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A salad that’s named after a candy bar?! YES! This fresh apple and Snickers Salad is an easy dessert recipe or sweet side dish for your next potluck party or holiday gathering! The classic combination of juicy apples, creamy caramel and crunchy peanuts is undeniably delicious.
My friend Jackie originally gave me this recipe, which is one of her sister’s go-to potluck dishes. Teresa’s recipe was published in a cookbook that the local high school sells as a fundraiser, and Jackie brought me a copy because she knew that I would love it. She was right! I’ve made a few tweaks to Teresa’s original easy apple salad recipe, and I know that you will not be disappointed. Thanks to Jackie for sharing the original idea!
What is Snickers Salad?
A reasonable question if you’re not familiar with this classic dish! The “salad” is a combination of chopped Granny Smith apples, Snickers bars, and often whipped topping and pudding mix. Think of it as an “Apple Fluff!”
Variations may include chocolate chips, grapes, sliced banana, crushed pineapple (as shown here), mandarin oranges, sour cream, cream cheese, mayonnaise, peanuts (also shown here) and crushed pretzels (source).
While it’s called a “salad,” it’s safe to say that most folks would probably consider this sweet recipe a dessert! Whether you deem it a side dish or an indulgent treat, one thing’s certain: it will disappear FAST!
How to make Snickers Salad:
You won’t believe how easy this salad truly is! Simply stir together the ingredients, refrigerate, and serve. It takes a total of about 10 minutes!
Ingredients for Snickers Salad:
- Whipped topping (such as Cool Whip)
- Vanilla instant pudding
- Granny Smith apples
- Snickers bars
- Crushed pineapple
- Peanuts
First, gently fold together the thawed whipping topping and the dry pudding mix. You want to be careful not to deflate the fluffy Cool Whip, so don’t worry if the pudding mix isn’t completely combined. It will dissolve on its own when you add liquid later…
Next, the candy bars! You’ll need 5 full-size Snickers bars, or a total of about 9 ounces of Snickers if you are using smaller bars.
Add the chopped apples, chopped Snickers, chopped peanuts, and crushed pineapple (with its juice) to the whipped topping mixture.
Fold everything together gently in the bowl, cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour. So simple, and SO tasty!
What to serve with Snickers Salad:
Set it out on a dessert buffet with your other favorite cakes, cookies and pies. Or, if you really want to make your loved ones smile, offer the salad as a sweet side dish — just like you would any other fruit salad.
Here are a few entrées that go well with the salad:
- Virginia Brown Sugar Baked Ham
- 5-Ingredient Baked Ham with Apricot Glaze
- Baked Ham and Cheese Omelet
- Garlic and Herb Roast Turkey Breast
- Southern Bourbon-Glazed Beef Tenderloin
Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:
- How long does Snickers Salad last? The salad requires about 1 hour of chilling time, which allows it to “set” and gives the pudding a chance to thicken the creamy dressing. It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; however, the peanuts will lose their crunch and the sauce will become thinner and watery as the fruit releases liquid. It’s best served within 1-6 hours of preparation.
- Make a Snickers Salad with Grapes by swapping out 1 of the apples for a cup of halved red or green seedless grapes.
- Make a Twix Apple Salad by swapping out the Snickers bars for an equal amount of Twix bars (you’ll need enough Twix bars to total about 9 ounces give or take).
- A Butterfinger Salad would also be delicious! Substitute the Snickers bars for an equal amount of Butterfinger bars.
- Make it a Caramel Apple Crunch Salad by drizzling caramel sauce over top!
- Prepare the Snickers Salad with mandarin oranges by stirring in a small can of drained mandarin oranges.
- Cut down on some of the sugar in the recipe by using Sugar Free Cool Whip and sugar free vanilla instant pudding mix.
More easy Cool Whip salad recipes that you might enjoy:
- “Angel Fluff” Cool Whip Fruit Salad
- 5-Minute Cranberry Fluff Salad
- Light and Fluffy 3-Ingredient Grape Salad
- Orange Pineapple Fluff Salad
- Fluff Fruit Salad
Snickers Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed
- 1 (3.4 ounce) box vanilla instant pudding mix
- 5 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped
- 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, NOT drained
- 5 Snickers candy bars (1.86 ounces each), chopped into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup chopped dry-roasted salted peanuts
Instructions
- In a large bowl, gently fold together whipped topping and instant pudding mix, being careful not to deflate the whipped topping. The pudding mix does not need to be completely dissolved at this point, since it will dissolve on its own when combined with the liquid in the fruit.
- Fold in apples, pineapple, Snickers bars, and nuts. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. I do NOT recommend preparing the salad too far in advance, because the fruit will release additional liquid as it sits and the salad will become watery.
Notes
- How long does Snickers Salad last? The salad requires about 1 hour of chilling time, which allows it to “set” and gives the pudding a chance to thicken the creamy dressing. It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; however, the peanuts will lose their crunch and the sauce will become thinner and watery as the fruit releases liquid. It’s best served within 1-6 hours of preparation.
- Make a Snickers Salad with Grapes by swapping out 1 of the apples for a cup of halved red or green seedless grapes.
- Make a Twix Apple Salad by swapping out the Snickers bars for an equal amount of Twix bars (you’ll need enough Twix bars to total about 9 ounces give or take).
- A Butterfinger Salad would also be delicious! Substitute the Snickers bars for an equal amount of Butterfinger bars.
- Make it a Caramel Apple Crunch Salad by drizzling caramel sauce over top!
- Prepare the Snickers Salad with mandarin oranges by stirring in a small can of drained mandarin oranges.
- Cut down on some of the sugar in the recipe by using Sugar Free Cool Whip and sugar free vanilla instant pudding mix.
Ooh, wickedly YUM and I can see where I could deconstruct it and put it together one or two servings at a time if I can find the sugar free whipped topping and pudding mix. Mixing the cool whip and pudding ahead of time and adding the fruit and candy later. You can add the juice with the pineapple? Sometimes the crushed pineapple I buy seems awfully wet.
Yes, the liquid helps combine everything and adds extra flavor.