Peppery kale, crunchy seeds, hearty white beans, and creamy avocado tossed in a lemon maple vinaigrette. The Erewhon kale white bean salad is a perfect harmony of tangy, crunchy, and slightly sweet. Luckily, it’s super easy to copy at home!
Copycat Erewhon Kale White Bean Salad
This copycat Erewhon Kale White Bean Salad is the perfect combination of crunchy kale, nutty seeds, creamy white beans, and fresh avocado all tossed in a lemon maple vinaigrette. There’s no cooking required and it packs in nearly 20 grams of plant-based protein in just one serving.
PREP TIME
10 minutes
COOK TIME
0 minutes
TOTAL TIME
10 minutes
Back in the day, I used to live right down the block from one of the famous Erewhon markets. Although I was a skeptic, primarily based on the astronomical prices, I did occasionally find myself at the prepared food bar, looking to get my kale white bean salad fix.
Years later when I left Los Angeles, I often found myself thinking back to my favorite salad. Luckily for me, Erewhon publishes all the ingredients in their hot bar foods on their website so within a couple of clicks I was able to reveal the hidden secrets of the famous Erewhon Kale White Bean Salad recipe.
It’s hard to describe what makes this salad so good because it really is better than the sum of its parts. It must be some of that ‘salt, fat, acid, heat’ witchcraft that chefs often talk about.
I’m not lying when I say this might be one of the only recipes that makes it into my regular rotation on a bi-weekly basis. This Erewhon kale white bean salad recipe is one of my favorite lunch meal prep options because it requires no cooking and stores great in the fridge.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Whether you’re a vegetarian or just someone looking to eat more healthy foods, you’re going to love this copycat recipe. Not only are the ingredients an A-list line-up of superfoods, it’s super easy to make and stores well in the fridge making it a wonderful meal prep option.
With just a couple of ingredients, you can throw this salad together in under 10 minutes and enjoy a deliciously nutritious salad packed with plant-based protein all week long.
One of my favorite things about this salad is that the kale holds up well to the dressing meaning you can toss it all together, pop it into an airtight container and it only gets better. You’ll be looking forward to lunch every day of the week.
What’s In The Erewhon Kale and White Bean Salad
As previously mentioned, we’re lucky enough that Erewhon Market actually publishes all the ingredients in their prepared foods on their website meaning we aren’t left guessing when it comes to copying this delicious salad.
In fact, here’s a screenshot of the ingredients from their website:
So let’s break down the key ingredients in this famous kale salad.
- Curly Kale: Although the type of kale isn’t specified, from experience, I know they use green curly kale which has a great crunch and peppery flavor. Plus it holds up great in the fridge making it a perfect make-ahead lunch option.
- White Beans: I believe Erewhon used cannellini beans but any white bean will work great. Personally, I prefer navy beans because they are a bit smaller so you get a more even distribution in each bite.
- Avocado: Fresh diced avocado adds a lovely creaminess and healthy fats making the salad satiating and filling.
- Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds: Whether you prefer one or the other (or both!) I highly recommend lightly roasting your seeds before adding them to the salad. It intensifies the flavor and crunch while adding a wonderful nuttiness that compliments the kale oh so well.
- Hemp Seeds: Also called hemp hearts, these little seeds are super nutritious. They’re packed with protein, omega fatty acids, and magnesium. I don’t think they add all that much flavor to the salad but are worth adding for the nutrients alone.
- Dressing Ingredients: Perhaps the star of this salad is the maple lemon vinaigrette. It’s the perfect combination of tangy, sweet, and creamy thanks to the extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, maple syrup, and Dijon mustard.
How to Make The Erewhon Kale and White Bean Salad
Believe it or not, you can make this famous kale salad in under 10 minutes and definitely less than the $21 that they charge for it at the store.
Although this recipe technically requires no cooking, I highly recommend either buying your pumpkin and sunflower seeds pre-roasted or taking the 5 minutes to do it at home. It really takes the salad up a notch by adding delicious crunch and a nutty component (even though they are technically seeds!)
It only takes 4 simple steps to make this quick lunch:
- Prep the Ingredients: Start by removing the tough stems from the kale. Although Erewhon uses curly kale, you can also use locinato kale (also called dino kale). Then chop the kale into bite-sized pieces and clean in a salad spinner. You’ll also want to drain and rinse the beans and dice the avocado.
- Roast the Seeds: Toasted seeds make all the difference in this recipe. The easiest way to make them is to gently toss in a little bit of olive oil and sea salt and spread them out evenly on a baking tray. Roasted under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes tossing when you see the tops start to get golden.
- Make the Salad Dressing: The lemon maple dressing is a twist on a classic vinaigrette. Start by adding equal parts olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, and Dijon mustard. Although it deviates from the original Erewhon recipe, I think 1 to 2 cloves of garlic make a great addition. Then add a healthy pinch of sea salt. I recommend blending everything with an immersion blender to get a creamy texture that won’t split, but you can also give it a good shake in a leakproof container.
- Assemble and Enjoy: Now that all of your ingredients are prepared, all that’s left to do is combine them in a large mixing bowl and enjoy!
Storage
Storing this delicious Erewhon kale white bean salad is easy. Depending on your preference you can pre-dress the kale or leave it on the side until you’re ready to eat it. Simply portion all of the ingredients into airtight containers and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
A small note to my readers – Over here at VLHhealth, we occasionally include affiliate links in our posts. This means that if you purchase using our links, we will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Copycat Erewhon Kale White Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 2 bunches curly kale
- 1 15 oz cans white beans
- 2 avocados
- 1/4 cup pumpkin or sunflower seeds (or both)
- 1/4 cup hemp hearts
Lemon Maple Viniagrette
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
- 1/4 cup mustard (I like to use a combination of dijon and grainy)
- 1-2 cloves of garlic
- a generous pinch of sea salt
Instructions
Prep the Ingredients
- Start by removing the tough stems from the kale. Although Erewhon uses curly kale, you can also use locinato kale (also called dino kale). Then chop the kale into bite-sized pieces and clean in a salad spinner.
- You'll also want to drain and rinse the white beans and dice the avocado. Don't forget to measure out and set aside the hemp hearts as well.
Roast the Seeds
- The easiest way to roast your seeds is to gently toss them in a little bit of olive oil and sea salt and roast them for 2 to 3 minutes under the broiler. When the tops start to get golden brown toss them and put them back in the oven for another mintue or two. It's better to slightly underroast them then to overdo it as you'll end up with a bitter burnt flavor.
Make the Vinaigrette
- Combine 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, and 1/4 cup mustard (I like to use a combination of dijon and grainy.) Add 1 to 2 garlic cloves and healthy pinch of sea salt.
- Using the immersion blender is my preferred method because you'll get a creamier dressing that won't split but you can also shake well in a leakproof jar. In this case, you'll need to grate or finely chop the garlic before adding.
Assemble
- Now that all of your ingredients are prepared, all that's left to do is combine them in a large mixing bowl and enjoy!
More ideas you’ll love
- Strawberry Glaze High Protein Overnight Oats
- Easy Avgolemono Soup Recipe (Greek Lemon & Egg Chicken Soup)
- Easy Mediterranean Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
Pin for later!
Leave a Reply