Vegan Creamy Kale (Gluten-free)

This Vegan Creamy Kale is sure to impress your family and friends with its creamy, flavorful taste and nutrient-dense profile. Get your greens in this easy-to-make dish that is gluten-free, oil-free and contains only 4-ingredients.

Are you on team kale or not team kale? Kale wasn’t on my radar until shortly after we transitioned to a plant-based diet. I had seen it dotting buffets, sitting on the ice, looking all hard, inflexible and definitely unappetizing. I didn’t know at the time that this bright green leafy stuff was even edible, let alone a nutritional powerhouse full of calcium, iron and potassium. 😊

We went to a party at a friends’ house early on in our plant-based adventure and one of the party-goers brought a kale salad. It was my first time trying it and I was hooked! Turns out this guy was a produce buyer for Whole Foods and knew his way around kale. He chopped it, massaged it and mixed in some mashed avocados and salt. I think I ate about half the bowl! That was the start of my love affair with kale. If you’ve tried it and didn’t like it then you haven’t had it prepared properly.

The recipe I’m sharing today is not the fabulous kale salad I ate at that party almost 9 years ago, but it is stupendous. It is easy. And it might just get you loving kale. It also fools many omnivores into thinking they are eating dairy or heavy cream. I was originally inspired to make this recipe by a creamy kale recipe on another vegan blog years ago, and it is a staple in my house.

The Deets

You can use any kind of kale you want: Lacinato kale (AKA Tuscan Kale or Dinosaur Kale), green or red. I usually choose a combination of these since every different type of vegetable has it’s own unique nutritional profile and I aim to get as many different nutrients into us as I can.

If you’re short on time, you can use a bag of pre-cut kale from the grocery store. I prefer to use that kale in smoothies than in recipes since the producers aren’t as careful with removing the tough fibrous stems as I like.

Blending cashews with water and onion powder creates the smooth, creamy sauce that coats the kale. A sprinkle of nutmeg to finish it is sublime. I once forgot the sprinkle of nutmeg and my husband has never let me forget it. LOL.

In the recipe you’ll notice I don’t add any salt. That is because each person can salt to their own desire. If you aren’t avoiding salt, definitely give it a good sprinkle, as that is part of what amps up the flavor. What I have discovered is that the best way to season this dish is with Herbamare. This is one of my very favorite seasonings and I use it instead of salt to season my food. Herbamare is made from pure sea salt and freshly harvested, organically grown herbs and vegetables. Adding Herbamare to vegan creamy kale provides that extra something that takes it over the top.

I hope you enjoy our vegan creamy kale as much as my family does. Please be sure to rate this recipe, leave a review and post your creations to Instagram @theplantivores and to Pinterest @plantivores.

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