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23 Best Apple Salad Recipes (All Types)

Apple walnut dinner salad shot in the studio on a red plate.

Sometimes I enjoy the flavors of a crisp apple, other times it’s a juicy, sugary apple I crave. What I am really after is the nutrients that are inside the apple; my mind and body just respond when I get near to what I am in need of. No, I am not an ape, I am simply a person who loves to eat healthy foods because it makes my body love me more.

As I enter my senior years, it’s important to eat these foods simply because it could always be my last apple season! Here are some recipes for this Apple Salad recipes roundup to show you what variety is abound for apple eaters.

Hy-Vee’s Old Fashioned Apple Salad Recipe

Old fashioned apple salad with vegan recipe.

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Hy-Vee is a popular grocery store chain in the Midwest, and the Midwest certainly knows a thing or two about cold salads. They have their own salad bars in the markets where they have all kinds of mayonnaise and yogurt based cold and hot salads ready to eat. This recipe for their Old Fashioned Apple Salad recipe rings true to that concept.

I am sure they have this on the bar at all of their grocery stores. Cool Whip Lite and light mayonnaise are going to reduce the caloric intake, while their choice of apple pie spice sounds strange. Yet when it comes all together you really get the essence of the apple in this salad.

Waldorf Salad With Walnuts Recipe

Creamy waldorf salad with walnuts served on white plate.

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The most classic of all the apple salads is the Waldorf Salad with walnuts as shown here. When you want to eat an apple salad, most of the time it will actually be a Waldorf Salad you end up getting. That’s because this is a very popular salad featuring fruits and veggies.

The salad comes with sugar and lemon juice in the dressing, which works together to create a nice brightness to this dish. I suggest serving this apple salad with a pita pocket or some crunchy chips. The flavors of the creamy chicken and the tart fruits will stand up well to most serving methods.

Autumn Themed Apple Salad Recipe

Freshly and healthy autumn themed apple salad recipe served on a white bowl.

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Next up we have this autumn-themed Apple Salad recipe presented by Epicurious. It stars the Fuji varietal of apple and it also uses the spicy arugula leaf. This is going to make for a healthy and strong salad combination.

I feel like this is the ideal salad to have during the fall weather when your immunity needs an extra boost. You get the use of crunchy vegetables and fruits to help slow you down while eating, too. That’s the added benefit of a salad, other than being low in saturated fats and calories.

The colors of the red Fuji apple and the green or red arugula, depending on which variety you find, are also strikingly similar to the autumn scenery. Toss this in your lunch box or take this apple salad on a picnic and enjoy nature!

Spiralized Apple Salad Recipe

A veggie and fruity spiralized apple salad recipe.

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A Spiralized Apple Salad Recipe is one that will keep you energized. For starters, it involves spiralizing your apples, which requires a tool to spin and slice each apple to the core. I have one of these machines and let me tell you they are not for the faint at heart.

It might also be the user, and the reason I haven’t really done much more than spiralize a zucchini–once. Anyway, this recipe takes the apple spirals and creates a raw nest of salad perfection. 

Roasted Apple Salad Recipe

A top-view of Roasted arugula apple salad recipe.

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Now we are going a step in the other direction by taking the apples for the Apple Salad recipe and roasting them. Here in this recipe, the recipe writer comes up with the use of warm and naturally caramelized apples as the sweet component of the salad. That’s the secret, especially when using tart apples–trying to find a way to make it sugary but still healthy!

Most of the salad dressings at the store are always full of sugar, which makes it easier to eat them. But that’s not good for digestion and it increases the amount of calories we end up eating in our family. Having the fruit act as the natural flavor enhancer, which is achieved through roasting, is the smarter option! 

Apple and Pecan Salad Recipe

A close up of a mix veggies and fruits pecan salad.

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The next recipe we have for apple salad is this Apple and Pecan Salad Recipe. By toasting pecans and chopping them up for some added crunch, you also increase the protein intake of this salad recipe. For individuals who are vegetarians or vegans, that’s a plus and a bigger deal than for someone who eats meat maybe a little too often.

The pecans are well done for the salad since they have their own naturally buttery flavor. I would say you might also want to use sugar-coated pecans to give this salad even more of a sweet taste.

Apple and Roasted Chicken Salad Recipe

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The Apple and Roasted Chicken Salad recipe feature the protein that vegans and vegetarians avoid like the plague. However, roasted chicken adds the protein factor that everyone needs to be healthy. Here, using roasted chicken increases the flavor even more.

