Introducing our Pineapple Kale Salad with Citrus Dressing! It's perfect for picnics, BBQ's and gatherings because it's served right in the pineapple boat and takes only 15 minutes to assemble.
Pineapple salad is vegetarian, light, healthy, and gluten-free, catering to a range of dietary preferences. Enjoy the taste of freshness without the fuss!
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Ingredients and Substitutions
Salad
- Kale's firm green texture and slightly bitter taste is the perfect accompaniment to this salad. You may substitute kale with any green you like such as rocket (arugula), spinach or romaine but these greens due tend to wilt faster.
- Pineapple - fresh is best but you can substitute with canned pineapple.
- Strawberries - or other in season fresh fruits of choice.
- Olive oil - to massage the kale
Dressing
- Fresh lemons, lime and oranges juice - make this salad dressing light and bright or try our white balsamic vinaigrette. If you do not have all 3 citrus fruits for the vinaigrette - no worries!
- Honey - or maple syrup to sweeten as needed. Feel free to use a sugar substitute of choice.
How to Make a Pineapple Boat
- Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise.
- Using a sharp knife cut around the inside edge of the pineapple - all the way around the pineapple half.
- Make one slice down the middle of the pineapple longitudinally and about 6 to 8 slices vertically.
- Use a spoon to scoop out the slices. Extra pineapple can be used on top of our pineapple salmon.
Alternatively, You can also just serve this tropical salad in an extra large bowl for larger gatherings. Try our quick and easy method for how to cut a fresh pineapple.
How to Prep Kale for Salad
Kale can be tough. There is one important step you must do to make this salad perfectly tender and well seasoned - Massage the Kale!
- Remove the tough veins/stems in the kale leaves and chop or tear into bite sized pieces just like we did with our autumn kale salad.
- Next, drizzle your chopped kale with a drizzle of olive oil and then sprinkle with sea salt.
- With your bare hands, massage your kale like you would a new-born baby with baby oil. Get in there and massage it good. Spoons, forks and spatulas are worthless for this job.
- Kale will go from a light green to a bright "kelly" green as the oils penetrate into the leaves. You are also seasoning the kale during this process. If you have any extra kale, be sure to give our kale pesto pasta a try.
Did you know that the bitter green, kale is good for your liver? Read more about this on our Love Your Liver; Self Care and Meal Plan post.
Prep in Advance
Did you know that Fresh Pineapple Juice contains an enzyme bromelain? It's a natural meat tenderizer for recipes like our BBQ Kalbi Beef but it can wilt the salad.
If you want to make in advance, prepare your kale, chop fruit and prepare your dressing separately. Then toss everything together before your guests arrive or you transport to a gathering. You can do this up to 2 hours in advance.
Citrus Dressing
We will let you in on a little secret. Our pineapple was so sweet and delicious that we did not even end up adding any honey to our salad dressing. Please adjust the sweetness and tartness to your desired effect.
If you do not have all 3 fresh citrus fruits (lemon, lime and oranges) - no worries! Fresh is best but in a pinch feel free to use lemon concentrate, lime concentrate or premade orange juice. However, you will need to adjust the sweetener to your preferred taste profile.
Fruit Substitutes
You can put in any fruit you like in pineapple kale salad with citrus dressing such as grapes, kiwi, papaya, mangoes all would go great in here.
You could also add fruits such as apples, pears and other fruits that oxidize as you will be using a citrus dressing that will help stop the oxidizing process. With all the fresh fruits of the spring and summer season, you may also enjoy our Quinoa Fruit Salad.
Low Carb Options
If you want to make this kale crunch salad lower carb or diabetic friendly, exchange the pineapple with other berries like blueberries, raspberries or blackberries. Exchange the honey with a sugar substitute and do not add the juice of the orange but instead add a little of the orange zest.
More Delicious Salad Recipes and Dressings
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Pineapple Kale Salad with Citrus Dressing
Ingredients
- 4-5 cups kale 1 large bunch chopped and stalk and vein removed (about 4-5 cups chopped)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup strawberries (washed and sliced)
- 1 cup pineapple
(peeled and diced) If diabetic exchange with a berry or just increase the amount of kale to berry ratio.
