Kale, Apple & Goat Cheese Salad with Granola “Croutons”
Nutty granola croutons complete this salad made with massaged raw kale, crisp chopped apple, and crumbled goat cheese tossed in a tangy lemon dressing.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
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Apple season is here! I’m usually so sad to see summer and its glorious produce go, but I’m actually looking forward to slowing down this fall. I’m going to bust out my cozy jackets and boots from their hiding places and take my dog Cookie out to admire the changing leaves.
To celebrate the beginning of fall, I made a big kale salad with chopped apple and a lemony maple and mustard dressing. Goat cheese, cranberries and savory granola—yes, granola on a salad—round it out and make this salad a full meal.
I’m fully smitten with this granola-as-croutons concept, since I never have a loaf of crusty bread when I need it. You can toss it together in no time at all, and you’ll end up with plenty for two salads.
As you’ve probably heard already, old-fashioned oats offer a number of beneficial qualities—they’re a good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals—so these croutons are more redeeming than most.
Let’s talk about how to modify this salad to take advantage of the extra produce you might find yourself with this season. You can replace the apples with roasted vegetables (sweet potato and Brussels sprouts are great), the kale with chopped spinach, and the goat cheese with cheddar or Parmesan. With those granola croutons, you can’t go wrong!
Please let me know how your recipe turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Kale, Apple and Goat Cheese Salad with Granola Croutons
Nutty granola croutons complete this salad made with massaged raw kale, crisp chopped apple, and crumbled goat cheese tossed in a tangy lemon dressing. This recipe yields 4 medium salads, and twice as much granola as you’ll need—it stores well for future salads.
Ingredients
Granola “croutons”
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- ½ cup roughly chopped pecans
- ½ cup raw pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
- ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 large egg white, beaten
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
Lemony maple mustard dressing
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon smooth Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- Hefty pinch of fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Kale salad
- 1 large bunch or 2 small bunches (12 ounces) curly green kale
- 1 medium Honeycrisp, Granny Smith or Fuji apple
- 2 ounces chilled goat cheese, crumbled (about ½ cup)
- ¼ cup chopped dried cranberries
Instructions
- To make the granola: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up. In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, pecans, pepitas, sunflower seeds, salt, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Stir in the beaten egg white, oil, and maple syrup until well blended. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden, gently stirring the granola halfway, about 15 to 17 minutes. Let the granola cool on the baking sheet.
- To make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup and salt. Season with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper and whisk until blended. The dressing should be zippy, but if it’s overwhelmingly tart, stir in another teaspoon of sweetener. Or, if it needs some extra oomph, stir in another pinch of salt.
- To prepare the kale, use a chef’s knife to remove the tough ribs from the kale, then discard the ribs (or feed them to your dog!). Chop the kale leaves into small, bite-sized pieces. Transfer the chopped kale to a big salad bowl. Sprinkle a small pinch of sea salt over the kale and massage the leaves with your hands by lightly scrunching big handfuls at a time, until the leaves are darker in color and fragrant.
- To assemble the salad, drizzle all of the dressing over the kale and toss well. Add the chopped apple, crumbled goat cheese, cranberries, and about half of the granola. Gently toss to combine, and serve. This salad will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days.
- Save the leftover granola for a snack or another salad. Store it in an air-tight bag with the air squeezed out for up to 2 weeks at room temperature, or several months in the freezer.
Notes
Make it egg free: Omit the egg white (your granola may be done a couple of minutes early, and won’t clump together quite as much).
Make it vegan: Omit the egg white and omit the goat cheese or replace it with a diced avocado.
Make it dairy free: Omit the goat cheese or replace it with a diced avocado.
Make it gluten free: Use certified gluten-free oats.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
We make this recipe at least every other day. The only changes I make are to replace the granola with low-salt, chopped almonds and to add preserved lemon.
Your recipes are consistently amazing. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Linda! Thank you for your review.
The dressing was great, the croutons were easy and yummy, and my partner and I would have had second helpings if I had bought more kale to begin with!
I’m glad you loved it, Anita! I appreciate your review.
I made the salad without modification. It was fantastic and easy. I loved the combination of flavors and textures – this is a recipe that exceeds the sum of its parts.
This salad is excellent! I made it exactly as the recipe calls for. Delicious crunch with the granola and not sweet. I’ll be making this often. If there are left overs it stays for a few days.
Hi! I have a question about the granola. I couldn’t find raw pepitas so I bought the roasted ones…will this work?
That should work too. Let me know what you think, Sharon!
what a delicious and perfectly composed salad, kate. so much texture and flavor. so bright! thank you. (i subbed in brie for the goat cheese) and a new way to devour more yummy granola.
Thank you, Jude! I’m delighted you enjoyed it.
Hi Kate, thank you for your recipe for this savoury muesli it is a delicious accompaniment to your kale salad. It is the first time I’ve tried a savoury muesli and it was well worth the effort. I have followed your recipes for a few years now and can always rely on them for delicious inspiration. I also love Cookie.
Vicky
Great to hear you enjoyed it, Vicky!
I made a different granola recipe, but the dressing of this recipe is divine thank you
You’re welcome, Melissa!