This refreshing Beet Apple Salad is simple, flavorful, and perfect for any season. Tender steamed beets, crisp apples, and a zesty marinade come together for an easy, vibrant side dish!
This dish is extra special to me because it’s a recipe passed down from my great-grandma. She lived in a time when simplicity and resourcefulness were a way of life. Come to think of it, that’s probably why she lived so long. That and eating beets. This salad might not make you live to 104 but it’s incredibly easy to make, full of flavor, and nourishing enough to make even beet skeptics fall in love.
The key to unlocking that flavor (and nutrients) is by marinating the beets and apples. The marinade is where the magic happens. It’s not just a dressing — it’s what brings all the ingredients together.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Below is an overview of the ingredients and instructions to make this salad. Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the complete details, including the prep time, total time, calories, protein, fiber, cholesterol, etc.
- Beets: Beets are the heart of this salad, adding a naturally earthy, slightly sweet flavor. Choose beets that are firm to the touch with smooth skin. Avoid any with soft spots, wrinkles, or blemishes.
- Apples: Granny Smith apples are a great choice for this salad. Their tartness balances the sweetness of the beets, while their crisp texture holds up well in the marinade.
- Olive Oil: Adds a smooth, rich base for the dressing, enhancing the overall texture without overwhelming the other flavors.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Provides a tangy kick that brightens the salad and balances out the sweetness of the beets and apples.
- Raw Sugar or Maple Syrup: Adds a subtle sweetness that counteracts the acidity of the vinegar and mustard, creating a balanced flavor.
- Dry Mustard or Dijon Mustard: Contributes a sharp, tangy note, giving the marinade a little extra zest and depth without overpowering the other ingredients.
- Spices: Paprika : For a subtle smoky flavor or a hint of heat, depending on your preference.
- Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce: Provides a savory umami flavor, enhancing the overall richness of the marinade.
Worcestershire Substitute: Combine coconut aminos (a gluten-free alternative to soy sauce) with a splash of vinegar (apple cider vinegar works well). This offers a mild, slightly sweet flavor.
- Sea Salt: Elevates the natural flavors of the vegetables and fruit, enhancing the overall taste of the salad.
- Mixed Greens and Herbs: Makes the salad more filling and adds extra layers of flavor and freshness to complement the sweet, tangy beets.
Why Beets and Apples Are a Powerhouse Pair
Both beets and apples are packed with antioxidants that support overall health. Beets are naturally rich in folate, which helps the body repair and strengthen cells, while apples are a great source of quercetin — a powerful antioxidant known for fighting free radicals and reducing inflammation. Together, they help support muscle repair, healthy aging, and better recovery — making this simple salad a smart (and tasty) addition to any meal.
How to Make a Beet and Apple Salad
Follow the steps below, and it’s prepped in minutes with minimal ingredients. .
Cook the Beets: Start by washing your beets then steam the washed beets in 1 inch of water with a pinch of salt over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes. Once tender, allow the beets to cool.
Peel and Slice: – Once your beets are fork-tender and have cooled slightly, the skins should slip off easily — no knife required! Simply use your hands or a paper towel to rub off the skins. This step is oddly satisfying and a little messy, but it makes prep feel less like a chore.
Tip: Wear gloves if you’re worried about staining your hands, or rub a little lemon juice on your fingers afterward to help remove any beet color.
Slice – Cut or slice the peeled beets into quarters or thin rounds. Then slice the apple (removing the core) and add it to the bowl with the beets. Set the mixture aside.
Make the Marinade: In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and spices. Set aside. Drizzle the oil, vinegar, and worchestire sauce over the apples and beets. Sprinkle the dry seasoning on top.
Toss and Chill: Gently toss to coat everything evenly. For the best flavor, let the salad marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes — but longer is even better! The flavors will meld beautifully as it sits.
Layer and Serve: For a bigger meal, toss the marinated beets with fresh spinach or arugula, and add in some herbs like parsley or cilantro. And if you really want to add more layers of flavor, top the beet salad with feta or roasted chickpeas for a boost in plant protein boost and extra crunch!
Storage and Meal Prep Tips
Store the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For the best texture, keep the greens (like spinach or arugula) separate until ready to serve.
Yes! You can marinate the beets and apples up to a day in advance. This actually helps deepen the flavor. Just toss with fresh greens and herbs right before serving.
