The BEST and easiest way to sauté kale! Seasoned with nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and a little lemon juice, it’s oil-free and ready in as little as 10 minutes.
Kale has a reputation for being a little “harsh” and bitter. Rip Esselstyn, the man behind PLANTSTRONG by Engine 2 and one of my heroes, refers to it as “angry lettuce.” But, with just a little effort and no oil, it becomes one of the most flavorful and healthiest side dishes.
My family and I LOVE kale and have it quite often. It’s great in dishes like my Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato & Kale Pasta and this incredible Chipotle Chickpea Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing. It’s even great in a smoothie!
You will love this Easy Sautéed Kale with garlic and lemon. It’s so easy to make and can be on the table ready to eat in as little as 10 minutes. Let me show you!
What Ingredients Do I Need
You only need a few staple ingredients to make this flavorful side dish. And, once you see how easy it is to make this sauteed kale you’ll want to have it over and over.
- Kale: you can use curly kale, Lacinato kale (dinosaur kale), or Tuscan kale.
- Nutritional Yeast: adds a nutty cheesy essence.
- Garlic Powder: Kale and garlic just seem to go together
- Lemon Juice: Lemon makes things bright and electric when it comes to flavor.
How To Sauté Kale With No Oil
- Remove the stems and roughly chop the kale leaves. You could also use a bag of pre-chopped kale as well.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. My favorite skillets are these Ballarini pans. They’re inexpensive, cook evenly, and nothing sticks. I love cooking pancakes in them too.
- Once the pan is ready add your kale and let it cook for several seconds. Add the water, stirring occasionally, and cook the kale until it wilts and turns bright green. It should be fairly tender.
- NOTE: If you don’t have a large enough pan, cook the kale in smaller batches.
- Transfer all the kale to a large serving bowl, add the nutritional yeast and garlic powder then toss.
- Finally, top it all off with a drizzle of fresh lemon juice.
That’s it! Delicious and Easy Sauteed Kale with garlic and lemon and just a hint of cheesiness from the nutritional yeast. It’s a bright and savory side dish that pairs well with almost any meal.
If you really want to make it more incredible sprinkle some of my Vegan Parmesan on top. Amazing!
Tips & Notes
- Massaging the kale sounds weird but it does help to soften the texture when cooking and makes it easier to chew.
- Be sure and use a sharp knife when chopping kale. It’s one of the more “sturdy” vegetables and a dull knife will only pose problems.
- Steam kale: simply tear the kale leaves from the stem, tear them into bite-size pieces, place them into a steamer basket, and steam for 5-10 minutes.
- Roasted garlic cloves make an excellent addition to this recipe.
- Stir into your favorite soups or stews for extra heartiness and added nutrition.
Try These Vegan Recipes With This Sautéed Kale
- Garlicky Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Crispy Blackened Tofu
- Chickpea Vegan Meatloaf
- Vegan Squash Casserole
- Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes
The 5-Day Plant-Based Kickstart
Just getting started on a plant-based diet and wondering where to begin? Well, check out my E-book, The 5 Day Plant-Based Kickstart.
Did you make this recipe? Please be sure to leave a comment and star rating below and let me know your thoughts. Your feedback is helpful.
Easy Sautéed Kale (Oil-Free)
- Total Time10 minutes
- Yield6 servings 1x
- DietVegan
The BEST and easiest Sauteed Kale recipe! Seasoned with nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and a little lemon juice. It’s oil-free and ready to eat in as little as 10 minutes. The perfect side dish!
Ingredients
- (1) 10–ounce bag of chopped kale (roughly 5 cups)
- ¼ cup water
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- Juice of half a lemon
- Salt to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Remove the stems and roughly chop the kale leaves. You could also use a bag of pre-chopped kale as well.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. My favorite skillets are these Ballarini pans. They’re inexpensive, cook evenly, and nothing sticks. I love cooking pancakes in them too.
- Once the pan is ready add your kale and let it cook for several seconds. Add the water, stirring occasionally, and cook the kale until it wilts and turns bright green. It should be fairly tender.
- NOTE: If you don’t have a large enough pan, cook the kale in smaller batches.
- Transfer all the kale to a large serving bowl, add the nutritional yeast and garlic powder then toss.
- Finally, top it all off with a drizzle of fresh lemon juice.
Notes
Cooking time is one for one batch.
Use whatever type of kale you prefer. I like cooking with curly kale.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 19
- Sugar: 0.8 g
- Sodium: 8 mg
- Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.7 g
- Fiber: 0.9 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Prep Time: 5 mins.
- Cook Time: 5 mins.
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: Vegan
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Can you use frozen kale?
Yes, be sure to let it thaw first.
Y,ummy Thanks for this recipe
Yum. Finally tried this today and we love it. I especially appreciate how simple and qicuk it is to cook. Thank you, Shane.
I’ve tried other preparations for greens including things like soy sauce, hime plum vinegar, vegetable broth etc. and even though I like greens it’s been hard for me to get cooked greens in every day. This super simple recipe has changed that for me. I find myself craving green now! I buy the large containers of baby kale and spinach mix. This recipe is done in minutes and I’m ready to check that greens box off in a delicious way. Thanks so much for all you do to share great WFPB recipes with us.
Made this recipe today and it’s delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you!!!
What a delicious way to make Kale! My husband and I both loved this recipe. Making it again soon. Thanks!
Thank you!
How would you suggest making this in an Instant Pot?
Select the sautee function and follow the same instructions for the stove top.
We eat kale once or twice a week, but i never thought of these additions, I’ll try it this way, thank you!
Hey Shane,
The recipe looks delicious. But I wonder about that pan. Are you concerned about cooking with aluminum?
Not really, especially with these since they have the granite coating.
Easy, oil-free, and delicious!
Loved it! So easy. Turns bright green almost immediately. Very tasty. Thanks.
This looks and sounds delicious! ! Definitely will make it for dinner tonight! Thank you so much for another amazing recipe!