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This Classic Waldorf Salad is a crisp, creamy American side dish made with sweet apples, juicy grapes, crunchy celery, and walnuts tossed in a bright lemon-yogurt dressing. It comes together in just 10 minutes with no cooking, making it perfect for holidays, potlucks, lunch, or a refreshing side with chicken, turkey, ham, or pork.
Table of Contents
- Kellie’s Note Fancy Fruit Salad
- Waldorf Salad Ingredients
- How to Make Waldorf salad
- Best Apples for Waldorf Salad
- Kellie’s Tips for the Best Waldorf Salad
- Variations and Substitutions
- Make Ahead and Storage
- Can Waldorf Salad be frozen?
- How To Cut Fruit for Waldorf Salad
- What to Serve With Waldorf Salad
- More Easy Salad Recipes
- Waldorf Salad Recipe
Kellie’s Note
Fancy Fruit Salad
Potlucks were a regular occurrence when I was growing up and a Waldorf salad was always a staple. I loved it so much because it was the only salad I knew without lettuce, similar to Ambrosia Salad. It is definitely on my must-make list still whenever I host parties.
A traditional American Waldorf Salad is all about contrast: sweet fruit, crunchy nuts, crisp celery, and a cool creamy dressing. This version keeps the classic flavor but lightens things up with Greek yogurt, fresh lemon, herbs, and just enough mayonnaise to make it rich and satisfying.
Waldorf Salad is a classic American salad made with apples, celery, grapes, walnuts, and a creamy dressing. The original version was created at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City and included apples, celery, and mayonnaise. Over time, grapes and walnuts became popular additions, giving the salad its signature sweet, crisp, and crunchy texture.
This easy Waldorf Salad recipe keeps those classic flavors but adds Greek yogurt, lemon juice, fresh herbs, and poppy seeds for a lighter, brighter dressing.
While this crunchy salad is tasty all by itself as a light lunch or appetizer, I also like to plate it as a side dish next to entrees like Roasted Chicken Breasts.
Waldorf Salad Ingredients
- Apples: Use crisp apples like Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, Pink Lady, or Granny Smith. For the best flavor and color, use a mix of red and green apples.
- Grapes: Red and green grapes add juicy sweetness and pretty color. You can use all one color if that’s what you have.
- Celery: Finely chopped celery gives Waldorf Salad its fresh, signature crunch.
- Walnuts: Chopped walnuts add buttery crunch. Toast them first for extra flavor, or swap in pecans.
- Mayonnaise: Adds classic creamy richness to the dressing.
- Greek yogurt: Lightens the dressing and adds a tangy flavor.
- Lemon: Lemon juice brightens the dressing and helps slow browning on the apples.
- Fresh herbs: Parsley and chives add freshness and balance the sweetness of the fruit.
- Poppy seeds: Optional, but they add a pretty speckled look and a little extra texture.
How to Make Waldorf salad
This easy Waldorf Salad comes together in minutes with no cooking required.
- Prep the fruit and celery. Chop the apples, halve the grapes, finely chop the celery, and chop the walnuts.
- Toss the apples with lemon. Add the chopped apples to a large bowl and toss with a little fresh lemon juice to help slow browning.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, poppy seeds, salt, pepper, parsley, and chives until smooth.
- Combine the salad. Add the grapes, walnuts, and celery to the apples. Pour the dressing over the top and gently toss until everything is evenly coated.
- Serve or chill. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours before serving for the best flavor.
Best Apples for Waldorf Salad
The best apples for Waldorf Salad are crisp, firm apples that hold their shape after being tossed with the dressing. Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, Pink Lady, and Granny Smith are all great choices.
For a sweeter salad, use Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, or Pink Lady apples. For a more classic sweet-tart flavor, use one red apple and one Granny Smith. A mix of red and green apples also gives the salad pretty color and extra crunch.
Kellie’s Tips for the Best Waldorf Salad
- Use crisp apples. Soft apples will not hold up as well once they’re tossed with the creamy dressing.
- Cut everything evenly. Chop the apples, celery, and grapes into similar-size pieces so every bite has the perfect mix of sweet, creamy, and crunchy.
