The Unlikely Baker

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Easy Refreshing Apple Buko Salad

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Disclosure: This Easy Refreshing Apple Buko Salad post is sponsored by Ontario Apple Growers but all photos, words and opinions are mine. Thank you for supporting the brands and organizations that support me!

Apple buko salad is a fresh take on a classic Filipino holiday dessert. Made with young coconuts and gorgeous Ontario apples, it’s sweet, tangy, red, green, delicious!

Apple Buko Salad

Christmas prep is in full swing in the TUB household. The tree is up (who am I kidding, you guys know it’s been up for a while now lol!), presents are starting to pile up waiting to be wrapped and we’re close to finalizing the holiday menu for the different parties we’re hosting this year.

Apple buko salad will make an appearance, of course. Like Filipino Style Spaghetti, Ube Cake and Brazo de Mercedes, it’s one of those dishes that we grew up eating around the holidays (I remember there’s always buko shortage just before Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, which is a serious matter in a land of coconuts!).

It’s a refreshing, sweet and wonderful dessert to cap a sensational holiday feast.

Fresh apples instead of canned fruit

Apple Buko Salad

Traditional buko salad is usually made of young coconut plus a can (or cans) of fruit cocktail. Fresh fruit like apples, oranges and pears are not organic to the Philippines and therefore a little expensive so a lot of Filipinos turn to the cheaper, canned alternative.

Luckily, I now live in Ontario where apples are not only abundant but affordable too. Fact: there are 15 different main varieties of apples grown on nearly 16,000 acres in Ontario! So many apples, so little time. You can read more fun apple facts here.

I love apples fresh but especially love them in desserts (have you seen my Apple Galette or my Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake?). This time I paired apples with young coconut to make a beloved Filipino dessert.

Empire apples

Apple Buko Salad

For this apple buko salad, I wanted a crisp apple – one that would not get soggy submerged in all that delicious milky dressing. I knew crisp apples would also lend a wonderful texture to the salad.

I also knew I wanted a tart apple as a refreshing contrast to all that sweetness. So in the end I chose Empire apples – slightly tart, juicy and crisp. Perfect! (Here’s a great apple usage guide.)

Apple buko salad

Apple Buko Salad

Armed with a single apple goal, I went to go buy my Empire apples (quick tip: look for the Foodland logo to make sure you’re buying Ontario apples) and started to recreate a childhood favourite.

And you know how food has that magical ability to transport you? That’s what happened when we were making this. It smelled like Christmas, it looked like Christmas and it tasted like Christmas! It brought us back to a time of love, family and simple joys. Who knew a humble apple buko salad can do that?

This holiday season, amidst all the chaos that is our lives, I wish you all quiet moments filled with simple joys. And how about some apple buko salad while you’re at it? It’s quick and easy to make, no baking, just stirring, and it is delicious.

Apple Buko Salad

Easy Refreshing Apple Buko Salad

Apple buko salad is a fresh take on a classic Filipino holiday dessert. Made with young coconuts and gorgeous apples, it’s sweet, tangy, delicious!
5 from 8 votes
Print Rate
Course: Appetizer, Dessert
Cuisine: Filipino
Prep Time: 15 mins
Chilling Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
Servings: 12 people
Calories: 149kcal
Author: Jolina

Ingredients

  • 2 cups young coconut meat grated, see note 1
  • 1 1/2 lbs Empire apples (3-4 apples) cored and cubed
  • 1/4 lb sharp cheddar cheese cubed
  • 1 12-oz jar sugar palm (kaong) in syrup see note 2
  • 1 12-oz jar coconut gel (nata de coco) drained, see note 2
  • 1 10-oz can condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup table cream
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, mix all ingredients (except the milk and cream) together.
  • In a smaller bowl, whisk condensed milk and table cream until combined. Pour over fruit and stir. Chill before serving.

Notes

  1. If fresh young coconut is not available, you can buy frozen grated coconut from Asian stores or the international aisle of your supermarket. Just thaw according to package instructions.
  2. You can also find sugar palm and coconut gel in Asian stores, the international aisle, or online.
  3. Look for the Foodland logo to make sure you’re buying Ontario apples.
Tried this recipe?Tag @iamtheunlikelybaker or use hashtag #iamtheunlikelybaker!

