Harvest Celery Apple Salad! Get ready to crunch your way into fall with our Harvest Salad—because even celery deserves a moment in the spotlight instead of just being the sidekick to your peanut butter!
Indulge in the vibrant flavors of autumn with our delightful Harvest Celery Apple Salad, a perfect blend of crunchy celery, crisp apples, and rich pecans that captures the essence of the season. Tossed in a zesty Dijon dressing, this salad is elevated by the sweet-tart notes of dried cranberries and the subtle kick of red onions. Whether you’re looking to elevate your everyday meals or impress your dinner guests during the holidays, this salad strikes the perfect balance between simplicity and sophistication.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi there, Ameera here!
Celery salad? Who would’ve thunk it could be this delicious? Packed with delightful crunch and bursting with flavor, this unexpected star of the salad world is a game changer! This vibrant dish is not only refreshing but also versatile enough to pair with any meal or shine on its own.
You absolutely have to give this crunchy celery salad a try—you won’t believe how yummy it is!
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: This Harvest Celery Salad is full of delicious harvest flavors. Crunchy celery, apples, and pecans are coated in a flavorful Dijon dressing with dried cranberries, and red onions.
- Glazed Pecans: If you wish, you do not have to glaze the pecans, simply toast them.
- Peeling Celery Ribs – Optional: We like to peel the celery ribs with a vegetable peeler to remove the stringy elements on the outside of the celery ribs. It really elevates the texture and mouthfeel.
- Apples: If concerned about the apples browning due to oxidation, simply toss the diced apples in a small amount of lemon juice to retain their freshness. Drain thoroughly before adding to the salad.
- Optional – Soaked Red Onions: If you are concerned about the sharpness that can come from red onions, then we suggest lightly soaking them. The purpose of soaking the red onions is two-fold. One – it removes any sharp notes as some red onions can be overpoweringly strong. In this celery salad, the mild red onion perfectly complements the flavor. Two – it ever so slightly reduces the crunch. The red onions are still crunchy as they are raw, but soaking can mitigate some of the crunch. Simply place the chopped red onions into a small bowl, cover with warm tap water and steep for 7 minutes, then drain off the water, shake well to remove any excess water, then they are ready for the recipe.
- Serving after Refrigerating: This recipe is best when served immediately after making. If serving after refrigeration, remove from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to wake up.
- Make Ahead: If making ahead for serving for a potluck, picnic, or family gatherings and to obtain optimum serving beauty and freshness, do the following:
- Day Before or Earlier in the Day:
- Clean and slice the celery. Store separately in the refrigerator.
- Dice the apple and splash with lemon juice to retain the color. Store separately in the refrigerator.
- Dice the red onions and place in a small glass air-tight bowl and refrigerate.
- Make the dressing and place in a small glass air-tight covered bowl and refrigerate.
- Toast and glaze the pecans, store separately at room temperature.
- Measure the cranberries, pack and store at room temperature.
- 30 minutes Before Serving:
- Remove the dressing from the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes before dressing the salad.
- Before dressing the salad, test the thickness of the dressing. Whisk the dressing vigorously. It should be slightly thick. If too thick, add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar then whisk well until smooth and emulsified.
- Right Before Serving:
- Add the celery, apples, red onions, and candied pecans to a large bowl, mix well to evenly distribute.
- Add the dressing to the salad mixture. Mix until all the salad ingredients are evenly coated with the dressing. Serve immediately.
- Table Salt: If using table salt, you should use less table salt than the amount listed in the ingredients as sea salt crystals are larger than table salt crystals. Since table salt crystals are very fine, less table salt is required to season a dish. We would suggest starting with about 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of sea salt listed. You can always add more salt but cannot take it away. We recommend using sea salt as it is less refined than table salt.
- Day Before or Earlier in the Day:
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 4 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered container.
This dish cannot be frozen.
Pantry Products:
- Dijon Mustard: We used Koops Dijon Mustard. Feel free to use your favorite Dijon mustard.
- Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Kitchen Equipment:
- Skillet (to toast the pecans)
If you try this flavor dish, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
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Harvest Celery Salad
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 5 Minutes
- Total Time: 20 Minutes
- Yield: 8 Cups 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Indulge in the vibrant flavors of autumn with our delightful Harvest Celery Salad, a perfect blend of crunchy celery, crisp apples, and rich pecans that captures the essence of the season.
Ingredients
Salad Base Ingredients:
- 5 ½ to 6 cups celery, diagonally diced ½ inch pieces (21 to 24 oz.)
- 1 medium Honeycrisp apple (or Gala, or Granny Smith), unpeeled, small dice *
- ¾ cup dried cranberries (golden raisins, or diced dates)
- ½ to ¾ cup finely diced red onion (+/-) *
Glazed Toasted Pecans:
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
Dressing Ingredients:
- 3 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon tahini
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup (+/-) *
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard *
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Pinch to 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
Instructions
- Place the pecans into a small skillet, heat over medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning, once the pecans become toasty and fragrant, add the maple syrup. Stir constantly until the maple syrup becomes bubbly, sticky, and the maple syrup adheres to the pecans. Then immediately transfer to a glass or ceramic plate to cool.
- Place all the Dressing Ingredients into a small bowl, whisk until well combined and emulsified, then place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Place all the Salad Based Ingredients into a large bowl, mix to evenly distribute the ingredients, then set aside.
- Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients, mix well to thoroughly coat all the ingredients. Stir in the glazed pecans. Serve and enjoy! Refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Servings: Makes 8 cups (6 to 8 servings)
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