Citrus Honey Dressing
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ⅛ cup orange juice
- 2 teaspoon honey (or to taste)- if diabetic use sugar substitute
Instructions
How to Make a Pineapple Boat (Optional)
- Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise. Using a sharp knife cut around the inside edge of the pineapple - all the way around the pineapple half. Make one slice down the middle of the pineapple longitudinally and about 6 to 8 slices vertically. Use a spoon to scoop out the slices.
Prep Salad
- Add your washed and chopped kale to a large bowl. Make sure to remove the stems and the stiff veins as well. Add the olive oil and salt to taste and massage your kale leaves for about 2- 3 minutes or until the leaves change from a light green to a bright kelly green in colour.
- Add your sliced strawberries and pineapple or fruit of choice.
Citrus Dressing
- Add the juice of half of a lemon, half of a lime and half of orange juices and honey to the salad. Toss well. Taste and adjust seasoning. If you like it more salty add more salt. If you like it sweeter add more honey.
Serving
- Serve pineapple kale salad with citrus dressing inside the pineapple boat or in a large bowl.
- If you want to make in advance, prepare your kale and chop your fruit and prepare your dressing separately and then toss everything together before your guests arrive.
hotlyspiced says
I love how you wrote about this and I love the name of the salad too. This is so colourful and pretty with a great lot of texture and flavour. Yes, things are definitely cooling down here in Sydney - so sad! But despite the cooler days, I think we can manage this salad xx
yummychunklet says
What a beautiful and healthy looking spring salad!
Norma Chang says
My kind of salad and dressing. The kale, strawberries and pineapple combo make this a very pretty salad.
Kumar's Kitchen says
oh this is one perfect salad...with well balanced flavors..the hint of bitterness from kale is well balanced with fresh ripe strawberries and pineapple and with a squeeze of citrus...aromatic,lovely and nourishing dish,thanks so much for the inspiration 🙂
Peachy @ The Peach Kitchen says
I saw this salad on facebook and I just wish I could grab it from the screen! I ama salad and fruit person and this is something I am sure I would absolutely love.
Amy (Savory Moments) says
Ohhh... this salad just screams warm weather to me! It looks so fresh, healthy, and delicious!
Lisa says
I think this is one of the most beautiful salads I've ever seen. Your photos are slammin' with all that gorgeous natural light, natural light that continues to elude me. One day..one day lol Now I need to pin this so it's easily nabbed when I want to make it 🙂
Lail | With A Spin says
Gorgeous salad Bam. I love to add fruits to my salad and yours look so vibrant. Love the fruity flavors.
Adri says
I always enjoy kale. but I never thought of putting it with anything sweet or fruity or a citrusy dressing. This is a great idea!
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
The salad dressing sounds like something I would love 🙂 I judged the girlfriend state by when they started to shower and wear clean clothes out of choice.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Uh oh! I should have known the whole wearing clean clothes things was different. Yikes, I also have been informed that a "Friend" will be joining us for dinner tomorrow. The drama continues... Have a great weekend Tandy.
Coffee and Crumpets says
I count myself very lucky that my 8yr old boy adores salad and hates carbs. He's a skinny scrawny thing but loves his vegetables. His favourites are also pineapples and strawberries and he would devour this whole bowl. This is a lovely salad Bam, and love the name too, definitely draws attention.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Seriously gorgeous salad! Love all those colors! Pinned!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Trish! Have a super weekend. BAM
Balvinder says
This looks so simple yet so colorful and delicious! Now that spring is here and kale is so cheap its nice to have some different ideas to eat. Have a good weekend!
Hannah (BitterSweet) says
As much as I enjoy kale salads, they tend to always be the same general mixture of veggies and dressings, no matter where you get them. Finally, something fresh and different! The strawberry addition sounds especially perfect for spring, too.
Choc Chip Uru says
I love how refreshing this looks! Big fan of kale with fruits, and this honey dressing could tempt a saint 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru