juicy pomegranate arils, salty feta, vibrant kale and a sweet, tangy pomegranate dressing, this salad is so good!
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For more kale salad recipes you need to try my Roasted Butternut Squash Salad, Roasted Kale & Sweet Potato Salad or my Chopped Kale Salad.
What’s to Love About This Kale Pomegranate Salad Recipe?
- healthy – this wholesome salad is filled with nutritious ingredients like kale (potassium, magnesium & calcium), pomegranate (vitamin C and antioxidants), walnuts (healthy fats), pepitas (zinc), red onion (antioxidants), sweet potato (complex carbohydrates and vitamin A) and olive oil (healthy fats).
- festive – nothing screams Christmas like pomegranate! This salad is perfect for your holiday table, whether that’s Christmas, Thanksgiving or other. This large salad feeds 6 people (as a main) and plenty more as a side. Plus it’s very pretty too!
- allergy friendly – this salad is gluten free and egg free. Easily make it nut free by swapping the walnuts for more seeds and make it dairy free by swapping the feta for a dairy free feta.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
You can find most of the ingredients for this salad from your local grocery store. The only harder to find ingredient is pomegranate molasses, which can be swapped out if need be. I’ve listed all of the ingredients as well as any notes and possible substitutions below. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the ingredient quantities.
- pomegranate arils – these are the pomegranate seeds from the inside of the pomegranate. If you can’t find pomegranate then you can swap for a third of a cup of dried cranberries or even fresh cherries!
- kale – I’ve used curly kale but you can also use Tuscan kale (Lacinato kale). To prepare the kale, cut the kale leaves away from the woody stem and then roughly chop the leaves.
- sweet potato – sweet potato can be swapped for butternut squash or pumpkin.
- red onion – I like to very thinly slice the red onion using a mandolin. Be careful though as they are sharp!
- pepitas – pepitas are the green kernel inside a pumpkin seed. The pepitas and walnuts make for a great texture add, giving the salad a good crunch in each bite.
- walnuts – walnuts can swapped for other nuts like toasted pecans or flaked almonds. If you have a nut allergy then swap for more pepitas or sunflower seeds.
- feta – I’ve used a firm feta cheese. If you are dairy intolerant or allergic to dairy then swap for a non-dairy feta. You can also use soft goat cheese if you prefer.
- extra virgin olive oil – can be swapped for linseed (flaxseed) oil.
- sea salt flakes
- cracked black pepper
Pomegranate Dressing
This salad is finished off perfectly with my pomegranate molasses dressing. But if you struggle to find the pomegranate molasses then you could also dress it with my Maple Syrup Dijon Vinaigrette or my Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing.
- pomegranate molasses
- lemon juice
- extra virgin olive oil
- Dijon mustard
- sea salt flakes
How to Make Kale Pomegranate Salad
There are a few steps to this salad but trust me, it is very easy to throw together! Here’s how:
First, preheat the oven and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Tip the sweet potato cubes onto the parchment paper, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Spread the cubes out across the base of the baking sheet in a single layer. Place the tray into the oven and bake for 50 minutes.
Next, add the walnuts and pepitas to a small baking tray and place into the oven to toast for 5 minutes. When you remove them from the oven, tip them out into a small bowl so that they don’t continue to cook in the hot tin.
While the sweet potato is baking, make the salad dressing by adding the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, dijon mustard and salt into a small bowl. Whisk to combine and then slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking and continue whisking until the dressing is smooth and well combined.
Next add the chopped kale leaves to a large salad bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and then use clean hands to massage the kale until it is a vibrant green and softer.
To assemble the salad, spread the kale out into an even layer. Top with the thinly sliced red onions and then crumble half of the feta across the top of the salad. Scatter half of the toasted pepitas and walnuts over the salad as well as half of the pomegranate arils.
Once the sweet potato is roasted, allow to cool to room temperature before spreading out in an even layer across the top of the salad. Top with the remaining pepitas, walnuts, pomegranate arils and feta. Drizzle the salad dressing over the salad and serve.
Storage
Store the leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. For lunches, divide the salad between 4-6 airtight containers and store in the fridge. If meal prepping, add some chicken for some added protein.
Kale & Pomegranate Salad
Equipment
- Chopping Board
- small baking tray
- Large salad bowl
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 1 kg sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, extra virgin
- ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
- cracked black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup pepitas
- ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 bunch curly kale, stems removed, roughly chopped
- 1 pomegranate, arils removed
- ½ red onion, finely sliced into rounds
- 180 grams feta, firm
pomegranate molasses dressing 5 minutes
- 40 mL lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- pinch sea salt flakes
- 60 mL extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Add the sweet potato cubes to the baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat the sweet potato evenly in the oil. Spread the sweet potato cubes out into a single layer. Season with salt and pepper and then place into the oven to bake for 50 minutes. Once baked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, tip the pepitas and walnuts onto a small baking tray and spread out into a single layer. Place in the oven and bake for 5 minutes or until toasted. Watch them closely so that they don’t burn!
- Add the roughly chopped kale to a large salad bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil and then using clean hands, massage the kale until it is a vibrant green. This helps to tenderise the kale, making it easier to digest.
- Next, make the dressing. Add the lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, Dijon mustard and salt to a small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine and continue whisking as you slowly pour in the olive oil. Keep whisking until the dressing is smooth and creamy and the olive oil is completely incorporated. Set aside.
- To assemble the salad, top the massaged kale with the thinly sliced red onion. Crumble half of the feta over and scatter half of the walnuts, pepitas and pomegranate arils over the onions and feta. Scatter the roasted sweet potato over the top of the salad and then the remaining pepitas, walnuts and pomegranate arils. Scatter the remaining feta over the salad and then drizzle over the salad dressing. Serve.
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