This Winter Persimmon Kale Salad features kale slaw, sliced persimmons, pomegranate arils, feta cheese, and an amazing maple-balsamic dressing! Learn how to choose a persimmon and how to cut persimmons for a salad.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Nutritious: This Winter Persimmon Kale Salad takes advantage of all the nutritious greens and fruit available in the winter months.
- Quick and easy: It's a healthy salad easily made by using a prepared kale slaw mix.
- Balanced flavors: It's topped with sliced persimmons, pomegranate arils, and feta cheese and then drizzled with a favorite maple-balsamic dressing. So good!
- Winter salads are as beautiful and nutritious as summer salads! For example, both this Roasted Sweet Potato Kale Salad and this Butternut Squash Salad with Cranberries and Feta have vibrant colors and a delicious balance of savory and sweet! For more ideas to inspire you, check these 20 Best Winter Salad Recipes.
- Have you tried persimmons? When you see them in your supermarket grocery store, don't pass over them! They're a real treat.
❓How to choose a persimmon
Persimmons are abundant in Japan. There are two varieties of persimmons generally available in North America, the Fuyu and the Hachiya.
Fuyu Persimmons
The Fuyus are very popular, as they're grown in California. They are squat and round. They look almost like orange tomatoes, with slightly thicker skin.
Look for those without severe blemishes on the skin. You can peel them if you like, but the skin is edible, and it's a good source of fiber.
Hachiya Persimmons
The Hachiya persimmons must be fully ripe to be eaten or they'll taste horrible and will completely dry out the inside of your mouth.
However, once they are fully ripe, to the point of looking like they're spoiling and ready for the compost, they're sweet and delicious.
The Hachiya persimmons are good in baked goods, like muffins and cakes, Since they're high in pectin, they're commonly used to make regular or chia jam. They are heart or acorn-shaped.
You might also like this Persimmon Pomegranate Salad with Maple Walnuts and these sweet and smoky two-bite Persimmon Prosciutto Cheese Bites.
Persimmons are generally available from October through January, making them an ideal fruit to dress up a winter salad.
🛒 Ingredients
So let's make a shopping list and make this gorgeous Winter Persimmon Kale Salad!
A simple list of ingredients!
kale slaw mix: I buy this in a package. It's a blend of cabbage, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. Of course, you can make your own, but I find this a real time-saver.
persimmons: one or two. While I would normally choose Fuya persimmons for this salad, this time I used the Hachiya variety as they were fully ripe and on sale!
pomegranate arils: these add a beautiful, rich color and texture to the salad.
feta cheese: substitute goat cheese or burrata if you'd like
maple-balsamic dressing: recipe below. You're going to be making this one on repeat, it's so good!
🔪 Instructions
Here's a quick overview of what you'll do.
You'll start by making the maple-balsamic dressing. Toss it with the kale slaw, making sure it is well combined. Add it to a salad bowl or serving platter, then top with sliced persimmons, pomegranate arils, and crumbled feta cheese. That's it!
Frequently asked questions about persimmons
Persimmons are unique! A ripe Fuyu persimmon is firm and sweet and with a silky texture similar to a cross between a mango and an apple or a mango and a date.
Yes. Persimmon skins are edible and not tough. You can bite right into one! However, if they're badly marked or bruised from shipping, you may want to peel them.
Persimmons are beautiful inside! While they're considered seedless, they do have very tiny edible seeds that form a star pattern. They look a little like a sand dollar when you slice them through their circumference.
You can leave them as round slices, or you can cut them in half. The easiest way is to cut out the stem end with a paring knife, creating a small cone shape. The stem and the small core will come out.
Next, cut the fruit in half from the stem end through the bottom. Then turn one of the halves cut-side down and slice thin crosswise slices. You can cut the slices into triangles to make bite-sized pieces.
🔁 Possible Variations
If you don't have pomegranate arils, fresh raspberries or dried cranberries add the same rich color and look gorgeous in this salad.
You could also substitute finely chopped and massaged Tuscan kale for the kale slaw.
Kale can be a little tough but it's very easy to tenderize. First, strip the leaves from the tough inner stem and chop the leaves into very small pieces. Put them in a bowl, drizzle with a teaspoon or two of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, and gently massage the oil into the leaves.
Massaging helps to break down the tough connecting fibers and makes the kale easier to digest.
How to store persimmon salad
While this kale slaw salad is best eaten on the day it's made, it's sturdy enough to serve the following day as well. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
🍽 Serving suggestions
This Winter Persimmon Kale Salad makes a beautiful holiday side dish. The pomegranate arils look like little jewels and remind me of holiday lights and the feta cheese looks like snow, of course!
Serve this as a side dish with Air Fryer Rolled Stuffed Turkey Breasts or Easy Baked Lemon Chicken or this oh-so-delicious Sheet Pan Chicken and Roasted Harvest Vegetables.
🗒More winter salad recipes
- Kale and Cara Cara Orange Salad
- Pomegranate Mandarin Salad with Avocado and Feta (Christmas Salad)
- Grapefruit-Orange Avocado Salad with Fennel
- Orange Date and Pomegranate Spinach Salad
- Watermelon Radish and Satsuma Spinach Salad
- Winter Citrus Salad with Arugula and Goat Cheese
- Blackberry Kiwi Salad with Oranges
- Hearty Tuscan Salad with Creamy Gorgonzola Dressing
- Watermelon Radish Salad with Oranges
- Roasted Sweet Potato Kale Salad with Nutritional Yeast Dressing
If you make this Persimmon Kale Salad, please leave a comment and a rating below and let me know how you liked it!
📖 Recipe
Winter Persimmon Kale Salad with Pomegranate
Ingredients
- 4 cups prepared kale slaw mix
- 2 medium persimmons
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- 3 tablespoon feta cheese
Maple Balsamic Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil, extra virgin
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together and toss half of it with the kale slaw. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter.
- Arrange sliced persimmons, pomegranate arils and feta cheese on top of the kale slaw.
- Drizzle with more dressing, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was published in 2020. It has been updated with new information.
Barb
I made this last week for a "trial run." So delicious! I'm planning to make it again for my holiday dinner this year. Thanks for a great recipe!
Elaine
Hi Barb,
Thanks for taking the time to comment! Much appreciated.
Danielle
I made this the day I found fresh persimmons in my supermarket! So pretty, and so easy! A great combination of sweet and salty flavors!
Elaine
Thanks for taking the time to comment, and thanks for the 5 stars!
Priya Lakshminarayan
Wow that salad looks amazing! Love the colors and the flavors in here
Maria
A feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds. Looking forward to impressing my guests with this.
Jess
Not only is this a beautiful salad it is perfect for holiday parties.