Enjoy this raw Tuscan kale salad with avocado, sweet potato, chickpeas, grapes, herbs and creamy dressing for a healthy and delicious lunch or dinner.

Overhead view of a bowl of Tuscan kale salad with sweet potato, chickpeas, avocado, cucumber, grapes and a creamy dressing drizzled over top.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

This healthy Tuscan kale salad is super nutritious and packed with a variety of delicious flavours and textures.

The crunchy cucumber and sweet grapes pair well with crispy chickpeas, tender sweet potato and avocado, and it’s all brought together with fresh herbs and a creamy dijon dressing.

You’ll love this beautiful salad year-round as a healthy dinner for 2!

Recipe Highlights

  • Vegan, gluten-free, can be made oil-free.
  • Hearty enough for a meal!
  • Well-balanced with healthy carbohydrates, protein and fats.
  • Easy to customize with different add-ins and dressings.
  • High in fibre and plant-based protein.
  • Serves 2 for a meal or can serve 4-6 as a side (or double/triple as needed)

What is Tuscan kale?

Tuscan kale, also know as lacinato kale, black kale, Italian kale or dinosaur kale, has long, spear-like leaves with a bumpy, pebbled appearance and dark green colour.

Tuscan kale is a great choice for raw kale salads because it’s more tender and less bitter than curly kale and has an almost slightly sweet, nutty flavour.

A number of leaves of lacinato, or Tuscan kale on a white surface.

Ingredient Notes

This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.

Overhead view of a avocado Tuscan kale salad with sweet potato, crispy chickpeas, grapes and avocado slices. A knife and fork rest in the bowl and there is a bowl of creamy dressing beside it. Each ingredient is labelled with text.

For the Salad

  • Avocado: You’ll need 1 ripe avocado but feel free to use more or less to your preference.
  • Tuscan Kale: This recipe is for Tuscan kale, also known as lacinato kale, Italian kale, or dinosaur kale, though you can really use any variety.
  • Sweet Potato: You can use sweet potato or yam, or substitute butternut or acorn squash.
  • Chickpeas: Canned chickpeas work great and are easy to use but you can cook your own from scratch too.
  • Spices: You’ll need chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder for the chickpeas and sweet potato. If you want some heat you can add a bit of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
  • Fresh Herbs: Use 1 cup of mixed fresh herbs like dill, parsley, cilantro, basil, mint or tarragon.
  • Cucumber: Persian (mini) cucumbers work well here because they have thin skin and very few seeds. If you don’t have Persian cucumbers, you can use English cucumber.
  • Grapes: Purple, black or red seedless grapes are best.
Mustard, mayonnaise, maple syrup, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small dish. A small whisk rests in the dish. Each ingredient is labelled with text.

For the Dressing

  • Mayonnaise: Use your choice of vegan mayonnaise or try the tofu mayo for an oil-free dressing. There are also some alternative dressing recipes listed below.
  • Mustard: The recipe calls for 2 tbsp Dijon mustard and 1 tbsp stone ground mustard but if you only have dijon, you can use 3 tbsp of that.
  • Maple Syrup: Maple syrup can be substituted with honey or agave nectar.
  • Lemon Juice: You’ll need 1 lemon for a squeeze of lemon juice.
  • Apple Cider Vinegar: This can be substituted with white wine vinegar if needed.

Instructions & Tips

Preheat the oven to 425 F and start preparing the sweet potato and chickpeas for roasting. Cut the sweet potato into 1/4-inch rounds. Drain and rinse the chickpeas then pat them dry with a cloth.

Place the sweet potato and chickpeas on a baking tray and sprinkle with the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Get those into the oven to bake for 30-35 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Sweet potato rounds and chickpeas on a baking tray spinkled with salt, pepper and spices.

While the sweet potato and chickpeas are roasting, prepare the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together until smooth.

A creamy mayonnaise-based salad dressing in a small bowl with a whisk resting in the bowl.

