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A delicious and refreshing recipe, this apple fennel salad is the perfect mix of light and crispy with sweet and peppery for the ultimate side salad.
While fennel is usually in season late winter through early spring, it can be found year-round and this salad is perfectly light for summer, or delicious and bright in winter.
Apple fennel salad pairs so well with savory dishes like pizza, pork tenderloin or simply seared salmon. Fennel has a mild licorice taste while green apples add some tart, bright flavors, and arugula brings in a peppery flavor to round it out.
This salad is inspired by one I had years ago at a small restaurant near Santa Barbara. I couldn’t believe the wonderful flavors from such a simple salad. It pairs great with pizza too!
Table of Contents
The Best Apple Fennel Salad
Like my Shrimp Scampi without wine, this apple fennel salad was also inspired by a salad I enjoyed at Industrial Eats in Buellton. Of course theirs had walnuts, which is a personal migraine trigger of mine – but they’re easy to pick out! The flavors were bright and crisp.
What worked well about this salad was how light it was. It pairs so beautifully with really heavy, saucy dishes like pastas, casseroles, braised meat, and pizza.
You’ll love it because of the flavor, but it’s also a wonderful vegan recipe that’s gluten and dairy free.
What is Fennel?
If you haven’t used fennel before, it’s a large vegetable with a white bulb at one end, stems similar to celery, and lots of green fronds at the end. Typically both ends can be used in cooking, although the bulb is probably more common. It’s texture is similar to a thick, layered onion, falling apart in thin slices or rings as it is shaved or chopped.
Fennel can be cooked several different ways, but it’s wonderful and crispy when shaved or sliced very thin for salads. This way the flavor is light and spread throughout.
The flavor is anise or licorice flavored, but without being super strong. I normally hate licorice but love this salad!
Fennel is also a wonderful source of vitamin C, and paired with apples which are rich in fiber and antioxidants this is a very healthy salad that’s a great brain food!
How to Keep Apples from Turning Brown
For this fennel and apple salad, especially if you’re making ahead and presenting for a dinner party, you may want to look into preserving the apple slices so they don’t brown so quickly. I find that granny smith apples, or green apples, are especially prone to this.
Often you’ll see the recommendation to coat them in lemon juice, but I find that this can greatly affect flavor (and it’s also not elimination diet friendly).
My favorite way around this is to bathe the apple slices in a honey water bath. Basically you mix 1 tablespoon of honey to every 1 1/2-2 cups of water, whisk together, and then place the apple slices into the bath. Leave them for 2-3 minutes, stirring with your fingers till well coated.
Remove the apple slices from the water bath and gently pat dry with a towel.
Equipment Needed
Just a few things are needed to make the perfect apple fennel salad
- Sharp chefs knife – Fennel and apples can be tough to cut into thin slices so a sharp chefs knife is helpful.
- Serving bowl or plate – I often like to use a platter to spread the salad out if serving to guests. Makes for a pretty presentation.
- Whisk – this helps to emulsify the dressing best.
Do you need a mandolin? If you have one on hand, you can definitely use this to thinly slice the fennel and apples. However, it is not necessary to buy one just for this recipe.
Ingredients
- Fennel – Look for white bulbs that don’t have any blemishes (brown spots) and green fronds that are not wilted.
- Green apples – Granny smith apples are so lovely in this recipe, but I’ve also used honeycrisp in a pinch.
- Arugula – Also known as “rocket” this peppery lettuce really highlights all the flavors and I don’t recommend substituting it.
- Parsley – Adding even more greens, parsley rounds out the fresh, bright flavors.
- Dijon apple dressing – A quick homemade dressing with apple juice, olive oil, white vinegar, and dijon really compliments this fennel and apple salad without overpowering. I recommend using a sulfite-free dijon mustard for those on a migraine diet.
- Optional – toasted pumpkin seeds or pepitas and crumbled, fresh goat cheese also pairs nicely with this salad for something a little more substantial.
How to Make a Fennel and Apple Salad
Step 1 – Make the vinaigrette – In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, dijon, and olive oil with a pinch of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Whisk to combine until smooth and olive oil is fully incorporated, not separated.
Step 2 – Prepare the vegetables – Wash and dry apples, then cut them into halves. Run a chefs knife down the edges to thinly slice the apple. Use the honey water method above to preserve the apples color if not serving immediately.
