Honeycrisp apple salad is a refreshingly sweet and crunchy take on a traditional green salad, prepared with thinly sliced fresh apples and candied walnuts tossed with mildly spicy greens. Complete with a sweet, spiced cider vinaigrette, this scrumptious salad is my personal “apple season” favorite!
Honeycrisp Apple Salad, a Terrific Reason to Go Apple Picking!
When the late summer/early fall rolls around each year, my hubby and I try to get out to some of our favorite local “U-Pick” apple orchards to pick some fresh, sweet apples to turn into tasty seasonal apple-infused recipes.
Nothing tastes and smells quite like freshly-picked apples. We love 'em straight out of the fridge, or in apple fritters, pancakes, apple pie, or apple cake.
And if you've never tried a Honeycrisp apple, their texture is light and crisp, with a thin skin and very juicy flesh that's equal parts tart and sweet, making them perfect for a fresh apple salad.
Apple Salad Made Easy with a Few Delicious Ingredients
My fresh Honeycrisp apple salad recipe has just a few basic components: the greens, the apples, some nuts, and a tasty homemade dressing.
Each of these bring a little something special to this salad party, and create that mouthwatering flavor and texture.
I like to use arugula and frisee for my “greens”, and I use these because they have a slightly peppery flavor, with a hint of mild bitterness. They're also really pretty greens, and allow the thinly sliced apples to nestle into their nooks and crannies.
Of course, Honeycrisp apples are my preferred variety to use for this salad because of their strong apple flavor and their perfectly balanced sweetness and tartness. They're also very light and crisp rather than too hard or too mealy. A couple of apples go a long way here!
I like to add in candied walnuts (I simply use good quality store-bought nuts to save on time). They offer some additional texture and warm, nutty sweetness under tooth. Walnuts and apples are a delicious, natural pairing, and compliment each other really well in this salad.
As for my homemade spiced cider vinaigrette, I use a little apple cider vinegar to keep with the apple theme, and sprinkle in some warm spices such as cinnamon, black pepper, cumin and curry powder to add savory-sweet, warm notes—so delicious to dress the apples and greens in!
Here's a quick look at the prep for my Honeycrisp apple salad: (or just jump to the full recipe...)
- To prepare my dressing, I use my food processor to whirl up the tasty ingredients and set that aside until I'm ready to toss the salad. (This can be made ahead of time for convenience, and kept in the fridge.)
- When ready to prepare and serve my apple salad, I add my greens to a large bowl, add in the walnuts and about half of my matchstick-cut apple slices, and toss with some of the dressing.
- I turn the salad out onto a serving platter or onto individual plates, then top with the rest of the apple slices, some additional candied walnuts (if desired), and a little extra drizzle of the spiced cider dressing, and serve!
Recipe
Honeycrisp Apple Salad
by Ingrid Beer
Category: Salad
Cuisine: American
Yield: Serves 4
Nutrition Info: 354 calories (with 2 tablespoons of dressing)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Apple Salad Ingredients:
• 2 heads frisee, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 4 cups wild arugula
• 1 cup candied walnuts
• 2 large Honeycrisp apples (unpeeled), sliced into thin matchsticks
Spiced Cider Vinaigrette Ingredients:
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 ½ tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons walnuts, lightly chopped (you can use candied or plain)
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon plus a pinch salt
• Pinch cumin
• Pinch curry powder
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
- To prepare the dressing: add all of the dressing ingredients up to and including the curry powder into the bowl of a food processor, and process until everything is well combined and smooth; with the processor running, slowly drizzle in the oil and continue to process until the vinaigrette is well emulsified and blended. (This makes about 1 cup of dressing, so you may have additional dressing left over which you can store in the fridge.)
- To prepare the apple salad: to a large bowl add the frisee, arugula, walnuts and about half of the matchstick-sliced apples, and drizzle lightly with some of the spiced cider vinaigrette; add equal portions of the salad to bowls or plates (or onto a large serving platter) and then top each salad with equal portions of the remaining matchstick-sliced apples and another generous drizzle of the vinaigrette.
- Serve as is, or garnish with a few additional candied walnuts.
