Waldorf salad is a classic side dish with a nostalgic flair. Prep it ahead for your next holiday dinner, or throw this easy salad together in minutes for the perfect side.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
This original Waldorf salad recipe was created in New York by the head chef of the Waldorf hotel in 1896. It’s a salad as delicious as it is nostalgic!
- Flavor: Waldorf salad is crisp and refreshing with just the right mix of sweet, tangy, and creamy flavors.
- Prep Note: Chill ingredients before mixing for extra crunch.
- Swaps: Try Greek yogurt instead of mayo, or swap walnuts for pecans or almonds.
- Versatile: It’s make ahead, simple, travelable, and goes perfectly with just about any spread.
What’s In A Waldorf Salad
- Apple: Crisp, sweet apples like Honeycrisp, MacIntosh, Gala, Fuji, or Pink Lady work best. Use Granny Smith apples for a tart Waldorf salad.
- Grapes and Raisins: This salad mixes red and green grapes with raisins or tangy dried cranberries. Try other dried fruits like blueberries, goji berries, or cherries for a fun twist.
- Walnuts: Walnuts add crunch and flavor, but almonds, pecans, Brazil nuts, or sunflower seeds work too. Use unsalted nuts or swap with extra celery to cut calories.
- Dressing: Simple mayo with sugar added keeps this salad creamy. Try swapping half the mayo for sour cream, or for a lower-fat option, swap for plain Greek yogurt.
- Variations: Make it your own with pepitas, mini marshmallows, poppy seeds, or hemp hearts.
How to Make Waldorf Salad
- Wash and chop apples, slice celery, and halve grapes.
- Whip mayonnaise with sugar (full recipe below).
- In a large bowl, toss the apple mixture with dressing. Chill.
Save and Serve Later
Make-Ahead Tip: Chop the apples and toss them in a quick lemon juice and water mix so every piece is coated. This keeps them from browning and adds a fresh, bright pop of citrus to the salad.
Leftovers: Store salad in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days. Drain any excess liquid, then stir in a teaspoon or two of fresh mayonnaise, a pinch of sugar, and a little squeeze of lemon. Delish!
This is a classic creamy salad made from celery, grapes, apples, walnuts, raisins, and mayonnaise. It is most often served on a bed of lettuce.
Serve on its own on a bed of lettuce. Turn it into a hearty main by adding chopped chicken and onion. For a polished presentation, scoop into small bowls, martini glasses, or lettuce cups.
Sweet and Savory Salad Recipes
Did you enjoy this Waldorf Salad? Leave a rating and comment below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 apples cut in thin chunks
- 1 cup halved seedless grapes red, green, or both
- ½ cup diced celery
- ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts
- ¼ cup raisins optional
Instructions
- Combine mayonnaise and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside
- In a medium bowl, toss together chopped apples, grapes, celery, walnuts, and raisins (if using).
- Stir in the mayonnaise mixture until fully coated.
- Chill for 1 hour before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Salad, Side Dish
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Love all your recipes
Evelyn, thank you so much for the kind comment.
This salad is great.
Holly, I really enjoy your recipes. Would it be possible to include the serving size along with the number of servings in your recipes? Due to a health condition I cannot have more than 1000mg of salt a day. Without knowing the serving size, I cannot determine if the recipe will fit into the rest of my restricted daily diet.
Hi Laurel, we have been trying to include that in recipes as we update them, so you will hopefully see it more frequently included in our recipes! But just a reminder that our nutritional information is just an estimate and it is best to use an external nutrition calculator like MyFitnessPal to determine nutritional information based on the exact ingredients you used.
Love all recipes
Great recipe. I like to use half mayonnaise, half Greek yogurt to make a little healthier.
That sounds like a delicious idea, Shirley. Thanks for sharing!
I make this several times during the holidays and my family really enjoyed it when I made it in the summer it’s a Wonderful light and refreshing dessert on a hot summer evening ,thank you for sharing it
Thanks, Honey! I am glad you enjoyed it ❤️