Rice Salad with Kale and Apples (Vegan + GF)

This warm, comforting rice salad with kale and apples is the perfect side dish for cold weather. It's slightly garlicky with a light lemony dressing, loaded with a few special sweet & savory ingredients, and very easy to make. This recipe keeps well and makes great leftovers, too!

This vegan rice salad was inspired by my Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe, which is a favorite during Fall and for Thanksgiving. The acorn squash filling is a combination of kale, apples, croutons, dried cranberries, and nuts, and it is SO GOOD! So I decided to turn that stuffing into a side dish, and make it gluten-free, too, so more people can enjoy it.

That's how this rice salad with kale and apples was born.

This rice salad is:

• Super versatile - you can use any add-ins you want (I give you lots of ideas below!)
• Easy to make
• Amazing as leftovers and can be made ahead, especially if you use red rice, black forbidden rice, brown rice, or a wild rice mix, since these rice types don't get mushy

• Gluten-free
• Loaded with healthy ingredients
• Super delicious, with an amazing combination of sweet, savory, and crunchy ingredients. So much flavor in every bite!
• Can be served warm or chilled (you'll appreciate this if you're like me and sometimes like to eat leftovers right out of the fridge!)
• Wonderful served with some vegan steaks or tempeh for a little protein

Related recipe: Vegan Rice Loaf

Red rice salad

As you can see, I used red rice for this salad. This rice can be found in most health food stores or on Amazon (here or here for a larger bag), and it's loaded with antioxidants. This rice salad is a great one to try if you've never cooked with red rice before because it has lots of other ingredients added in. If you're used to white rice and are not sure about red rice (yet), you are not going to be stuck with a bowl of plain red rice.

I would not recommend using plain white rice for this salad, just because whole grain rice is more nutritious and this salad honestly has a better texture with a whole grain, red, black, brown, or wild grain rice. (If you're looking for a recipe to use with white rice, try this Cheesy Cauliflower and Rice Casserole.)

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked red rice (or black, brown, or wild grain rice mix, or use instant rice!)
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 cups kale leaves, torn into small pieces
• 1 medium apple (any kind!)
• ¼ cup unsalted sunflower seeds, toasted in a dry skillet for a few minutes until golden and aromatic
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional, but it's really delicious!)
• ½ tablespoon lemon juice (or more to taste)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, finely minced (or your favorite herbs)
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely minced (or use more parsley, but don't worry, this doesn't make the salad taste minty)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Related recipe: Vegan Wild Rice Casserole

Instructions

Step 1: Cook rice according to package directions  - make sure to add a little salt or this vegetable seasoning base so the rice is flavorful!

Step 2: In a large pan, sauté the chopped onion and minced garlic in ½-1 tablespoon olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until the onion softens.

Step 3: Add the torn kale and chopped apple, stir, cover, and allow to cook down oved medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir and continue cooking until the kale is cooked to your liking (another 2-3 minutes).

Step 4: In a large bowl, combine the cooked rice and the sautéed kale mixture with the rest of the ingredients (sunflower seeds, maple syrup, lemon juice, herbs), and mix well. Drizzle in a little olive oil (½ - 1 tablespoon, or more to taste). Taste and adjust the flavor as needed with salt, pepper, lemon juice, or maple syrup. Serve warm or chilled, and garnish with fresh herbs, if you're feeling fancy.

Related recipe: Vegan Lemon Rice with Asparagus

Time-saving tips

Prep all the veggies while the rice is cooking, to save time!

Or you can cook the rice ahead of time, use leftover rice, or use instant rice! This recipe is great for using leftover rice because you add olive oil, lemon juice, and maple syrup to the salad to make the dressing, so if you have leftover dry rice, it's perfect for this rice salad.

Related recipe: Vegan Mexican Rice

Ingredient variations

Rice: As I mentioned above, you can use any kind of rice you like here! My personal preferences are red rice, black rice, and a wild rice mix. Or use Instant Rice for a super quick rice side dish!

Make it healthier and lighter: Rice is the main ingredient in this salad. However, you can decrease the rice and increase the amount of kale (and apples, if you want), so you get a nice sautéed kale salad with red rice instead of a rice salad with kale.... if that makes sense 🙂

Add dried cranberries: a little more sweetness in every bite is always a good thing!

Add some sliced celery to the chopped onions while sautéing: more veggies, more crunch.

Switch up the herbs: Use a few teaspoons of fresh sage and thyme or rosemary for a more classic Fall side dish flavor.

Use crushed pecans or walnuts, or slivered almonds in place of sunflower seeds. I recommend toasting them first.

Sautéed spinach is also an option instead of kale, it just doesn't have as much of a chewy texture, but it cooks much faster.

Use lime juice instead of lemon juice, or add some lemon zest.

Related recipe: Vegan Burrito Rice Bowls

If you end up making this rice salad, please take a picture and tag the Vegan Blueberry on Facebook or Instagram! I LOVE seeing your creations!