Absolutely. Pre-cooked or vacuum-sealed beets are a convenient option — just skip the steaming step and move straight to peeling and chopping.
Marinated Beet and Apple Salad Recipe
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Zingy Marinated Beet and Apple Salad is a simple healthy salad rich in antioxidants, easy to make, and full of flavor!
Ingredients
- 3 medium red beets or 2 large beets
- 1 Granny Smith apple
- ¼ cup coconut sugar or raw sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard or 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika (omit for nightshade free)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce or tamari sauce + ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 4 cups Leafy greens such as baby spinach and arugula.
- Optional Toppings – Candied walnuts (or other nut/seed of choice), crumbled goat cheese or feta.
Instructions
- Steam washed beets in 1 inch water and a dash of salt for 20 minutes at medium-high heat on stove top. Allow to cool.
- Once beets are fork-tender and have cooled slightly, the skins should slip off easily Simply use your hands, the end of a spoon, or a paper towel to rub off the skins.
- Thinly slice the apple (remove core) and combine with the beets in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt, black pepper, dry mustard, and paprika. Set aside.
- Drizzle the oil, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce mixture over the beets and apples. Then add in the dry seasoning mixture and toss together.
- Place coated beets and apples in the fridge (covered) for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours to marinate.
- Remove the salad from the fridge and layer on top of fresh spinach or arugula. Add optional toppings and drizzle with extra marinade before serving, if desired.
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
Quick Tip – Pre-cooked or vacuum-sealed beets may be substituted for raw beets. Just skip the steaming step and skip right to chopping.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Chill time: 30
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: salad
- Method: mix
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups per serving as a side
- Calories: 214
- Sugar: 18.4 g
- Sodium: 67.8 mg
- Fat: 14.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 2.9 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Awesome thank you thank you!
This is great! I like easy things to eat, so I just cut the apple and beets into cubes. Not as pretty, but the green granny smith with the red beets still looks gorgeous! Thanks for a great way to get in more fruits and veggies 🙂
Thank you for sharing this Lindsey! Can’t “beet” those apples. Haha! And cubes totally work
The color alone makes me want to eat it! SO pretty!!
thank you friend!
What a beautiful salad!! Pretty sure this will make any non-beet lovers into believers!
I can not get over how STUNNING this is! I love love beets but you make them irresistible!
Oh thank you friend. 🙂
What beautiful color! When I was a kid I HATED beets but lately I have been loving adding them to salad all the time!
I love when my food looks as good as it tastes! LOVE this healthy salad!
I’m not usually a beets gal, but this salad looks like it would make anyone who doesn’t like beet like beets. October is definitely one of my FAVORITE Months too!
very good. Thank you for sharing!…………………..
Thank you! Enjoy.
Excited to use beets from my garden to make this salad! 🙂
oh you lucky duck! send me some beets. 🙂
Beautiful and delicious!
Thank you friend
I’m on an elimination diet and can only have raw honey, maple syrup and stevia for sweetners. Do you think any of them would work to replace the sugar in this salad?
I would try stevia in the raw sugar (baking stevia) or maple syrup! keep me posted
Just made this salad for the second time in two weeks! It is soooo delicious and great to take for lunch, esp. with some feta crumbles on top! I added a little Dijon mustard to give it an extra spicy edge. I might add some roasted carrots next time. (Cutting the beets and apple into matchstick shape, larger for the beets and very small for the apple, made for a nice chewing texture!) ?
Oh yay! What a great idea to cut into matchstick shape! Going to try that.
I just made this. It was so delicious! Thank you for the recipe:)
so glad! it’s a favorite here too!
I’m guessing that’s supposed to be 1/4 tsp garlic salt, not 14? And when steaming the beets, what should you be using? A pot? With the lid? I’ve never steamed veggies no the stove before, and I have never, ever had beets before. I’d like that to change, though. 🙂
Ohh thanks for catching that! Yes 1/4! Whoops. And I use a medium pot. With lid. Keep me posted
My husband and I are total beet fans– this is being made this weekend. We love beet juice after long runs or races– I didn’t realize it was a good source of folate. It’s a good thing I have eaten so much of it during pregnancy– one thing I never got tired of!
