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Loaded Apple Salad is a simple revolution of ingredients that results in a most welcome side dish. Immediately inviting to see, yet deceptively easy to make, this salad will please eaters year round, but especially each fall and winter — a refreshing and delicious change from the usual, that will be gobbled up.
Apple Salad is perfect for almost every eating style, including those with dietary restrictions, and is super healthy — providing fiber and good ingredients for digestion.
Gluten-free, Paleo, AIP version, Whole30, VAD, Anti-Inflammatory, Vegan, GAPS and even Low Oxalate and Low Salicylate if made with the right kind of apples.
Make Loaded Apple Salad as a simple 2-ingredient apple salad if you can’t enjoy the add-ins. That version is so good as well, deceptively simple but nuanced and so special. (See this version in the photo below.)
Ingredients in Apple Salad
The only two main ingredients in Apple Salad are: fresh apples and fresh lemon juice.
No sweetener is needed or used, so this salad is both sweet and savory. It fits great in settings where you’d see cucumber salad, but it’s sweeter from the fresh apple, so it’s its own unique genre of deliciousness.
What makes Apple Salad LOADED
Apple Salad is wonderful with just two ingredients.
But adding all the extras makes it extra tempting visually, and just a DELICIOUS mouthful when you eat it!
These additions make Apple Salad LOADED:
- fresh pomegranate arils
- raisins or dates, chopped
- walnuts or pecans (omit for AIP)
- halved kiwi slices
- fresh mint
- minced crystallized ginger, grated fresh ginger or ginger powder
- cardamom and cloves (for VAD), or add cinnamon, too
What varieties of apples are the best for this salad
I like apples that are crunchy, juicy, tart and sweet: Fuji, Pink Lady and Braeburn. Occasionally, I can find Honeycrisp apples that live up to their hype, but usually they’re not that great.
See what you can find that’s crunchy and flavorful is always my first goal with apples!
How to make Apple Salad
- Peel the apples. (Like cucumber salad, with peeled cucumbers, it’s important to peel the apples to give the salad the right texture and flavor.)
- Slice apples thinly, about a 1/4-inch thick.
- Place apples in serving bowl. Add fresh lemon juice. Toss well to coat.
- Add remaining add-ins: Choose which ones you want if you can’t get them all. Toss salad. Serve with a garnish of an extra fresh mint sprig.
Make apple salad shortly before serving, or ahead of time.
Or see it below with just apples and lemon juice, also lovely.
What to serve Apple Salad with
This lovely side dish goes great with chicken dishes, for dinner. It’s also welcome with any BBQ meal.
While we usually eat Apple Salad with dinner, it’s perfect for lunch and could even work beautifully with breakfast.
Specific meals that it would work well with: buffets, mezzas, Asian meals, alongside certain pastas, meals with a variety of salads, including pasta salad, potlucks, any fall or winter themed meal, holiday meals, with sandwiches or wraps.
Apple Salad (Paleo, Whole30, AIP, Vegan)
Equipment
- veggie peeler
- knife
- salad or mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2 whole apples peeled and sliced about ¼" thick. I like to cut each slice in half, so they're bite-size.
- ½ to 1 large lemon juiced, or 3 to 4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 whole kiwi peeled and sliced, slices halved or quartered
- ½ of a whole fresh pomegranate arils
- ⅓ cup walnuts or pecans (omit for AIP) chopped
- 2 large Medjool dates , chopped, or ¼ cup raisins
- 2 Tablespoons fresh mint leaves, small leaves or sliced
- several small slices crystallized ginger, minced , 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger, or ¼ to ½ tsp. ginger powder
- 1/16 to ⅛ teaspoon each: cardamom and cloves (for VAD), or add cinnamon, too
Instructions
- Peel the apples. (Like cucumber salad, with peeled cucumbers, it's important to peel the apples to give the salad the right texture and flavor.)
- Slice apples thinly, about a ¼" thick.
- Place apples in serving bowl. Add fresh lemon juice. Toss well to coat.
- Add remaining add-ins: Choose which ones you want if you can't get them all. Toss salad. Serve with a garnish of an extra fresh mint sprig.
- Make apple salad shortly before serving, or ahead of time.
Notes
How to store leftovers
Cover and refrigerate any leftovers. Apple Salad keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days, but is best the day it's made.Nutrition
You can Pin Loaded Apple Salad here:
Naomi says
Oh Megan, Megan, Megan, you have no idea how you have just changed my life! I made this simple apple salad yesterday and it instantly blew me away! I bought some Fugi apples but they also had some called Envy that were super large and seemed firm and so I bought one to try. That may be my new favorite apple! They are crisp and juicy, and large! I peel all my apples because I haven’t found a good way to remove wax from them (not really a fan of placing them in boiling water – wouldn’t that sort of cook them a little bit? The one time I tried it they turned brown right under the skin.) Anyway, so I peeled my huge apple and cut it like you said and added the juice of the whole lemon to it (not wanting to deal with half a lemon left over). Even though you were raving about this salad, I wasn’t really expecting to like it all that much; but I took my bowl of apple salad to the table and had a taste on the way. My taste buds practically exploded! This stuff is wonderful and I was thinking as I ate it, it tastes like crunchy lemonade. I love lemonade but don’t ever have it because I don’t want the sugar required to make it taste good (I don’t use artificial sweeteners and somehow maple syrup and honey don’t fit the bill like sugar does.) This isn’t a drink but it somehow satisfies like a glass of lemonade does. A lovely side benefit is that if you have leftovers the lemon prevents the apple from browning. I ate half of the salad for dinner, and the remainder was my breakfast this morning. Still just as lovely as last night. Everybody, y’all have to make this! Just do it! You won’t be sorry. I’ll be sharing this recipe with my fruitarian group and I know they will love it.
Megan says
Hi Naomi, this is so sweet and awesome to hear! It is just exciting when you feel a certain way about a recipe or a taste and then someone makes it and feels the same way. I’m SO glad this salad brought you enjoyment! Thank you for the rave review and for sharing all of your helpful specifics. YAY! 🙂 Yes, amazing how two ingredients that are so simple can blow you away. And I like how you liken the sweetness of the apples to sugar in lemonade, such a pairing without any sugar, how neat! Thank you for sharing about the Envy apple variety. I have seen it, but I’m not sure if we’ve tried it before. I will seek it out.
Varnamala says
Cant wait to try this recipe…never made an apple salad but taking it to a friend’s home for dinner!! Thank you for the great ideas!
Megan says
Great to hear, and I hope all enjoy! 🙂
Annella says
This looks fantastic! I’m wondering if you have any recommendations on where to get crystallized ginger. Is that the same thing as candied ginger?
Megan says
Thank you, Annella! (what a pretty name, btw!) Yes, this product has good reviews, and it looks like the one I buy in bulk from Natural Grocers (locally), if it’s helpful: https://amzn.to/3ZHUBTq Yes, probably what can be called candied ginger, depending. So it’s not for everyone, because it is rolled in sugar. The one I link to is organic.