Embrace the fresh flavors of seasonal produce in this delightful fennel apple salad recipe that’s vegan, dairy free, and gluten free. Shaved fennel and julienned apples are brought to life by red onion, fresh dill, celery seed, pine nuts, and a mustard cider vinaigrette that tantalizes the taste buds. It’s an easy cold salad recipe that makes a great side dish for fall meals and holiday spreads.
If you love fennel, today’s your lucky day! This brand new fennel apple salad is seriously one of the best ways to enjoy raw fennel without the flavors feeling overbearing. It’s got just the right amount of slightly sweet and anise fennel paired with unbeatable companions that provide sweet, tangy, herbaceous, and nutty notes.
I’m already brainstorming so many ways to enjoy this dish. It would be a fun and unique addition to Thanksgiving and Christmas spreads but also make a great side for dinners at home. Plus, you can even use it as a slaw piled high on sandwiches or tacos if that’s what your heart desires! Be sure to let me know all the yummy ways you enjoy this recipe in the comments.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Fennel: Look for bulbs that are firm and blemish-free for best results. Avoid fennel that has bruises or feels soft in spots. The fronds are a fun garnish and add some extra flavor, so be sure to save some to use in the recipe if your bulbs came with their stalks and fronds.
- Apples: The type of apple you choose can kind of make or break your fennel apple salad! I like sweet varieties like Honeycrisp, SweeTango, or Gala. If you want a tarter flavor, try Granny Smith or Pink Lady.
- Red onion: Shallots also taste lovely here.
- Dill: Sub mint or parsley if desired.
- Pine nuts: Use walnuts, slivered almonds, or pecans if you need a sub. To make the salad nut-free, try pepitas or sunflower seeds.
- Extra virgin olive oil: I’m a big fan of Partanna brand.
- Dijon mustard: A whole grain mustard is also nice.
- Apple cider vinegar: Use lemon juice or red wine vinegar if you don’t have ACV.
- Maple syrup: Honey is another good option if you don’t need the salad to be vegan.
- Celery seed: Sub celery salt, coriander seeds, caraway seeds, or fennel seeds, but keep in mind that they each will contribute different flavors.
Equipment
One of the biggest aspects of making vegetables taste delicious is preparing them in the right size and shape. I love turning produce into slaws with thin pieces, since I think it’s a really palatable way to enjoy high-fiber, raw vegetables and fruits.
For this fennel apple salad, I highly recommend using a mandoline and julienne grater (or regular grater) if you have one. I love using my Oxo Good Grips Complete Grate and Slice Set. I use the mandoline blade to thinly shave the fennel and red onion and the julienne blade to cut the apples into matchsticks. If you don’t have this set or something similar, you can also just use a knife! Follow my tutorial on How to Prepare Fennel for some tips.
Instructions
The full recipe card for fennel apple salad is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps.
Combine the shaved fennel, julienned apples, dill, fennel fronds, and pine nuts in a bowl. Toss with tongs.
Pour the dressing (and red onion marinating in it) over the salad. Toss until coated.
Storage
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days. The apples will get brown and the produce may get a little soggy from sitting in the dressing, but it’s still perfectly edible (and delicious).
More Fennel Recipes
Love this fennel apple salad? Try the Raw Rutabaga Salad with Apples for a similar dish, and check out these other fennel recipes while you’re here:
📖 Recipe
Fennel Apple Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ small red onion - thinly sliced, about ½ cup
Salad
- 2 medium bulbs fennel - cored and shaved, about 3 cups
- 2 medium apples - cored and julienned, about 3 cups
- 6 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds - if your bulbs came with them
- 6 tablespoons pine nuts
Instructions
- In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, cider vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, salt, celery seed, and pepper. Add the thinly sliced red onion and stir until coated. Let the dressing sit while you make the rest of the salad. This will help the onion marinate a little.
- Prep the fennel and apples. I like to use a mandoline to thinly shave the fennel (and also the red onion for the dressing). Before running it through the mandoline, cut the bulbs into quarters and slice off the core from each quarter. Next, I use a julienne blade to slice the apples into thin matchsticks, stopping at and discarding the core. If you do not have these tools, don't worry! You can use a knife and/or hand or box grater to thinly slice the produce instead.
- Combine the fennel, apples, chopped dill and fennel fronds, and pine nuts in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the dressing with red onion over the ingredients. Toss until coated. Enjoy!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days. Keep in mind that the apples will brown and the produce may get a little soggy from sitting in the dressing, but it will still be edible.
- I like to use Honeycrisp, SweeTango, Gala, or other sweet varieties of apples in this slaw to balance the flavors. If you want a tarter flavor, use Granny Smith or Pink Lady apples.
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