Crisp, light, and full of bright, summery flavour, this Kohlrabi, Apple, and Walnut Salad is a true celebration of fresh seasonal produce. With its delightful crunch and subtle sweetness, it’s the perfect dish for warm days — whether served as a refreshing side or enjoyed all on its own.
Kohlrabi, the unsung hero of root vegetables, brings a mild, peppery crunch that’s somewhere between a radish and a broccoli stem — clean, juicy, and incredibly refreshing. When peeled and finely sliced or julienned, it forms the crisp backbone of this salad, offering both texture and bite. Paired with sweet, juicy apples — think tart green Granny Smiths or fragrant pink Fujis — the contrast is nothing short of perfect. The apples not only lend a lovely sweetness but also a slight tang that lifts the salad into something truly special.
To add richness and an earthy depth, toasted walnuts are scattered generously throughout. Their warm, nutty flavour and satisfying crunch bring balance to the lightness of the fruit and vegetables. A scattering of fresh herbs — parsley, mint, or a touch of dill — adds colour and brightness, enhancing the garden-fresh quality of the salad.
The dressing is deliberately simple, allowing the natural flavours to shine through: a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a splash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice for zing, a touch of honey to echo the apples’ sweetness, and a pinch of sea salt and cracked black pepper to round everything out. Optional extras like crumbled feta or a few shaved radishes can elevate it further, but the core trio of kohlrabi, apple, and walnut is more than enough to impress.
Quick to prepare and endlessly versatile, this salad is as at home at a summer picnic as it is on a dinner table.
- Salad
- 1 small kohlrabi, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1 crisp, red-skinned apple, cored and diced
- 50g watercress or salad leaves
- 40g walnuts, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
- Dressing
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, plus extra for tweaking
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp light olive oil
- 1 tbsp walnut oil, or use another 1 tbsp of olive oil
- salt and pepper
- Whisk the lemon juice and mustard together in a serving bowl, then whisk the oils in slowly until you have a thick emulsified dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste
- Add the kohlrabi, apple, walnuts and salad to the bowl. Mix well and serve immediately