The Classic Waldorf Salad has tart apples, crunchy celery, grapes, and walnuts in a creamy mayonnaise-based dressing. Perfect for a side dish during the holidays or a simple picnic salad in the summer.
Looking for more easy salad recipes? Try my Broccoli Salad or Strawberry Spinach Salad next!
About This Recipe
Has everyone finished watching season 2 of Culinary Class Wars on Netflix? If not, maybe just skip the section because I am going to talk about it right now.
I was so surprised when I saw Waldorf Salad featured on episode 9 of Culinary Class Wars, a KOREAN show. In case you don't know, Waldorf Salad is a classic salad invented in New York City. It's composed of celery, apples, grapes, and nuts in a creamy dressing. The chefs basically took Waldorf Salad and elevated it into a fine dining dish with caviar and crab. It looked incredible, and despite them messing up a few components, they ended up surviving the challenge.
After watching that episode, I knew I wanted to upload my version of the classic salad to my blog. It's been on my to-do list for a few weeks now, so I'm happy to be finally sharing it.
The original Waldorf salad was composed only of celery, apples, and grapes in a mayonnaise dressing. Nowadays, most people like to add some form of nuts for more crunch and savory elements. I prefer toasted walnuts, but pecans are popular too.
Key Ingredients
Apples: You'll need two apples for the recipe; cored and diced, but not peeled. I prefer leaving the peels on for extra fiber and color. In terms of variety, I like Granny Smith the best because of their tart flavor.
Celery: These give a nice, refreshing crunch to the salad.
Grapes: Red seedless grapes are my favorite.
Walnuts or pecans: Gently toast these in the oven at 350F for 5-7 minutes or air fry at 400F for 1-2 minutes.
Mayonnaise: I love mayonnaise-based fruit salads, so mayonnaise is my go-to for the dressing. That said, many people like using Greek yogurt for a healthier option. If you can't choose, you can also use a combination of both.
Honey: For natural sweetness.
Lemon juice: For brightness to cut through the mayonnaise.
Salt and pepper: Add to your own taste.
Instructions
STEP 1: In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and set aside.
STEP 2: In a large bowl, add the apples, celery, grapes, and walnuts (or pecans), and the dressing. Toss to combine, then chill until ready to serve.
Classic Waldorf Salad
Ingredients
- 2 medium Granny Smith apples (cored and diced)
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup grapes (halved)
- ⅔ cup walnuts or pecans (toasted and chopped)
For the dressing
- 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper (or more to taste)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the apples, celery, grapes, and walnuts (or pecans), and the dressing. Toss to combine, then chill until ready to serve.
- For the best results, make this salad no more than 1 hour before as the vegetables will lose their crunchiness the longer they sit.
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