While you’re waiting, halve the grapes, chop the cucumbers and slice the avocado.

You’ll also want to prepare the kale by:

  1. Stacking up the leaves and slicing them into thin strips starting at the top.
  2. Once you reach the thick, woody stems, tear the remaining leaves away from the stems.
  3. Discard the stems and thinly slice the remaining leaves.
A bunch of red grapes, some sliced cucumber and a halved avocado with the pit in one half on a cutting board with a knife.

Once the sweet potato and chickpeas are done, divide the kale between two serving bowls and top with equal amounts of the rest of the salad ingredients and dressing.

Alternatively, you can mix everything up in a large mixing bowl to help coat everything in the dressing.

A bowl of tuscan kale salad with avocado, sweet potato, chickpeas, grapes, fresh herbs and a creamy dressing on top. A knife and fork rest on the side of the bowl and there is a bunch of grapes in the bacground.

Variations & Additions

  • Try diced apple or blueberries instead of grape.
  • Make this roasted squash instead of sweet potato.
  • For more veggies, try raw beet, red onion or grated carrot.
  • For more crunch, try 1-2 tbsp pecans, walnuts or toasted pumpkin seeds per salad, or add croutons.

Alternative Dressings

Here are some options for the mayo-based salad dressing. You can also use a store-bought dressing you enjoy!

For an oil-free “mayo” you can make this tofu-mayo recipe and use it in the dressing recipe.

A bowl of raw tuscan kale salad with avocado, sweet potato, chickpeas, grapes, fresh herbs and a creamy dressing on top. A knife and fork rest on the side of the bowl and there is a bunch of grapes in the background.

Storing

  • Undressed and without the avocado, the salad will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 4 days.
  • Dressed the salad can be kept in the fridge for 1-2 days but I’d recommend keeping the avocado off until serving.
  • The dressing can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

More Kale Salad Recipes

Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
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A bowl of tuscan kale salad with avocado, sweet potato, chickpeas, grapes, fresh herbs and a creamy dressing on top. A knife and fork rest on the side of the bowl and there is a bunch of grapes in the bacground.

Avocado Tuscan Kale Salad Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Salad
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

This raw Tuscan kale salad with avocado and creamy dressing makes the perfect healthy dinner for 2!


Ingredients

For the Kale Salad

  • 2 cups sweet potato, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds 
  • 1 cup chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 46 cups loosely packed shredded Tuscan kale (dinosaur kale, lacinato kale)
  • 1 cup lightly packed mixed fresh herbs, finely chopped (we used tarragon, dill and parsley)
  • 2 Persian (mini) cucumbers, cut into half moons (about 2 cups)
  • 1 cup black or red seedless grapes, halved
  • 1 avocado, sliced

For the Dressing

  • ½ cup vegan mayonnaise (115 g)
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (30 g)
  • 1 tablespoon stone ground mustard (15 g)
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup (30 mL)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice (15 mL)
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (15 mL)
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 425° F.
  2. Prepare Sweet Potato & Chickpeas: Place the cut sweet potatoes on a baking sheet along with the chickpeas. Sprinkle with the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper and toss to coat.
  3. Bake Sweet Potato & Chickpeas: Transfer to the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender and the chickpeas are crispy. Remove from the oven and set aside. 
  4. Make the Dressing: In a medium bowl or jar, whisk together the dressing ingredients until completely smooth.
  5. Assemble & Serve: Divide the kale and fresh herbs between two serving bowls and toss to combine. Top each salad with equal amounts of the rest of the salad ingredients. Drizzle with the dressing and serve.

Notes

Storing: Undressed and without the avocado, the salad will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Dressed the salad can be kept in the fridge for 1-2 days but I’d recommend keeping the avocado off until serving.

The dressing can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 salad
  • Calories: 689
  • Sugar: 32 g
  • Fat: 32 g
  • Carbohydrates: 88 g
  • Fiber: 17 g
  • Protein: 13 g