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You are here: Home » Vegetarian

Mexican Apple Pecan Salad

Published: Dec 24, 2015 · Updated: Mar 11, 2021 by Mely Martínez

JUMP TO RECIPE

The apple pecan salad is a popular dish in Texas and Mexico. It's also great to serve during the holidays! This apple salad is made with fresh apples, celery, raisins, pecans, and mayo. It tastes best when it has time to sit for at least an hour so all the flavors have time to meld together. You can serve this apple salad as a side or as a main dish.

Mexican Christmas Apple Salad

Are you looking for a delicious salad to serve at your holiday dinner? You should try making this Mexican version of Waldorf salad: apple pecan salad!

Every year around this time, I try to share some traditional Christmas dinner recipes. Some are known all over Mexico, and others, like this Christmas apple pecan salad, are better known in the central states of Mexico.

People have changed and updated this classic recipe many times since the 1940s. It used to be made with homemade mayonnaise and served with lettuce leaves, but nowadays, it looks more like a dessert than a simple salad.

 Today’s cooks add canned pineapple chunks, shredded coconut, mini marshmallows, and use sweet cream instead of mayonnaise!

History Behind Christmas In Mexico

Christmas in Mexico is full of color, music, and of course, great food. Christmas tree ornaments, poinsettias, piñatas, candles, and candies bring a joyful feeling to everyone across the country. Our celebrations begin on December 16th, when the “Posadas” start. Posadas are processions of people carrying the Nativity scenes, representing Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem.

During those 9 days, they will go from house to house asking for lodging. Posadas means “inn” or “lodging”. When all the friends and relatives carrying the nativity arrive at the house where it will rest for the night, they will have a party, and break the traditional piñata.

A bigger celebration is done the evening of the 24th. Some of the traditional foods served at these parties are:

  • Pozole
  • Tamales
  • Buñuelos
  • Atoles
  • Mexican Christmas Punch
  • Champurrado

This is just naming a few!

Mexican Apple Salad vs. Waldorf Salad

I know you must be thinking that it looks a lot like a Waldorf salad, and indeed it does. Somehow, this salad was adopted into our culture early on and even appears in Christmas recipe books from the 1940s as a Christmas salad.

Waldorf salad is a fruit and nut salad that usually includes green apples, green grapes, walnuts, and is covered in a mayonnaise dressing. It is typically served on a bed of crispy lettuce.

Mexican apple salad is similar, but there are a few differences. It uses pecans instead of walnuts, raisins instead of grapes, and has a tangy addition of Mexican cream or sour cream and can be served with or without the lettuce.

They are both honestly delicious!

Frequently Asked Questions About Apple Pecan Salad

Before I share my salad recipe, here are a few questions I’ve been asked about homemade Christmas apple salad.

What type of apples is best for a salad?

For this Mexican apple salad, I suggest you use sweet red apples. My favorite varieties are Red Delicious or Gala.

What can I use instead of pecans?

Even though pecans are the traditional choice, you can use chopped or sliced walnuts or cashews instead.

What are some other ingredients I can mix into the salad?

You can also add some thin-sliced carrots and mini marshmallows to this Mexican Christmas salad.

Can I make this salad ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator?

This salad does not last very long in the refrigerator. I suggest making it and serving it immediately. You could store it for a few hours ahead of time, but I wouldn't keep it longer than a day.

Easy Apple Pecan Salad

Here is a list of ingredients you will need to make this dish…

  • Lime Juice
  • Red Apples
  • Celery
  • Raisins
  • Mexican Cream (or Sour Cream)
  • Pecans
  • Mayonnaise
  • Cherries
  • Parsley springs

Please note: For exact measurements of the ingredients listed above, scroll down to the recipe card located at the bottom of this post!

JUMP TO FULL INSTRUCTIONS

ingredients needed for Apple Salad

How To Make Christmas Apple Salad: Step By Step Tutorial

To make things easier for you, I am going to break down the directions to this recipe into sections.

Prepare Apples In Lime Water

  • In a large bowl, pour 1 cup of water and the lime juice and stir.
  • Dice the apples. As you're dicing the apples, place them in the bowl with the lime-water to keep them from becoming brown.
  • Once you finish dicing the apples, make sure to toss them well with the lime-water and then drain the water.

