Apples, celery, grapes, and nuts provide the perfect combo of crunchy and sweet in this classic Waldorf salad recipe. This dish will add a touch of class to any holiday meal year round!

bowl filled with Waldorf Salad


 

Waldorf salad is great for any time of year, and we like to serve it at holidays. We most like it at Easter, pairing it alongside honey glazed ham, macaroni salad, and duchess potatoes. It not only gives your spread that finishing touch of a well rounded meal, but it only takes 15 minutes to make!

If you’re hosting Easter dinner this year make sure to check out our guide on hosting Easter dinner for 6-8 people.

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Waldorf Salad made with apples and grapes

Ingredients for Waldorf Salad

  • Mayonnaise – You can substitute sour cream or plain yogurt if you prefer.
  • Lemon juice – This not only adds a little citrus zest to your dish, but also helps keep your apples from browning.
  • Salt – We use Kosher salt for this recipe.
  • Apples – The crisper the better. We prefer red-skinned apples but you could mix in Granny Smith if you like something a little less sweet.
  • Celery – Fresh celery adds to the crunch factor.
  • Red grapes – These add just enough sweet to counterbalance the tart apples.
  • Walnuts – These give your salad a great texture and crunch.
  • Lettuce – We like to use a nice spring mix or some bright butter lettuce leaves to create an eye pleasing presentation.

Best Apples to Use

While classic Waldorf salad recipes use red delicious apples, we prefer gala or fuji apples. These apples are sweet but also add a nice tartness to the dish as well as a crisper texture.

We also sometimes like a mix of granny smith and sweet red. Feel free to use whatever apple is your favorite.

Waldorf Salad made with fruits and greens

Instructions

Step 1 – Make the dressing. In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and salt.

Step 2 – Assemble the salad. In a large bowl combine the chopped apples, celery, and red grapes. Pour the mayonnaise mixture over the fruit and toss together then gently fold in the walnuts.

Step 3 – Serve. Spoon the salad over a bed of lettuce before serving.

More Classic Salads

Dressing for Waldorf Salad

For our dressing, we use mayonnaise as a base and add lemon juice to help keep the apples from browning so quickly, and salt to add some additional flavor.

Traditional dressings for the Waldorf salad use mayonnaise but if you would like to cut the fat (or just despise mayo) feel free to substitute sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.

Recipe Variations

We are giving you the traditional Waldorf salad recipe, but it is very easy to make substitutions to this recipe based on your likes and dislikes. The flexibilty of this recipe is one of the things that makes it such a great choice as a side dish.

  • Instead of walnuts, you can try almonds, pecans, or even a mix of nuts. Just make sure the nuts you choose and unsalted.
  • We gave you our preference of apples, but you can try any variety you wish. You can even mix different kinds together.
  • While we use red grapes, you can use green or mix green and red grapes together. You can even substitute them with dried cranberries or raisins if you prefer.
  • If you aren’t a celery fan, you can easily substitute it with chopped fennel bulb or jicama to put your own spin on the dish.
  • You can even make it a full meal by adding cooked chicken, using canned or rotisserie if you’re short on time!
Waldorf Salad made with apples, grapes and walnuts
Why is it Called Waldorf Salad?

Waldorf salad is named for the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City, where it was created in 1896 by the maître d’hôtel, Oscar Tschirky for a charity ball for the St. Mary’s Hospital for Children. Later that year, Tschirky published a recipe book simply titled “The Cook Book” in which the recipe for Waldorf salad appeared, allowing everyone to bring this famed salad to their dinner tables.

How to Long Does It Last?

This dish will last up to the three days in the refrigerator if stored in an airtight container. However, we do not recommend making this dish ahead of time as the apples may brown slightly while stored, despite the lemon juice. It is best when freshly made.

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lettuce cup filled with Waldorf Salad made with apples and grapes

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Servings: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes

Waldorf Salad

Created By: Kat Jeter & Melinda Caldwell
Waldorf Salad is a classic side dish made with crisp apples, crunchy celery and walnuts, and sweet grapes. All tossed in a creamy dressing.
bowl filled with Waldorf Salad
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • 2 Apples, Crisp apples such as Gala or Fuji, cored and diced
  • 1 cup Celery, chopped (about 3 stalks)
  • 1 cup Red grapes, halved
  • ½ cup Walnuts, roughly chopped
  • Lettuce

Instructions

  • In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and salt.
  • In a large bowl combine chopped apples, celery, and red grapes.
  • Pour the mayonnaise mixture over the fruit and toss together.
  • Gently fold in the walnuts.
  • Serve over a bed of lettuce.

Nutrition

Calories: 242kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 7mg, Sodium: 230mg, Potassium: 199mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 135IU, Vitamin C: 5.1mg, Calcium: 22mg, Iron: 0.5mg
Nutrition Disclaimer: We are not certified nutritionists. Nutrition facts are an estimate and are provided as a courtesy. They are generated by an online API which recognizes ingredient names and amounts and makes calculations based on the serving size. Results may vary.
Course: Side
Cuisine: American
Handwritten signature for Kat & Melinda