Wash the fennel bulb and trim the ends with the green fronds as well as the edge of the bulb, so just the white part remains. Run a chefs knife down the edge, slicing the fennel into very thin strips. Set aside.
Step 3 – Build the salad – Place arugula on a serving tray, top with sliced fennel and green apples. Toss everything together with the vinaigrette, or serving on the side.
Substitutions and Additions
- Green apples can be substituted with green pears.
- Arugula can be substituted with mixed greens or spinach.
- Fennel is essential to the essence of this salad so I don’t recommend substituting it.
- The dressing can be substituted with whatever you like, but I recommend staying away from creamy, heavy dressings and using a lighter vinaigrette.
- Additions – toasted pepitas and goat cheese make a great addition, especially for the holiday season or a Thanksgiving salad.
Expert Tips
- Slice or shave the apple and fennel as thin as possible. Either a sharp chefs knife and steady hand or needed or carefully use a mandolin. This will not only make it easier for eating but also allows you to more evenly distribute the flavors.
- The type of apple used can greatly change the flavor. For something a little bit sweeter but still tart, try honeycrisp apples.
Serving Suggestions
Apple fennel salad can be served as one large salad on a big serving platter or as individual small plate servings. This recipe makes about 4 side dish or starter salads.
Because this salad is so light and crisp, it pairs really well with heavy dishes. I highly recommend serving with:
- Dutch Oven Pot Roast
- Short Ribs with Polenta
- Boursin Pasta
- Shrimp Stuffed Salmon
- Lazy Lasagna
- Butternut Squash Chili
How to Make Ahead and Store
For best results, make this apple fennel salad right before serving. However to make ahead, use the honey water mixture to keep the apples from browning and slice fennel. Keep the salad ingredients separate from the vinaigrette until ready to serve.
If planning to store, keep the ingredients separated or just add enough dressing for what is being served. If everything is coated in the dressing ahead of time, it will become soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some places offer pre-cut fennel where the long stems have been removed (Trader Joe’s does this). If not, cut those off as well as the bottom edge. Remove the outer fennel bulb if it has any cuts or is browned in parts – it peels like an onion. In the middle is a tough root that can be discarded if it’s very large. You can either thinly slice with a knife or use a mandolin to shave the fennel.
Fennel has an anise flavor that holds up well next to heavy, saucy dishes as well as really bright and tangy flavors – like crisp apples. It also goes well with pears, oranges
Yes! Fennel is high in vitamin C which is great for immune health, especially during the fall and winter cold and flu season. It contains antioxidants that are great for brain health. Some animal studies have even found it can aid with memory!
Side Salads
For more recipes like this fennel and apple salad, see these posts!
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Apple Fennel Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 bulb fennel, ends trimmed and very thinly sliced
- 1 large green apple, shaved or sliced thin
- 1½ cups arugula
- 1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Optional: crumbled goat cheese, toasted pepitas
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons apple juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
Instructions
- Wash and dry fennel bulb and apple, using a sharp chefs knife or a mandolin, thinly slice. To preserve the apple, use a honey water mixture in the notes.
- Whisk together ingredients for the dressing and add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. The dressing may taste a little tart, but it's wonderful once mixed together with everything.
- Add shaved vegetables, arugula, and parsley and toss with the dressing.
Notes
- To prevent browning – add 1 – 1 1/2 cups of water with 1 tablespoon of honey and mix till combined. Place apple slices in the water and let them soak for 5 minutes. Remove and pat dry.
- Fennel can be found at most grocery stores in the fresh produce section, and Trader Joe’s has them pre-trimmed.
- Use a sulfite-free dijon mustard.
- Fresh goat cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds are a wonderful edition, especially if the salad will be a main dish.
- Green apples can be substituted with honeycrisp, or pomegranate seeds, firm pears, or oranges (if not following a migraine elimination diet).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was updated March 6, 2021 and was updated again with new photography and recipe tips October 17, 2022.
So delicious! I served this as a side with your stroganoff. I added a handful of pistachios for a little crunch. I thought my husband would be on the fence but he loved it too.
This is such a refreshing salad. Great combination of flavors and crunchiness.
Your recipes are magnificent.My husband’s suffered from migraines etc for decades. He is now pain free and loves this food!
That makes my day!!
I love people who share and inspire others to eat and drink healthy. I appreciate your writings and the recipe. I am going to try this by myself.