Our favorite beet apple salad with balsamic dressing. This raw beetroot salad is crunchy, sweet, refreshing, and utterly delicious.
This fresh and flavored-packed beetroot apple salad is one of my favorite salads ever! Itโs simple, made with just a few ingredients, incredibly tasty, crunchy, and refreshing. A delicious salad perfect for any occasion.
Buying raw beets is a challenging task around here, but every time I get some, I make sure that I save a couple of them just for making this beet and apple salad. Check out our Spring Onion Potato Salad, Purple Cabbage Slaw, or the Chicken Salad with Cranberries.
And if you like beets, make our comforting and colorful Beetroot Pasta Recipe.
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๐Recipe ingredients
- Raw beets: You will need about 1 lb of fresh beets (450 g); a bit more or less is fine. I had 3 small-to-medium pieces, but weighing the beets is preferable as they can vary in size. I often buy large pieces, where just one weighs almost 1 lb.
- Use golden beets instead of red beets.
- Apple: One crisp medium apple. I always leave the skin on, but you can peel the apple.
- Pecans: I love adding pecan nuts when I have them, but I often use crunchy walnuts because they are cheaper but just as delicious. Pine nuts are also great.
- Red onion: One small onion, about 1 ยฝ tablespoons, when finely chopped.
- Balsamic vinegar: I love to use white balsamic vinegar for this beet and apple salad. However, regular red balsamic vinegar is also perfect (See Expert Tips).
- Olive oil: Use good quality extra virgin olive oil; itโs well worth it when making salads.
- Honey: Clear, runny honey to support the beetrootโs natural sweetness. You can substitute the honey with maple syrup.
- Creamed horseradish: Horseradish is the perfect condiment for beets. You can leave it out if you donโt like it, but I always find it the ideal match for anything made with beets.
- Fine sea salt or Kosher salt and ground black pepper.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
๐Add or substitute
- Add a medium-to-large grated carrot.
- Top the apple and beetroot salad with other crunchy nuts like cashews, hazelnuts, or almonds. Sunflower or pumpkin seeds are also great. Or top it with some pomegranate seeds.
- Top it with crumbled creamy feta or goat cheese.
- Use other fresh herbs like basil, thyme, or fresh dill.
- Add a tiny pinch of chili flakes to the dressing.
- Make the salad with thinly sliced green onions instead of red onions.
- Before serving, stir in a few handfuls of chopped rocket leaves (arugula) or baby spinach. Or add the finely chopped beet greens and stems.
๐ฉ๐ปโ๐ณHow to make beetroot salad with apples?
- Vegetables: Scrub the beets under running water. Peel them, rinse them again, and grate them. Grate the apple as well. Place both in a large bowl and add the finely chopped onion.
- Toast the chopped pecans until fragrant and golden. Transfer them immediately to a plate and let them cool.
- Salad dressing: Mix balsamic, honey, horseradish, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly add the olive oil and whisk shortly until the dressing emulsifies slightly.
- Combine the grated beets and apple with the dressing. Top with the nuts and chopped parsley just before serving.
๐Expert Tips
Scrub the beets very well before peeling; they are often covered with dirt.
If desired, use gloves when peeling and grating it to avoid staining your fingers. But even if you stain your fingers, the color will disappear by the end of the day after washing your hands a few times in between.
You can also grate the beets and the apple in a food processor fitted with a shredding blade. Or you can cut them both into very small cubes.
The acidity of balsamic vinegar can differ from brand to brand. That is why it is preferable to start with 2 tablespoons and add more to taste.
โRecipe FAQ
You can. It will still be delicious but quite different in taste and texture. You can use boiled, steamed, or roasted beetroots but not pickled beets from a jar.
Refrigerate the beetroot apple salad in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Mix the grated beets, apples, and chopped onions in a bowl. Cover the bowl and keep it refrigerated for up to 2 days. The apples will take the beetโs red color, but that never bothered me.
Mix the dressing ingredients in a small jar; the dressing will keep for 4-5 days in the fridge. Shake it well before dressing the salad.
Toast the nuts, let them cool, and keep them in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to serve.
๐ฝ๏ธWhat to serve it with?
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๐ Recipe
Beet Apple Salad
Equipment
- Box grater
Ingredients
Beetroot salad:
- 1 lb beetroot raw, 450 g, Note 1
- 1 apple medium
- 1 small red onion finely chopped, about 1 ยฝ tablespoons
- โ cup pecans chopped, 50 g, Note 2
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon creamed horseradish
- fine sea salt
- ground black pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
Beet salad:
- Grate vegetables: Scrub and peel the beets and rinse them again shortly. Dry them with a paper towel and grate them on the side with the largest hole size of the grater. Quarter and core the apple and grate it as well. Place beets and apples in a bowl. Add the finely chopped red onion.1 lb beets 450 g + 1 medium apple + 1 small red onion
- Toast the chopped pecans in a frying pan without adding any fat. Shake the pan often to ensure that the nuts donโt burn. Once fragrant and golden, transfer them to a large plate immediately and let them cool.โ cup chopped pecans 50 g
Dressing:
- Whisk the vinegar, honey, creamed horseradish, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking until the dressing is slightly emulsified.2 tablespoon balsamic + 1 teaspoon honey + 1 teaspoon creamed horseradish + salt and pepper to taste + 2 tablespoon olive oil
- Combine: Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and the pecans just before serving.
Notes
- Beets: I had 3 small to medium raw beets. You can make the salad with cooked beets as well. The texture and taste will be different, but the salad will still be delicious.
- Walnuts or pine nuts are also perfect.
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