Crunchy and light, this copycat Chick-Fil-A kale crunch salad with curly kale, cabbage and roasted almonds is super fast and easy to make. A versatile side dish with a light apple dijon dressing, it is vegan, plant-based and oil-free, too.

salad on white plate with more in larger wooden bowl

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One of the few vegan menu items at Chick-fil-a, this kale crunch side salad is a convenient plant-based fast food option that's also really easy to recreate at home!

This copycat version of Chick-fil-a's kale crunch side salad is vegan, whole food plant based, oil-free, gluten-free and soy-free.

🧄 Ingredient notes

Ingredients for kale crunch salad copycat: chopped curly kale, shredded green cabbage, almonds

Ingredients for oil-free apple dijon salad dressing: apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard, sea salt and water

Curly kale - Use standard, curly green kale for this recipe. If you can find it already cleaned and chopped, that'll save you some time, too! You may need to chop it a little bit finer, depending on how big the pieces are in the bag.
Green cabbage - Shredded green cabbage adds crunch to the salad. For a time saver, buy a bag of cole slaw mix, which is mostly shredded cabbage.
Apple cider vinegar - The apple in the apple dijon dressing. All good dressings have some acidity.
Dijon mustard - Dijon mustard adds tanginess and helps the dressing to emulsify a little bit without added oil, although it is still a thin dressing.

📋 Substitutions and variations

Here are some suitable substitutions for the ingredients in this recipe:

Curly kale - instead of curly green kale, you can use curly purple kale, which has a similar texture and taste. Or, you can use tuscan/lacinato/dinosaur kale, but this kale has a more bitter flavor. For a milder flavor, you can use chopped fresh spinach.
Green cabbage - instead of green cabbage, you can use purple cabbage, savoy cabbage, napa cabbage or bok choy.
Almonds - Instead of chopped almonds, use pre-sliced almonds. Or, substitute them for another nut or seed you enjoy, such as walnuts, pecans, pistachios, pepitas or sunflower seed kernels.
Dijon mustard - Dijon mustard is the best option for this dressing, but if you have to substitute it, try using a whole grain mustard or other creamy mustard.
Water - Instead of water, try substituting with olive oil, apple juice or aquafaba (the liquid in a can of chickpeas).
Maple syrup - Instead of maple syrup, you can use cane sugar, agave nectar, honey (not vegan), or coconut sugar. If using a granulated sugar, heat the water up in the microwave slightly, then add your sugar and stir to dissolve. Then, add your other dressing ingredients.
Apple cider vinegar - Use balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar instead.
Nut-free - make this nut-free by omitting the almonds or replacing them with pepitas or sunflower seed kernels.

Switch things up with these variation ideas!

Apple Kale Crunch Salad - add sliced or diced fresh apple to the salad
Kale Crunch Pasta Salad - add cooked short pasta, like casarecce, penne, bowties, gemelli, fusilli, gigli, conchiglie or macaroni. Double dressing recipe to have enough to cover the pasta and the greens.

📊 Comparison: Chick-fil-a vs. copycat

Process chick-fil-a kale crunch salad with bag

Process chick-fil-a kale crunch salad in plastic container

If you order a kale crunch side salad at Chick-fil-a, here's the serving size and nutritional content, from their website, compared to my oil-free vegan copycat recipe.

	Chick-fil-a	Copycat Recipe
Serving size:	61g	60g
Calories:	120kcal	111kcal
Fat:	9g	6g
Saturated Fat:	1g	1g
Trans Fat:	0g	0g
Sodium:	140mg	180mg
Carbohydrates:	8g	12g
Fiber:	2g	5g
Sugar:	3g	7g
Protein:	3g	5g
Allergens:	Tree nuts	Tree nuts
Cost:	$2.25 per serving	$0.75 per serving

🔪 Instructions

Here's how to make this super easy kale crunch salad, step-by-step.

finely chopped kale in bowl, next to shredded green cabbage and almonds.

Add chopped kale to a large bowl, then add shredded green cabbage.

Add all dressing ingredients to a small mason jar. Screw lid on tightly, then shake to combine and emulsify. Or, add all dressing ingredients in a bowl and use a fork or small whisk to combine. Pour dressing over salad and toss. Set aside while you toast the almonds.

Dry roast chopped almonds in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly browned (about 1-3 minutes). Be careful because they go from fragrant to burnt very quickly.

Remove from heat, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and immediately transfer to a plate to cool.

chopped kale and cabbage with almond in bowl and dressing on side

Sprinkle the roasted, salted chopped almonds on top of the salad.

Toss salad together. Serve and enjoy! Or, separate into small containers for meals this week.

Expert tips

Allowing the salad to sit 5-10 minutes with the dressing on it will tenderize the kale and cabbage a little bit.
Don't over-toast the almonds. They don't need much time to become fragrant and lightly browned.
Kale and cabbage are two of the few greens that keep well with dressing already on them. So, feel free to make this salad ahead of time or meal prep it.

🥡 Make ahead and storage tips

This salad can be made ahead with or without the dressing added to it. The dressed salad will keep stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. And, the separate dry salad and dressing will store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

This recipe does not freeze well.