Mix The Fruit and Nuts

  • Place diced apples, chopped celery, raisins and pecans in a large bowl and mix well.

Combine Ingredients With The Dressing

  • In a small bowl, mix the cream with the mayonnaise. Pour over the chopped fruit and stir.
  • Season with salt and pepper.

Serve The Salad

  • You can either serve it on small plates over small lettuce leaves or in small glass cups, garnished with cherries and curly parsley sprigs!

Mexican Christmas Apple Salad

What To Serve With Apple Pecan Salad

Serve this delicious salad with lots of other traditional Mexican holiday recipes!

A very popular Christmas dish is tamal de cazuela. It's a casserole that will feed a large family. For the drink, make some ponche Navideño Mexicano. It is a warm drink with the bright taste of oranges.

On the side, make some deviled sausages. Make extras because they make the perfect snack too!

Mexican apple pecan salad recipe

More Authentic Mexican Recipes To Enjoy

If you enjoyed this recipe for Mexican apple salad, take a look at some of these other authentic Mexican recipes:

  • Chayote Salad
  • Raw Nopales Salad
  • Mexican Chicken Salad
  • Hearts of Palm Salad
  • Summer Corn Salad With Avocados and Tomatoes

I hope you make this apple pecan salad! If this recipe was of any help to you, come back to let me know your experience. Please leave us a comment done below and tell us all about it!

Mely

Mexican Christmas Apple Salad

Mely Martínez
Mexican Christmas Apple Salad - You can either serve it on small plates over small lettuce leaves or in small glass cups. It has gone through many changes since then; it used to be made with a homemade mayonnaise and served with lettuce leaves, but nowadays it looks more like a dessert...
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 0 mins
0 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Desserts
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 247 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • ½ lime juice or 2 tsps. of lime juice
  • 1 Pound red apples About 2 large apples
  • ⅔ cup celery finely chopped
  • ⅔ cups raisins
  • ½ cup Mexican cream or sour cream
  • ⅔ cups pecans chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
  • 8 Cherries for garnish
  • 6 Curly parsley sprigs for garnish
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, pour 1 cup of water and the lime juice and stir.
  • Dice the apples. As you’re dicing the apples, place them in the bowl with the lime-water to keep them from becoming brown. Once you finish dicing the apples, make sure to toss them well with the lime-water and then drain the water.
  • Place diced apples chopped celery, raisins, and pecans in a large bowl and mix well.
  • In a small bowl, mix the cream with the mayonnaise. (If you want to add the diced pineapple, shredded coconut, and small marshmallows, do so in this step.) Pour over the chopped fruit and stir, season with salt and pepper*.
  • You can either serve it on small plates over small lettuce leaves or in small glass cups, garnished with cherries and the curly parsley sprigs.

Notes

This is my personal version, trying to stay close to the earlier recipes for this salad, but if you want you can add diced pineapple, more cherries, shredded coconut, and marshmallows. If you add these last fruits, skip seasoning with pepper. I like to peel the apples, but it should have the skins on. It gives a nice color to the salad. If you love sweet salads, you will enjoy this one too.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.75cupCalories: 247kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 2gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 158mgPotassium: 320mgFiber: 4gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 224IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Liza

    December 12, 2020 at 9:56 pm

    I add grapes (halved or quartered), fresh or canned pineapple, and add 1-2 teaspoons sugar -instead of salt.
    😘So good!

    Reply
  2. Tiffany tifferella

    January 11, 2019 at 3:56 pm

    What kind of Mexican cream did you use?

    Reply
    • mmartinez

      January 11, 2019 at 9:54 pm

      Hello Tiffany,
      Look for a Mexican cream labeled as table cream that has no salt. If you don't find it mix half sour cream with half heavy cream.

      Reply
      • Tiffany

        February 26, 2020 at 7:27 pm

        Thank you! Mely you're the best!

  3. Fabiola Blogger

    December 30, 2015 at 4:17 am

    5 stars
    I made this for Christmas, but instead of using cream I used yogurt and I also added diced pineapple. It was a hit!

    Reply

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ABOUT ME

Mexico in my kitchen | Mely Martinez

Hi, I'm Mely Martinez, a former Mexican school teacher, home cook, and food blogger. I moved to the United States about ten years ago, after living in Mexico my whole life. Now I love to share home-style recipes for authentic Mexican food.

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