Perfect for a delicious, festive salad for the holidays, this kale salad with pomegranate is studded with citrus, Brussels, pecans and topped with a bright, tangy and creamy Greek yogurt dressing. Ready in less than 20 minutes!

serving of kale salad with shredded brussels sprouts, pomegranate, and satsumas

I love bright, bold, colorful holiday salads. Don’t you?!

I feel like for a salad to be dubbed a holiday salad, it needs to boast some seasonal produce, like citrus, pomegranate, Brussels, kale…and it needs to be colorful and bright to add some flair to the table.

Bonus points for a variety of textures and that crunch factor, which makes salads so much more satisfying, IMO.

You will love this kale salad as a go-to winter salad that would be perfect for lunches or as a delicious and fresh starter for your holiday meal.

It’s ready in less than 20 minutes especially with time savers like buying precut kale, shredded Brussels, and pomegranate seeds – in fact if you do all three you’ll probably be able to shave off even more time!

This salad is sweet, tangy, has some satisfying crunch, and is packed with a ton of nutrition. I can’t wait to hear what you think and see this on your holiday table! 

Ingredients You’ll Need

two satsumas, then separate bowls of pumpkin seeds, pecans, pomegranate seeds, brussels sprouts, and kale

Notes on Ingredients

Kale: I prefer Tuscan kale (also called lacinato, dinosaur, or Italian kale) for this recipe, which has longer leaves than curly kale and a darker green color. Flavor wise, it’s less bitter than curly kale with almost an earthy, nutty flavor to it, which is why I like it for salads.

Brussels sprouts: I bought pre-shredded Brussels sprouts for this recipe because I’m all about saving time in the kitchen but you could easily shred your own Brussels sprouts using a food processor.

Pomegranate seeds: I bought pomegranate seeds instead of an actual pomegranate, again to save time. But if you use a whole pomegranate and seed it yourself, you probably will end up with about 1 cup of seeds so you can save the leftovers for another holiday dish!

Satsumas: If you’ve never heard of this citrus variety before, listen up, because it’s one of my favorites, and for good reason. Part of the same family as tangerines and clementines, satsumas are the sweetest citrus variety and their thick skin makes it super easy to peel, making them perfect for salads or just as a snack on their own! If you can’t find satsumas at the grocery store, you can use clementines or tangerines instead. 

Pecans: I love using pecans this time of year but you can use whatever nut variety you have on hand. I’ve also made this with toasted hazelnuts, which was delicious too.

bowl filled with kale, shredded brussels sprouts, pomegranate, walnuts, and satsuma

How to Make Kale Salad with Pomegranate

This salad is super easy to make in less than 20 minutes and maybe even less time if you use all my shortcuts!

First you start by making the salad dressing. I put all the ingredients into a mason jar, screw the lid on, and shake until ingredients are combined and dressing is smooth and creamy.

Next, you’ll want to massage the kale. Don’t skip this step or you’ll end up with a fibrous, chewy, hard to eat, kale salad! Massaging the kale means adding the dressing (as much or as little as you want) and using clean hands, massaging the dressing into the kale. You’ll do this for about two minutes, or until the kale has wilted and reduced in volume.

Then add your toppings! Brussels, pomegranate, satsumas, pecans, and pumpkin seeds. Toss together to combine and you’re ready to serve! Feel free to add more dressing/salt/pepper, to taste, at this point.

three photos showing bowl of kale salad and another photo showing a mason jar filled with Greek dressing

Expert Tip

If you’re making this salad on a budget this year, buy the whole ingredients and do the prep yourself because you’ll save money this way. Just know that this salad may take you a little longer than 20 minutes to make if you go that route but should still take no more than 30 minutes. If your goal is to save as much time as possible, purchase pre cut kale, pre shredded Brussels, and pomegranate seeds (vs. the whole pomegranate). 

two spoons ready to mix kale, brussels sprouts, and pomegranate seeds into tossed salad

Kale Salad FAQs

What if I can’t find satsumas at the grocery store?

You can use clementines or tangerines as a substitute! Any orange or grapefruit citrus variety will work here!

I’m vegan – is there a substitute for Greek yogurt in the dressing that I can use?

Yes! You can make it with plain soy yogurt instead.

How do you massage kale?

With clean hands, pour dressing (amount to your liking) over kale and massage the dressing into the kale leaves until kale is wilted and reduces in volume by about half. This should take a couple minutes.

Is there another leafy green I can use in place of kale?

Sure, you can use any lettuce or salad greens variety in this recipe!

What kind of kale do you use?

I used Tuscan kale (also called lacinato, dinosaur, or Italian kale) for this recipe, which has longer leaves than curly kale and a darker green color. Flavor wise, it’s less bitter than curly kale.

Can I make this salad ahead of time?

I wouldn’t make it ahead of time since you’d have to add the dressing ahead of time. You can, however, prep all the ingredients and make the dressing ahead of time so that all you have to do once you’re ready to sit down and eat is massage the kale and add the toppings!

How do you seed a pomegranate?

