Apple Walnut Green Salad (Dairy Free Option)

This apple walnut green salad is the best fall + winter salad recipe! Made with crisp granny smith apples, sweet shaved fennel, crunchy walnuts, flecks of fresh herbs, creamy feta cheese, and a bold and punchy vinaigrette. Gluten free, with vegan and paleo options.

The best apple walnut salad

Just because the cold temperatures are here, doesn’t mean that delicious green salads have to be off the menu.

I actually ADORE the flavors and textures that can be packed into fall / winter salads. Something about the bold flavors, crunchy textures, and robust bite of toasted nuts or seeds is such a perfect match for rich comfort food.

And this green apple salad is no exception. A salad so full of flavor that I would argue it is the exact opposite of a boring green salad.

Because life is too short to eat anything other than delicious salads that leave you coming back for just *one* more bite!

Why you’ll love this apple walnut green salad

It is:

• Bright
• Full of texture
• Fresh + crunchy!
• Versatile
• Packed with flavor
• Absolutely delicious!

Ingredients

Okay so the basics of building a “not boring” salad starts with a solid ingredient line up. Ideally you’ll want to begin with a layer of fresh and vibrant greens, and then add in lots of texture and flavor with the remaining ingredients.

The ingredients in this green apple salad are versatile and interchangeable, so if you see something on the ingredient list you don’t like, feel free to swap it for something that you do!

I’ll include a list of some substitutions that can be made near the bottom of this post if you want some ideas. Try and stick to ingredients with lots of texture + flavor for a truly mind-blowing salad experience.

(If you’re already ready to get started, scroll all the way down to the bottom for the full recipe!)

Here’s what you need

• 5 ounce container of your favorite salad greens – mixed greens, arugula, baby spinach, or baby kale would all be delicious
• Thinly sliced green apple – You could easily swap the green apple for a red apple variety.
• Small fennel bulb – I know this is a controversial vegetable, but even my non-fennel-loving husband agrees that it’s delicious in this salad! I think the key is in tossing it with lemon juice to soften the flavors.
• Red onion – Can be left out if onion isn’t your thing, or substituted with a milder thinly sliced green onion.
• Lemon juice – By tossing the apple and fennel in a little lemon juice before adding it to the salad you brighten up the flavors and keep the apple from turning brown.
• Toasted walnuts – for some satisfying crunch and toasty warmth.
• Feta cheese – Tangy and creamy, feta adds a really nice layer of flavor to this salad. But if you’re dairy free, paleo, or doing a Whole30 you can easily leave it out or substitute with a vegan cheese option.
• Fresh parsley – I love using fresh parsley in salad, but if the flavor is too strong for you simply leave it out. You could also substitute with fresh dill or snipped chives.
• Herbed lemony dressing – made with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, grainy mustard, maple syrup or honey, and fresh parsley. This dressing is our new homemade dressing obsession. It’s the perfect pairing for this apple walnut salad!

How to make this apple salad

It’s all about the LAYERS with this salad. Grab a large wide plate or large bowl, and follow the steps below to get started!

Here’s the step-by-step

• Start with the greens. Place tender salad greens on a large serving bowl or platter and set aside.
• Prep the apple, fennel, and red onion. Thinly sliced the apple, shave the fennel, and thinly slice the red onion. Add them all to a medium sized bowl & toss with 1 tablespoon lemon juice to prevent browning + add some zip. Set aside.
• Make the punchy dressing. In a small jar or bowl combine remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 3 tablespoons olive oil, sea salt, maple syrup or honey, & parsley. Shake or whisk together until well combined. Taste and adjust salt / maple syrup / honey if desired.
• Assemble the salad. When ready to serve, top salad greens with apples, fennel, & red onion. Toss salad with dressing & finish with toasted walnuts, feta cheese, & parsley.
•  Serve immediately & enjoy!

Serving suggestions

This green salad is a delicious accompaniment to any of your cozy fall or winter meals. The bright and zippy flavors will lighten up any hearty meal!

It makes an excellent holiday salad to share for Thanksgiving or Christmas and would be fantastic served alongside your turkey dinner.

You could also make it a meal by topping it with Baked Chicken Breast, Baked Salmon, or 10-Minute Pan Seared Shrimp!

Can you make this green salad ahead of time?

This apple walnut salad can be made ahead of time if you keep it separated in several parts and assemble when ready to serve. Since salad greens can wilt quickly after being tossed with dressing, dress it just before serving.

Here’s some tips for how to prep in advance:

1. Wash greens and store in the bowl you plan to serve it in or a covered storage container in the fridge.
2. Make salad dressing and store in a jar. If you’re serving within a few hours it can be left on the counter, but if you’re making the dressing a day or more in advance store it in the refrigerator and don’t add the parsley until just before using.
3. For serving the same day that you prep the salad, the apple, fennel, and red onion can be tossed with the lemon juice and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve. If prepping the day before cover sliced apples, fennel, and red onion in water and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use. When you’re ready to assemble the salad drain completely and toss with lemon juice.
4. Toast walnuts, crumble cheese, and prep fresh parsley. Store in separate containers in the fridge until ready to use.

Substitutions & swaps

This salad is incredibly versatile and there are endless options for substitutions.

To make this salad vegan: Leave out the feta cheese or substitute with a dairy free alternative, and use maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing.

To make this salad paleo: Leave out the feta cheese + make sure your mustard doesn’t have any added sugar.

To make this salad Whole30: Leave out the feta cheese and omit the maple syrup from the salad dressing.

Here’s a few extra substitution ideas to get you started:

• Swap red apples or firm pears for the green apple
• Use thinly sliced celery instead of shaved fennel
• Chopped almonds, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds instead of toasted walnuts
• Green onions instead of red onion
• Kale instead of tender salad greens – by using a hearty green like kale instead of tender greens this salad would actually keep for several days in the refrigerator! For the best flavor massage the dressing into the chopped kale leaves until it starts to soften slightly before layering with the rest of the salad ingredients.
• White or red wine vinegar instead of lemon juice in the salad dressing
• Goat cheese instead of feta cheese
• A vegan dairy free “soft cheese” instead of feta

Love this recipe? Here’s some other yummy salad recipes to try!

• Kale Apple Pomegranate Salad
• Honey Mustard Crispy Chickpea Kale Salad
• Asian Pear and Walnut Salad
• Peach Salad with Almonds and Feta
• Loaded Greek Salad with Creamy Jalapeno Dressing

If you enjoyed this recipe we’d love it if you take 5 seconds to rate and review it below. It’s also super helpful to me and other readers if you share any changes you made to the recipe. Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK 🙏🏼 We are so grateful you’re here!

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