Tips & Tidbits for my Honeycrisp Apple Salad:
- Honeycrisp apples for the most flavor: You can certainly use Gala, Fuji, or your favorite varietal of apple for this recipe, but the Honeycrisp apples truly offer some deliciously juicy, sweet flavor and texture with a thin skin. They are a bit on the pricier side, but the recipe only calls for two apples, and you can definitely taste the difference.
- Spicy, mildly bitter greens for balance: For a bit of balance to the sweetness in this apple salad, I opt for arugula and a couple of small heads of frisee, the sort of “wild” looking type of green. This keeps the salad nice and light yet super flavorful, and makes for a slightly fun and gourmet presentation. You could substitute some spinach or add some finely chopped kale if you prefer, or use your favorite greens.
- Prep the dressing ahead of time: You can add all of the spiced cider dressing ingredients to the bowl of your food processor and quickly whip up your homemade dressing a couple of days ahead of time, then keep it in a mason jar or other container in the fridge. Take it out about a half hour before you plan on using it, to allow it come to room temp.
- Aw, nuts: I love candied walnuts here for added crunch, but you can use candied pecans as well, or even use plain, roasted walnuts, cashews, pecans, or your favorite nut.
Hungry for more delicious apple recipes? Check out these Apple Fritters, these Granny Smith's Apple Flapjacks, this Apple-Cranberry Pie, or this Apple Cake!
Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2012, and has been updated with even more love!
Isabelle @ Crumb
Honeycrisp apples are my absolute favourites, which is too bad because they're usually only around for such a short time. Love the idea of pairing them with candied walnuts and a spiced vinaigrette to play up the very best of their characteristics.
Beautiful photos, BTW!
The Cozy Apron
Thanks, Isabelle.
Elizabeth Hannon
Omg. I love it. I eat it often. Delicious!!!
The Cozy Apron
So happy to read that, Elizabeth!
julia
I love honey crisps apples and this salad looks so delicious! I can't wait to try it out!
Julia
Suzanne
Wow, what a great salad. I saw this on foodgawker and had to stop over and take a closer look. I adore the honeycrisp apple and in salad with a spicy vinaigrette yum! Your photo of the salad on the fork is gorgeous! Cheers 🙂
Sophie
This salad is amazing, i chose it for my christmas menu, and had to do it again three times by popular demand during the holidays.
The combination of flavors makes it the perfect sweet & spicy christmassy salad.
thanks to you !
The Cozy Apron
Hi Sophie, thank you so much for sharing that with me! I actually never thought of this salad as a "Christmas" or holiday salad, but you're right - the sweet-savory flavors would work well. I'm so happy that others got to enjoy this as well; and I'm honored that my little salad got to be a part of your Christmas menu!
Howie
This salad looks fantastic. Will have to try it out, especially the dressing!
Thanks 😀
Christy
Do you candy the nuts yourself or buy them that way? How would I make those? This salad sounds so good!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Christy, no I actually don't! Trader Joe's (and most other markets) has some really delicious ones—much easier! 🙂 Hope you give this a try!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Julio, olive oil is perfectly fine! 🙂 Enjoy!
Ragan
I made this for my family this Thanksgiving, and it was such a hit that I'm serving it again this Christmas! Thanks for the great recipe!
The Cozy Apron
Ragan, so excited to read that! I'm thrilled to have my recipe be a part of your holiday season.
Megan Woolsey
Can we substitute Frisee lettuce with another kind like butter lettuce?
The Cozy Apron
Hi Megan, absolutely! Please feel free to use whatever type of greens you prefer!
Shell
Hi! This salad sounds delish...can't wait to make it! Do you cut the apples right before serving to prevent them from turning brown?
The Cozy Apron
Hi Shell, you can certainly cut the apples right before using for the salad; or, you can cut them up a bit in advance (not too, too far, though), and squeeze a little lemon over them (toss them in it), and cover with some plastic wrap (in a bowl). That should help sustain their fresh color if you'd like to do them a little ahead!
Darla
I made this last night for a dinner party and had a lot of compliments especially about the vinaigrette. I made my own candied walnuts with 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tbsp butter. I also used baby spinach and arugula for greens and olive oil instead of canola. The dressing was superb - not spicy at all - just a hint of those flavors. I will definitely make this again.
The Cozy Apron
Darla, so glad you had success! Thank you for sharing your experience with me!
