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This is a fresh, crunchy apple salad that is full of flavor! It’s a sweet and savory apple salad recipe with butter lettuce and wholesome ingredients.
This is not your grandma’s famous Waldorf salad with chopped apples! In fact, it’s not a traditional fruit salad at all.
It’s one of my go-to salads to make when entertaining because it requires little prep work and is always a crowd pleaser!
Years ago when living in Kansas City, I lived off this Apple Salad. It was light and refreshing yet seasonless.
Winter, spring, summer, fall, I craved this salad… crisp butter lettuce with red onion, green onion, apple and creamy blue cheese tossed in an amazing Sherry Vinaigrette.
Are you a salad lover? I am a little embarrassed to admit that while I do really enjoy salads now, it took me years to come around.
Maybe I just never tried the right combination as a kid? Even if you think you don’t love salad, this fresh apple salad recipe might change your mind!
Thankfully, over the years my tastes have become a touch more refined. I genuinely enjoy the fresh and flavorful varieties of ingredients that are available, and I love experimenting with new combinations!
Apple Salad
This leafy green Apple Salad Recipe features fresh produce and ingredients like butter lettuce, crisp apples, red and green onions, and Maytag blue cheese. Yum. It makes a fabulous side dish too – check out the best Sides for Pork Chops.
Why You’ll Love It
The Ultimate Vinaigrette Recipe Guide
It’s one of my favorite ways to upgrade a salad – homemade dressings never tasted so good! Don’t skip this free recipe guide to upgrade all your salads.
Ingredients and Substitutions
See printable recipe card for complete ingredients and instructions.
- Butter lettuce – The tender leaves of butter lettuce are perfection in this salad, but you can use whatever type of greens you have on hand.
- Sliced apples – We love Honeycrisp and that’s generally what we have on hand, but you can use your favorites! Pink Lady, Gala and Fuji all pair well with this combination too.
- Maytag blue cheese – I am loyal to this brand simply because I know I like the flavor – not all blue cheeses are created the same! Of course, if you know you’re not a fan of this fragrant, crumbly cheese – feel free to substitute with whatever you’d prefer! Try a cheddar or even a swiss.
- Sliced red onions – For a tangy match to the sweet apples.
- Sherry Vinaigrette – You can use your favorite bottled vinaigrette dressing here, but this homemade version is unmatched.
- Sliced Green Onions – Sprinkled on top.
How to Make
- Shake – In a shaker or jar, combine dressing ingredients. (Skip this step if you’re using a bottled dressing.)
- Chop – Chop lettuce, apples, and onions.
- Combine – In a large bowl, combine butter lettuce, onion, apples, green onions and blue cheese.
- Toss – With dressing.
Tips
- Slice the apples thin! This salad benefits from all the flavors combining in every forkful, so it’s better to keep your slices small and thin so you can experience the apple in each bite!
- Whatever you use, remember, fresh is always best. Especially in a salad where all ingredients are raw! You’ll get the best flavor and texture using fresh cheese rather than pre-shredded or crumbled.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best apples for salads?
For this salad, I prefer a truly sweet, crunchy apple. Fuji, Gala, or Pink Lady apples will all work well. You could certainly try a more tart apple (like a Granny Smith or Golden Delicious) but my preference for this particular salad is the sweeter the better!
The sweeter the apple, the more balanced the salad will feel! You need that sweet crunch to balance the deep flavor of the blue cheese and sherry vinegar.
What is Maytag blue cheese?
Maytag blue cheese is a blue cheese variety that is produced on a midwestern farm. It’s called Maytag because it was started by the very same family that produced the Maytag appliances!
Maytag blue has a light, lemony flavor that works beautifully on salads.
Serving Suggestions
This salad works beautifully for lunch or as a dinner accompaniment. In fact, it’s easy to add a simple protein on top, or on the side for a filling, healthy meal!
A few suggestions? Try any of my easy baked chicken recipes!
- Simple, succulent Baked Chicken
- Fragrant Baked Lemon Chicken
- Chicken with Garlic Sauce and Caramelized Shallots
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How to Store
- Room temperature – Don’t leave this fresh apple salad out for more than two hours while serving.
- Refrigerate – The homemade dressing will store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Use a container with a tight seal to seal in fresh flavor! If you’d like to keep the ingredients of the salad fresh, store the lettuce and accoutrements separately from the dressing.
Dietary Considerations
- Gluten Free
- Nut Free
- Vegetarian
If you’re a salad lover too, don’t miss my lemon arugula salad, Handheld Endive Salad and this incredible roasted beet salad – so gorgeous to serve to guests!
Apple Salad
This is a fresh, crunchy Apple Salad that is full of flavor! It's a sweet and savory Apple Salad Recipe with butter lettuce and wholesome ingredients.
Yield people
Ingredients
- 1 head butter lettuce
- 1 cup red onion sliced
- ½ cup Maytag Blue Cheese crumbled
- 2 tablespoon Green Onions diced
- 1 Fuji Apple sliced or chopped thin
- 2 tablespoons Sherry Vinaigrette
Instructions
- Shake – In a shaker or jar, combine dressing ingredients. (Skip this step if you’re using a bottled dressing.)
- Chop – Chop lettuce, apples, and onions.
- Combine – In a large bowl, combine butter lettuce, onion, apples, green onions and blue cheese.
- Toss – With dressing.
Tips
Tips
- Use your favorite apples – pink lady, gala and fuji all pair well.
- Slice the apples thin! This salad benefits from all the flavors combining in every forkful, so it’s better to keep your slices small and thin so you can experience the apple in each bite!
- Whatever you use, remember, fresh is always best. Especially in a salad where all ingredients are raw! You’ll get the best flavor and texture using fresh cheese rather than pre-shredded or crumbled.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 105kcal (5%), Carbohydrates: 12g (4%), Protein: 5g (10%), Fat: 5g (8%), Saturated Fat: 3g (15%), Cholesterol: 13mg (4%), Sodium: 240mg (10%), Potassium: 247mg (7%), Fiber: 2g (8%), Sugar: 7g (8%), Vitamin A: 1535IU (31%), Vitamin C: 7.1mg (9%), Calcium: 115mg (12%), Iron: 0.7mg (4%)
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
Doug says
OMG!! What a great salad and the sherry vinaigrette is out of this world. Thanks for sharing!!
Julie Blanner says
This is one of my fall staples…I can’t get enough of it.