Enjoy the best of late summer fruit with this simple but delicious blackberry peach kale salad with goat cheese, toasted almonds, and a simple lemon poppy seed vinaigrette. It's great for a healthy side dish or light vegetarian lunch. (gluten-free, vegetarian)

Get your summer fruit ready, friends! This blueberry peach kale salad is about to rock your world - and hopefully grace your table for the rest of summer. It's so simple, yet so delicious. The best things are, aren't they?

You probably already know that I love putting fruit in my salads. It just makes them so much more interesting and tasty! The sweetness of the blackberries and peaches in this kale salad really go so well with creamy goat cheese and nutty, toasty almonds. It's a little bowl full of summer.

Not only is this delicious salad amazingly tasty, but it’s also loaded with nutrients! Another reason I love combining fruit with vegetables. This blackberry peach kale salad contains tons of vitamins (A, C, E,and K), fiber, plant protein and healthy fats. And it's packed with folate thanks to leafy green kale, a nutrient that is super important for women if you're pregnant or thinking about having a baby any time soon!

A Tip For Making the Absolute Best Kale Salads

When it comes to kale salads, people usually love them or hate them. And I bet some of the haters have never had a good one. But the people who love kale salads know - there is a right way to do a kale salad. And it involves giving your greens a little message. That's right. Messaging tough, hardy kale with a little olive oil or the dressing you plan to use softens it up and makes it downright luxurious (and much more pleasant to chew). So get your hands in there and give your kale a good rub down before adding the toppings to your salad. It makes a world of difference. Promise.

What Kind of Kale Should You Use For This Kale Salad?

Any kale you like! I used baby kale here because of the convenience, but regular curly green kale, purple kale, or dinosaur kale will all work just as well. If you use regular (large) kale leaves, be sure to chop them into little strips before messaging the dressing in.

Advance Prep and Leftovers

The great thing about kale salads is that they can be made ahead of time, making them perfect for meal prep! Since kale is so hardy, it stands up well to dressing for a day or two in the fridge without going limp. You can make this blackberry peach kale salad a day in advance. Just store it covered in the refrigerator until you're ready to eat it. Same with leftovers.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!

Blackberry Peach Kale Salad

Print Recipe

Author: Kaleigh
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 5 min
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 2-4 servings 1x
Category: salad
Method: stovetop
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

¼ cup raw almonds
5 cups baby kale (or chopped curly or dinosaur kale)
1 (6 oz) container fresh blackberries
1 large ripe peach, thinly sliced (or 2 small peaches)
¼ cup crumbled goat cheese

For the lemon poppy seed dressing:

½ tbsp lemon juice
½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp poppy seeds

Instructions

To toast almonds, heat them in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat on the stove, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned and fragrant, 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool before roughly chopping almonds.
Place kale in a large bowl.
Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over kale. Gently message dressing into the kale with your hands.
Add berries, peaches, almond and goat cheese to kale and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Notes

This salad can be made up to a day in advance.
If you prefer, you can toast the almonds in the oven at 400°F for 10 minutes.
Any kind of kale you have will work. Baby kale (like I used here) is more delicate, while dinosaur or curly kale will be more hardy. Whatever you have works!
Don't skip the messaging step. It helps the kale get soft and soak up the dressing. If you skip the messaging, your kale will be tough and take a lot more effort to chew.

Keywords: blackberry peach kale salad, summer fruit kale salad, kale salad with lemon poppy seed dressing