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!
Cucina49
That horseradish and apple sauce looks amazing! I am keeping this in mind for the next time I serve salmon.
Magic of Spice
The macarons have such magnificent color! And your appetizer is certainly perfect for any party, lovely 🙂
Claudia
I am thinking of having this for breakfast. So clever with the tart apple. Salmon suits my post-holiday cravings.
Kiri W.
i adore anything horseradish, and the combination with apple sounds wonderfully refreshing. Well done!
Tiffany
A savory macaron! PURE genius Jill! 😀 Happy New Year! and HUGS!
Grubarazzi (@Grubarazzi)
Of course, my eye swept right to the savory macarons. This is amazing!
Patty
I've fallen asleep or wished I had(lol) at many a prolonged French lunch, the kind that starts around noon and ends at 5pm, time to go home and get ready for dinner that starts around 7 and ends after midnight..on and on in to the wee hours of the night, got to love those french party people!!!!!
thank goodness for the dancing and singing, something to get the blood moving again!
I love your very creative beet horseradish macarons and would love to try one. The colors are stunning and the horseradish apple sauce is making me hungry, also love it with the salmon, looks good in your collage.
Kim - Liv Life
Happy Holidays, Jill!! I'm excited to read about your Parisian New Year as my neighbors are visiting your beautiful city now. They have been sending the most beautiful photos, though I haven't received any for a few days. I know they have plans of dinner near the Eiffel tower and promise more photos of that special evening!
So happy you had a wonderful holiday. Going home always warms the heart.
With my mother being a horseradish fan, this recipe would be one she would really enjoy. I've got it printed and will have to see what I can do for her soon!!
Happy New Year!!!
PS... Love the collage!!!
Sissi
The sauce sounds fabulous, but the macarons must be extraordinary! I love both horseradish and beetroots, so I'm sure I would love both.
Sadly, all the horseradish creams I find here are simply not hot at all and the fresh horseradish is so rare...
I have just started to imagine your neighbours' reaction if you played bagpipes 😉
Jill
Have to admit, I love this combo and like you, find the good, hot, horseradish creams difficult to come by. However, we're lucky at the farmers' markets here since they sell these odd-looking fresh horseradishes (raifort) which are imported from Germany!
Carolyn
I adore smoked salmon of all varieties, I would love to try this one from Scotland.
Dima's Kitchen
This is phenomenal! I never would have thought of beetroot and horseradish macarons!! You always delight my palate with your creations, I can just dream up the flavours of this awesome macaron against the smoked salmon! Sounds very delightful. I will be giving it a try and will let you know how it goes 🙂
By the way, your pics are gorgeous, I could almost taste that salmon!
parisbreakfast
I would like to make a collage too
Please send ingredients...or rather components
Merci indeed 🙂
Jill
Carol, it's all just in Picasa. Select your photos that you wish to place into the collage by pinning them with the pin button, then just hit the collage button above it (I didn't notice it at first since it was so small but hover your mouse above it and it will tell you what it is.) Then you can choose how you want your collage to be presented. It just walks you through it! Hope this makes sense...
Choclette
Great post as always. You had me on the beetroot and horseradish macs. This is such a great combination, would love to try it in one of your macaroons. Glad you had a good Christmas and very much hope you have a good Hogmanay and manage to stay awake for dessert!
Jill
Thanks, Choclette. Cheers to many more of your incredible chocolatey creations and a very Happy 2012 to you!
Parsley Sage
Heh. You crack me up. 'Dead-beet.' That's MY kind of humor!
Gorgeous salmon recipe, and my mind is a blowing up a little with the savory macaron pairing. I fear there would be massive overeating if I were there. But the, that's what the holidays are for 🙂
Jill
Hehee. Don't beet yourself up about it. Hope you're enjoying your holidays!
Lora
How unusual. Proving once again, you can do just about anything with macarons. Happy New year!
Jill
Gutes Neues Yahr, Lohr. Wishing you all the best for 2012 with all of your amazing, rocking creativity!
Tina@flourtrader
All of this comes together so well! I love smoked salmon and the sauce is a divine topper-yum! Also, it would not be the same without one of your signature macarons, great post Jill! I hope you are enjoying the holiday with family and friends.
Jill
Thanks, Tina. Yes, it was wonderful and all too short as already back at work and eldest sick but being together with close family and the ones you love is worth everything, eh? All the best for a fabulous year of baking ahead, Tina!
thoma
such a wonderfully written post Jill. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you sista. isn this a wonderful season for the old and new and salmon stuffed suitcases at Ryanair ;p
keep well.
Jill
Salmon-stuffed suitcases? Here's to more of your infectious humour in 2012, Thoma!
Liz
Oh, what a delicious starter, Jill! I imagine it's even better is you get some of that fine Scottish salmon 🙂 I hope you had a very merry Christmas...and wishing you nothing but blessings in 2012!
Jill
Now I wonder if we could do something with your Frangelico cocktail? Cheers to your good health, Liz!
Amy
Beet horseradish macaroons are something I would love to try! I eat beets almost every day, and I cannot resist the kick of horseradish! The apple and salmon sound lovely as well, and were I not a vegetarian I would be all over them ;)! Hope you had a wonderful Holiday weekend Jill :)!
Jill
Nearly every day? Gosh, that takes some 'beeting', Amy! Hope you're having a wonderful time, too. Now my daughter has a racking cough so plenty of TLC and spice needed!
Vicki Bensinger
It's better than I can do at this point so I think it looks terrific!