- Toast the walnuts. A few minutes in a dry skillet brings out their nutty flavor. Let them cool completely before adding them to the salad.
- Toss apples with lemon juice. This helps slow browning and adds fresh flavor.
- Do not overdress the salad. The fruit, celery, and walnuts should be lightly coated, not swimming in dressing.
- Chill briefly before serving. Waldorf Salad is best served cold, so refrigerate it for 30 minutes to 2 hours if you have time.
Variations and Substitutions
- Use different apples: Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, Pink Lady, and Granny Smith all work well.
- Swap the nuts: Use pecans, almonds, pistachios, or sunflower seeds instead of walnuts.
- Make it sweeter: Stir in dried cranberries, raisins, chopped dates, or mini marshmallows.
- Add protein: Turn it into chicken Waldorf Salad or turkey Waldorf Salad with diced cooked chicken or leftover roast turkey.
- Make it lighter: Use more Greek yogurt and less mayonnaise.
- Make it mayo-free: Use all plain Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise.
- Make it dairy-free: Use all mayonnaise or a dairy-free plain yogurt.
- Serve it over greens: Spoon it over butter lettuce, romaine, mixed greens, or lettuce cups for a pretty lunch or holiday side.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Make ahead: For the best texture, make Waldorf Salad 2 to 3 hours before serving and keep it covered in the refrigerator. You can also prep the grapes, celery, herbs, walnuts, and dressing a day in advance, then chop the apples and toss everything together closer to serving.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The apples may soften and release some liquid as the salad sits, so give it a gentle stir before serving.
- Freezing: I do not recommend freezing Waldorf Salad. The apples, grapes, celery, and creamy dressing will not hold their texture after thawing.
- Reheating: Waldorf Salad is served cold, so there is no need to reheat it.
Can Waldorf Salad be frozen?
Because of the freshness of the fruits, I do not recommend freezing this salad! The fruits will not hold up well in the freezer at all. Additionally, the dressing won’t freeze well due to the dairy products in it.
How To Cut Fruit for Waldorf Salad
For the best bite AND presentation value, try to chop up all of the fruits the same size. When they’re uniformed in size, the fruits look great tossed together and fit well on your fork. When you get a little bit of everything on your fork, it’s the best way to make sure you enjoy every single flavor and texture this salad has to offer all at once.
What to Serve With Waldorf Salad
Waldorf Salad is delicious as a light lunch, appetizer, or side dish. Serve it over lettuce leaves, spoon it into lettuce cups, or pair it with a simple main dish.
It’s especially good with engagement chicken, roast turkey, ham, grilled pork chops, beef tenderloin, grilled chicken, or sandwiches. The cool, creamy, crunchy salad is a refreshing contrast to warm, savory meals, which makes it a great choice for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, potlucks, and summer cookouts.
More Easy Salad Recipes
If you love this Waldorf Salad, try these fresh and easy salad recipes next:
- Chicken Waldorf Salad
- Harvest Arugula Salad
- Citrus Avocado Salad
- Sparkling Fruit Salad with Champagne Mimosa Dressing
- Peach Burrata Salad with Hot Honey Vinaigrette
- Watermelon Feta Salad with Blueberries and Cucumber
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Waldorf Salad Recipe
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 cutting board
- 1 measuring cup
- 1 measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 cup halved red grapes
- 1 cup halved green grapes
- 2 cups chopped red apple
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup finely chopped celery
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup low fat greek yogurt
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon poppyseeds, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives
Instructions
- Add the apples to a large bowl and toss with lemon juice to help prevent browning.
- Add the grapes, walnuts, and celery to the bowl.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, poppy seeds, salt, pepper, parsley, and chives until smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss until everything is evenly coated.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
- For the best texture, make Waldorf Salad 2 to 3 hours before serving. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but the apples may soften over time.
- Use crisp apples like Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, Pink Lady, or Granny Smith. For a sweet-tart salad, use one red apple and one green apple.
- Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet for a few minutes, then cool completely before adding them to the salad.
- Do not freeze Waldorf Salad. The fruit and creamy dressing will not hold up well after thawing.
- For a lighter dressing, use more Greek yogurt and less mayonnaise. For a mayo-free Waldorf Salad, use all plain Greek yogurt.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
