Autumn Kale and Quinoa Salad with Chutney Dressing
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
This hearty kale and quinoa salad is filled with crisp veggies, juicy grapes, and cashews, but the chutney dressing is what makes it shine.
This kale and quinoa salad is one of my fall favorites. It’s packed with crisp veggies, grapes, and crunchy roasted cashews, but what really makes it shine is the dressing made with mango chutney and curry powder. It would make literally anything taste good! If you’re in the mood to mix things up, you can easily swap the grapes for diced apples or toss in some dried cherries or cranberries. To make it a bit heartier, consider adding chickpeas. And the best part? Thanks to kale’s sturdiness, this salad is great for making ahead and keeping in the fridge for weekday lunches. Finally, a time-saving tip: you can find cooked quinoa in the freezer aisle of most supermarkets. It’s great to have on hand for tossing into salads for a boost of protein and nutrients.
What You’ll Need: Autumn Kale & Quinoa Salad with Chutney Dressing
To cut down on prep time, you can buy the kale, quinoa, and carrots already prepared. However, note that the kale that comes washed and prepped in a bag still needs to be chopped into smaller pieces, and some thick stems need to be removed.
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the lemon juice, chutney, honey, garlic, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Gradually add the olive oil, whisking to emulsify.
Add the kale, quinoa, carrots, bell pepper, celery, grapes, and cilantro to the dressing.
Toss until the ingredients are evenly coated with the dressing.
Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or until ready to serve (up to 1 day ahead). Right before serving, mix in the cashews.
Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, before serving.
You may also like
- Quinoa Pilaf with Chickpeas, Currants & Almonds
- Kale, Apple, and Pancetta Salad
- Quinoa Pilaf with Shiitake Mushrooms, Carrots, and Pecans
- Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Walnuts, Parmesan & Lemon-Mustard Dressing
Autumn Kale and Quinoa Salad with Chutney Dressing
This hearty kale and quinoa salad is filled with crisp veggies, juicy grapes, and cashews, but the chutney dressing is what makes it shine.
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 3½ tablespoons lemon juice, from 1 to 2 lemons
- 3 tablespoons store-bought mango chutney
- 1½ tablespoons honey
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1¾ teaspoons curry powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
For the Salad
- 4 cups chopped kale (thick stems/ribs removed)
- 2 cups cooked quinoa (I buy it frozen; see note)
- 1 cup shredded carrots, from 2 to 3 carrots
- 1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper, from 1 pepper
- 1 cup thinly sliced celery, from 1 to 2 celery stalks
- 1 cup grapes, halved
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
- ⅔ cup roasted salted cashews
Instructions
- For the Dressing: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the lemon juice, chutney, honey, garlic, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Gradually add the olive oil, whisking to emulsify.
- For the Salad: Add the kale, quinoa, carrots, bell pepper, celery, grapes, and cilantro (if using) to the dressing. Toss until the ingredients are evenly coated with the dressing. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or until ready to serve (up to 1 day ahead). Right before serving, mix in the cashews. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, before serving.
- Note: If you are cooking the quinoa, you'll need about ⅔ cup raw quinoa. Rinse and cook the quinoa according to package directions.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 545
- Fat: 33 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 58 g
- Sugar: 27 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Sodium: 505 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
This salad is simply incredible! So very flavorful! I had to make my own mango chutney for the first time since my friend is a new diabetic (type 1) and needed to control the sugar levels in this salad.. I used baby kale the first time, but I plan to make this as a side dish for Thanksgiving lunch and will buy dino kale. Can I make this the night before without losing volume the next day?
So glad you like it! Yes, you can make this the night before without losing any volume. Just add the cashews right before serving so they don’t get soggy.
Hi Jenn, thanks so much! the salad was such a HIT at the party!! Everyone loved it and asked about it, saying it tasted like nothing they’ve ever had before! We live in Alabama, so you can be proud of your influence in the South! You are a goddess and we are not worthy. hehee
LOL — you’re so sweet! Glad it came out well 😊
Wow wow wow! Yes, there’s a lot of prep here, but the results are worth it (per my Greenhouse Society, who enjoyed this at their potluck). My kale wasn’t ready yet, and I discovered that a standard grocery bundle of kale was about 8 cups, so I made a double recipe, using homegrown garlic, bell peppers, and celery. Good thing I made the double recipe, as all I took home is the amount that didn’t fill my largest serving bowl and remained in my carrier.
Enjoying for breakfast today– another solid 5 star recipe from Jenn!
Your recipes are always fabulous and reliable. This one is over-the-top. You’re right, the mango chutney dressing makes it! Trader Joe’s has their own version of mango chutney and our larger chain store has a national brand. Using pre-chopped kale and shredded carrots saved a ton of time. I did cook my own quinoa since it only takes 15 minutes and I can chop while it cooks.
I took the salad to two different events with vegans, vegetarians and omnivores. Everyone loved it. Plus it’s so healthy.
My first experience with Quinoa and immediately our new favorite salad! We love the light curry taste and how all the ingredients come together so well!
Sensational! The dressing is easy to make (no food processor) and full of flavor.
Delicious! Daughter’s boyfriend said it was the best salad he’s ever had! Mango chutney was a little hard to find but for Ontarians I found it at Metro. Kept well and we enjoyed it the next day for lunch. Have tons of kale in my garden so I’m excited to try some of your other recipes posted.
What a surprise this salad is! I was skeptical when I was prepping it, but once done, I took a bite and found it to be delightful! My only negative thought is that it did take a while to prepare. Nevertheless, I will make it again. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Jenn, I have bought all the ingredients for the Autumn Kale salad except the chutney and have not been able to find any chutney in the 6 major grocery stores I have gone to. Can you suggest an alternative ingredient or an alternate dressing?
Hi Sally, That’s frustrating you tried so many stores and couldn’t find the chutney! You can use apricot preserves as a substitute. Hope you enjoy the salad!
Thanks Jenn. I rely on your recipes to get me through the week and every one of them has been loved by our family.
I cannot find a lot of ingredients locally and order off Amazon. It’s here the next day.
I make this all the time. It is sooo good. This time the flavor was off a bit – not as good. The only thing different was that I bought a new bottle of curry powder (Nature’s Promise Organic.) I thought curry powder was just a single spice, but reading on the bottle, it’s a combination of spices. For the life of me I can’t remember what brand I had before. Would you mind sharing what brand you use?? I need my old salad back!!
Hi Angie, I usually just use McCormick organic curry powder (in the glass jar). Hope that helps!
Oh my goodness this was DELICIOUS. I’ve pretty much made all the salads from your site and this is definitely one of my favorites. I love that it keeps well too. The kale holds up to the dressing so leftovers can be eaten and enjoyed for another day or two. My kids ate all the grapes on hand so I ended up using honeycrisp apples diced small instead. Still delicious! Will make again soon.