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Home » Gluten Free » Apple Salad

Apple Salad

Created: October 27, 2022 Updated: October 27, 2022 by Lyuba Brooke 8 Comments

320 shares
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Apple Salad is a must-make fall salad recipe featuring juicy apples, bold red onions, sweet candied pecans, pomegranate seeds, gorgonzola cheese, and crunchy pumpkin seeds. All served atop a bed of nutritious baby spinach with apple cider vinaigrette!

Love this salad? Make sure to try our Kale Salad, Green Goddess Salad, and Green Salad.

top view of apple salad put together in a wooden bowl.

Perfect Fall Salad

Even though stores like Target and Homegoods have already declared it’s Christmas, I’m still reveling in the last few weeks of fall! Enjoy the best flavors of this waning season by tossing together this unforgettable good Apple Salad. It features all of the best fall staple ingredients like apples, candied pecans, pumpkin seeds and more all served with fresh baby spinach.

While the term “salad” in general is often met with a groan, this one might just change your perspective. It’s got plenty of sweet ingredients to satisfy your sugary craving and pairs well with plenty of different proteins to help keep you full. While I usually like it best with chicken or shrimp, you can opt for any other protein.

In the end, what bring all of these flavorful ingredients together is the homemade apple cider vinaigrette! The key ingredients you’ll taste in it are the apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, and olive oil. It lends an incredible amount of flavor to an already bountiful salad.

ingredients to make apple salad and vinaigrette.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

You’ll love the medley of real fall flavor that comes from each ingredient listed here.

For the salad:

  • Baby Spinach – You can swap this for another leafy green if you’d like. However, I’ve found that spinach best compliments the vinaigrette.
  • Apple – Use a sweet apple like Honeycrisp, Gala, Pink Lady, etc. I don’t recommend using tart Granny Smith apples.
  • Red Onion – The bold onion flavor contrasts perfectly with the sweet apples and add a nice color.
  • Candied Pecans – Candied walnuts also work. Add more or less of this sweet ingredient to control the level of sweetness and crunch in your salad. I usually toss a little extra in mine!
  • Pomegranate Seeds – Have any extras? Use them to make the festive Holiday Crostini!
  • Gorgonzola Cheese – Blue cheese crumbles are a good substitute if you can’t get your hands on gorgonzola.
  • Pumpkin Seeds – if you can’t find any peeled pumpkin seeds, you can use sunflower seeds.

For The Apple Cider Vinaigrette:

  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Olive oil – choose extra virgin but mild tasting olive oil or avocado oil.
  • Dijon mustard – make sure to use Dijon mustards not yellow mustard.
  • Garlic – make sure to use fresh garlic clove and press it.
  • Honey
  • Salt and pepper

Step-by-Step Instructions

shacking the apple cider dressing in a bottle.

This fall flavored apple salad is easy to make and even easier to eat! Toss it all together and enjoy every fruity, tangy, autumnal bite of this delicious salad complete with homemade vinaigrette.

Make the dressing.

Measure all of the ingredients with care and combine them in a dressing shaker or glass jar with a lid. Shake until fully combined.

You can make the dressing ahead of time or double it as needed.

Assemble the salad.

Divide the spinach evenly between two bowls.

Divide all of the ingredients evenly on top of the salad and serve with vinaigrette on the side or drizzle it right on top. Enjoy!

closeup of apple salad and dressing next to the bowl.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What protein would be good with this salad?

Serve this Apple Salad with any protein. It’s especially good with sautéed shrimp, crispy chicken, crispy skin salmon, and baked chicken.

How far in advance can I make apple cider vinaigrette?

In an airtight container in the fridge, apple cider vinaigrette will stay fresh for 3-4 days. It’s great to make in advance and keep on hand so it’s ready when you need it.

Do I need to chop the spinach?

It’s up to you! You can serve this salad with whole spinach leaves or chop them into smaller bites. I do recommend that you use baby spinach though!

Can I assemble this apple salad ahead of time?

Yes, but I don’t recommend adding any vinaigrette to the salad until you’re ready to eat it. Feel free to assemble the salads and cover them with plastic wrap and keep them in the fridge about a day. When you’re ready to serve the salad, then drizzle it with vinaigrette and enjoy immediately. Remember though, if the salad is prepped ahead, apple will start to turn brown from oxidation, and spinach and onion will start to wilt.

pouring the apple cider vinaigrette over salad.
pouring the apple cider vinaigrette over salad.

Apple Salad

Apple Salad is a must-make fall salad recipe featuring juicy apples, red onions, candied pecans, pomegranate seeds, gorgonzola cheese, crunchy pumpkin seeds, spinach and apple cider vinaigrette.
5 from 2 votes
Print SaveSaved! Rate
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2
Calories: 755kcal
Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

For the Salad:

  • 5 oz baby spinach
  • 1 sweet apple
  • 1/4 cup red onion thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup candied pecans
  • 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
  • 1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Apple Cider Vinaigrette:

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 garlic clove
  • coarse or sea salt
  • black pepper
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

For the dressing:

  • Combine all of the ingredients into the dressing shaker (or a small mason jar with an lid) and shake vigorously for a 15-20 seconds.
    Note: the dressing will be enough for 2-4 salads, depending on how much you add per salad.

Salad:

  • Divide the spinach among two bowls. (You can choose to leave the spinach whole or chop it up. )
  • Divide all other ingredients for the salad among the two salad bowls and add as much dressing as you'd like.

Nutrition

Calories: 755kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 35g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 368mg | Potassium: 819mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 6762IU | Vitamin C: 53mg | Calcium: 201mg | Iron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @willcookforsmiles and tag #willcookforsmiles
collage of apple salad pouring dressing and top view.

LYUBA

ABOUT LYUBA

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read more...

320 shares

Filed Under: 30 Minute Meals, Apple, Dressing, Fall Recipes, Gluten Free, Healthy Dishes, Lunch, Salad

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.

Comments

  1. Lucille says

    January 26, 2023 at 9:48 pm

    made this the other night and my family really loved it. 🙂 Thank you

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      January 30, 2023 at 10:13 am

      I am so happy to hear that! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Louiselle says

    January 2, 2023 at 10:26 pm

    5 stars
    Loved it Substituted for goat cheese and crains everybody loved it

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      January 3, 2023 at 11:56 am

      I am so happy to hear you liked it!

      Reply
  3. wonderfulcook says

    December 19, 2022 at 10:50 pm

    5 stars
    I made this apple salad the other night and it was super tasty and refreshing! I will definitely make this recipe again. Thanks.

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      December 20, 2022 at 3:32 pm

      So glad you liked it!

      Reply
  4. Lori says

    October 28, 2022 at 2:15 pm

    Replacement for the gorganzola please? I don’t like blue cheese

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      November 1, 2022 at 12:46 pm

      Hi Lori,

      I think feta or shaved parmesan would be good, it will balance with the other flavors.

      Reply

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Well, hey there!

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read More.

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