The roasting process caramelizes the meat and creates a protective coating when putting the chicken into the salad. Rather than becoming overly soggy or saturated with the dressing in the salad, the chicken stays firm and chewy. This matters when eating the salad.

Apple Salad With Grapes Recipe

Fresh Apple salad with a juicy grapes recipe.

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Adding grapes to the Apple Salad recipe is going to give the flavors a different benefit–moisture. Grapes are moist and full of liquid just waiting to burst out. When you slice these in half and toss them in the apple salad, these little gems leak out their sugary juice into the salad.

Leave them whole and let the diner enjoy bursting through the skins of these candies made by nature. I’m more of a grapes-in Apple Salad recipe type of person. But everyone’s different! Also, some recipes recommend leaving the grapes out and adding them to a salad or cracker as you are about to eat Apple Salad.

Raisins and Pecans in an Apple Salad Recipe

Raisins pecans apple salad in a white plate dish.

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This recipe is for an Apple Salad that has raisins and pecans. Now, I know what you are going to say–raisins plus pecans in an apple salad sound like a lot. They are! However, these flavors and textures all work together.

The result is a filling and exciting apple salad that has all the components you need for a healthy meal. The Spruce Eats also uses lettuce cups to hold everything in a bite-size cup full. This also makes it easier and more fun to enjoy the apple salad when it is put together. 

Celery and Walnuts Apple Salad Recipe

A healthy celery and crunchy apple salad served in a brown bowl.

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Surprisingly, there is a Midwestern-themed Apple Salad recipe that does something the other recipes don’t–they make a lemon-thyme dressing. This dressing is readily made for the salad and offers a healthy mix of fats and flavors. You should really stock up on some great salad dressings and dips, just for these types of recipes.

Here you do get the secret ingredients listed for making your own dressing. I am just saying, it will save you money to have these on hand! Using both celery and walnuts in this Apple Salad recipe is also going to do things other apple salad recipes don’t, starting with sounding very crunchy when you dine on them.

Apple Salad with Celery and Fennel Recipe

Simple but tasty apple salad with celery and fennel recipe.

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Fennel is a fun ingredient to work with; it looks like a giant green stalk fringed in a frond that could possibly live on the bottom of the ocean. It doesn’t though, that’s just how it seems to me. This aboveground grown veg actually has a unique licorice-like flavor profile.

That too might sound strange to some, but fennel is a very popular ingredient in the kitchen. I feel like it is probably trending in some circles at this very time!

Apple and Orange Salad Recipe

A top view of healthy apple and orange salad with dried cranberrys.

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This is a very light and refreshing recipe for an Apple Salad recipe. It is the Apple and Orange Salad recipe that goes from one apple to one orange, both of which are sliced and segmented to matching sizes. These are tossed with a light vinaigrette that saturates the fruit in the best way possible.

You end up with a very delicious and filling fruit salad that goes well as a side dish or can be served on its own for a snack. I would even suggest eating this Apple and Orange Salad recipe for breakfast! If you add some sliced almonds, then you get more protein out of this dish. 

Taffy Apple Salad Recipe

A closeup photo of Taffy creamy apple salad recipe.

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The Pampered Chef does an interesting thing–they make a dessert into a salad. Here is their Taffy Apple Salad recipe that involves pineapple, cream cheese, mini marshmallows, roasted peanuts, and two different kinds of apples. It’s very healthy to be considered a Taffy Apple Salad, but then again, the flavors are what you are going for here.

Using the peanuts and marshmallows, along with the pineapple and cream cheese, helps to create a sweet and creamy filling. From here, the apples only add to the healthy crunch factor. I would love to have this any time of the day or night!

Snickers Apple Salad Recipe

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Now we are moving right along into this Candybar-themed Apple Salad recipe session with the Snickers Apple Salad Recipe. This recipe features instant pudding and they recommend using butterscotch flavor. They also call for adding actual Snickers candy bars that have been chopped up into small bite-sized nuggets.

That’s a huge winner in my opinion! I love to eat Snickers! Adding this to an otherwise semi-healthy salad is not a problem in my book. 

Caramel Apple Salad Recipe

Presentable Creamy heaven caramel apple salad.

