Apple Cashew Salad
This simple salad is made with tart apples, salty cashews, and a simple homemade dressing! Try this salad when you need a quick and delicious meal.
Lately, I’ve been craving quick and simple salads and this apple cashew salad came together so easily, it’s a definite weeknight winner! This would be a great salad to pack for lunch or make on a busy evening. You can add your favorite protein to turn it into a full meal or just enjoy this as a little side salad!
You only need a few pantry ingredients and this salad comes together in just a few minutes! The homemade dressing is super simple to make and it’s delicious paired with apples and cashews! Skip the bottled dressing and make this basic vinegarette at home!
Apple Cashew Salad Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Olive oil- I like a bright, fruity olive oil like California Olive Ranch.
- Red wine vinegar- This adds a nice tangy flavor but you can substitute with champagne vinegar if you prefer.
- Lemon juice- I keep a jar of lemon juice in the fridge, but fresh lemon juice is great!
- Romaine lettuce- I like a crunchy lettuce like romaine but you could also make this with spinach or a spring mix.
- Granny smith apple- I like the tart crunch of a granny smith apple but you can substitute other apples.
- Cashews- I like the flavor of a roasted, salted cashew but raw cashews are delicious too.
- Parmesan cheese- This is optional and you can leave it out if you want to make this recipe vegan.
Optional Protein Ideas
If you want to add a protein to your salad, here are a few ideas:
- Canned chickpeas- This is an easy, vegetarian way to add plenty of protein and fiber.
- Sunflower seeds- A sprinkle of shelled sunflower seeds is a great way to add a salty crunch with a little protein.
- White beans- Cannellini beans or navy beans would also be delicious!
How to Wash Salad Greens
It’s important to properly wash and dry your salad greens, if they aren’t prewashed. Rinse them in a colander then place them in a salad spinner. Use a salad spinner to dry the leaves. If you don’t have a salad spinner, use paper towels to dry the leaves. Wet leaves will repel the dressing, making your salad watery and flavorless. Dry greens are key to a good flavor. When storing greens in the fridge, keep them in an airtight zipper top bag, with a paper towel placed inside. The paper towel will help absorb moisture and prevent the lettuce from wilting.
The cashews add such a perfect crunch, and the apples provide some delicious tartness. My only complaint is that they’re green and they blend in with the lettuce. It would probably be prettier with red apples. But the green ones are perfect here!
If you’re trying to decide what to pair with this apple cashew salad, try my penne rosa pasta or this creamy Tuscan tortellini!
Print
Apple Cashew Salad
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 large salad 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Salad
Description
This simple salad is made with tart apples, salty cashews, and a simple homemade dressing! Try this salad when you need a quick and delicious meal.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
- 3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 small granny smith apple, cored and diced
- 2 tablespoons roasted or raw cashews
- 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt.
- Toss the lettuce, apples, cashews, and parmesan with the dressing, and serve immediately.
I feel like there are probably a million variations of this salad. But for now, I’m just happy with the marriage of cashews + granny smith apples. Match made in heaven.
Looking for other easy salad recipes? Here are a few of my favorites!
Modern Greek Salad (Panera Bread Copycat!)
What’s your favorite simple salad?
I love the cashews in your salad, it looks delicious. I don’t usually use apples to make salad but I should probably start using some up since I have at home. Love the idea 🙂
yum, a little bit of sweet and a little bit of salty, definitely a good mix!!
Funny timing with this post because I never used to like cashews and then I had some yesterday that I really liked!
My favourite thing to do with my bestie is share a bottle of wine in the sun 🙂
That’s so funny! I used to not really like them that much either. (I didn’t DISlike them, but I liked most other nuts better!) My dad used to eat them ALL the time, and somewhere along the way, I became a cashew lover!
Love Cashews! And nuts and apples together – one of my favorite snacks!
When my best friend and I get together (not often enough) we usually go out, shop, eat, but always end up back on the couch with a glass of wine and talk forever!
You can’t go wrong with wine and good conversation 🙂 That’s probably what we will end up doing tonight!
Favorite thing to do with my bestie – lay around and laugh for hours, eat dessert, make up silly jokes!!
Love cashews – just bought some last night 🙂
I think cashews are truly one of those things you can put with anything. Sweet…savory… cookies… stirfry… so versatile.
That’s so true! I used to not really like them, but now I’m like addicted!
hahah i do not get the title reference.. but i wish i were a cashew like you– cuz they are TASTY!
mmm salad looks good!! My favorite thing to do with my Bestie is hike. When the weather is nice we go about twice a month, and in the summer time we hit the beach for a run at 7am. It it so pretty and there is no one out yet, so its perfect 🙂
Aw that sounds so fun!!! My friend and I took a long walk today because the weather here is PERFECT Today!
I have no idea where you got the title but it made me chuckle! I love chatting with friends over good food and wine, walking out dogs on the shores of Lake Michigan or wandering downtown “window shopping”
I am in love with cashews as of late…nom.
Fave thing to do: pedis, wine, shopping, talking, baking