This beet apple salad with maple vinaigrette is incredibly easy to make and packed with autumnal flavor. Crunchy, flavorful and great as an appetizer or side.
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Salads go very much in and out of favor in our house. We tend to eat them much more often in the summer as a lighter side, with Mexican street corn salad being a big favorite this year. Then I sometimes make a heartier salad for lunch, like a Vietnamese chicken salad or wild rice salad.
However as the weather cools, I sometimes forget about them a bit more. Then I make one that’s perfect for this time of year and I get back in the habit. This beet apple salad is exactly one of those. It’s so incredibly easy to make and is also very flexible in how you serve it.
How to serve beet apple salad
It’s perfect as a side – think steak, roast chicken, salmon and more – plus also great as an appetizer or even lunch. I’m already thinking of more things to pair it with, like even simply some hasselback sweet potaotes.
One of the things that really makes this salad for me is the maple vinaigrette. It’s so incredibly easy to make, but adds a wonderful pop of flavor.
Being a relatively simple salad, you also want to make sure you use good ingredients since there’s no real room to hide. That’s particularly true of the apples – go for something with a good flavor, crisp, and a nice sweet-tart balance.
How to make this beet apple salad
This salad could hardly be easier:
- Toast the pine nuts;
- Peel and grate the beets;
- Core and slice the apple;
- Shake or whisk the vinaigrette ingredients;
- Put it all together in a bowl.
This beet apple salad salad has a wonderful balance of sweet-savory flavors, plenty of crunch and takes mere minutes to make. It’s versatile, vegan, and one you definitely need to try soon.
Try these other fall-flavored salads:
- Butternut squash wild rice salad
- Vegan lentil salad with roasted Brussels sprouts
- Apple celeriac salad
- Plus get more fall recipes in the archives
Beet apple salad with maple vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp pine nuts
- 1/2 cup grated beets (2 1/2 - 3oz approx, 70-85g beetroot)
- 1/2 apple
- 2 handfuls arugula (rocket)
For maple vinaigrette
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Gently toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet/frying pan or under a broiler/grill. Keep a close eye on them so they don't burn then set aside.
- Grate the beet and core and slice the apple.
- Put the arugula in the bottom of a bowl, top with the grated beet, apple and pine nuts.
- Shake together the vinaigrette ingredients (oil, vinegar and maple syrup) in a small jar or whisk in a small bowl. Drizzle over the salad, toss and serve.
Nutrition
See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline’s Cooking Amazon store.
This post is being shared as part of Appleweek 2018 – unfortunately the giveaway is now closed but be sure to look at all the other delicious apple recipes:
- 1-Pot Apple Sausage Meatballs by Books n’ Cooks
- ABC Sheet Pan Dinner by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Apple Bacon Goat Cheese Salad by Jonesin’ For Taste
- Apple Bourbon Float by Our Good Life
- Apple Butter Overnight Chia Oatmeal by Love and Confections
- Apple Cinnamon Layer Cake with Brown Butter Streusel by The Baking Fairy
- Apple Cornbread Cakelets by The Redhead Baker
- Apple Crumble Muffins by The Anthony Kitchen
- Apple Noodle Kugel by Palatable Pastime
- Caramel Apple Pie Dip by Mildly Meandering
- Apple Pie Donuts by Daily Dish Recipes
- Apple Pie Turnovers by The Bitter Side of Sweet
- Apple Pork Burgers by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Apple Cranberry Crock Pot Stuffing by West Via Midwest
- Baked Chai-Spiced Apple Chips by Culinary Adventures With Camilla
- Butterscotch Harvest Cake by Tip Garden
- Caramel Apple Cookie Bars by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Caramel Apple Sheet Cake by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Cinnamon Apple Crumb Cake by Cookaholic Wife
- Cinnamon Caramel Apple Frozen Custard by Faith, Hope, Love & Luck
- Cold Apple Cider with Caramel Infused Rum by Amy’s Cooking Adventures
- Creamy Blue Cheese & Sliced Apple Crostini by Who Needs a Cape?
- Deconstructed Chocolate Caramel Mini Apple Pie by The Freshman Cook
- Deconstructed Skillet Apple Dumplings by Seduction in the Kitchen
- Fall Panzanella Salad by House of Nash Eats
- Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze by Soulfully Made
- German Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting by Cooking With Carlee
- Glazed Spiced Apple Cider Cookies by Savory Moments
- Hasselback Apples by Kate’s Recipe Box
- PB Apple Muffins by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Skillet Apple and Sausage Stuffing Recipe by Lemon Blossoms
- Skinny Apple Crisp by The Saucy Fig
- Slow Cooker Apple Butter by Shockingly Delicious
- One Pan Pork Chops with Apples and Cinnamon by Strawberry Blondie Kitchen
- Out of This World Apple Cake by Family Around the Table
Disclaimer: Thank you AppleWeek Sponsors: Swiss Diamond, Nordic Ware, Envy Apples, Imperial Sugar, The Spice House, Rodelle Vanilla, Flahavan’s Irish Oats and Nairn’s for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for AppleWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. The AppleWeek giveaway is open to U.S. residents, age 18 & up. All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Seven (7) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. The AppleWeek Bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the AppleWeek posts or entry.
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Melanie says
Hi there! Do you need to roast the beets for this recipe?
Caroline's Cooking says
No, the beets are raw here, just peeled and grated. It leaves them nicely crunchy.
Carlee says
What a beautiful salad and so full of some of my favorite flavors. I would happily sit down to a helping.
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, it’s so easy but is wonderfully tasty.
PRANITA DESHPANDE says
The very nice salad , i will try tomorrow.
Caroline's Cooking says
Hope you enjoy!
Wendy Klik says
The maple vinaigrette is perfect for this salad
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, it pairs wonderfully!
Marisa Franca says
This is certainly a great Fall salad — apples, beets, maple flavoring — what a great way to welcome the season. This salad is a welcome change to our usual summery salads. I can’t wait to make it.
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Julia says
Apples added into salads are the best this time of year. I love how they add that extra sweetness!
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, I agree, and the crunch is great too.
Lisa Bynum says
I’ve been taking after your kids and consuming apples as an afternoon snack at a pretty good rate. They just fill you up and don’t leave you hungry afterwards. It’s still soooo hot where I live, so I’m just not in the mood for typical fall food yet. But this salad is perfect. Lots of tastes and textures to satisfy.
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, apples definitely make a great snack and they work so well in this salad too.
Emily Hill says
Beautiful salad and it looks perfect for fall weather!
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, and absolutely, it has that fall feel to it (though I’d eat it anytime)
Mary Bostow says
mmm what light and beautiful salad! I want to try it for lunch. Great recipe. I like all the ingredients in it. This is perfect for me. thank you.
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, it’s really so easy and tasty. Enjoy!
Cookilicious says
I recently had a similar sandwich on a trip and I loved the flavors of beets with arugula. Apples sound like a great addition to this salad!
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, the flavors all work so well together.
Colleen - Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck says
This is one fall salad I would love to have on my dinner plate! Sounds amazing!!!
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, it’s both so easy and tasty.