Zingy Marinated Beet and Apple Salad. A simple healthy salad that’s vegan and paleo friendly, and packed full of flavor! This beet and apple salad is rich in antioxidants, easy to make, and great for a seasonal side dish! Or enjoy with the family and boost your health.
Happy almost October ya’ll. I kinda dig this month. It’s like the best weather month! Cool, crisp, cozy! Which makes it the perfect excuse to dive into my family’s cookbook! Yes, we have a little cookbook and I just adore browsing through old recipes from my great aunts, grandma, great grandma, etc. Which is why I am sharing this updated version of my marinated beet apple salad recipe for you today. New photos, retested recipe. All to honor my great grandma Nanaw’s recipe! She lived to be 104 years old so I trust her judgement with recipes and health. Ha, wouldn’t you?
I don’t think she’d mind me changing the recipe a bit. In fact, I know she’d loved my version. She was the most encouraging woman I knew, plus a badass in life in general.
Okay, enough grandma gushing here. Let me tell you about the beet apple salad. Because it’s pretty badass itself, flavor wise and nutrition wise! And for all you who need some extra recovery for your body (anti-inflammatory and all), you might want to take notes and then stock up on beets and apples after, just sayin..
So what happens when we work out or do any type of physical activity of some sort? Well, our muscles are put into action. They work, then they need to rest and repair. But here’s the thing, the aerobic muscle fibers need antioxidant nutrients in order to continue to function and fight fatigue. Yep, there’s that antioxidant talk again. But we need an abundance of nutrients in order to support this antioxidant and anti-inflammatory system of ours. This is where beet and apple come into play.
Beets and Apples are some of the MOST POWERFUL foods rich in antioxidants. Beets, in particular, are rich in natural folate, which can help the body build up certain cells that fight other immune weakening cells. Apples are rich in quercetin, which quercetin plays an important part in fighting free radicals (effects of aging and inflammation).
So you see, beets and apples can help our muscle fibers repair and function properly. Which is why they make a perfection addition to your any meal or smoothie
But also, they really do taste delicious, combined! Enough nerdy nutrition talk, let me tell you how to make this beet salad, mmm k?
How to make the most delicious marinated Beet Apple Salad
First, the key to unlocking flavor (and nutrients) is by marinating the beets, apples, and optional pepper in Healthy Fats and flavorful spices. Ya’ll this is definitely A WINNER for healthy Fall inspired dish.
Here’s whatcha need.
- Beets, Apples, Lemons, Herbs To Garnish
- Olive oil or Avocado oil – Healthy Fats
- Red wine Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
- Spices- Cumin, Pepper, Sea Salt, A Touch Of Raw Sugar and if you like a kick of spice, add paprika or cayenne.
Now don’t you worry, you don’t have to tell people all this healthy mumbo jumbo. I mean, you could, but wouldn’t it be easier to just say “Hey, this apple salad is super TASTY and it’s gonna keep you strong!” Haha, I like the sound of that better.
Marinated Beet and Apple Salad
- Total Time: 2 hours+
- Yield: 4-5 1x
Description
Healthy Marinated Beet and Apple Salad
Ingredients
- 4 medium Beets
- 1 Granny Smith Apple
- ¼ cup olive or avocado oil
- ¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon gluten free worcestershire sauce (use Tamari Sauce with ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar if vegan)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt and black pepper (each)
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard or 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon paprika or cayenne (omit for nightshade free)
- ¼ cup coconut sugar or raw sugar
- Optional – toss with lettuce and slice banana pepper (omit for nightshade free)
- Optional toppings : Herbs of choice, ¼ cup optional sunflower or pumpkin seeds, nuts, peppercorns to top.
Instructions
- First clean and wash the beets.
- Steam in 1 inch water and dash of sea salt for 20 minutes at medium high heat on stove top.
- Once beets are softened and steamed, you can easily peel them and chop into quarters.
- Slice your apple thin (remove core) and combine with beets in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In another small bowl, combine your sugar, salt, and the rest of your seasoning. Set aside.
- Drizzle the oil, vinegar, and tamari or worcestershire sauce mixture over beets and apples and peppers. Then add in your seasonings and toss all together in mixing bowl.
- Place in fridge for 1 hr up to 24 hrs to marinate.
- Remove from fridge and add optional nuts and any additional herbs/peppercorns that you desire. You can also place the beet and apple salad on a bed of lettuce before serving. Drizzle with extra marinade if needed.
Notes
- If you are vegan, use 1 teaspoon tamari sauce plus ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar in place of worcestershire sauce.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Category: salad
- Method: mix
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 187
- Sugar: 17.5 g
- Sodium: 70.1 mg
- Fat: 11.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 21.5 g
- Fiber: 3.3 g
- Protein: 1.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: salad, beets, apple beet salad, healthy, marinate, dairy free, paleo, apple salad.
And I’m pretty sure my great grandma would like the sound of that too. Hmmm..come to think of it, now I know why she lived so long. Must have been the beets.
That and she practiced Tai Chi every week. I told you she was super cool!
Want more beet and apple recipes to divine into? I gotcha covered.
Beet fried Avocado Toast (an oldie but goodie)
Favorite family recipe?
I want to know! Are you making beets this season? I hope so!
Cheers,
LC
MORE HEALTHY SPRING SALAD RECIPES HERE!
This recipe is part of our fave Healthy Spring Salad Recipes collection. Check it out!
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!