Orange Kale Salad with Citrus Tahini Dressing recipe is a new staple salad in our household!
Using hardy kale, sweet winter citrus, and toasted pecans for crunch, this salad keeps well in the fridge. Whether you make it when oranges are in season or whip it up for a summer gathering, this simple salad hits the spot!
Quick Look: Orange Kale Salad with Pecans
⏲️Ready In: 10 Minutes
🍽Servings: 2
🥗Nutrition: 468 Calories
🥘Main Ingredients: Kale, Pecans, Orange, Raisins, Tahini, Orange juice, Sesame oil, Apple cider vinegar
📋Dietary Notes: Gluten free, Grain free, Dairy free
⭐Why You'll Love It: This simple salad recipe incorporates citrus, toasted pecans, and a sesame tahini dressing that brings it all together. Tasty and easily high protein by adding chicken breast!
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Most weekends as part of meal prep, I make some type of salad concoction so I have ready-to-go greens in my fridge. Whether it's a lettuce-free Easy Cucumber Salad or Thai Cabbage Salad with Peanut Dressing, having nutritious veggies on hand absolutely helps me eat more of them!
This hardy orange kale salad fits right in - it keeps well in the fridge, has a variety of textures thanks to crunchy pecans and chewy sweet raisins, and can easily become lunch by adding chicken breast.
On the flip side, it's an easy salad to whip up for potlucks and summer gatherings, too!
Jump to:
Key Ingredients
Kale: Use either curly or lacinato (dinosaur) kale for this salad; both work great! You can add more color by using both green and purple kale.
Oranges: Navel oranges are my go-to, and you'll get the most flavor by making this salad when oranges are in season in the winter. Blood oranges can work well for this salad, too.
Pecans: I love adding crunch to salads with nuts and seeds! Toasting the pecans enhances the flavor. Toast in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning, or spread on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.
Raisins: Another salad mix-in that I can't seem to get enough of! Raisins add a little more sweetness to this salad that works well with the citrus and nuts. Opt for no sugar added raisins when possible.
Tahini: I use tahini for salads all the time (see Wild Rice & Arugula Salad with Maple Tahini Vinaigrette) and for desserts like Gluten Free Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies! My go-to brands are Joyva and Soom.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make Orange Kale Salad with Citrus Tahini Dressing
Step 1: Combine orange juice, tahini, sesame oil, apple cider vinegar, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
Step 2: Chop the kale and add to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with about half the dressing and toss to coat the kale.
Step 3: Arrange orange sections, pecans, and raisins on top of the dressed kale.
Step 4: Drizzle with remaining dressing and serve as-is or toss again to coat everything in dressing.
Top Tips from Chelsea
Make it a meal - Add chicken in the form of Easy Dutch Oven Shredded Chicken or Perfect Crispy Skillet Chicken Thighs to add protein and make this orange pecan kale salad a meal!
Don't peel the oranges - Save yourself time from peeling the oranges by hand and simply cut away the peel (which also eliminates the membrane for this salad)!
Toss kale in dressing before adding the rest - This is a quick little tip that works well for virtually all salads. Toss the greens in up to half of the dressing before adding the rest of the mix-ins! This ensures all the greens have dressing on them, while also making sure when you add the rest of the mix-ins don't end up on the bottom of the bowl, since they're often heavier than the greens. Drizzle the rest of the dressing overtop.
Use the dressing for other salads - I adore a good salad dressing like the citrus tahini dressing here! It goes great with other salads, including Wild Rice & Arugula Salad or Roasted Beet & Butternut Squash Salad with Wild Rice.
Orange Kale Salad FAQs
Curly and lacinato (dinosaur) kale both work great! You can also mix-and-match green and purple kale for more color.
Yes! Dried cranberries work perfectly for winter vibes in this salad. Feel free to swap them 1:1.
To save on peeling time, here's what I do:
Slice off both ends of the orange so it sits flat on a cutting board. Cut the peel (and membrane) away down the sides of the orange. From there, it should be fairly easy to separate the sections, and for extra credit you can remove the remaining membrane.
More gluten free kale recipes
Did you try this Orange Kale Salad with citrus tahini dressing? I'd love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment and rating or tag me on Instagram - I appreciate your feedback.
📖 Recipe
Orange Kale Salad with Citrus Tahini Dressing
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Chopped
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For the Orange Pecan Kale Salad:
- 1 large bunch kale (about 5 cups after you chop it up)
- 1 orange
- ½ cup chopped pecans, toasted if desired
- ¼ cup sugar-free raisins
- 1 ½ cups leftover chicken breast, shredded or cubed (optional)
For the Citrus Tahini Dressing:
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice (from ~1 orange)
- ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prepare dressing. Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Prepare kale. Wash the kale and pat dry. Remove the tough stems, then roll up the leaves and chop. Add kale to a large bowl. Add about half the dressing and stir the kale to coat.
- Add mix-ins. Cut the ends off of the orange so it will sit flat. Cut the outer peel away so you're left with only the flesh of the orange. Cut into ½ inch thick slices. Add the orange slices, pecans, raisins, and chicken breast (if using) to the kale and toss. Drizzle with remaining dressing. Dig in!
Notes
- Don't peel the oranges - Save yourself time from peeling the oranges by hand and simply cut away the peel (which also eliminates the membrane for this salad)!
- Toss kale in dressing before adding the rest - This is a quick little tip that works well for virtually all salads. Toss the greens in up to half of the dressing before adding the rest of the mix-ins. This ensures all the greens have dressing on them.
- Make it a meal - Add 1 ½ cups leftover rotisserie chicken or Dutch Oven Shredded Chicken to add protein and make it a meal and end up with 38g protein per serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
Feisty Eats says
Looks so delicious & bright. That dressing sounds addicting! Can't wait to try it out.
Chelsea says
Thanks so much, Sarah!