Horseradish sauce with apple is a light, creamy sauce made with tart grated Granny Smith apple, crème frâiche and horseradish. Serve it with smoked salmon, roast beef, cold meats, or as a low calorie dip with crudités (raw vegetables).
Why We Love this Horseradish Sauce with Apple
This is one of my favourite starters with smoked salmon for entertaining. It's incredibly quick to prepare in advance. Because the sauce is mostly grated apple, it's surprisingly light; in fact, guests often think it's a cream sauce until they taste it.
I got this recipe from the back of a Scottish Salar smoked salmon package and since then, I've added my own spin to it.
For dinner parties, I like to make a double quantity and serve it as a horseradish dip in a scooped-out Granny Smith apple. Grate the apple flesh for the sauce, fill the hollow shell and place it on the table with a wedge of lemon. It makes a simple but fun centrepiece.
What is Horseradish Sauce?
Horseradish sauce is a condiment that contains grated horseradish root, a spicy member of the mustard family. In France it's known as 'raifort'. It's rare to find the root itself at the French market but, when there is some, they usually come from Germany.
As it's difficult to find, creamed horseradish from a jar works best - and I've found a great French raifort sauce from Alélor in Alsace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Prepare it a few hours ahead and keep chilled. The flavours develop slightly as it rests. However, I don't recommend freezing the sauce but it can keep stored covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.
This horseradish and apple sauce is great as a dip and it's low in calories (50 calories a portion). It's delicious with French crudités or raw vegetable sticks like cucumber, radishes, and carrots.
What Does Horseradish Sauce Go With?
This creamy horseradish sauce with apple pairs beautifully with many foods. Enjoy it with:
- smoked salmon, hot-smoked salmon or other smoked fish
- roast beef or steak
- cold roast meats or charcuterie
- beetroot salads - try it with this smoked mackerel and beetroot salad
As a Scot, Scottish smoked salmon is definitely the best to serve it with for starters. My favourite is Salar Hot Smoked Salmon from the Outer Hebrides in North-West Scotland. However, use any good quality wild smoked salmon if you can. It's extra special over the holidays.
As horseradish also goes so well with beetroot, add a little to the dish too. Why not add a little horseradish to this Corsican charcuterie 'Terre et Mer' plate?
Tips for the Best Horseradish Apple Sauce
After making this countless times with different apples or different ingredients, here are a few of my quick tips:
- Use only a tart apple (Granny Smith) for the best flavour balance.
- Add lemon juice immediately after grating to stop browning.
- Greek yogurt can replace crème fraîche for a lighter dip (15% fat).
- Adjust the horseradish to taste depending on the brand and the heat you prefer.
- No dill? Grate a little raw broccoli for a touch of green.
See more on the market produce page for apples
Horseradish Sauce with Apple
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Granny Smith apple organic
- 1-2 tablespoon cream of horseradish sauce (see NOTES)
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 120 ml (4oz) low fat crème fraîche (15% fat) or Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dill chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Peel and grate the apple finely into a medium bowl then quickly squeeze over the lemon juice to prevent it from turning brown.
- Stir in the other ingredients and season to your taste with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Chill until ready to serve.
Notes
Ideal with a smoked mackerel and beetroot salad, served inside these savoury choux buns or serve as a dip with raw carrots and radishes. Apple: This horseradish sauce only works with a tart Granny Smith apple. Other varieties make this sauce slightly too sweet. For a dinner party, don't peel the apple and scoop out the inside and serve any extra sauce inside the apple as a centrepiece. Variations: replace the horseradish sauce with 1 teaspoon of wasabi or 2 teaspoons of Dijon or Savora mustard, according to taste.
This recipe post was first published 26 December 2011 but is now completely updated.
Bert
We had your horseradish sauce on Christmas Eve with Scottish salmon and it was so yummy don’t want to have it with any other sauce in the future
Happy Christmas!
Jill Colonna
So thrilled to hear you liked this sauce, Bert. Isn't that tart apple so good in it? Thanks for taking the time to pop back in and tell us over Christmas. All the best for a delicious 2026!