This beautiful grape salad with kale is perfect for any Fall dinner party, Thanksgiving dinner, or Sunday night supper!
With plump red grapes, massaged kale, colorful radicchio, refreshing cucumber, bright cherry tomatoes, rich blue cheese, and crunchy crushed walnuts, this salad includes such wonderful, nourishing, earthy flavors of the season!
Grape Salad with Kale
I love a salad with a little sweet, a little savory, a little crunch, and a cheesy kick. This grape salad has it all! I made it for my Autumn New Moon dinner party, and it was a perfect addition to the other seasonal sides!
I paired it with herbed Cornish game hen, a creamy white wine mushroom sauce, crispy, creamy rosemary and chive mashed potatoes, easy roasted rainbow carrots, and a resplendent cheesecake with blackberry Sorel liquor compote!
Every ingredient is simply massaged, sliced, or tossed. No ingredient requires baking. I like to massage my kale because it makes it easier to digest and breaks free some of the richer flavors of the leaves.
Never massaged kale before? Don’t worry, I’ll show you how in the steps below. And if you’re not sure how to properly slice radicchio, take a look at this post for the simple way to get perfect strips.
I love my homemade apple cider vinaigrette dressing for this salad, but a few other favorites are ginger sesame, Italian, lemon vinaigrette, or white balsamic vinaigrette.
The Simple Process
First, we’ll remove the kale leaves from their stems, give them a luxurious massage, and place them in our salad bowl.
Next, we’ll slice radicchio and add it to the kale.
Then, we’ll slice grapes, cucumber, and cherry tomatoes.
Finally, we’ll add sliced fruits and veggies to the salad, sprinkle with walnuts and blue cheese, drizzle with dressing, and serve.
Ingredient Notes
grapes – I used seedless red grapes for this salad, but if you want to be extra fancy, go for red globe grapes, slice them, and seed them. They’re even more juicy and plump than seedless grapes.
kale – I love kale for Autumn salads, but feel free to use your favorite salad green.
radicchio – You can substitute sliced purple endive if you can’t find radicchio.
cherry tomatoes – I love bright yellow cherry tomatoes for this salad. The color pallet is just so pretty. But feel free to use any color cherry tomato you wish.
crushed walnuts – You can substitute with crushed almonds or even pecans.
blue cheese crumbles – Blue cheese is my favorite for this salad, but you can also use crumbled feta or gorgonzola.
How to Make This Salad Step-by-Step
1. Wash 1 large bunch of kale and remove leaves from stems. Break the leaves up into smaller pieces that will be easier to chew.
2. Place kale in a salad bowl and add 1 tsp. olive oil. Massage each leaf gently to break up the fibrous texture and make it a bit softer.
3. Slice 1 radicchio into thin strips.
4. Add sliced radicchio to the kale, mixing it up a bit so it’s not just plopped on top.
5. Slice ½ cucumber into small pieces and add to the salad bowl. Mix them in a bit like you did the radicchio.
6. Slice ½ cup cherry tomatoes and add to salad. They look prettiest when they’re turned sliced-side up in the salad.
7. Slice ¾ cup grapes in half and add to salad. They also look pretty when most are turned sliced-side up.
8. Sprinkle salad with 2 tbsp. crushed walnuts and ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles (or more if you’re a cheese lover). Drizzle with your dressing of choice (I prefer my apple cider vinaigrette), and serve.
Common Questions
If you’ve met kale before, you’ve noticed it’s pretty stiff, especially when it’s very fresh. Massaging kale breaks up the fibrous texture and makes it easier to chew and digest.
The salad ingredients can be combined, without dressing, at least 4 hours before serving, as long as the bowl is covered with cellophane. Dress just before serving.
I added a few pretty white phlox to the salad to add a little extra loveliness.
A Few Tasty Additions to This Salad
This salad is delicious and beautiful all on its own, but if you want to add a few more accouterments, here are a few tasty additions:
- pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- dried cranberries
- pomegranate seeds
- cooked and cooled farro
- cooked and cooled quinoa
- sprouts
- shredded carrot
- chickpeas
- bacon
- Italian croutons
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More Autumn Salad Inspiration
Grape Salad with Kale
Equipment
- 1 cutting board and sharp knife
- 1 salad bowl
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch of kale
- ¾ cup red seedless grapes
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 medium radicchio
- ½ cucumber
- 2 tbsp. crushed walnuts
- ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- apple cider vinaigrette – optional dressing
Instructions
- Wash 1 large bunch of kale and remove leaves from stems. Break the leaves up into smaller pieces that will be easier to chew.
- Place kale in a mixing bowl and add 1 tsp. olive oil. Massage each leaf gently to break up the fibrous texture and make it a bit softer. Once massaged, remove into a salad bowl.
- Slice 1 radicchio into thin strips. Add sliced radicchio to the kale, mixing it up a bit so it's not just plopped on top.
- Slice ½ cucumber into small pieces and add to the salad bowl. Slice ½ cup cherry tomatoes and ¾ cup grapes in half. The grapes and cherry tomatoes look prettiest when they're turned sliced-side up in the salad.
- Sprinkle salad with 2 tbsp. crushed walnuts and ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles (or more if you’re a cheese lover). Drizzle with your dressing of choice (I prefer my apple cider vinaigrette), and serve.
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