Taffy Apple Salad

This sweet salad really tastes like a taffy apple! It’s an easy side dish for a cookout that you can make in under 20 minutes.

“Salad” is a bit of a misnomer here. This recipe doesn’t contain any salad greens, but you won’t be sorry about it!

Taffy Apple Salad is a sweet salad, made with apples, peanuts, pineapple, and whipped topping. You can serve it as a side dish (that’s what I do!) or dessert. It’s the perfect side dish for burgers, hot dogs, kabobs, and other summertime fare.

What you’ll need

• I like to use tart Granny Smith apples. You could use another sweeter apple, but this salad already has plenty of sweetness to it. Tangy Granny Smith apples complement the other ingredients nicely.
• You need crushed pineapple for this recipe. It disperses throughout the salad and you can get a bit of pineapple in every bite!
• The peanuts can be skin-on or skin-off—it doesn’t matter. Just make sure that they are salted peanuts. The sweet and salty combination makes this salad irresistible.
• Whipped topping (such as Cool-Whip) can be found in the freezer section of your grocery store. Do not substitute whipped cream here. It won’t work as well!

Step-by-step instructions

Put the pineapple in a colander set over a large bowl. A fine mesh strainer is best for this. Press the pineapple with the back of a spatula until all of the liquid is released. Keep the liquid! You’ll need it for the next step.

It’s really important to make sure that all of the liquid is pressed out. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a watery salad.

Chop the apples into ½ inch pieces, and toss them with the reserved pineapple juice. Let sit while you go on to the next steps.

Whisk together the vinegar, egg, and flour until smooth. Then, whisk in the sugar.

Use a spatula to fold in the drained pineapple, most of the nuts (reserve a few for the top), and the whipped topping. The key is to fold in these ingredients gently.

Place the apples on an absorbent, clean kitchen towel and dry them off. Squeeze, blot, do whatever you need to do to get them dry. This step is important to avoid a watery salad!

Fold in the apples to the mixture. Then, transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and top with the remaining nuts.

FAQs

Why is my salad watery?
Too much of the pineapple juice made its way into the salad. Make sure to press ALL of the liquid out of the crushed pineapple, and dry the apples really well before adding them.

Do I need to peel the apples?
Nope! You can if you want to, but I like the extra crunch that the peel adds.

Can I make this dairy free?
Definitely. Instead of regular whipped topping, use a dairy-free whipped topping. Two examples include So Delicious Coco Whip and Tru Whip Vegan (make sure it says vegan—regular Tru Whip contains dairy).

What can I serve with Taffy Apple Salad?

Some people serve it as a dessert. It’s certainly sweet enough to qualify as dessert!

Other people (like me) serve it as a side dish. It’s great for a cookout, and pairs nicely with burgers, grilled chicken, or grilled kabobs. It would also be delicious with these Grilled Brats with Tomato Jam.

We just had it with pulled pork sandwiches at a recent family get-together. As a family with serious sweet tooths, we still had dessert (Mississippi Mud Pie, a summer tradition in our family).

If you’re on the hunt for another sweet salad, Pistachio Salad is a crowd favorite, and it takes just 10 minutes to make!

If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and comment below, or tag me on Pinterest or Instagram. I love hearing from you!

Taffy Apple Salad

Kate Shungu

This sweet salad is the perfect side dish for a cookout. It really does taste like a taffy apple!

4.86 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 0 mins

0 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Calories 270 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple
• 3 large Granny Smith Apples
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup dry roasted peanuts roughly chopped
• 1 (8 oz) container whipped topping (like Cool Whip)

Instructions

 

• Place the pineapple in a colander set over a large bowl. Drain pineapple thoroughly, pressing on it with the back of a spatula until no more juice comes out. This is essential to not having a watery salad, so please drain it really well! 
• Chop the apples into ½ inch pieces. Place the apples in the bowl with the pineapple juice and toss. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad. 
• In another large bowl, whisk together the egg, flour, and vinegar until smooth. Whisk in the sugar. 
• Reserve 2 tablespoons of nuts to sprinkle on top.
• Using a spatula, fold in the drained pineapple, the rest of the nuts, and whipped topping. 
• Drain the apples and place them on a clean kitchen towel. Use the towel to thoroughly dry the apples. This is also essential to not having a watery salad!
• Fold in the apples with a spatula. Transfer to a serving bowl, and top with the reserved nuts. 
• Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

You MUST thoroughly drain the pineapple and thoroughly dry the apples. The salad will be watery if you don’t do this well. 

If you prefer, you can remove the skin from the apples before chopping. I prefer to keep the skin on for extra crunch! 

You cannot substitute whipped cream for the whipped topping. It needs to be whipped topping, sold in the freezer section of the grocery store. It has stabilizers in it that enable it to hold the apples, peanuts, and pineapple. 

You CAN substitute a non-dairy whipped topping, such as So Delicious Coco-Whip or Truwhip Vegan (make sure it’s marked “vegan”). That will make this dairy free! 

The salad is best on the day that it is made, but it can be made up to one day ahead. Refrigerate it until ready to serve. 

Nutrition

Serving: 8servingsCalories: 270kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 5gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 39mgFiber: 3gSugar: 32g

Keyword side dish salad, taffy apple salad

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