Classic Waldorf Salad

Learn how to make a creamy and classic Waldorf salad with crunchy apples, celery, grapes, golden raisens and pecans with a mayonnaise dressing.  This is a fresh salad that is a great side or could even be eaten as a dessert.  A quick and easy salad that only takes about 10 minutes to assemble.  If you are looking for a great holiday salad, this really fits the bill.  You can add rotissierie or roasted chicken to make this into a main dish salad as well.  This is a beautiful and colorful salad for any occasion.

Why is this called a Waldorf salad?

As you can see from the title it comes from a recipe developed at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City in the 1800’s.  This salad always contains a few basic ingredients like crisp apples, celery, grapes and nuts with a creamy mayonnaise dressing.

Ingredients needed to make Classic Waldorf Salad:

• 2 large apples, cored and chopped (try a Granny Smith and a Honeycrisp apple)
• 1/2 fresh lemon, juiced
• 1 cup celery, chopped small (about 1 large stalk of celery)
• 1 cup seedless grapes cut in half (you can use red, green or purple as well as a combination of different grapes).
• 1/2 cup golden raisens, optional
• 3/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped (substitute roasted walnuts if you prefer)
• 1/4 cup good quality mayonnaise (I use olive oil mayonnaise to cut calories)
• 1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1-2 tsp milk to thin the dressing

How to make Classic Waldorf Salad:

• Core and chop the apples leaving the peeling on and place in a medium size bowl.
• Juice half a lemon and pour over the apples.  Stir the lemon juice into the apples to prevent browning.
• Add celery, grapes, raisens and pecans to the apples and stir together.

• Mix the mayonnaise, yogurt and sugar together in a measuring cup or small bowl.  Add 1-2 tsp milk to thin the dressing a little.
• Stir the dressing mixture into the fruit.  Serve the salad immediately or you can make it ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Salad may be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Other Salad Options:

• Salad can be served on a  leaf of bibb lettuce if desired.
• Pecans or walnuts can be roasted lightly before mixing them into the salad to get rid of the raw flavor of the nuts.
• Try adding rotissierie or roasted chicken to the salad to make it a main dish salad.
• Use dried cranberries in place of the raisens for a festive holiday salad.

Other salad recipes to try:

Grandma’s Creamy Fruit Salad

Asian Whole Grain Salad

Greek Chicken Salad

Best Potato Salad

Greek Cheese Tortellini Salad

Classic Waldorf Salad

LeAnn

Learn how to make classic Waldorf salad with crunchy apples, celery, grapes, golden raisens and pecans with a mayonnaise dressing. 

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 303 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 2 large apples, cored and chopped (try a Granny Smith and a Honeycrisp apple)
• 1/2 fresh lemon, juiced
• 1 cup celery, chopped small (about 1 large stalk of celery)
• 1 cup seedless grapes cut in half (you can use red, green or purple as well as a combination of different grapes).
• 1/2 cup golden raisens, optional
• 3/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped (may substitute walnuts) Nuts can be roasted prior to adding to the salad

Salad Dressing:

• 1/4 cup good quality mayonnaise I use olive oil mayonnaise to cut calories
• 1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1-2 tsp milk to thin the dressing

Instructions

 

For the salad:

• Core and chop the apples leaving the peeling on and place in a medium size bowl.
• Juice half a lemon and pour over the apples.  Stir the lemon juice into the apples to prevent browning.
• Add celery, grapes, raisens and pecans to the apples and stir together.

Salad Dressing:

• Mix the mayonnaise, yogurt and sugar together in a measuring cup or small bowl.  Add 1-2 tsp milk to thin the dressing a little. Stir the dressing mixture into the fruit. 
• Salad can be served on a leaf of bibb lettuce if desired.
• Serve the salad immediately or you can make it ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Pecans or walnuts can be roasted lightly before mixing them into the salad to get rid of the raw flavor of the nuts.
• Try adding rotissierie or roasted chicken to the salad to make it a main dish salad.
• Use dried cranberries in place of the raisens for a festive holiday salad.
• Salad may be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.