104!! go gram!!! This salad is a dreamy combo!! LOVE beets! AND apples. must make, per usual 🙂
I love the creativity and colors of this dish! I love beets, especially when they’re roasted or steamed!
What a perfect salad! Love beets, love apples, and together they must be amazing. And then my old legs will love the nutrients! Thanks for giving me a heads up!
It’s a great salad to make ahead and have post run with a protein for optimal recovery! Gotta feed those muscles, right?
HECK YEAH! I’m making beets this holiday season! Lindsay, let’s be honest – you made this here for me right? 🙂 Don’t worry, Im a day late catching up on your post, but I’ll hop on a plane and be there for dinner – yay for leftovers! That is – y’all did save me some right?
I <3 this recipe so much!
i’m waiting…. your dish is ready! haha
I absolutely love beets, I just with my family agreed with me; this salad looks wonderful
This salad is stunning.
That is all.
you are stunning. that is all. 😉
I can only imagine how tasty it is to have all the different flavors that marry together in this dish….YUMMY! I need to put on my big-girl pants and make beets at home.
yes, do it! big girl. 😉
I LOVE beets & apples!!!! OMG, that looks amazing! I am way to lazy to cut it all up & even make it. Will you deliver? 🙂 I drink beet powder in water – really helping the digestion & to be blunt, the bathroom help at my age! 🙂
This is quite an interesting dish, but I gotta try it. Working on adding in more gut healthy foods this month. I love beets for muscle recovery!
I love when you’re in my head. We need this so bad right now. The soreness after yesterday’s Tough Mudder is unreal. I’m going to make this and dump a whole jar of turmeric in it too.
turmeric! now that is genius! rest up bro
So excited to see banana pepper being used!!! I love them!! They never get enough attention 😉
OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!! This recipe SCREAMS “MEG!!!!!!!” I will make this for sure!
yay for Meg recipes!!!
I just recently wrote about a ton of benefits for eating beets. But I struggle with finding recipes I enjoy that include beets. I think I might need to give this a try. 🙂
So gorgeous. I used to hate beets when I was a little kid, much to my mom’s despair. She would always make borscht for the holidays, and I would always refuse to try it. It wasn’t until I was like… 25??… that I had my first taste. And loved it. I’m a goober.
haha better late than never!
So.Much.YES. I just bought a bunch of beets yesterday and was stumped on what I wanted to try next with them. Problem solved! this recipe looks incredible, Lindsay! Also, your grandma sounds like she was QUITE the badass. And Badass’s recipes are always the best 😉
yes! bad ass beet salad! haha new name. and let me know if you try it
Can we just talk about how you my new favourite go-to recipe blog!?!
seriously, I have always loved your stuff. But now that I am fully GF you are officially the Bees Knees!
YAY! I’m always here for you! xxoo
Bad ass grandma rocks! What a recipe!!! Fuelled with this kind of food explains why she was 104 yo strong 🙂 I am firmly in the pro beet corner, I love it but don’t have enough recipes for how to use them so THANK YOU for this recipe! 🙂 N x
yea! so glad i could be your PRO BEET corner. haha. ENjoy it bad ass Nagi!
This seriously looks heavenly! Pinned for later!
Yummm this looks delish and I have mad beet love so any new way to eat them I am ALL about.
you and me both!
K sooo I’m not a huge fan of beets, but this is the prettiest salad I’ve seen in awhile. Maybe I’d like them mixed with fruit, pecans and a bit of sugar?
i promise you will!
this is packed with so many delicious flavors! So creative, Bravo 🙂
Ooh, I bet the banana pepper adds some unexpected fun in there – Dean LOVES those
OH YOU’D LOOOOOOOOVE!
When I am old, I am going tobe the most ridiculous person ever. And you better believe that I’ll be eating this salad along the way! Love every thing that is in there!
I want to be your crazy friend when youre old, okay?
What a wonderful combination of flavors! This would be a great side for our Thanksgiving menu.
That is so cool about your family cookbook! I should do that with my Mom. I wish I had kids to pass it onto though.
Linsday this salad has my name and my trashed muscles all over it! Very timely, I’m in need of repair! It’s also gorgeous and looks absolutely delicious 🙂
I hope you get a massage too!
I love beets!!! But I usually just grab them at the salad bar and eat them plain…I need to change that! This salad is gorgeous, Lindsay!
mmm yes, salad bar must!