Healthy spiralized apple salad made in only 15 minutes! A refreshing salad topped with oranges, pecans, cheddar cheese, cranberries, sunflower and chia seeds.
Crunch, crunch, crunch! Oh don’t mind me, I’m just enjoying this incredibly refreshing apple salad. I never thought I would be digging a fork into a bowl of apples. They usually aren’t the star of the dish, but this time I’m putting the spotlight on one of my favorite fruits!
The naturally sweet and savory combination of ingredients married together in this salad will make your taste buds smile. This spiralized apple salad is packed with nutritious ingredients bursting with flavor and irresistible textures. The best part is it all comes together in 15 minutes so that you can nourish your body and get back to rocking your day.
Let’s have a little fun, break out your spiralizer and let’s build an epic tasty salad together!
It’s not often that I get to play with my food, but sometimes I just need to break loose a bit. One of my favorite ways to do so is with my spiralizer. If you haven’t tried creating vegetable and fruit “noodles” yet, you are missing out!
For about a year I used a very simple handheld spiralizer, but for my birthday I asked for an upgrade. Once I opened up my Inspiralizer, there was no turning back! Within minutes I could make bountiful wholesome plant-based shaped noodles, I was in food heaven!
What is Spiralizing?
- Basics: You can instantly turn fruit and vegetables into ribbons or thinner shaped strands of “noodles.”
- Options: Choose fruits or vegetables that have a firm, solid flesh, void of seeds, and are not hollow. It’s best to have an ingredient that is 1.5 inches in diameter and at least 2 inches long for spiralizing. Some good candidates are apples, butternut squash, broccoli, beets, zucchini, melon, sweet potato, and cucumber.
- Meals: It gives you the option to create gluten-free and low carb pasta and soups that are paleo and vegan-friendly. Make fresh salads, wraps, breakfast, and even desserts with spiralized ingredients. Leave the noodles raw or lightly cook them until just tender. Each plant “noodle” has more nutrition like vitamins, minerals, and fiber in each serving.
I used two types of apples for this spiralized salad; green tart Granny Smith and sweet juicy Honeycrisp. They give a nice balance of color and flavors for the salad.
To keep this spiralized apple salad light and bright, a tangy citrus vinaigrette was quickly blended to drizzle on top of the salad. I added some olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon and orange juice, their zest, and just a touch of honey to my Vitamix to create a simple dressing. You can also whisk the ingredients together in a bowl, or shake in a jar. Cook’s choice!
Let’s talk toppings! Ok, I’m a 100% Libra, so I need balance in all aspects, especially when it comes to food. The salad base is naturally sweet from the apples, so I wanted to add some small pieces of sharp cheddar cheese for a little savory flavor and protein.
The pecans and sunflower seeds add a nice crunch and richness to the salad. Some dried cranberries mirror the green and red apples’ sweet and sour notes. Fresh orange segments add a juiciness to the salad. The final topping is a sprinkle of chia seeds for extra fiber and crunchiness in each bite. A drizzle of the homemade citrus dressing and you are ready to dig in!
Trust me friend, all of the flavors and texture of the salad are out of this world! Once you take your first bite, you just get more enticed to devour the entire bowl. If you want to make this more of an entree type salad, feel free to add some baby spinach and chicken or salmon. I can’t wait to hear what think of this spiralized apple salad! What dishes have you created with fruit or vegetable noodles?
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If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #jessicagavin on Instagram. I’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
Essential Tips for Spiralizing Apples
When spiralizing the apples, select larger symmetrical fruit, with no bruises. I removed the stem of the apple before slicing, then place it into the spiralizer with the bottom of the fruit getting sliced first. I used the spaghetti noodle shape setting to achieve the thinner strands for the salad. I found that sometimes you have to stop and remove some seeds. Just be careful when clearing the seeds from the blade, and just keep turning! If you are not using the apples immediately, place them in a bowl covered with water and a squeeze of lemon, so they don’t brown as quickly. Drain well and eat raw or cook them in your favorite recipe!
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice , plus zest
- 2 tablespoons orange juice , plus zest
- 1 1/2 teaspoons honey , or maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper , as needed
- 1 large red apple , (honey crisp, pink lady, gala)
- 1 large granny smith apple
- 1 large orange , (peeled and segments removed)
- 2 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese , cut into 1/4-inch cubes (1/2 cup diced)
- 1/3 cup pecans
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries , chopped
- 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds , (optional)
- Add all citrus dressing ingredients together in a jar or blender.
- Shake until well combined, or blend for about 10 seconds.
- Taste and add pepper as needed. Set aside.
- Spiralize all of the apples. I used the "D" setting on my Inspiralizer (or noodles) and yielded about 6 cups total of spiralized apples.
- Add to a large bowl or separate into smaller bowls based on how you will serve.
- Top apples with orange segments, cheese, pecans, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and chia seeds.
- Whisk or shake the dressing right before adding to the salad if it separated. Drizzle citrus dressing on top.
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Hi Jessica,
This sounds wonderful. Crispy and refreshing. I like the sharp white cheddar cheese a lot so was glad to see it in the recipe. I always picture you laying in bed at night with all these ideas popping into your head. Thank you for another beautiful recipe.
Judy
You are the sweetest Judy! When I was making the recipe I thought, something is missing. The cheddar cheese was the perfect savory addition to the salad! You are right, I do think about the next recipe before bed, all the time really! haha.
I made this only didn’t have cheddar so substituted feta and it was delicious. I will definitely make it again.
Thank you for your feedback Arlaine! So happy to hear that you enjoyed the salad 🙂
Okay, this looks so beautiful and creative that I followed the amazon.com link and purchased the spiralizer. I’ll be making this as soon as it comes in!
Yay Carol! I’m so happy to hear that you are ready to start spiralizing at home! Please let me know how you like the recipe and what other things you try 🙂
This looks delicious! Quick questions- how do you store the leftovers so apples don’t brown? How long will they keep fresh? Thanks!
Wonderful! Took this to a ladies’ potluck and it got rave reviews!
Thank you Marie! I appreciate your feedback 🙂
This sounds delicious. I’ll have to try it soon. Can you tell me if it will keep well in the refrigerator? I don’t think my hubby and I would finish it all in one sitting.
Thank you Lisa! The ingredients are pretty hearty in texture so it should hold up well for a day. I would just lightly toss the apples with some of the dressing to reduce the browning of the apples once cut and exposed to oxygen. The acid in the dressing should help with reducing the browning (oxidation).
Sounds delicious! I’m curious though, what is the serving size for this recipe?
Hi Jill! I would say a serving size is about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the apple salad.
Hi Jessica,
tonight we had this salad with bbq pork rashers. it was quick and easy to make and was refreshing alternative to serve with pork
The pork and apple salad sounds like the perfect combination!