This baby kale salad with pink grapefruit, creamy avocados, toasted almonds, and salty parmesan is absolutely delicious. It’s a simple salad that’s bursting with flavors. Sweet, tangy, salty, creamy, crunchy … this salad has it all!

Baby kale salad on a plate with grapefruit, avocados, and almonds. - 1

This is a good one, friends! Tender baby kale leaves are so different than regular kale that they’ve been known to convert kale skeptics. Plus, we love our salads with lots of contrasting flavors and textures.

In this baby kale salad recipe, we toss the tender leaves in a sweet grapefruit vinaigrette. Then, creamy diced avocados, nutty toasted almonds, tangy grapefruit segments, and salty parmesan join the party. It’s a match that tastes truly special. It can be our little secret that it’s simple to make.

Best dressing for baby kale salad

Kale is a bitter green that tastes best with a bit of sweetness. My popular kale salad dressing goes really well with this salad, but we also love the grapefruit vinaigrette version in this recipe. We sweeten it with honey to reduce the kale’s bitterness while keeping the recipe refined-sugar-free.

Salad dressing being poured over baby kale salad. - 2 Baby kale salad in a bowl with grapefruit, avocados, and almonds. - 3

Baby kale salad variations

We love the combination of tart grapefruit, toasted almonds, creamy avocados, and salty parmesan with baby kale. But you can switch things up based on what’s in your kitchen and what you love to eat.

  • Use oranges instead of grapefruit.
  • Try using goat cheese, Boursin, or feta instead of the parmesan cheese.
  • Swap the almonds for some toasted pecans, walnuts, or even cashews.
  • For a sweeter salad, throw in a handful of dried cranberries or raisins.

Should I massage baby kale?

Massaging kale helps soften the leaves and makes them more pleasant to eat, but with baby kale, it’s usually not necessary. Baby kale is much more tender than mature kale, so it doesn’t need the same treatment.

If your salad still feels a bit chewy, there’s an easy alternative: let the dressing sit on the leaves for 2–3 minutes before eating. The acid in the dressing will gently soften the kale on its own, making the salad more enjoyable by the time you dig in.

Baby kale salad on a plate with grapefruit, avocados, and almonds. - 4 Baby kale salad on a plate with grapefruit, avocados, and almonds. - 5

Baby Kale Salad with Grapefruit, Avocado, and Almonds

  • Pin
Baby Kale Salad with Grapefruit, Avocado, and Almonds - 6

Ingredients

  • ▢ 5 ounces baby kale
  • ▢ 1 pink grapefruit (peeled and segments cut out)
  • ▢ ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds
  • ▢ 1 avocado (sliced)
  • ▢ Optional: parmesan cheese

Best Dressing for Baby Kale Salad

  • ▢ 2 tablespoons pink grapefruit juice (squeeze this from what’s left of the grapefruit after you cut out the segments)
  • ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon honey
  • ▢ ¼ teaspoon dijon mustard
  • ▢ 1 pinch salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Place the baby kale, grapefruit segments, almonds, avocados, and if using, the parmesan in a large salad bowl. 5 ounces baby kale, 1 pink grapefruit, ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds, 1 avocado, Optional: parmesan cheese
  • Add the salad dressing ingredients to a jar then shake the dressing until it is slightly creamy looking. 2 tablespoons pink grapefruit juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon honey, ¼ teaspoon dijon mustard, 1 pinch salt and pepper
  • Pour the dressing over the kale, toss gently to mix, then let the salad sit for 2-3 minutes so that the kale softens slightly.

Nutrition

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here .

Baby kale salad on a plate with grapefruit, avocados, and almonds. - 7 Baby kale salad on a plate with grapefruit, avocados, and almonds. - 8

Did you make this?

We love to see what you made! Tag @theendlessmeal or hashtag #theendlessmeal !

Simple Kale Salad

Coconut Sesame Kale Salad

Kale Caesar Salad with Bacon & Homemade Croutons

Baby Kale Salad with Pomegranate and Candied Pecans

Baby kale salad on a plate with grapefruit, avocados, and almonds. - 9

Baby Kale Salad with Grapefruit, Avocado, and Almonds

Ingredients

  • 5 ounces baby kale
  • 1 pink grapefruit , peeled and segments cut out
  • ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds
  • 1 avocado , sliced
  • Optional: parmesan cheese

Best Dressing for Baby Kale Salad

  • 2 tablespoons pink grapefruit juice , squeeze this from what’s left of the grapefruit after you cut out the segments
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • ¼ teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Place the baby kale, grapefruit segments, almonds, avocados, and if using, the parmesan in a large salad bowl. 5 ounces baby kale, 1 pink grapefruit, ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds, 1 avocado, Optional: parmesan cheese
  • Add the salad dressing ingredients to a jar then shake the dressing until it is slightly creamy looking. 2 tablespoons pink grapefruit juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon honey, ¼ teaspoon dijon mustard, 1 pinch salt and pepper
  • Pour the dressing over the kale, toss gently to mix, then let the salad sit for 2-3 minutes so that the kale softens slightly.

https://www.theendlessmeal.com/baby-kale-salad-grapefruit-avocado-almonds/