{"id":83367,"date":"2026-04-24T10:42:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T10:42:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/how-to-massage-kale-for-better-salads\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T10:42:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T10:42:17","slug":"how-to-massage-kale-for-better-salads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/how-to-massage-kale-for-better-salads\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Massage Kale for Better Salads"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<p>Massaging kale might sound silly, but it\u2019s the easiest way to turn tough, fibrous leaves into tender, flavorful salad greens. Raw kale is sturdy by nature\u2014that\u2019s why it holds up so well in soups, stews, and braises. But that same structure can make it chewy in salads. Massaging breaks down those fibers, transforming the leaves into something far more pleasant to eat. All it takes is a little salt, a splash of acid, and a minute or two of hands-on squeezing.<\/p>\n<p>But you don\u2019t always need to massage kale\u2014in fact, sometimes it\u2019s better not to (more on that below).<\/p>\n<div name=\"accordion\" class=\"AccordionWrapper-gvHLGA hNLEov\">\n<div class=\"AccordionItemWrapper-iLIlCF dnShlA\">\n<div class=\"AccordionContainer-gsDmFY iQqTk\">\n<div data-testid=\"accordion-item-container\" class=\"AccordionItemContainer-jFRYlp zgmT\">\n<div class=\"AccordionItemContainerLabel-etvqIf drgnhO\">\n<p>Why would anyone massage kale?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"BaseButton-bcGmUs ButtonWrapper-dPMEWm dFZSjb dhutMS button button--utility AccordionItemContainerButton-jMXXPz cpRpLP\" data-event-click=\"{&quot;element&quot;:&quot;Button&quot;}\" data-testid=\"Button\" role=\"button\" type=\"button\"><span class=\"ButtonLabel-eCjeQX eTFZtz button__label\">AccordionItemContainerButton<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<div class=\"AccordionItemContainerContent-fiXpuI lfFNGO opening-animation\">\n<div>\n<p>Glad you asked. Physically squeezing kale\u2014especially with salt and acid\u2014breaks down its tough cell walls, making the leaves softer, darker, and easier to chew. It also helps the greens absorb dressing more effectively, resulting in a more flavorful salad.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>How to massage kale, step-by-step<\/h2>\n<p>1. Remove the stems<\/p>\n<p>Kale stems are tough and fibrous (not great for salad, but you can finely chop them and add to a long-cooked vegetable stew). Slice them out with a knife or tear the leaves away by hand.<\/p>\n<p>2. Add salt and acid<\/p>\n<p>Sprinkle on a pinch of kosher salt (about \u00bd tsp. Diamond Crystal or \u00bc tsp. Morton for 1 bunch of kale) and add a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of vinegar (about 1 Tbsp.). This jump-starts the softening process. Some cooks like to add a drizzle of oil (about 2 Tbsp.) at this point, but it isn\u2019t strictly necessary.<\/p>\n<p>3. Massage with your hands<\/p>\n<p>Squeeze, scrunch, and rub the kale leaves for 1\u20132 minutes. As you massage them, they\u2019ll darken in color, reduce in volume, and noticeably soften.<\/p>\n<p>4. Taste for texture<\/p>\n<p>The kale should be tender but still have a little bite\u2014not mushy. You can move on to the next step right away, or cover and refrigerate the massaged kale for several hours (up to overnight).<\/p>\n<p>5. Dress and serve<\/p>\n<p>Toss the massaged kale with a vinaigrette (or creamy dressing) and any mix-ins, then serve.<\/p>\n<h2>When to massage kale (and when can you skip it)?<\/h2>\n<p>Massaging kale is beneficial whenever you\u2019re working with large ribbons or big pieces of torn kale leaves and <strong>plan to serve them raw<\/strong> in a salad or grain bowl.<\/p>\n<p>If the leaves are very finely chopped or shredded, as in\u00a0this winter crunch salad,\u00a0or if you\u2019re working with baby kale, <strong>you can skip it<\/strong> (the knife work does the job for you).<\/p>\n<h2>Does all kale need to be massaged?<\/h2>\n<p>Not every type of kale needs massaging. In some cases, it\u2019s completely unnecessary.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Curly kale<\/strong> is the toughest and benefits the most.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lacinato (Tuscan) kale<\/strong> is more tender but still improves with a quick massage.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Baby kale<\/strong> is delicate enough to use straight from the container\u2014no massaging required.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Other hearty greens, like collards and mustard greens, can benefit from a little handwork, too. The same rules apply: Massage only the greens you intend to eat raw, add a little salt, oil, and a splash of vinegar or citrus juice, and get to squeezing.<\/p>\n<p>Become a salad-massage therapist:<\/p>\n<div class=\"ContentCardEmbedWrapper-hkvhYu kMYDit content-card-embed content-card-embed--stacked\" data-testid=\"ContentCardEmbedWrapper\">\n<div class=\"ContentCardEmbedImage-bqahne fjmzkP content-card-embed__image\" data-testid=\"ContentCardEmbedImage\"><span class=\"SpanWrapper-kFnjvc eKnjjD responsive-asset\"><picture class=\"ResponsiveImagePicture-jKunQM gjCCFj responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Image may contain Plant Food Produce Vegetable Lentil Bean and Seasoning\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"ResponsiveImageContainer-dkeESL cQPiWi responsive-image__image\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.bonappetit.com\/photos\/61b817774ef529c736b549df\/master\/w_120,c_limit\/20211208%20Kale%20Caesar%20Salad%20LEDE.jpg 120w, https:\/\/assets.bonappetit.com\/photos\/61b817774ef529c736b549df\/master\/w_240,c_limit\/20211208%20Kale%20Caesar%20Salad%20LEDE.jpg 240w, https:\/\/assets.bonappetit.com\/photos\/61b817774ef529c736b549df\/master\/w_320,c_limit\/20211208%20Kale%20Caesar%20Salad%20LEDE.jpg 320w, https:\/\/assets.bonappetit.com\/photos\/61b817774ef529c736b549df\/master\/w_640,c_limit\/20211208%20Kale%20Caesar%20Salad%20LEDE.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"100vw\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.bonappetit.com\/photos\/61b817774ef529c736b549df\/master\/w_775%2Cc_limit\/20211208%2520Kale%2520Caesar%2520Salad%2520LEDE.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"ContentCardEmbedInfo-buyHWH gWLOee\">\n<div class=\"BaseText-fEwdHD ContentCardEmbedHed-kDKGDs bGtVff dlHXUJ content-card-embed__hed\" data-testid=\"ContentCardEmbedHed\">Kale Caesar Salad With Lemony Breadcrumbs<\/div>\n<p>This Caesar salad uses kale instead of romaine, has no croutons or raw egg yolks, and still happens to be one of the best we\u2019ve ever had.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"ButtonLabel-eCjeQX gMxkqd button__label\">View Recipe<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Massaging kale might sound silly, but it\u2019s the easiest way to turn tough, fibrous leaves into tender, flavorful salad greens. Raw kale is sturdy by nature\u2014that\u2019s why it holds up so well in soups, stews, and braises. But that same structure can make it chewy in salads. Massaging breaks down those fibers, transforming the leaves [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":83368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_daextam_enable_autolinks":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[3955,118,7431,3012,1949,1944],"class_list":["post-83367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","tag-basically","tag-cooking","tag-green","tag-how-to","tag-kale","tag-salad"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20211208-Kale-Caesar-Salad-LEDE.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83367\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}