Cranberry apple salad is a fresh, colorful winter fruit salad, bursting with bright cranberry, apple, orange and pineapple flavors. This salad is perfect for a holiday brunch or side dish!
Today I’m excited an old, tried-and-true family recipe with you!
Cranberry apple salad
I love this fruit salad for breakfast, for a snack, even for dessert at night. It’s also a beautiful salad to serve at brunch for a crowd.
We’ve been making it at the holidays in my family for as long as I can remember. We always have it at Christmas and it’s one of my favorite things on Christmas morning!
But honestly, I love it so much that I make it year-round. My mom and I both stock up on bags of cranberries around the holidays and stick them straight into the freezer.
That way I have them available for this salad or cranberry cake or any other yummy treats year-round. Kinda the same way that I keep my pantry always stocked with cans of pumpkin.
I have, over the years, gradually cut back on the sugar in this cranberry salad recipe without noticing at all. What I’ve listed below is about what I use now, but feel free to use a little more or less, depending on your tastes — or the sweetness of your apples.
The only caveat I’ll make is that you must, must have a large and trusty food processor to make this cranberry apple salad.
It requires lots of shredding. You’ll get to use that shredding disc you’ve probably never used before. You might not like me if you try to make this with a mini food processor or one that’s on its last legs.
That’s why I always make this and share some with my mom, whose food processor I think was a wedding present in the 1970s. It’s not quite up to the challenge. 😂
Also, be sure to use a very large bowl to dump everything in from the food processor and stir it up.
No really, use your very biggest mixing bowl – the one you keep on a high shelf or buried back in a cabinet because you never need one that huge.
You do for this cranberry apple salad recipe. Trust me.
Hope this fruit salad brings some brightness to your holiday table or just a dreary winter day.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Cranberry apple salad
Cranberry apple salad is fresh and colorful and bursting with bright cranberry, apple, orange and pineapple flavors!
Ingredients
- 1 12-oz bag fresh cranberries
- 2 seedless oranges, peeled
- 4 red apples (such as Fuji, Pink Lady, Gala or Honey Crisp, or a mix)
- 2 green Granny Smith apples
- 1 large can crushed pineapple, well drained
- 1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, from 1/2 lemon
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Rinse and pick over the cranberries for stems and any ruined ones. Run the cranberries through the food processor using the slicing blade. Dump into a very large bowl. Very large.
- Peel and cut oranges into pieces and run through the food processor next. Add to bowl.
- Core and cut up apples (no need to peel), then run them through the food processor, still using the slicing blade, in batches. Add the shredded apples to the bowl.
- Squeeze the lemon juice over the fruit and mix thoroughly with a spoon to prevent browning.
- Add the crushed pineapple, chopped walnuts and sugar to the bowl. Stir to combine with the fruit and get everything well mixed.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving so the flavors can meld together. Keeps in the fridge up to 5 days.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 191Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 3mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 5gSugar: 24gProtein: 2g
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
Hahaha, I LOVE my shredding disk attachment for the food processor! I use it almost daily to make cauliflower rice. Now I can’t wait to use it to make this lovely salad!! I love the combination of apples and cranberries, but this salad takes that pairing up a notch! The addition of orange and pineapple sounds sensational! This is a perfect addition to holiday brunch or simply to my breakfast! LOVES IT! Cheers, girlfriend!
Kathryn says
Aren’t you smart, using it all the time for your cauliflower rice? You will adore this salad, girl – it’s one of our holiday favorites. That I make year round… 😉 Hope you have a super fun weekend – happy Halloween! XX
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
What a gorgeous salad and great combination, Kathryn. Wow. I love it, so different! And perfect for the season.
Kathryn says
Thanks so much, Allie! We have this every holiday season and I try to make it at least a few other times of year. It’s SO good!!
Quinn Caudill says
This would be a great salad for Thanksgiving dinner. Thanks for sharing with us at #Throwback Thursday. Hope to see you again this week.
Kathryn says
Thanks Quinn! We always have this at the holidays… for breakfast and brunch, for snacking, for dessert. I can’t keep my fork out of the bowl!
Carlee says
This sounds amazing! I love the idea of adding the pineapple too. We would love this!
Kathryn says
The pineapple really does add another great flavor. It’s very much in the background, but brings a lot of sweetness! Hope you try it, Carlee! Thanks for stopping by!
Fareeha says
Wow, this looks incredibly awesome. I could definitely do with it right now. I cn grab the salad right from the screen and gobble it up. lovely.
Kathryn says
Thanks so much Fareeha! It really is so delicious and so fun and colorful – a great holiday salad!
Janet says
I make something without pineapple, but am definitely going to try that too! I also add walnuts because I like a little crunch and for the holidays, throw in some miniature marshmallows too. I’ve cut back on sugar a lot too, and often use stevia instead. Great recipe and very versatile. Like you, I enjoy this all year. I notice that cranberry producers are getting smart and reserving some of their bounty to sell throughout the year.
Kathryn Doherty says
Oh the marshmallows sound like a fun addition! And agreed – I love that cranberries are now available throughout the year. (Though I still stash a bag or two in my freezer just in case!) 😊