Why Most Kale Salads Are Tough—and the Simple Fix That Makes Them Tender and Delicious

For years, kale salads have had a branding problem. Kale is undeniably nutritious, but untreated raw kale has the mouthfeel of decorative shrubbery, and no amount of optimism will convince your jaw otherwise. Which is a shame, because when kale is treated correctly, it becomes one of the most practical—and satisfying—salad greens around.

The issue isn't that kale is inherently unpleasant—it's that we keep asking it to behave like lettuce. Kale is thicker, sturdier, and far more resistant to casual vinaigrette treatment. But properly prepared kale keeps its crunch for days in the refrigerator, rather than wilting into soggy resignation. The result is a filling, reliable salad you can make ahead, eat all week, and actually feel good about reaching for—from a nutrition and flavor perspective.

The Fixes That Don't Quite Work

There are a few common ways people try to tackle tough kale: They slice it thinner, hoping delicacy will do the work. They drown it in lemon juice or vinegar, assuming acid will break it down and soften it. Or they bury it under assertive toppings, treating texture as something to distract from rather than address.

None of these approaches actually deals with the real problem. Thinly sliced kale is still chewy. Acid-heavy dressings mostly slide off the leaves. And while strong flavors can mask toughness, they don't make kale any more pleasant to eat.

The Science Behind Tenderizing Kale

You might assume it's the acid in the dressing that causes the leaves to break down and tenderize, but as our former culinary director, Kenji, discovered while testing his marinated kale and chickpea salad and kale Caesar salad recipes, a closer look at vinaigrettes revealed it's actually the oil that causes the breakdown.

Many leaves—including kale leaves—naturally have a waxy coating (the cuticle) on their upper surface to protect them from rain. This coating allows rainwater to slide off of them—without this coating, leaves would absorb water every time it rained, causing them to fall off under their own weight. Since most culinary acids (lemon juice, vinegar, verjus, and the like) are mostly water, they're not particularly good at clinging to leafy greens. Oil, on the other hand, penetrates the waxy coating easily, since the cuticle is oil-soluble. When you massage oil into a pile of kale leaves, it removes the coating, allowing the cells underneath to sustain controlled damage and soften.

The question is: Is it necessary to pre-tenderize the greens with plain oil before dressing them, or can dressing alone do the job?

Two Paths to Tender Kale

There are two effective ways to tenderize kale with this oil treatment, depending on whether you want to use your hands or your fridge.

Method One: Massage It (Fast and Hands-On)

For almost immediate results, remove the thick stems, cut or tear the leaves into bite-size pieces, then toss them with olive oil and a generous pinch of salt (I recommend kosher salt, but any salt will do in a pinch). Massage the leaves with your hands for a couple of minutes. You'll feel the transformation as the kale darkens, softens, and becomes pliable.

At this point, you can add your dressing and serve the kale—or let the greens rest briefly while you prep the rest of the salad. Side-by-side tests show that pre-softened kale is consistently more tender and less fibrous than kale dressed all at once. It's not a dramatic difference, but it's enough to be worth the extra couple of minutes. This is the treatment used in Kenji's kale Caesar salad recipe. Caesar dressing naturally complements bitter, crunchy greens, and once the kale has been properly softened, it gives the salad structure without being unpleasantly chewy. 

Method Two: Marinate It (Slow and Hands-Off)

If you'd rather not massage anything, time will do the work for you. Toss raw kale with oil and salt, then let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour and up to 24 hours.

With this method, the kale skips the massage entirely. Instead, the oil slowly penetrates the leaves, breaking down the waxy coating over time. The result is the same tender-crisp texture, just achieved passively.

The Takeaway

If you want kale that's actually good in salads, it needs oil before you add acid. Whether you spend a minute massaging it by hand or let it soften slowly in the fridge, the goal is to strip away that waxy exterior so the leaves can become tender without losing their crunch. Once you do, raw kale will no longer be a compromise, but instead a dependable green you'll actually look forward to eating.