This creamy, sweet, and caramel-y Apple Snickers Salad is the ultimate potluck or party dessert for a crowd! Made with simple ingredients like pudding, whipped cream, Snickers candy bars, and crisp apples; it can be whipped up in under 10 minutes!
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I took a poll on Instagram asking who had heard of Apple Snickers Salad and was shocked that only 30% of you had heard of it! So I figured it was due time to post my family's recipe here on the blog!
By no means did we invent this dessert OR this recipe, but this is the version that has been in our family cookbook for years (besides me doubling the amount of Snickers because the Midwesterner in me had to make it as close to a Dairy Queen Blizzard as possible, duh).
Ingredients for Apple Snickers Salad
This recipe makes a great potluck side dish or dessert, as it serves up to 12 people! You can also double (or triple) it to make more.
- 1 (5.1 oz.) box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 cup milk
- 8 oz. Cool Whip
- 3 apples (you can use any apple but we like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp)
- 2 cups Snickers (6 large Snickers or about 18 fun size) - you can use less if you prefer
- Optional: Caramel Sauce for Topping
How to Make Apple Snickers Salad
This caramel apple salad recipe is super easy to make & can be whipped up in less than 10 minutes!
Before starting: Split the Snicker bars into 2 sections. Chop half of them into small ½" cubes. Then finely chop the other half to resemble crumbs (these will help make sure there are Snickers in every bite!). Set a few of the cubes & crumbs aside for topping, if desired.
Step 1: Mix together instant pudding and milk with a whisk until smooth (note: since we're using less milk than the normal box instructions, the mixture will look a little grainy and that's fine).
Step ⅔: Gently fold in the whipped cream, being sure not to overmix and "deflate" the whipped cream.
Step ⅘: Lastly, gently mix in all of the chopped Snickers and (peeled) apple cubes. If desired, top with the reserved Snicker cubes/crumbs and drizzle with caramel sauce. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Apple Snicker Salad is a popular Midwest dessert made with instant pudding, whipped cream, Snicker bars, and apples. It's a staple for family gatherings & potlucks and according to Google it originated in Iowa (which is where I grew up!). Other names you may have seen it called are: Candy Bar Apple Salad or even Snickers Caramel Apple Salad (if you do add the caramel sauce!) or even just Snickers Dessert.
We never added the caramel sauce growing up so that's just an optional touch to make it pretty.
Granny Smith is probably the most common used apple for this but you can really use any that you like to eat (we also like using Honeycrisp). Just note that a softer apple like Red Delicious may get softer as the dessert sits (especially if you keep it overnight), which you may like but we prefer a crisp bite!
For the best texture, I'd really recommend making it the day of. But you can make it a day before, as long as you make sure all the apples are coated with the whipped cream mixture and you store it an air-tight container. I probably wouldn't recommend making it any more than 1 day ahead or you risk the apples getting watery and the cool whip "deflating". If you do want to make it ahead, I find that granny smith apples keep their crisp, crunchy texture better than a softer, red apple (which start to get soft).
It's definitely best day-of or within 1 day of making. I wouldn't recommend freezing it, as the texture will not thaw well.
If you're serving it at a potluck as a side dish or dessert, it will typically serve 12 people. But that's assuming everyone actually eats it and that's not usually the case with potlucks. You can easily double or triple the recipe to serve more!
This recipe is 100% a dessert (not a healthy salad) but if you want to make it a little lighter, you can use sugar free pudding, light whipped cream, and cut the amount of Snickers in half (although in my opinion, the amount of Snickers is what make it so good, of course!).
There's also other recipes online that use cream cheese and brown sugar (which area also probably tasty!) but I like our recipe because it's literally dump & mix without having to even get out the mixer.
Easy Apple Snickers Salad
Ingredients
⭐️ Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor afterwards and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
- To prep, split the 2 cups Snickers candy bars into 2 sections. Chop half of them into small ½" cubes (1 cup). Then finely chop the other half to resemble crumbs (1 cup). Set aside. (Remember to set a few of the cubes & crumbs aside for topping, if desired!) Also peel, core, and chop the 3 Apples (we like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp) into small ½" cubes. Set aside.
- Mix together 1 (5.1 oz.) box instant vanilla pudding mix and 1 cup milk with a whisk until smooth (note: since we're using less milk than the normal box instructions, the mixture will look a little grainy and that's normal).
- Gently fold in the 8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed, being sure not to overmix and "deflate" the whipped cream.
- Lastly, gently mix in all of the chopped Snickers and apple cubes.
- If desired, top with the reserved Snicker cubes/crumbs and drizzle with caramel sauce.
- Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Thank you for the recipe. I found others but yours is the one I like best. Thank you for sharing!!!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Tammy!
I made this salad for my nephew and he failed madly in love with it. The first time I had the salad was at a potluck at work it was delicious and decided to do this salad for my family.
So glad to hear you guys enjoyed this recipe so much! Thank you so much for leaving a review, Sharron!
It looks really good, but instead of snickers I'm using milkways in case people can't have peanuts.
My friend made this today at his barbecue, and it was absolutely delicious!
So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for leaving a review, Jane!
Very yummy!!!! Easy to make 😁
I'm so glad you enjoyed the Apple Snickers Salad recipe, Darla! Thanks so much for leaving a review! I appreciate it!
I did, like your recipe better then the other one I made
I am glad that you enjoyed it Janice, thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
Is there another candy bar , that works with this. In case someone id allergic to peanuts.
I have made this before but I have never used pudding in it will try it next time
Let me know how you like it!