Rima
I made this last year for a friendsgiving and it was such a hit that my friends requested for it again this year! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Rima, I love comments like yours—so honored to have a recipe of mine be a part of your friendsgiving! I'm excited you are planning on making it again for this year. Hope you all enjoy, once again! Thanks for sharing.
Connie
I made this for a bbq and everyone loved it. I did omit the curry powder and it was still delicious.
The Cozy Apron
Hi Connie, thanks so much for sharing this yummy recipe with your loved ones, and I'm thrilled you all enjoyed it! I appreciate you taking the time to comment on your experience! 🙂
Audrey Shuster
My food processor just died. Will the dressing work in a blender?
The Cozy Apron
Yes, certainly! And you can use whatever type of apple you can find, or prefer. 🙂
Audrey Shuster
Oh, and in case I cannot find Honeycrisp Apples, what are some other good options? Thank you!
Carol
Thank you for sharing your recipe, especially the vinaigrette. I had walnut oil on hand and substituted it for the canola/olive oil. Delicious!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Carol, glad you enjoyed!
Christie
What time of year are honey crisp apples in season? When they are not in season what kind of apples are closest to honey crisp to buy?
The Cozy Apron
Hi Christie, I'm purchasing honey crisps right now, but if you can't find them, you can sub Fuji or Gala, as well!
Kathy
I make this salad again & again! I sometimes use romaine lettuce & often add a little thinly sliced fennel bulb. The vinaigrette is perfect! Thanks for sharing such a wonderfully delicious recipe.
The Cozy Apron
Hi Kathy, thank you! So glad you’re enjoying this healthy recipe!
Jenny k
Added blue cheese to this salad! Amazing!
The Cozy Apron
Jenny, that sounds divine! So glad you enjoyed.
Emily
Thoughts on a substitute for walnuts? I have nephew that's allergic...
The Cozy Apron
Hi Emily, pecans or perhaps even pine nuts...but feel free to leave the nuts out altogether for folks with allergies!
Judy
I have subbed tree nuts with roasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds in lots of recipes through the years, including salads and homemade pesto. Going to try this salad with one of those instead of any tree nuts.
Linda
The dressing recipe is so good. I made it with baby spinach and dried cranberries too. Candied walnuts are great with it. Now I'll use the apples next. They are my favorites.
Linda
The Cozy Apron
Linda, so glad you enjoy it! Thank you so much for sharing.
Kim
This is delicious. It was a little tart for my family so I added a tablespoon of brown sugar to it and it was perfect. I also grated a little bit of gouda cheese on top. How long will this keep in the fridge?
The Cozy Apron
Hi Kim, so glad you enjoyed! Eating this fresh it best, but pretty much as long as you find it tasty, probably several days. 😉
Duane
We've enjoyed this salad for many years now along with many other C/A recipes!! It's fairly easy and everything comes together so nicely! I've also adapted the dressing recipe technique for other salads when I wanted a creamy less acidic dressing with the flavors I'mm craving. (the nuts really add some body!) I do add chicken, dried cranberries and thick grated parmesan cheese and it makes a light hearty dinner!!! I use 5 minute Candied Walnuts - Natasha's Kitchen to make the spiced nuts adding a bit of cayenne, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon and salt to the sugar before melting the sugar down and the spice combo is AMAZING paired with the freshness of the rest of the ingredients!!! Keep up the good work!! I heart your site and cooking style
Duane
Forgot to say I use a spinich/arugala mix for the greens... YUMMY YUMMY!!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Duane, I love to read that not only are you enjoying this salad, but many of our recipes—thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Glad that you've made the dressing your own, and add in some of your favorite little "extras" to make it perfectly to your taste.
Autumn
With apples coming back in season this is perfect!
Suzanne
It's hard to get my husband to eat salads but he LOVES Honeycrisp apples so I may have to give this a try. 🙂
The Cozy Apron
Suzanne, I think you just might be onto something here! 😉
Rccola
Made this last night and it turned out great. The only change I made was I used romaine lettuce. I liked the crunch it gave. Can’t wait to make again.
The Cozy Apron
That's wonderful, thanks for sharing with me! So glad you enjoyed, and even made it more according to your taste with the romaine. 😉
Teresa S
This seems like it would be good with crumbled bleu cheese, have you ever tried that? Thanks, can't wait to make this for our New Years Brunch!
