This lightened-up Kale Caesar Salad is tossed in a creamy dressing that gives you that classic Caesar flavor with less fat. It’s a fresh, satisfying, and nutrient-packed salad that works great as a side or paired with your favorite protein for a full meal.
About This Recipe
You all know I love a good kale salad (well, only if it’s chopped super fine), and this Kale Caesar Salad is no exception!
This salad is so yummy, and the creamy dressing is made with avocado, Greek yogurt, and a touch of lite mayo for that classic Caesar flavor with less fat.
You can pair this salad with any prepped protein you have in the fridge (my Balsamic, Dijon, and Garlic Marinated Chicken Tenders or Balsamic and Herb Pork Tenderloin, both are so good with it) and toss a few toasted pepitas, pistachios, or good old croutons on top!
And if you love a good kale salad, be sure to also try my Kale Salad with Peanut Vinaigrette, Mexican Chopped Kale Salad, Wild Rice and Kale Salad (Cubby’s Copycat), Chopped Kale Salad, Delicata Squash & Crispy Shallots, or Harvest Chopped Kale Salad.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Avocado: The avocado makes this dressing super creamy!
- Lite mayo + low-fat greek yogurt: I love using the combination of lite mayo and low-fat greek yogurt for dressings because the mayo gives richness while the greek yogurt keeps things light and adds protein.
- Lemon juice: Fresh squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor!
- Dijon mustard: Use your favorite grainy dijon mustard.
- Kale: I love using lacinato kale because it’s a bit sweeter and chewier than regular kale. However, regular kale works or you can sub for your favorite green like spring mix or spinach. I highly recommend putting the kale through your food processor to help dice it up into tiny bites.
- Parmesan: Freshly grated parmesan is always the way to go!
Dietary Adaptations
Dairy-free: I love using Forager plant-based sour cream in place of the yogurt.
How To Make
- To a blender, add all ingredients from the avocado through the water. Blend until smooth.
- Tear the kale leaves off the tough stems. Wad your kale leaves up as tightly as possible and chop them fine (or I love to use a food processor to chop up everything SUPER fine). Kale is so much yummier when it’s chopped small! Add the finely chopped kale to a large bowl and squeeze with a little lemon if yours has any juice left! Massage with your hands a few times. Toss with the dressing and the parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.
- We love to add extra avocado, plus toasted pepitas, pistachios, or good old croutons to our bowls. But I’ll let you do that so you can decide and track accordingly. Of course, this pairs beautifully with any grilled chicken, steak, shrimp, etc.
Helpful Tips
- Chop small: The chop matters!! Especially for kale salads, I highly recommend using the food processor to easily finely chop the kale. Even though it can be an extra dish to wash, it’s worth it to get the super chopped kale. Chopping the kale smalls helps the dressing cover the greens completely and make sure it’s tender and full of flavor. Plus, the small chop just helps the flavors disperse so that each bite is so much better!
- Extra toppings: Feel free to top this salad with extra avocado, toasted pepitas, pistachios, or good old croutons to make it even better!
- Pair with a protein: Pair this salad with your favorite protein to make it a full meal. It’s super versatile and works with pretty much any grilled chicken, steak, shrimp, etc.
Protein Pairings
Pair this kale caesar salad with some protein to make it a meal! Some of my favorites include:
- Balsamic, Dijon, and Garlic Marinated Chicken Tenders
- Balsamic and Herb Pork Tenderloin
- BBQ Soy Ginger Chicken Thighs
- Hot Honey Air Fryer Salmon Bites
- Sweet Garlic Spiced Grilled Flank Steak
- Sweet Chili Glazed Cilantro Grilled Chicken
- Balsamic Herb Grilled Chicken
For More Delicious Salad Recipes
- Kale Salad with Peanut Vinaigrette
- Mexican Chopped Kale Salad
- Wild Rice and Kale Salad (Cubby’s Copycat)
- My Favorite Simple House Salad
- Chopped Kale Salad, Delicata Squash & Crispy Shallots
- Harvest Chopped Kale Salad
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Kale Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 avocado 53g
- 1 Tbsp. lite mayo 15g
- 2 Tbsp. low-fat Greek yogurt 30g
- 1½ Tbsp. lemon juice 22g
- 1 tsp. dijon mustard 5g
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/3 cup water 90g
- 3½ cups lacinato or curly kale finely chopped (200g)
- 1/2 cup parmesan 50g
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- To a blender, add all ingredients from the avocado through the water. Blend until smooth.
- Tear the kale leaves off of the tough stems. Wad your kale leaves up as tight as possible and chop them fine. Kale is so much yummier when it’s chopped small! Add the finely chopped kale to a large bowl and squeeze with a little lemon if yours has any juice left! Massage with your hands a few times. Toss with the dressing and the parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.
- We love to add extra avocado, plus toasted pepitas, pistachios, or good old croutons to our bowls. But I’ll let you do that so you can decide and track accordingly. Of course this pairs beautifully with any grilled chicken, steak, shrimp etc.
Notes
Nutrition
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