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Easy Kale Apple Slaw with creamy honey mustard dressing will become your new obsession. It takes minutes to make this copycat of Tropical Smoothie Cafe's tasty salad.
We loved the tangy, fresh taste of Tropical Smoothie Cafe's Kale and Apple Salad so much that we created a copycat version. Now, we too can serve it alongside our favorite sandwich...or even inside a sandwich...anytime we want!
The flavor is amazing and addictive and uses just a few simple ingredients that I almost always have on hand.
To round out the meal, we whip up a Simple Strawberry Smoothie with Yogurt (another copycat from the same place) and sit back enjoy a fake-out, take-out dinner without driving anywhere!
How to Prep Kale
Kale takes center stage in this Kale Apple Slaw! Young and tender leaves are best, such as baby kale. We used curly kale because it presents so well in this recipe and doesn't require tenderizing first either. See Massaged Kale Salad - The Secret to Tender Leaves if you happen to use a heartier variety of kale or want to take the extra step to marinate the leaves.
To prepare the kale, remove and discard woody stems and then chop or tear the leaves as small as you possibly can to achieve a slaw-like appearance.
Tip: Use kitchen shears to quickly "snip" torn kale leaves into even smaller pieces. Simply place the torn kale into a bowl and then snip away.
Creamy Honey Mustard Dressing
The dressing for Kale Apple Slaw starts with the Honey Mustard Sauce used in our Alice Springs Chicken Recipe. The ingredients in the dressing are:
- Mayonnaise - any type that you have in the refrigerator or see notes on substituting below.
- Honey - use agave nectar for a vegan version
- Dijon mustard - not yellow mustard
- Apple cider vinegar - to thin the dressing plus it helps soften the kale leaves.
- Celery seed - gives the dressing a coleslaw twist.
Whisk all the ingredients together or add them to a small jar with a lid and shake to combine.
Note: A salad oil, like Canola oil or a mild tasting olive oil, may be substituted for the mayonnaise for a less creamy, but still very tasty, dressing.
Putting it together
In addition to kale and salad dressing, you'll need to prep apples and carrots for this salad.
Note: Any type of apple will work, including green. We used a sweet Ambrosia apple. (We are big fans of this apple which really has staying power and doesn't quickly brown in dishes like this.)
For a consistent appearance, dice the apples and carrots into small pieces too! Or, julienne them for a different look altogether.
To assemble the salad, just toss all of the ingredients in a large bowl and it's ready to serve.
Variations: Top with slivered almonds, use dried cranberries or raisins instead of apples.
To make this recipe ahead of time, prepare kale, carrots, and dressing and store separately until ready to enjoy.
Some types of apples can be prepped and stored overnight as well. If you're not sure that the apples will keep, lightly toss them in a lemon juice. It will not detract from the final dish.
Since kale is naturally hearty, it will hold up well if you have leftovers! Add it to fish tacos or top Carolina Style Burgers like these by Sugar Dish Me the next day!
Please rate this recipe and tag @DinnerMom or #DinnerMom on social media. We love to see what you are cooking up!
📋 Recipe
Kale Apple Slaw with Creamy Honey Mustard Dressing
Ingredients
Honey Mustard Dressing
- 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed
Salad
- 6 cups curly kale about 2 bunches; stems removed; leaves chopped or torn into small pieces
- 2 apples diced
- 2 cups carrots sliced
Instructions
Honey Mustard Dressing
- Combine dressing ingredients in a small jar with a lid. Shake to thoroughly combine.
Salad
- Toss kale, apples, carrots and honey mustard dressing in a large serving bowl.
- Sprinkle almonds over the top of the salad.
Lillian
Thank you for providing this recipe!
Holly
Is it real mayo or do I buy mayonnaise
Marjory Pilley
Hi! One of the ingredients is mayonnaise. Use any type!
Mandy
It doesn’t seem to make very much dressing, only about 1/4 C. Is that enough for the salad or should I be doubling or tripling the dressing recipe? I’m excited to try it!
Marjory Pilley
There should be enough dressing to cover the greens, but it's definitely not super wet. You can definitely double it if you think you might like a little extra. It's very tasty so I don't think you'll have a problem using it on something!!! Hope you enjoy it!
Dianne Murray
Love the TS kale/apple slaw. Two questions: 1.Do I detect a spice that gives a little bit of heat or a kick of flavor to the dressing?
2. Does your recipe also have this flavor?
Marjory Pilley
Hi! Dijon mustard gives it a bit of a kick!
Mar'ti Thomas
We all loved it! Thank you!
Grace
Sooo good! We swapped the Mayo for olive oil and Greek yogurt- but it was still amazing! So healthy!
April
Tastes just like the one at tropicak smoothie
gme mom
Easy to make! I added shrimp! Delicious!
Marjory Pilley
Love the addition! Thanks for your comment!
Gief
Everyone loved this, even those who don't like kale. I used pecans instead of almonds and 3 teaspoons of mustard.
Marjory Pilley
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Sue
This Kale Apple Slaw recipe is fantastic!! We even like it better than the one from TS. It's truly on a weekly rotation in our home. I double the dressing recipe so we have some left over. Try putting leftover rotisserie chicken on top - yummy!
Thank you for publishing this gem 🙂
Marjory Pilley
Thanks for your feedback! I LOVE the idea for the dressing...will be trying that right away.
Jenny
Absolutely delicious! I substituted white wine vinegar for the apple cider vinegar (because I'm a big dummy and forgot to buy some last time I shopped) and even with the substitution, it was amazing! Thank you so much for posting the recipe. I'm sure it'll be a part of our regular rotation.
Marjory Pilley
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and glad that substitution worked!
Marlene Gunderson
Haven't made this yet. Excited to make it. Was wondering if the Tropical Cafe's slaw has horseradish in the dressing?
Marjory
Unfortunately I don't have their recipe! Love to know what you think!
Sarah
Tried this for the first time today but since we try not to add any type of sugar to recipes, I substituted 1/2 apple to it in the Vitamix then juiced the rest of the apple and added to thin it out.
Marjory
Great idea! Thanks for the tip!
Renee Goerger
This is a perfect winter salad! The dressing is the perfect compliment for the hearty kale!
Marjory
Thanks for commenting. I a bit obsessed with this combo right now!
Britni
I love this dressing recipe!
Marjory
I'm so glad you like it! Thanks for commenting!