The Cozy Apron
Teresa, the blue cheese would delicious! Hope you enjoy.
Ce Ce Kimrey
Do you have nutritional information on this wonderful salad? Like calories, carbs, fats?
Fantastic salad with chicken spiedini.
Ce Ce
The Cozy Apron
Hi Ce Ce, I have the caloric info—it's 354 calories with about 2 tablespoons of the dressing. 🙂
Shannon
This is my go to salad for special occasions. I receive compliments every time I make it. I have made it for Christmas dinner, a 60th birthday dinner, and numerous friends with newborns. I make it exactly as stated (although, sometimes I forget to add the walnuts to the dressing). I have candied my own walnuts (very simple) and used store bought. I have also substituted different lettuce or apples. Every time this salad turns out delicious!
The Cozy Apron
Shannon, I am so touched to read your comment! To have a recipe of mine be a little part of some of your special occasions...what an honor.
Thanks for sharing your experience here, and I hope you continue to garner lots of joy and nourishment from this simple little salad.
Tanya
Just discovered you on Pinterest. Made this delicious salad for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it! We had leftover salad dressing and my husband asked if I wound make more for just everyday salads because he liked it so much! It works so well with the arugula which can be too peppery for me sometimes. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
The Cozy Apron
Tanya, thanks so much for sharing our experience with me! I'm so glad you discovered my site via Pinterest, and hope you find many more yummy recipes to try out.
I'm tickled that the dressing has been requested for every day use—it's such a good dressing for this season, with both a little sweet and savory notes, which does work well with peppery arugula.
Hope you enjoy the recipe for a long time to come, Tanya!
Dale
I made this tonight and served it along with a cup of Cream of Asparagus soup. It was just what I was looking for. I love soup and salad but occasonaly want something other that tossed salad. My grocery store did not have the frisee so used just arugala. It was fresh, sweet, and tangy. I think next time I make it I will add some Feta or Goat Cheese crumbles for the salty. Thanks for the recipe
The Cozy Apron
Dale, my pleasure! I'm thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, and it really is a terrific canvas to try out various cheese and other tasty add-ins. Hope you enjoy it for a long time to come!
Sarah
This was so good! I made the dressing exactly as written except I used a blender instead of the food processor. It was a thick and creamy dressing for sure! The taste was very heavy on the olive oil but I still liked it. I made my own candied walnuts in 5 minutes on the stovetop—definitely recommend those! I only used arugula and not the frisée. Overall this was a delightful salad and I am definitely making it again.
The Cozy Apron
Hi Sarah, glad you enjoyed! And as far as the dressing, it really shouldn't have a heavy olive oil flavor. Sometime the more fruity olive oils are a bit strong tasting, I struggle with that myself when using one such as this for dressing. Perhaps try a milder one, or even substitute a mild avocado oil, or other neutral oil. You can even decrease the amount of oil, if you desire.
And those homemade candied walnuts? Sound de-lish!
Charlotte
This salad was a big hit for Thanksgiving. Thank you for sharing it. We used Belgium endive since I couldn't find frisee and added goat cheese. Yummy!
The Cozy Apron
Charlotte, fantastic! The goat cheese addition sounds lovely—so glad you all enjoyed for the holiday! 🙂
Kristine
Thank you SO much for sharing this recipe. I made this for dinner tonight and my Dad loved it! My family bonds over food, so you brought my family closer by sharing this lovely recipe. Thank you!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Kristine, what a comment! I am so happy to read this, as bonding, and getting closer with family and friends over food is so very important to us!
May you all enjoy the salad for a long time to come, creating new and lovely experiences together. Happy cooking! 🙂
Todd J. Roberson
Hi Ingrid,
Would it be bad to add shredded cabbage to this dish.
Thanks
TJ
The Cozy Apron
Hey Todd! Why not? Cabbage, if shaved thinly, should be fine. I wouldn't add too much, as I think the flavor may be touch strong due to the "cruciferous" nature of it, but see how you like it. I think the crunchy texture will work.
Rccola
I’ve made this salad countless times and my family still requests it all the time. They just can’t get enough of it
The Cozy Apron
Oh, so lovely to know! Thanks so much for sharing this with me, and may you and your family enjoy it for a long time to come! 🙂