Apple Pico De Gallo
Apple Pico De Gallo is the perfect sweet and savory fruit salsa! Pair with White Cheddar Nachos for a beautiful snack!
A few weeks ago, I ate at a super awesome restaurant in Nashville with a big group of local food bloggers. We ate, and drank, and ate, and ate….and then ate some more. My kind of evening!
It was such a cool experience to be with a group of people who are passionate about the same things you are. Not to mention getting to eat a ton of great food, that I didn’t have to cook! My weeknight meals usually consist of something fairly quick, like this Grilled Jalapeno Lime Chicken or One Pan Lemon Parmesan Chicken, so to be catered to was a real treat!
One of my favorite meals of the night ended up being the one I was least excited about- the pumpkin soup. When I saw it on the menu I thought “meh…” and that was it. As far as I was concerned, it was the dish standing between me and the bacon wrapped shrimp!
But a big bowl of piping hot creamy pumpkin soup was placed in front of me and I tasted it. I immediately knew something magical had happened. I had become obsessed with the stuff in just one bite!
The soup was a bit spicy, but was topped with this cool Apple Pico De Gallo which blended the sweet and savory sides of the dish together perfectly. As much as I loved the soup, it is the Apple Pico De Gallo I have been craving since that night! I have no idea what was in the restaurant version, but I imagined it with sweet Ambrosia apples.
Roasted grapes, cranberries, cinnamon, honey and nuts were a must too! But the real kicker comes when you toss in chopped green onions and serve it with baked White Cheddar Nachos. The sweet and savory combo is so refreshing!
Ingredients for Apple Pico De Gallo
As always, here is a quick overview of the ingredients needed to make this Apple Pico De Gallo. For the complete recipe, just keep scrolling.
For the Apple Pico De Gallo:
- Purple grapes- seedless
- Cranberries- fresh, not dried
- Butter
- Honey
- Cinnamon
- Apples- Ambrosia apples are needed for this recipe
- Pecans- chopped
- Sunflower seeds- salted
- Green onions- diced
For the Baked White Cheddar Nachos:
- Corn tortillas- if you aren’t gluten free, flour tortillas will also work
- White cheddar cheese
- Sea salt- if desired
- Cooking spray
How to make Apple Pico Dip
Here is how we make it! First, we roast our grapes and fresh cranberries with a tiny bit of butter, honey and spices. Have you ever roasted grapes? If you haven’t, it is kind of like magic.
They become a bit soft, but not mushy, and they are so much sweeter. The flavor is so fantastic! When you roast your cranberries, they will burst, unlike your grapes, but that is perfect because it helps take away some of the tartness.
Now your roasted fruit needs to cool completely. You can do this the day before if you would like and store them in the fridge overnight. If you are making that day, just give the fruit ample time to cool.
When you’re ready to make your nachos, just cut some corn tortillas and spray them with a bit of oil. Bake them for about 5 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and shredded sharp white cheddar.
To finish the Apple Pico De Gallo you will add two chopped Ambrosia apples. The reason Ambrosia apples work so well in this recipe is because they have a distinct honeyed flavor. I do not recommend using a different type of apple for this Pico De Gallo recipe.
The natural honey flavor in the Ambrosia apples is brought out because we roasted the grapes and cranberries in honey. They are also crisp and juicy which balances out the other ingredients like sunflower seeds, pecans, green onions so well. There you have it! A fun, festive, and totally beautiful snack loaded with fiber and Vitamin C!
Can you make Apple Pico ahead of time?
Absolutely! Since your fruit will need to cool completely, this recipe is ideal for making before you plan on enjoying it. Roast your fruits and place in an airtight container and place in the fridge. They will stay good in the fridge for 2-3 days.
If you want to chop the apples beforehand as well, that also works great. Chop your apples and add about a tablespoon of lemon juice to them to prevent browning. Place in an airtight container and put in the fridge for 3-5 days.
To make your Baked White Cheddar Nachos ahead of time, go ahead and make them according to the instructions but do not add the cheddar cheese. Store in a plastic bag (try to get as much air out of the bag as you can) at room temperature for 2-3 days.
When you’re ready to serve, reheat your chips in the oven at 350 for 5-10 minutes and add the cheddar cheese. Add the cooked fruit and Ambrosia apples and you’re ready to go! This is a match made in heaven!
Other Easy Recipes
- Chocolate Popovers with Raspberry Syrup
- Fruit Spice Tea
- Ham Wrapped Potatoes with Smokey Honey Mustard
Get the Recipe: Apple Pico De Gallo
Ingredients
For the Apple Pico De Gallo
- 1 cup seedless purple grapes
- 3/4 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons honey, divided
- 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 Ambrosia apples, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, salted and shelled
- 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
For the Baked White Cheddar Nachos
- 6 corn tortillas
- 1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
- Sea salt, if desired
- Cooking spray
Instructions
For the Ambrosia Apple Pico De Gallo:
- Preheat the oven to 375.
- In a medium size mixing bowl combine the grapes, cranberries, melted butter, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and one tablespoon honey. Mix until fruit is coated evenly.
- Place fruit on a medium size baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.
- Scrape roasted fruit and juices into a bowl and let cool completely.
- Add the chopped apples, pecans, sunflower seeds, onions, and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon honey. Mix well.
For the Baked White Cheddar Nachos:
- Preheat oven to 375
- Cut corn tortillas into triangles and place on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray in a single layer. Spray the tops of the tortilla chips and sprinkle with sea salt if desired.
- Bake 7 minutes, flip and bake 5-7 more minutes.
- Sprinkle with shredded white cheddar cheese.
- Serve with Apple Pico De Gallo
what a creative recipe!!
Thanks Caralyn!
Sounds like you had a great dinner, Annie! This pico de gallo looks amazing! I love the apple twist to it, makes it so sweet and refreshing! The grapes and cranberries sound perfect too, especially with your homemade nachos! Yum!
Thanks Gayle! I know it is kind of an unusual ingredient list but the combination is wonderful!
This is such a unique dish! I love this idea. Roasted fruit… HECK.YEAH. I totally love a good pumpkin soup, btw! One of my favorite fall things! 🙂 This pico de gallo looks fabulous!
Thanks Sarah! I don’t think I will ever be able to eat unroasted grapes again! 😉
Like you said, this is seriously so festive and perfect!!! I am in love with the inventiveness of it!
Thank you!!
I wish I could have been at that fun blogger dinner! I’ve always wanted to do something like that, and actually meet all these nice ladies whose blogs I read. I can see why you were still craving this apple pico de gallo. Sounds delicious!
Oh Natalie come to Nashville! 🙂 You should see if there is a group in your area! It is really fun!
Wow, I love the roasted grapes and cranberries in this! So yum! I have never heard of Ambrosia apples, but I will definitely be on the lookout for them!
Thanks Jess! The roasted grapes are super addictive! And you will love the Ambrosia apples, so sweet and crisp! 🙂
I can’t wait until Thanksgiving – festive and perfect
<Many Thanks
Thanks Randy!! 🙂