How to Make the Viral TikTok Apple Salad With Dairy-Free Yogurt and Cheese

Just recently, we told you all about how to make a delicious vegan version of TikTok’s favorite cucumber salad. But several minutes have passed since then, so it’s time for a new trend on the social media app, and now it’s the humble apple’s turn to shine. 

If Logan Moffitt is TikTok’s cucumber guy, then Sara Hargrove is its new apple gal, or more specifically, its “trashcan apple gal.” The TikTok creator has taken the concept of trashcan nachos (which were created by Guy Fieri, the nachos are layered with multiple toppings inside a can to ensure every chip gets a topping) and created a new version with apples.

In one video, the sliced fruit is layered with ingredients like Chobani yogurt, cream cheese, and granola, and in another, they’re mixed with Jello banana créme pudding mix and Nilla wafers. TikTokers are thrilled with the results. One commented under Hargove’s Peach Cobbler Trashcan Apple recipe: “Just made this and OMG SOOOOOO good. May or may not have eaten the entire thing.” Another said under a Samoa Trashcan Apple recipe: “Immediate yes! I am ordering groceries almost daily now to keep up with these.”

RELATED: 5 Ways to Make TikTok’s Viral Crispy Smashed Potato Salad

Sara Hargrove

Others have been getting involved with their own suggestions for Hargrove. “What about a piña colada one?” asked one viewer. Another said: “Please do a s’mores one! I think it would be delicious.”

Most of the videos from Hargove involve dairy-based yogurts and other non-plant-based ingredients, but it’s easy to make a delicious vegan-friendly version of TikTok’s trashcan apples—check out some of our tips below. Plus if you prefer more of a conventional apple salad, we’ve got more delicious fall-friendly salad recipe inspiration for you, too.

How to make TikTok’s trashcan apple salad vegan

Sarah Hargrove’s original TikTok video for apple nachos is by far her most popular, with around 2.3 million views at the time of writing. She starts by saying “I’m absolutely loving the cucumber trend, but what if I did it with an apple?” before proceeding to mix apple slices in a quart container with ingredients like peanut butter, Greek yogurt, cinnamon, honey, and honey-roasted pecans before shaking it all up and declaring it “10 out of 10.”

Underneath the video, one user commented: “Cucumber salad is brat summer, apple salad is demure autumn.” InstaCart’s account added: “Here for apple’s hyper-fixation era.”

To make the popular recipe plant-based, you just need a few simple swaps. Peanut butter is already vegan, and so is cinnamon, of course, so those can stay. Just swap out the Greek yogurt for a dairy-free version, like this one from Kite Hill, for example, and the honey for agave nectar or maple syrup. Swap the pecans for a version that isn’t honey-roasted, and that’s it: the recipe is plant-based and delicious.

More vegan apple salad recipes perfect for fall

Apples are a classic fall ingredient. As well as TikTok trashcan salad recipes, they’re also delicious in pies, tarts, and ciders, of course, as well as more conventional salads, like those listed below. Each dish is easy, nourishing, and tasty, and will get you in the seasonal spirit in no time. All you need next is a PSL, and you’re ready for fall.

Hannah Kaminsky

1 Apple Fennel Salad With Orange Poppy Seed Dressing

Created by raw food chef Cherie Soria, this delicious recipe from the cookbook Angel Foods: Healthy Recipes for Heavenly Bodies is packed with fresh, zesty flavor, thanks to the orange vinaigrette dressing. It combines perfectly with fennel, red onion, apples, and nasturtium blossoms to create a delicious, easy salad you’ll want to eat on repeat.
Get the recipe

2 Apple Chickpea Kale Salad With Mustard-Dill Dressing

Tangy mustard, apples, and citrus are a match made in heaven, as this tasty warm and cold salad from the Smorgasbowl cookbook beautifully demonstrates. The texture is super crunchy and satisfying, thanks to the additions of red onion, zucchini, and chickpeas.
Get the recipe

Munch Meals By Janet

3 Vegan Apple & Feta Salad

Creamy feta is the perfect topping for a delicious, nourishing bowl of apple salad. If you require proof of that statement, just check out this delicious recipe from Munch Meals By Janet. “It’s so good, you’ll be craving it on the regular,” says recipe developer Janet Gronnow.
“It’s filled with other delectable ingredients like seasoned chickpeas, tomatoes, avocado, and almonds. With a super flavorful apple cider vinaigrette, this salad has it all!”
Get the recipe

Madeleine Olivia

4 Broccoli and Apple Salad

This salad is technically a spring dish, but this recipe from Madeleine Olivia will shine all year round, including during fall. The broccoli adds an extra boost of nutrition, as well as a super tasty, crunchy, satisfying texture. “This vegan salad is the perfect combination of light but also filling,” notes Olivia. “There is nothing worse than a salad that doesn’t actually fill you up!”
Get the recipe

Feel Good Foodie

5 Apple Walnut Salad

Apples and nuts are the perfect fall duo, so it makes sense that they’d work beautifully in a fall salad recipe. This one from Feel Good Foodie is packed with plenty of flavor, texture, and it’s incredibly easy to make. “What I like the most about this apple and walnut salad is that it’s not just quick to make, but it also calls for ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen,” says recipe developer Yumna Jawad. “Even the salad dressing is simple yet flavorful, featuring everyday items like olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and a touch of maple syrup.”
Get the recipe