10 Alternatives to Kale (2024)

Most popular in the spring, dandelion greens have a strong, peppery flavor. “I look for smaller leaves with red stems,” says Jeff Mahin, the chef behind Stella Barra Pizzeria, with locations in Los Angeles and Chicago. “The bigger they get, the more bitter and less peppery they are.” At his Chicago restaurant, Mahin is currently serving a mixed salad with dandelion greens, Osaka mustard greens, and escarole, topped with a light lemon vinaigrette. “I really want people to be able to taste the greens,” he says.

Similar in consistency to kale but just a teensy bit more delicate, rainbow chard is excellent raw in a salad and cut into thin strips. “It’s more like a crisp lettuce,” Nashan says. “It works really well with smoked fish.” Marc Marrone, the sous chef at Lavo and Tao in New York City and Las Vegas, uses a chiffonade of raw leaves and rainbow stems, then combines them with Sicilian pistachios, Robiola cheese, carrot ribbons, strawberries and a poppy seed vinaigrette.

Dense cabbage can be braised and sautéed with bacon in a similar way one would use kale or collard greens, but it can also work in a salad—even during the winter. “Just make sure to slice it very thin,” Madison says. “That softens it.”

These tender greens are delicious when roasted with their roots, or served in a salad. Food blogger Sara Forte over at sproutedkitchen.com does a delicious chopped beet greens and quinoa salad, all topped off with a homemade tahini dressing.

Okay, so it’s technically still kale. But baby kale has the consistency of arugula with the delicate flavor of what it will eventually become. “The leaf is tender, so you’ll want to use it in a salad,” Madison says.

“Radish greens are almost always available,” Madison says. “And they’re great in a soup.” Try Martha Stewart’s recipe for creamy radish greens soup, which also uses potatoes and onions.

While broccoli rabe may look sort of like traditional broccoli, it’s long, easy-to-break down stems and leaves make it more akin to kale when it comes to preparation. “It has so much zip,” Madison says. “I blanch it briefly and then sauté. It likes lots of garlic and red pepper flakes.”

This southern favorite is typically stewed, but can just as easily be served raw in a salad. At Brooklyn’s modern Vietnamese restaurant Nightingale 9, chef Rob Newton often serves them shaved with fried shallots, coconut and lime.

Hearty but still lettuce like, chicory is great for salads. Food Network’s Ellie Krieger serves a simple chicory salad with walnuts, parmesan and a light sherry-mustard vinaigrette for an easy weeknight side.