Waldorf Salad – Downshiftology – Cooking Madamechiic

This Waldorf salad belongs on every holiday dinner table. It’s a delicious symphony of crisp apples, celery, grapes, and crunchy walnuts, tossed in a tangy-sweet, creamy dressing that adds the perfect refreshing touch.

A bowl of Waldorf salad. — *Photo: Gayle McLeod*

Why This Waldorf Salad Is My Favorite

When I think of nostalgic holiday recipes, this classic Waldorf salad immediately comes to mind — it’s been a staple at my family’s Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner for as long as I can remember! Between its refreshing crunch and creamy dressing, it reminds me of my broccoli salad or Caesar salad, but with fruitier and nuttier vibes. Plus, I’m always looking for ways to add a light and fresh salad to a heavy holiday spread. But here are a few other reasons why I love this salad:

It’s a seasonal twist on a fruit salad. If you’re a fan of fruit salads in the summer, think of this as your fall and winter fruit salad that’s perfect for holiday gatherings. It features crisp apples, juicy grapes, and crunchy walnuts.
You can customize it to your liking. The original version was created in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York (during the 1800’s) and only included apples, celery, and mayonnaise. But it’s endlessly adaptable! So I’ve listed some creative ideas below if you’re feeling adventurous.
It complements any main. Whether you’re serving turkey, honey-baked ham, beef tenderloin, or prime rib, the bright, refreshing flavors of this salad provide the perfect contrast to warm, savory dishes. It’s a side that never fails to impress.

Ingredients for a classic Waldorf salad.

Waldorf Salad Ingredients

Greek Yogurt and Mayonnaise: This creamy duo forms the base of the dressing. Mayonnaise is the classic dressing, but I love the creaminess that Greek yogurt adds to it. And if you’re not a fan of mayo, you could even use all Greek yogurt, it’s up to you.
Apple and Grapes: Both red and green apples work here, but I prefer green apples for their extra-crisp texture and tart flavor. For the grapes, I love the pop of color and sweetness that red grapes provide. But if you’re aiming for a monochromatic look, green grapes are a great choice.
Celery: A few ribs of celery add to the fresh, crisp texture of the salad.
Nuts: I’m using walnuts in this recipe, but pecans are just as delicious. Pick your favorite for that signature nutty crunch.
Honey and Lemon Juice: A tablespoon of honey gives the dressing just the right touch of sweetness, while fresh lemon juice brightens everything up.
Herbs: A sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley adds a vibrant, herbaceous finish to the salad.

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

How To Make The Best Waldorf Salad Recipe

Toast the nuts and make the dressing. My pro tip is to toast your walnuts first, for just a few minutes on the stovetop or in the oven, until they’re lightly golden and smell amazing. That way they’ll have time to fully cool while you make the dressing and chop everything else up. Then, stir together the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and honey in a small bowl. Set this aside as you prep everything else.

Chop the ingredients. Dice the apples and celery, slice the grapes in half, chop the cooled nuts, and finely chop the parsley.

Toss together and serve. Add the green apples, celery, grapes, walnuts, parsley, and salt into a large bowl. Then, pour the dressing over it and stir until everything is evenly coated. You can serve this salad as-is on a plate, or you can serve it on top of romaine, bibb, or butter lettuce leaves.

Customize Your Waldorf Salad

Add dried fruits. If you love dried fruit, add dried cranberries, raisins, apricots, dates, etc. Just make sure to slice them into smaller pieces if they’re on the bigger side.
Switch up the fresh fruits. Apples are a must but you can mix in diced pears instead of grapes.
Switch up the nuts. Instead of walnuts, you can use pecans, almonds, or even pistachios!
Pack in some protein. When I want to make this salad more of a stand-alone meal I add diced baked chicken breast or shredded chicken. And if you’ve got leftover roast turkey or turkey breast from Thanksgiving, turn this into a turkey Waldorf salad. It’ll taste amazing! Just think of it as a new spin on my creamy turkey salad.

Make-Ahead & Storage Tips

To Store: This salad tastes best fresh. But if you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Make-Ahead Tip #1: Dice the fruits (except the apples), herbs, and toasted nuts, and whisk the dressing a day in advance. Store everything in separate containers in the fridge.
Make-Ahead Tip #2: Make this 2 to 3 hours in advance before your holiday dinner. But I wouldn’t make it any earlier for the best texture.

More Holiday Salad Recipes

If you make this Waldorf salad recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration (and exclusive content), join my free newsletter.

Description

This Waldorf salad belongs on every holiday dinner table! It’s a symphony of apples, celery, grapes, and walnuts, tossed in a tangy-sweet, creamy dressing. Watch the video below to see how I make it!

Make dressing. In a small bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and honey. Set aside.
Toss it all together. In a large bowl, add the green apples, celery, grapes, walnuts, parsley, salt, and mayo dressing. Stir it all together until everything is evenly coated.

Make sure that the toasted nuts have fully cooled before you add them to the salad. Otherwise they’ll melt the yogurt-based dressing.
You can use any tart and crisp apple in this recipe, I just prefer Granny Smith’s.
To Store: This salad tastes best fresh. But if you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Make-Ahead Tip #1: Dice the fruits (except the apples), herbs, and toasted nuts, and whisk the dressing a day in advance. Store everything in separate containers in the fridge.
Make-Ahead Tip #2: Make this 2 to 3 hours in advance before your holiday dinner. But I wouldn’t make it any earlier for the best texture.
If you want to swap any of the ingredients, make sure to check out my customization tips above!

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Recipe originally posted November 2022, but updated to include new photos and information for your benefit!