Best Waldorf Salad Recipe
Creamy, tangy, sweet, and irresistible, this Waldorf Salad Recipe is such an easy side dish! Cool and refreshing, it’s perfect for cookouts, potlucks, and BBQs. Made with just a few ingredients, this healthy salad recipe will be a hit all summer long!
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Why you’ll love making Waldorf Salad
- Ready in just a few minutes, this quick salad recipe is perfect for a last-minute side dish anytime!
- We already had everything on hand to make this simple salad. We love it when we don’t have to go out to the grocery store for extra ingredients.
- The ingredients are fruit, vegetables, nuts, mayonnaise, and a little sugar. It’s quite healthy for a hearty salad!
- This salad tastes even better than the original Waldorf salad recipe. The sugar and lemon juice makes it both sweet and sour. It’s delicious!
- The best part? Everybody loves this salad! Young and old, little kids and big kids, we all can’t get enough.
Ingredients you’ll need
You’ll need all the ingredients shown in the photograph below.
How to make Waldorf Salad with step-by-step instructions
A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.
Begin by making the Waldorf salad dressing.
Add mayonnaise, fresh lemon juice, sugar, and salt to a large mixing bowl, and mix well to combine.
Add diced apples, celery, grapes, and chopped walnuts to the salad dressing in the large bowl and toss to coat evenly.
Season the apple mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
Waldorf Salad is best served chilled, so store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
Recipe notes and expert tips
- Make it lighter: You can swap half of the mayonnaise for plain yogurt or Greek yogurt to make the creamy dressing slightly lighter. Greek yogurt also makes it even tangier and complements the lemon juice really well.
- Make it creamier: Swap half of the mayonnaise for sour cream or whipped cream. Gently fold in some miracle whip for a sweeter version.
- Apples: We’ve used red apples, but we also love tart apples like granny smith for this classic Waldorf salad recipe; however, you can use your favorite apple. Anything from delicious green apples to honey crisp apples – they all taste great!
- Grapes: Either green grapes or red grapes are great in this recipe. You can even use a mixture of the two for a pop of color.
- Nuts: We recommend using toasted nuts for this recipe for an extra layer of flavor. We prefer pecans or walnuts; however, if you have another favorite nut on hand, like peanuts, they would also taste amazing.
- Sugar-free: If you want to make this recipe sugar-free, substitute the sugar for your favorite natural sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit.
- Vegan: You can easily make this recipe vegan by using vegan mayo instead of regular mayonnaise. Everything else in the recipe is already vegan!
- Other variations: Modern versions of Waldorf Salad can include dried fruit like dates, dried cranberries, or raisins, and orange or lemon zest. Some even replace the celery with cauliflower or use a peanut butter yogurt base for the salad dressing! You can also toss a few veggie mini marshmallows on top for fun!
How to store leftover Waldorf Salad
Store any leftover Waldorf salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
What to serve with Waldorf Salad
This quick and easy salad recipe is refreshing, sweet, and tangy. It goes with just about anything!
We enjoy our Waldorf Salads served on a bed of butter lettuce or arugula for some extra greens, but it’s also tasty without the extra salad.
Share this simple salad at your next potluck or BBQ. It will disappear pretty quickly!
When we grill at home, we serve Waldorf Salad with Seitan Burgers, Grilled Cajun Corn on the Cobb, and Yellow Squash Casserole.
It’s also great as a side dish for pasta! Try our simple Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (with garlic and oil), Lemon Pasta, and our Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe is the absolute BEST!
Making
It’s really simple as well, and if you’re making your own dough you will need something on the side that you don’t really have to think too much about.
Our favorite
What are the best apples to use?
We love using red apples, but we also enjoy tart apples like granny smith in our classic Waldorf salad recipe. However, feel free to use your favorite apple variety. Whether it’s delicious green apples or honey crisp apples, they all taste great!
Why is it called Waldorf salad?
Waldorf Salad has an interesting origin story. It was first created for a charity ball at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City back in 1896.
The hotel’s maître d’hôtel, Oscar Tschirky, is known for developing or inspiring many of their famous dishes, including the Waldorf salad.
The original recipe featured apples, celery, and mayonnaise, but over time, nuts were added to enhance the flavor.
You can find the recipe for this classic salad in “The Cook Book” by “Oscar of the Waldorf” (1896) and later “The Rector Cook Book” (1928).
More easy salad recipes for you to try
If you love our Waldorf Salad, then you should try these easy recipe ideas.
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Tomato, Onion, and Cucumber Salad
- Beetroot and Grilled Halloumi Salad
- Healthy Fruit Salad
- Roasted Beetroot and Feta Salad
Best Waldorf Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups apples cored and diced
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1 cup seedless grapes halved
- 1 cup walnuts and/or pecans toasted and chopped
Instructions
- Add mayonnaise to a large mixing bowl, lemon juice, sugar, and salt, and mix to combine. Add apples, celery, grapes, and nuts and toss to coat evenly. Season to taste. Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.½ cup mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 2 cups apples, 1 cup celery, 1 cup seedless grapes, 1 cup walnuts and/or pecans
Notes
- Make it lighter: You can swap half of the mayonnaise for plain yogurt or Greek yogurt to make the creamy dressing a little lighter. Greek yogurt also makes it even tangier and complements the lemon juice really well.
- Make it creamier: Swap half of the mayonnaise for sour cream or whipped cream. Gently fold in some miracle whip for a sweeter version.
- Apples: We love tart apples like granny smith for this Waldorf salad recipe, however, you can use your favorite apple. Anything from red delicious to honey crisp apples – they all taste great!
- Grapes: Either green grapes or red grapes are great in this recipe. You can even use a mixture of the two for a pop of color.
- Nuts: We recommend using toasted nuts for this recipe for an extra layer of flavor. We prefer pecans or walnuts, however, if you have another favorite nut on hand like peanuts, they would taste amazing as well.
- Sugar-free: If you want to make this recipe sugar-free, substitute the sugar for your favorite natural sweetener like stevia or monk fruit.
- Other variations: Modern versions of Waldorf Salad can include dried fruit like dates, dried cranberries, or raisins, and orange or lemon zest. Some even replace the celery with cauliflower or use a peanut butter yogurt base for the salad dressing! You can also toss a few mini marshmallows on top for fun!
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that nutrient values are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.
