This apple beet salad recipe is perfect for Rosh Hashanah! If you love this, check out the pomegranate molasses recipe too! This post contains affiliate links.

This salad was created with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, in mind, but it’s fabulous for anyone looking to combine some delicious fruit with root veggies for a sweet salad.

If your approach to Rosh Hashanah menu planning is to try to fit as many simanim (symbolic foods) as possible into a simanim-based menu, this apple beet salad recipe is perfect for you! And it’s topped with pumpkin seeds, incorporating (loosely) another symbolic food: gourds.

When it comes to sweetness in “real” foods – that is, meals rather than desserts – it’s all a matter of personal preference. Rosh Hashanah is a time when we veer towards the sweeter end of things.

If you prefer something milder, I recommend turning the base into a more robust centerpiece salad by adding it to a bed of greens – romaine or mixed salad greens would be perfect.

The salad also has in it honey – making it a perfect “apples & honey dish”. You can use maple syrup for fall vibes, or omit it for a less sweet salad.

The pumpkin seeds (papitas) on the top add a slightly nutty flavor. They can be subbed for other seeds, almonds, or whatever your personal preference is.

I recommend preparing your Rosh Hashanah salad right before serving so that it retains its freshness. Roast beets in advance if you prefer. Slice the apples up to an hour before serving, but let it sit in the dressing right away so that it doesn’t turn brown.

Apple Beet Salad Recipe – Step by Step

Ingredients:

2 beets, roasted
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 apples
1 tbsp orange zest (substitute with 4 T orange juice if you don’t want to use zest – you’ll just have more of a dressing.
3 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tablespoon roasted pumpkin seeds

Instructions:

1. Slice the apples and roasted beets into thinner wedges.

2. Add the orange zest, honey, garlic, salt and pepper to the wedges. Mix well.

3. Garnish with roasted and crushed pumpkin seeds.

Notes:

Zest can be substituted for orange juice at a ratio of 2 T juice for each teaspoon of zest. Since that’s a lot of juice for this recipe, I reduced the replacement a bit.

If using raw seeds, simply crisp them up for a few minutes on medium heat in a frying pan. Make sure to watch it closely.

If you want this to be a fuller salad, simply serve it on a bed of baby arugula, lettuce, or your favorite greens.