These 7 Fall Apple Salads Taste Like Autumn in a Bowl

Chayote and Apple Salad

Raw chayote has a crunchy, jicama-like texture and mildly sweet flavor that’s a cross between an apple and a cucumber—so it makes sense to pair chayote with thinly sliced apples in a salad. A simple salt and sugar cure removes excess water from the chayote, resulting in a soft, crisp texture and a more concentrated fruity sweetness. The combination of Japanese ponzu, lemon juice, and Korean honey-citron tea concentrate creates a layered citrus vinaigrette.

Waldorf Salad

Frequent Serious Eats recipe developer Julia Levy gives the classic Waldorf salad a much-welcome refresh by dialing down the sweetness and amplifying more tangy, savory notes. A salted apple cider vinegar brine does triple duty, giving the apples a zingier flavor, keeping them crisp while preventing them from oxidizing, and adding brightness to a traditionally stodgy mayonnaise dressing. Grapes provide little juicy pops of sweetness, while plenty of toasted walnuts add crunch throughout. Feel free to lean into the retro charm of this salad—serve it in frilly lettuce cups, martini or coupe glasses, or your best vintage glass salad bowl.

Beet and Wheat Berry Salad With Pickled Apples and Pecans

This colorful mix of chewy wheat berries, cooked beets, sautéed beet greens, pickled apples, and toasted pecans is the perfect make-ahead salad. Each component holds its shape and freshness over time, and it’s hearty enough to serve as a vegetarian option. A salted vinegar brine helps the apples retain their crisp texture and stave off oxidation, and also mellows out some of the shallot’s sharpness.

Spicy Shrimp and Green Apple Salad

Tart green apples are an ideal substitute for the harder-to-find green mangoes traditionally used in this type of Thai salad. Their crisp texture, assertive tang, and citrusy undertones allow them to stand up to the pungency of fish sauce, garlic, and shallots, while acting as a foil to the juicy ripe tomatoes, bouncy shrimp, crunchy roasted cashews, and fragrant mint.

Wild Rice Salad With Dried Cranberries, Pickled Apples, and Pecans

The nutty chewiness of wild rice, the sweet tartness of dried cranberries and pickled apples, and the earthy, buttery crunch of toasted pecans is an unbeatable combination, regardless of how you serve it. It belongs on every autumn table. As with the wheat berry and Waldorf salads, soaking the apples in a hot seasoned vinegar brine preserves crispness and color.

Arugula, Apple, and Pomegranate Salad with Cider-Honey Vinaigrette

This simple salad is as pretty as it is delicious. The sweet, tart flavor of crisp apple, juicy pomegranate seeds, and cider-honey vinaigrette balances the vegetal, peppery bite of the arugula. Toasted almond slices and crumbled goat cheese layer on rich, savory notes.

Green Salad With Walnuts, Apples, and Parmesan-Anchovy Dressing