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This recipe for Caramel Apple Salad goes all in with the sugary flavors in the apple salad, too. Here you do something with the butterscotch instant pudding, as well, but it has to be a sugar-free kind of pudding mix. Then you need a container of Cool Whip Lite, which also adds to the low-calorie count on this salad.

The only fruits I see in this salad are pineapple and apples, and while these are not lettuce or tomatoes, they work in this dish. You can begin to see at this point that any salad starting with fruit is going to be more sugar-based than a savory one.

Apple Salad Recipe With Marshmallows

Apple salad recipe with soft and sweet marshmallows toppings.

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Take this next recipe, for a great example of this. The Apple Salad with Marshmallows uses miniature marshmallows to give this apple salad sweetness. The small marshmallows are my personal favorite because they are easier to eat and melt in your mouth.

This recipe would also be a great one to serve to children who are less keen on eating anything really, but especially something called a salad.

Kale Apple Salad Recipe

Kale greeny healthy apple salad recipe.

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This brings up this recipe for a Kale Apple Salad, a recipe that uses one of the healthier but stranger veggies. Kale is not the green all children crave, but it’s a healthy one that should be included in most people’s diet. That is unless you are taking a blood thinner, and in that case, your doctor has already told you to stay away from vitamin K-heavy foods like kale.

Now, let’s move on to this more thrilling recipe, next up involving two contrasting red foods.

Apple and Tomato Salad Recipe

Sweeter apple and tomato salad recipe mixed in a white bowl.

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Now that I have your attention, here is a recipe for Apple and Tomato Salad that will also do the same. The two foods–apple and tomato–are the roundest, reddest (most of the time) foods in the produce bins. How do these join forces to create a salad and is it worth the effort? Yes, it is! Surprisingly, tomatoes have a natural sweetness that comes out with the addition of sugar.

Apples have natural sugar that helps to highlight the tomato’s flavors. Together, these two pieces of produce both look alike but also complement each other in this salad. 

Copycat Ruby Tuesday’s Creamy Apple Salad Recipe

Unique and creamy apple salad recipe served on a white bowl.

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Are you craving a Ruby Tuesday salad but don’t have the time to go out to eat? Check out this Copycat Ruby Tuesday’s recipe for a Creamy Apple Salad. Now you can control the ingredients and maintain the freshness you want when eating a salad.

As a basic Apple Salad recipe, this one features the top-of-the-line ingredients you have come to expect in this recipe. Two types of apples–red and green–are also starting to be a trend for an apple salad recipe. It appears both are complimentary when eating in this way thanks to the sour versus sweetness of the apples. 

Copycat Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad Recipe 

Delicious oriental chicken in a salad.

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While no actual apples are in this chicken salad recipe it is made by Applebee’s and that sort of counts! They are going with a bed of leafy greens and chopped cabbage and carrots for the base. In the Oriental Chicken Salad recipe, the use of cornflakes to create a crusty brown crunch on the chicken is the winning trick of the trade. They also show you how to make a Copycat Oriental Chicken Salad dressing of honey mustard.

That’s sure to be a great dressing that you can use for many other recipes including chicken fingers as a dip.

Honeycrisp Apple Salad Recipe

A creamy sweet honey crisp apple salad recipe.

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Choosing to eat a particular apple variety in an Apple Salad recipe is not weird at all. Additionally, the Honeycrisp apple is a popular variety that you should be able to find in most markets in the US. That being said, this Honeycrisp Apple Salad recipe is both convenient and easy enough that everyone can make it at home.

Learn what the unique flavors of the apples really taste like in this apple salad recipe!

Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad Recipe

Mixed of apple, cranberry and sipinach salad recipe.

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Upgrade the nutrients and boost the fiber and protein with this Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad recipe. The salad is a rainbow of colors with red and green apples combined with green spinach and red cranberries. This is a perfect salad to serve during the holiday season when these foods are fresh and ready to enjoy.

Plus, the color palette of red and green is everything you want for a holiday meal, unless you are celebrating a Jewish holiday in blue and white. 

Blue Cheese and Walnuts Chopped Apple Salad Recipe

Creamy blue cheese and crunchy walnuts in apple pie served on a white plate.

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Blue cheese and walnuts are wonderful in a salad, and this Apple Salad recipe is no exception. Here you have the right combination of creamy cheese and hard walnuts that work well together. The apples that go into this Apple Salad serve as the star of the show.

Along with offering a good bite, the apples are sweet and juicy. This gives you every reason you need to mix up this Apple Salad recipe for a side to your next meal.