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This simple roasted sweet potato kale salad will make kale lovers out of haters (it did for me!). Shredded kale, perfectly seasoned sweet potatoes, crunchy and crumbly cornbread croutons, toasted pepitas and pecans, balsamic dressing–I could go on. This salad is one you will dream about! Serve it as part of your holiday spread or for a simple dinner at home!

Sweet potato kale salad in serving platter topped with feta, cornbread croutons and more.

Ingredient Notes
Recipe Variations
Step-By-Step Instructions
Recipe Tips
Storage
Other Salad Recipes
Sweet Potato Kale Salad Recipe
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This roasted sweet potato and kale salad is surely going to make a believer out of everyone who tries it! Lots of crunch and texture, so many layers of flavor, a perfect side or serve it up with some cubed chicken and you have a meal!

Love a good loaded salad recipe? Try these as well: Apple Arugula Salad, Roasted Pear Salad, Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad, or this Chickpea Avocado Salad.

Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!

I haver never ever been a fan of kale. My husband randomly started buying one of the salad kits with kale and I was surprised by the fact that I actually kind of liked them.

So this sweet potato salad is my way of falling in love-ish with kale. I prefer it very finely chopped and mixed with LOTS of goodies–but technically that is how I love all of my salads so not really much difference I guess!

This sweet potato kale salad:

is a PERFECT fall salad recipe
packs in so much flavor with the spiced sweet potatoes, toasted pecans and pepitas and more–the cornbread croutons are actually the best part
is a perfect salad for fall holidays and gatherings
has what seems to be a lot of steps and moving parts but is generally very easy to make

If you want to give kale a try, or if you are one of those people who actually love kale, this salad recipe is a great place to start!

Ingredient Notes

Shredded kale in glass bowl, cornbread cubes, feta, sweet potatoes, and other ingredients on surface.

I buy the bagged, pre-chopped kale because that is just how I work these days. The kale is chopped pretty fine which I really love over big pieces. If you want to use fresh kale, by all means go for it!
Any cornbread should work for the croutons, day old cornbread is ideal because it is much dryer. You can cube it the night before making this salad for even crispier croutons. I like how it also becomes cornbread crumbles almost and spreads even more into the salad.
Dressing ingredients are not pictured, see the recipe card below for full details! In a pinch? Use store bought balsamic dressing or an apple cider dressing would be amazing!
Pepitas are a hulled green seed that come from certain type of pumpkin. You can generally find them with the seeds and nuts in the grocery or in the bulk section typically.

Recipe Variations

balance the kale with another chopped green: you can toss in some chopped romaine or another green to help balance the kale if it’s too much!
other add-in options: sliced avocado, golden raisins, diced apples, chopped figs, sunflower kernels, chickpeas, toasted cashews, chopped cabbage, shredded carrots,
if there is an allergy, you can use sliced almonds, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts–whatever you love!
use a different cheese: goat cheese crumbles, blue cheese, or gorgonzola cheese would be amazing as well!

Step-By-Step Instructions

This recipe may look like it requires a lot of time and effort, but overall it is simple to make and aside from roasting the sweet potatoes and making the croutons, it’s a matter of tossing everything together! Toasting the nuts and seeds is completely optional!

Sweet potatoes on baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the seasonings over the sweet potatoes and toss to combine (you can do this right on the pan or in a bowl.) Arrange evenly on about 2/3 of the pan and bake for about 10 minutes.

Cornbread cubed in glass mixing bowl with oil and spatula.

Step 2: While the sweet potatoes begin to roast, toss the cornbread cubes with the olive oil.

Sheet pan with roasted sweet potatoes and cornbread croutons.

Step 3: After sweet potatoes have baked for 10 minutes, spread the cornbread cubes evenly on the remaining third of the pan. Bake for another 15 minutes, or until the cornbread is golden brown and sweet potatoes are tender but not overly soft or mushy. Remove from heat and set aside.

Step 4: This is not a necessary step, but is amazing! Add the raw pepitas and pecans to skillet and heat over medium low for about 4-6 minutes, stirring frequently. Once lightly toasted and fragrant, remove from the heat and drizzle about a teaspoon of maple and crank or two of sea salt. Allow to cool until ready to add to salad.

Step 5: Add the chopped kale to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and seal salt and gently massage into the kale leaves.

Kale salad in bowl with cornbread croutons, cranberries, sweet potatoes and feta.

Step 6: Add the onion, feta cranberries, and the remaining ingredients.

Tossed sweet potato kale salad in glass bowl with tongs.

Step 7: Toss to combine. (*See recipe notes for prepping this salad a day in advance below!)

Dressing added to kale salad and tossed in with wood spoons.

Step 8: Whisk together dressing ingredients until combined. Adjust seasoning to taste. Drizzle about 2/3 of the dressing over top and toss to evenly dress the salad. Add more dressing as desired. Chill for about 15-30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.

Recipe Tips

Massage the kale! Massaging kale with a touch of olive oil and sea salt is a game changer. It softens the kale and improves the flavor and makes it less bitter. It changed everything I ever thought about kale after starting to do this!
To make this salad ahead of time, prep ingredients separately and then toss together before serving. For the best texture, if you want to prep this salad, make the sweet potatoes, cornbread croutons, and toasted pecans and pepitas and store separately. You can chop the kale and massage it, toss in the onions and cranberries, but then toss everything else in about 30 minutes to an hour before you serve it.
Make this a meal by adding your favorite protein into the mix! Slice up this White Wine Chicken, Maple Citrus Glazed Salmon, or a nice Grilled Ribeye Steak. You can grab a rotisserie chicken too for an easy add-in!

Storage

This salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about 3-4 days. The ingredients will soften so peak texture is in the first two days, but you can certainly eat it for a couple days beyond that.