Butterfinger Apple Salad

This Butterfinger apple salad is a full-sugar party bowl: tart apples, crushed Butterfinger bars and caramel folded into a vanilla pudding fluff. It takes about 15 minutes of hands-on time and a 30 minute chill, with no oven and no stove. That makes it handy for potlucks, game days and holiday buffets.

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What keeps it good is timing. If you dry the apples and add the candy late, the salad stays crunchy and doesn’t turn soupy.

What goes into the bowl

• 1 box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 cup cold milk
• 1 tub (8 oz) whipped topping, thawed
• 3 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped
• 2 Honeycrisp apples, cored and chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 5 full size Butterfinger bars, crushed
• 2 tbsp caramel sauce

Why two kinds of apples

Granny Smith brings a sour bite that keeps all that sweetness in check. Honeycrisp adds a juicier, sweeter crunch and some red color in the bowl. The recipe calls for three green and two red, and that balance works.

The pudding base

One box of instant vanilla pudding whisked with a cup of cold milk sets into a thick cream in a few minutes. Start with cold milk, since instant pudding sets best that way. The whipped topping lightens the cream so it coats the apples without weighing them down.

Putting the salad together

• Make the pudding. Whisk the instant vanilla pudding mix and cold milk for 2 minutes, then let it set for 5 minutes.
• Lighten it. Fold in the thawed whipped topping until no streaks remain. Use a spatula and a gentle hand so the air stays in.
• Prep the apples. Toss the chopped Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples with the lemon juice, then pat them dry with paper towels.
• Combine. Fold the apples and most of the crushed Butterfinger bars into the cream.
• Finish and chill. Top with the rest of the candy, drizzle with the caramel sauce and chill for 30 minutes.

Keeping the apples crisp and the candy crunchy

A fruit salad with a creamy dressing can go wrong in two ways. Apple juice pools in the bottom of the bowl, or the candy turns chewy and sticky by the time people arrive.

Dry the apples properly

Treat the apples the way you would treat berries going onto a cream tart. The lemon juice keeps them pale, and patting them dry decides whether you get a fluffy bowl or a puddle. It is the step people skip most often. Anything creamy that has to sit on a buffet suffers from extra moisture.

Add the candy late

Butterfinger has a flaky, layered peanut butter center that starts to soften as soon as it touches something wet. Add the candy close to serving time and keep a handful back for the top, so the first scoop always has some crunch.

To crush the bars, leave them in the wrapper and tap them with a rolling pin. Aim for crumbs and pea-size pieces, and stop before it turns to dust.

Small ways to change it

You can shift the apple ratio to suit your crowd. More Granny Smith gives a sharper, tangier bowl, and more Honeycrisp makes it sweeter. Keep the total at five apples so the cream still coats everything. For a neater look on a buffet, save the caramel and drizzle it on just before serving.

Serving and keeping leftovers

Serve it straight from the fridge. On a warm buffet table, set the bowl inside a larger bowl of ice so the fluff holds its shape. The salad is sweet and rich, so it sits well at the dessert end of a spread next to savory dishes.

Fridge: cover the bowl and keep it cold. It is best the day you make it, because the candy softens and the apples slowly release juice as it sits. Leftovers still taste good, just with less crunch.

Freezing: skip it. Pudding and whipped topping change texture after thawing, and the apples go soft.

Reheating: none needed. This is a cold dessert from start to finish.

If you like fruit and cream together, our no-bake Hawaiian cheesecake salad is another potluck favorite, and the classic Waldorf salad with grapes and walnuts is a crisp, savory way to use apples. For a warm caramel and apple dessert, try the salted caramel apple crisp or the mini caramel apple hand pies .

Butterfinger apple salad questions

Can I make it ahead?

Make the pudding and whipped topping base ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Chop and dry the apples and fold everything together closer to the party. Add the candy near serving time so it stays crunchy, then give it the 30 minute chill.

Why did my salad turn watery?

Usually the apples went in wet. Pat them dry after the lemon juice, before they meet the cream. A long wait in the bowl also pulls juice out of the fruit, so plan to serve it the same day.

Can I use only one kind of apple?

Yes. All Granny Smith will taste more sour, and all Honeycrisp will taste sweeter. Either works as long as you keep the total at five apples.

Do I have to use instant pudding?

Stick with instant. The recipe relies on it setting with cold milk in 2 minutes of whisking and a 5 minute rest, and cook-and-serve pudding won’t set that way.

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Written and edited by The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team

The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team writes and edits the recipes on Foodie Yummy: classic American potluck salads, holiday sides and easy comfort food, with a few low-carb options. Every recipe lists exact quantities, numbered steps and a printable recipe card, plus notes on swaps, storage and make-ahead timing. Spot a problem with a recipe? Tell us through the contact page and we will correct it. About us