What can you make with Swiss chard? A lot more than just soups and stir fries. Here is an easy, healthy, and colorful Swiss chard salad with apple and chickpeas recipe to try out. Ingredients are readily available and simple to find. This fresh salad is perfect for summer dinner, picnic or potluck. Also try my favorite Sautéed Chard Salad.
Swiss chard is an incredibly nutritious vegetable. It tastes great in a salad and has an appealing color.
I myself discovered chard only recently but I quickly fell in love with this leafy vegetable and planted it in my garden this year.
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Here's Why This Recipe Works
- Swiss Chard is a wonderful source of Fiber. Because of this, it will keep you full longer. In addition, Chard contains 3 times the recommended daily intake of Vitamin K, good source of Vitamin A and C.
- this fresh Swiss Chard And Apple Salad Recipe can be served as a side dish or thanks to protein-packed chickpeas, this salad is great as I stand-alone meal. It is also a good choice for a meal prep.
- this vegan salad is very easy to make with common ingredients.
Ingredients
Here's an overview of the specific ingredients for this recipe. For the exact ingredients and measurements, please scroll to the recipe card below.
Ingredient Notes
- Chard. There are a few types of Swiss Chard available in the grocery stores or on the farmers’ markets: Red Chard and Rainbow Chard. It doesn't matter which one you choose. The only thing you need to pay attention to is that the leaves are firm and vibrant. Avoid the leaves that look slimy or wilted.
- Apple. For this Rainbow chard salad I recommend choosing an apple that is firm, tastes moderately sweet or slightly sour. My favorites are Gala, Fuji, Daisy or Granny Smith.
- Raisins. Both Thompsons or golden raisins will work well in this vegan Swiss Chard And Apple Salad. If you don't have raisins, they can be substituted with dried cranberries.
- Roast the chickpeas for the Rainbow Chard Salad. Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a rimmed baking sheet with the parchment paper. Spread the chickpeas on a baking sheet and pat dry with a paper towel. Drizzle the chickpeas with the 2 tablespoon of olive oil, onion and garlic powder, paprika, ¼ teaspoon of salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes stirring the chickpeas halfway. Remove chickpeas from the oven and set aside.
- Chop the chard for the Chard apple salad. Rinse the Chard leaves and pat them dry with the paper towel. Place a bunch of chard on a cutting board and holding firmly chop it into ¾ inch wide ribbons. Trim off ½ inch of the stalk's end, discard it and thinly chop the stems too. You need to chop the stems thinner than the leaves. Add chopped Swiss chard to a mixing bowl.
- Chop the apples. Quarter the apple and remove the core. Cut the quarters into ¼ inch thick slices and place them in a bowl. Toss the apples with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and set aside.
- Prepare the olive oil-lemon dressing. In a small bowl whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Combine the ingredients for the Rainbow Chard Salad. To a bowl with the chopped Swiss Chard, add apple slices, raisins, capers and crunchy roasted chickpeas. Drizzle with the olive oil-lemon vinaigrette and gently mix. Adjust the seasoning one more time and serve.
👩🏻🍳 Chef's Tip
Chickpeas. Make sure not to overbake the chickpeas. They should be crisp but still have some softness to them. I roast mine for about 30 minutes but depending on your oven you might need an additional 5 minutes.
Swiss Chard. When chopping chard leaves for the Chard salad, the stems should be chopped to about โ -1/4 inch thickness. Otherwise thicker pieces of chard stems might be a little stringy and chewy to a bite.
📖 Recipe Variations
This Swiss Chard Salad is delicious as is. However, there are certain ingredients that can make it even heartier. Here are my suggestions:
- olives. They make a wonderful addition to any salad. Choose pitted Kalamata olives or Castelvetrano olives;
- bulgur. A staple grain in Tabbouli salad can also be mixed in this Swiss Chard salad. Bulgur is very nutritious and high in good carbs which will make this salad perfect as a stand-alone meal;
- nuts. For a healthy crunch, add a handful of Pecans, Almonds or Walnuts; Seeds like sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds can be added too.
- vegetables. Sliced cucumbers and radishes also pair wonderfully with the chard and apples. Avocado can also be added.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can roast the chickpeas and combine all other ingredients in a bowl in advance. However I recommend dressing the salad with the vinaigrette right before the serving.
