Snickers Salad

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Snickers Salad is a classic Midwestern recipe, and the only thing crazy about it is how crazy-good it tastes! More dessert than salad, this side dish is a potluck legend. Make a big bowl for your next party and watch it vanish in minutes.

Snickers salad in three bowls surrounded by apple pieces.


 

When people joke about Midwestern cuisine, our pseudo-salads pop up a lot. Even though they taste like a dessert, we lovingly refer to them as salads because they always contain an element of fresh produce and some sort of sauce (usually based on whipped topping, cream cheese, and/or instant pudding). With winters as cold as these, we don’t take ourselves too seriously.

Whatever the label, this Snickers Salad tastes amazing. The tart apples balance out the sweetness of the dressing and chopped candy bars. It’s nutty, creamy, crunchy, tart, and sweet all in one, hard-to-believe bite. If dessert salads aren’t a thing, maybe they should be!

Recipe ingredients

Snickers Salad ingredients labeled.

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Ingredient notes

  • Instant pudding mix: Some cooks swear by using butterscotch pudding, which ups the caramel flavor. Do not substitute Cook and Serve pudding.
  • Whipped topping: Cool Whip is located in the freezer section, so thaw it before use. Or substitute homemade whipped cream if you prefer.
  • Snickers candy bars: Snickers bars come in all different shapes and sizes, from King size to Fun size. A standard, full-sized bar is 1.86 ounces, so you can use any size as long as you have about 11 ounces total. Overachievers substituting Homemade Snickers Bars need about half of the recipe.
  • Apples: The best apples for Snickers Salad are tart apples such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp but feel free to use a blend of red and green apples if you have them. Pink Lady, Galas, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, and Cortland Apples are all fine.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together milk and pudding mix.
Vanilla pudding in a clear bowl with a whisk.
  1. Fold the whipped topping into the pudding mixture.
Pudding and cool whip whisked in a clear bowl.
  1. Add Snickers pieces and apples and toss to combine. Chill until serving time.
Snickers salad in three bowls surrounded by apple pieces.

Recipe tips and variations

  • Yield: This Snickers Salad recipe makes at least 10 cups of salad, possibly more depending on the size of your apples.
  • Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days. The salad is technically safe to eat for up to 4 days, but some separation may occur and the creamy topping will get watery.
  • Optional ingredients: Some recipes add toasted pecans, sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, sliced grapes, mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, or pineapple chunks.
  • More candy bars: Substitute other candy bars such a Twix or Milky Way. Anything with a crunchy element, especially peanuts, can work here. This is a great way to use up leftover Halloween candy.
  • Snickers Caramel Apple Salad: The same delicious Snickers Salad with apples, but add a drizzle of Caramel Sauce.
  • More apple salad recipes: Try Fennel Apple Salad or Apple Walnut Salad.
Homemade Snickers bars on a wooden cutting board.
Overachievers can make and use Homemade Snickers Bars in their Snicker Salad.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Snicker Salad from?

Snicker Salad originated in the northern part of the Midwest, areas with a lot of Scandinavian/Lutheran heritage. It is most popular in North Dakota and Minnesota.

Can you make Snickers Salad with cream cheese?

Instead of pudding and milk, some cooks prefer using room temperature cream cheese and powdered sugar to make the dressing. If that sounds like you, mix together 8 ounces softened cream cheese and 1 cup powdered sugar until completely smooth. Then fold in the whipped topping, apples, and candy.

More easy dessert recipes

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A bowl of snickers salad.

Snicker Salad

Snickers Salad is a classic Midwestern recipe, and the only thing crazy about it is how crazy-good it tastes! More dessert than salad, this side dish is a potluck legend.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 10 servings (1 cup each)
Course Dessert, Salad
Cuisine American
Calories 323
5 from 4 votes

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup milk
  • 3.4 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix (see note 1)
  • 8 ounces whipped topping thawed (see note 2)
  • 6 full-size Snicker bars unwrapped and chopped into bite-size pieces (see note 3)
  • 6 large Granny smith apples cored and diced (see note 4)

Instructions 

  • In a large bowl, whisk together milk and pudding mix. Fold in whipped topping. Add Snickers pieces and apples and toss to combine. Chill until serving time.

Notes

  1. Instant vanilla pudding: Some cooks swear by using butterscotch pudding, which ups the caramel flavor. Do not substitute Cook and Serve pudding.
  2. Whipped topping: It’s located in the freezer section, so thaw it before use. Or substitute homemade whipped cream if you prefer.
  3. Snickers bars: Snickers bars come in all different shapes and sizes, from King size to Fun size. A standard, full-sized bar is 1.86 ounces, so you can use any size as long as you have about 11 ounces total. Overachievers substituting Homemade Snickers Bars need about half of the recipe.
  4. Apples: Granny Smooth apples are the best (the more tart, the better), but feel free to use a blend of red and green apples if you have them.
  5. Yield: This recipe makes at least 10 cups of salad, possibly more depending on the size of your apples.
  6. Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 2 days. The salad is technically safe to eat for up to 4 days, but some separation may occur and the creamy topping will get watery.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cupCalories: 323kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 4gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 171mgPotassium: 310mgFiber: 4gSugar: 44gVitamin A: 207IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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