Happy stirring!

Did you make apple buko salad? What’s that one dish that reminds you of Christmas? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.

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Reader Interactions

Comments


  1. Hello my friend! I wish to say that we tried this recipe for holidays and it was delicious! Unique way to partake of apples. Thank you very much have a nice day.

    Reply

  3. I’m not a fan of canned fruit, so I always use fresh when I’m preparing a fruit salad. Yours looks super tasty. I really want to eat some apples right now!!

    Reply

  5. This looks mouth watering and definitely very healthy too. I too love fresh fruits over canned ones while making a salad and I love salads! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Reply

  10. Yummy! This recipe looks amazing. I love easy healthy recipes, and this one I would definitely try making it soon. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply


  11. What a refreshing recipe. I have never heard young coconut meat referred to as buko. Up until a few months ago my neighbor had a huge coconut tree that would litter the yard with fresh coconuts.

    One of the first things I did as a child when we moved to Florida was crack open a fresh coconut and drink the coconut water. Having moved from New York to Florida it was one of the most exotic experiences of my childhood.

    Reply

    • Hi Arlene! Buko is just the Tagalog word for young coconut 🙂 And now you’re just making me feel jealous! My grandparents had a coconut farm where we would drink fresh coconut juice and eat fresh coconut meat. Ahhhh it was wonderful 🙂 Now I just have to make do with frozen LOL!

      Reply

    • Awesome! Do you guys put Queso de Bola? I would have loved to put some but it’s ridiculously expensive here!! The apples are a wonderful change vs. the canned fruit though. Hope you like it!

      Reply

  14. I love using fresh ingredient especially fruits in a dish! Would love to try Apple Buko Salad, since California we do have great fresh apples year round and this seems great recipe to try!

    Reply

  15. a healthy and easy alternative for breakfast. Can be made in minutes, i am surely going to add this to my recipe lists.

    Reply

  21. This sounds delicious. I actually really like eating apples with cheddar cheese, I thought I was sort of weird for eating them like that but I guess I’m not the only one!

    Reply


  22. Such and interesting recipe. I love apples in my salad but I have never added condensed milk and coconut in my salad. I cannot wait to try this. I love coconut so this definitely sounds yum!

    Reply

    • Hi Veena! I think Filipinos have a love affair with condensed milk. It seems we put it on everything lol. Hope you like this salad!

      Reply

  29. I must tell you I just started on a diet and this blog post couldn’t have come at a better time. This looks like such a simple and truly refreshing salad (and I loveeee apples). I am certainly going to try this out and also going to look through some of your other recipes. Adding your food blog to my favourites 🙂

    Reply

    • You’re in luck! I loveeeee apples too 🙂 I have some really great apple recipes on the blog. Hope you find one you like!

      Reply


  30. You always have the most interesting recipes to me! I checked out that apple guide and we love Fuji’s which of course are the sweetest but I think I’m going to try some Honeycrisp which seem similar but maybe not so sweet. I’m going to have to make this for my son. He’s the apple lover in our family.

    Reply

    • Hi Denise! I really love that guide. It’s so useful right? I never used to know what to buy. Now I have that bookmarked on my phone 🙂 Hope your son (and your family) enjoy the salad!

      Reply


  31. With abundance of apples in North America canned fruits is no longer an option..for sure this will be in my Noche Buena spread.

    Reply

    • I agree! I actually never liked the taste of the local fruit cocktail my mom used (shhh don’t tell her lol!) This is a much better version 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!

      Reply

    • Hi! Are you a Filipino living abroad too? This is a really great version of buko salad if I say so myself 🙂 Perfect for Christmas!

      Reply

  37. Love that you used fresh apples over canned – so much better!! Haven’t had a salad quite like this before, but all the flavours sound delicious! It’s nice and light and a good break in between the holidays indulgences. Wishing I had some apples left on my tree to make this….looks like I’ll have to make a trip to the grocery 😉 Have a great week, Jolina!

    Reply

    • Hey girl! (I can’t believe I only saw this now, it’s been that cray cray). There you go again making me all jealous of your lovely apple tree lol! Have a great week too!

      Reply

  40. We eat so many fresh apples all year round (we’re lucky in the fall to have an abundance of farms that grow apples.) This salad looks delicious!

    Reply

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