Absolutely! Just like with spinach and kale, raw Swiss Chard is totally edible including stems and fresh salad is a great way to enjoy this leafy vegetable.
It's one of the superfoods and is very nutritious. It has magnesium, antioxidants and certain vitamins, all the good stuff.
Sometimes. That's why we use olive oil-lemon dressing along with the sweet and sour apple. All this helps mitigate the bitterness of the chard.
🍲 Storing
This vegan Swiss Chard Salad With Apples will keep fresh in the refrigerator for about 3 days. Store it in an airtight container with a lid. These containers are my favorite.
For a quick overview of the recipe, please check out my Healthy Vegan Swiss Chard Salad With Apples web-story.
🍴Similar Recipes
If you make this recipe, please leave me a comment below and rate it. I always appreciate the feedback. Also, you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.
Recipe
Healthy Vegan Swiss Chard Salad With Apples
Ingredients
For the salad.
Instructions
Roast the chickpeas for the Chard Salad.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a rimmed baking sheet with the parchment paper.
- Spread the chickpeas on a baking sheet and pat dry with a paper towel. Drizzle the chickpeas with the 2 tablespoon of olive oil, onion and garlic powder, paprika, ยผ teaspoon of salt and pepper.
- Roast for 30 minutes stirring the chickpeas halfway. Depending on your oven, the chickpeas might need an additional 5 minutes of roasting to become nice and crisp. Remove chickpeas from the oven and set aside.
Chop the chard for the salad.
- Rinse the Chard leaves and pat them dry with the paper towel.
- Place chard on a cutting board and holding firmly chop it into ยพ inch wide ribbons. Trim off ½ inch of the stem's end, discard it and thinly chop the stems too. You need to chop the stem thinner that the leaves. Add chopped chard to a mixing bowl.
Chop the apples.
- Quarter the apple and remove the core. Cut the quarters into ¼ inch thick slices and place them in a bowl.
- Toss the apples with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and set aside.
Prepare the olive oil-lemon dressing.
- In a small bowl whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Combine the ingredients for the Chard Salad.
- To a bowl with the chopped Swiss Chard, add apple slices, raisins, capers and crunchy roasted chickpeas. Drizzle with the olive oil-lemon vinaigrette and gently mix.
- Adjust the seasoning one more time and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.
Anne says
I plan to make this for a camping trip. If I prepare this two days ahead, I am concerned about the apples browning. Would it be best to add the apples the day I am serving it? Same question for the dressing. Should I combine the whole salad other than the apples and add the dressing when I prepare it or later when I serve it? It looks delicious and I canโt wait to try it.
Iryna Bychkiv says
Hi Anne,
Yes, I would definitely cut the apples right before serving. Same with dressing. It's better to keep it separately in a jar and drizzle the salad when you're ready to serve. I hope this helps!
Rachel says
I was on the hunt for a salad recipe to try out with the rainbow chard I'd bought, but I was also worried that a salad wouldn't be edible because the chard was extremely bitter. But it was tempered so nicely in this salad by all of the lemon (I added extra because I love the acidity), as well as the sweetness of the apple and raisins. I also added the bulgur that was suggested, and roasted chickpeas are always delicious. It made a wonderful meal. I'll definitely be making this again.
Iryna says
Rachel, thank you so much for your comment and a 5-star rating! I'm very happy you liked this salad recipe:)
Carol says
Have not made this recipe yet but look forward to it in the next month or so. I have swiss chard growing in garden so when it is ready I will look forward to this.
I am so happy to learn about roasting chick peas in this method! When I first seen to rast them I thought it must be dry chick peas and it instantly had my attention, however when I saw that it was canned chick peas to roast I was really happy to see this.This is one of my favourite things about cooking and baking, there is always something new to learn!
Thanks so much for sharing your expertise and goodness with the world!
Iryna says
Hi Carol, I'm so happy you learned something new. Roasted chickpeas are my favorite crispy snack as well as a topping to so many recipes. This is so great that you're also growing Swiss Chard, it works wonderfully in salads, but also in stews and smoothies.