Fennel Apple Salad
Refreshing and vibrant, this fennel apple salad is made with shaved fennel, crisp apples and peppery arugula , tossed with a simple Dijon vinaigrette and topped with chopped, toasted walnuts.
What I love about this fennel and apple salad
Have you guys hopped on the spiralizer bandwagon yet? I’m sure you’ve at least noticed that zoodles (zucchini noodles) are all the rage on Pinterest right now. If you haven’t, go look right now. I had been wanting to try them for months, but I just hadn’t gotten around to it. Thankfully, OXO sent me their new Spiralizer – the fancy one that has a crank – and I’ve been spiralizing things ever since.
So what did I think about zucchini noodles? I’m only half impressed. Some recipes I’ve tried have turned out great, and some have been a bit on the watery side. But, guess what. You can use a spiralizer for other vegetables. I used it to make this fennel apple salad.
How cool do these onions look? I had to cut the noodles up so they wouldn’t go on forever, but I love how uniform and thin the spiralizer cut them.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
And, in honor of my favorite television show – Gilmore Girls – I added walnuts to the fennel salad. I’m sure very few people, and only crazy/psycho fans like myself would get the reference, but it’s there. I’ve actually been thinking about trying to make everything they’ve ever mentioned on the show as a sort of challenge for myself. It serves as great inspiration, and would require me to watch every single episode again. I’ve been especially motivated by all this news of the upcoming revival on Netflix. But, I’m not 100% committed yet. I don’t know what do you guys think? Is it worth the challenge?
Either way this salad is super tasty, and only requires 6 ingredients. I even used store-bought dressing, which is something I rarely do. It’s the French vinaigrette by Brianna’s, which is nothing like most American French dressings (thank goodness it’s not orange). It’s my go-to favorite for bottled dressing. I am not getting paid to say this, I genuinely think it’s a good product.
How to make fennel apple salad with walnuts & arugula
Spiralize the apples, fennel, and onions. The result you get with spiralizing is a very thin slicing and the texture of this really makes the salad. You could alternatively use a mandoline to slice and get very similar results. Place sliced ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Make the dressing. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Set aside until ready to serve.
Dress the salad. Pour half of the dressing over the sliced ingredients in the mixing bowl and stir until well coated, adding more dressing as needed. Top with chopped walnuts and serve immediately after dressing.
FAQs and tips on making this fennel and apple salad
Fennel has a unique and sweet taste, similar to anise or licorice. It pairs well with other sweet foods, like apples and other fruits. When paired with black pepper or fresh herbs like dill and parsley, you can really taste the full complexity of fennel.
All parts of the fennel plant are edible. Each part – the bulb, stalk or leaves can be used in a variety of ways. When you are preparing your fennel for this recipe you will want to use the bulb, feel free to hang on to the remaining fennel for other recipe.
Fennel is compared to aromatic spices like anise, licorice or tarragon. Each part of the plant has its own distinct features, that each compliment different recipes. For instance the bulb tends to have a crisp texture and a sweet, mild anise flavor – as you go further up the stalk the texture gets more tender and the anise flavor more mild.
More apple recipes you will love
- Apple pie bars
- Apple rosemary chicken and dumplings
- Maple bourbon apple tarts
- Cinnamon apples
- Apple cider sangria
Fennel Apple Salad
Refreshing and vibrant, this fennel apple salad is made with shaved fennel, crisp apples and peppery arugula , tossed with a simple Dijon vinaigrette and topped with chopped, toasted walnuts.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
- 1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 1 large apple, cored and thinly sliced
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
For the dressing:
- 1 lemon, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together until smooth.
- Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl and mix in the dressing.
- Before serving, adjust seasoning with salt & pepper in needed.
- Category: Salad
- Method: Mixing
- Diet: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 0
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Published: March 22, 2016. Updated: January 9, 2024.
This post contains affiliate links. I may earn commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. I will never recommend a product I don’t use or trust.