Check out this tutorial for the easy way to seed a pomegranate from the Kitchn!

How many people does this salad serve?

It depends how you are serving it! If you’re serving this as an entree salad, it should serve about 3. If you’re serving this on salad plates, it should serve about 5, and if you’re serving this at a party buffet style, it will probably serve 8. 

serving of kale salad with shredded brussels sprouts, pomegranate, and satsumas

For more salad inspiration, check out my recipes below!

If you like this recipe, please be sure to give it a 5 star rating below. If you make it, share it on instagram and tag me @karalydonrd and I’ll re-share it with my followers! If you want to save this recipe for later, be sure to pin it on Pinterest!

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Kale Salad with Pomegranate


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Description

Perfect for a delicious, festive salad for the holidays, this kale salad with pomegranate is studded with citrus, Brussels, pecans and topped with a bright, tangy and creamy Greek yogurt dressing. Ready in less than 20 minutes!


Ingredients

Scale

For the salad:

  • 1 bunch Tuscan kale, de-stemmed and chopped (about 8 cups)
  • 1 cup shredded Brussels sprouts
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
  • 2 small or 1 large satsuma, peeled and segmented
  • 1/4 cup toasted pecans
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

For the dressing:

  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 teaspoon satsuma (or other citrus) zest
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

For the Dressing:

  1. Combine apple cider vinegar, orange juice, honey, olive oil, Greek yogurt, and zest, in a mason jar and shake until combined and consistency is smooth. Alternatively, whisk ingredients together in a small bowl until combined.

For the salad:

  1. In a large bowl, add kale and amount of dressing desired. Massage kale until the leaves begin to wilt and are reduced in volume by about half, approximately two minutes. Add the remaining salad ingredients and toss quickly to combine.
  2. Add additional dressing, salt, pepper, to taste. Serve immediately.

Notes

  1. If you’re making this salad on a budget this year, buy the whole ingredients and do the prep yourself because you’ll save money this way. Just know that this salad make take you a little longer than 20 minutes to make if you go that route, but should still take no more than 30 minutes. If your goal is to save as much time as possible, purchase pre cut kale, pre shredded Brussels, and pomegranate seeds (vs. the whole pomegranate).
  2. If you can’t find satsumas, you can use clementines or tangerines as a substitute! Any orange or grapefruit citrus variety will work here.
  3. If you’re vegan, use plain soy yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt.
  4. If you’re serving this as an entree salad, it should serve about 3. If you’re serving this on salad plates, it should serve about 5, and if you’re serving this at a party buffet style, it will probably serve 8. Assuming you would most likely serve this on salad plates, I put 4-6 in the yield of this recipe.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Salad
  • Cuisine: Holiday

Keywords: kale salad with pomegranate, kale salad for holiday, holiday kale salad

This recipe was originally published in December 2014. It’s been retested and reshot to bring you the most delicious (and beautiful!) content.

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30 Comments

  1. So festive!!! Love the bright colors and combination of textures 🙂

  2. gorgeous! So bright and colorful! Perfectly light for the holidays!

  3. This is my kind of salad!! Wow, I love winter salads, they can be so hearty and satisfying, yet refreshing all the same. And this on looks great. I will definitely be giving this one a try. Thanks!

  4. That salad is gorgeous! I’ve never considered there to be too much difference between the mandarins/tangerines/satsumas. Now, you’ve got me thinking I’m going to have to do a side by side taste test!

  5. Gorgeous! And the dressing sounds finger-licking-good!

  6. Sara @sarahaasrdn.com

    Oh my gosh, this looks divine Kara! And I love satsumas too – so tasty!

  7. I have seen satsumas at the store but didn’t realize what they were exactly (obviously some form of citrus!). So glad to see a recipe including them. Going to have to give them a try!

  8. Kathleen Schrenk

    Being from south Louisiana where satsumas are hands-down absolutely the best snacking citrus fruit October through December, I’m surprised at the number of people who haven’t heard of them. They are almost a wild fruit down here, growing not only in orchards, but in back yards, front yards, city parks…wherever a sunny spot is found. They are the most cold tolerant of the citrus we grow. Tonight, I’ll be preparing this yummy satsuma salad for guests.

  9. I love when delicious food looks this beautiful! Can’t wait to try this flavor combo!

  10. Truth be told – I did not know about satsumas till I read your post. But, truth be told – I don’t have to know what satsumas are to agree that this is one gorgeous salad and that creamy citrus Greek yogurt dressing sounds heavenly!

  11. Oh my goodness- those colors!! Beautiful!!! This looks like my kind of salad- that dressing sounds incredible!

  12. What a stunning salad, so festive!

  13. Holy man this looks delicious! I don’t know if I’ve had satsumas before, but I’ve definitely used satsuma body wash from Body Shop and it smells incredible. So obviously, they must taste really good as well

  14. What a lovely and healthy salad! Looks delicious!

  15. What a gorgeous salad Kara! It has all of my favorite things. Satsumas are soooo good, and wonderful in salads. I think I’ll make this to take to our family Christmas gathering this weekend. Thanks for the wonderful idea!