Classic Waldorf Salad

The classic Waldorf Salad is a sweet, savory, and creamy dish that’s so easy to make! It’s the perfect refreshing, light lunch, or a side dish for a special meal.

I just love recipes that have real history behind them! Do you know where the Waldorf Salad originated from?

The creamy, fruity salad is named for New York City’s Waldorf Astoria hotel. Interestingly it was the hotel’s maître d’, not a chef, who is credited with creating this salad back in 1896.

A salad of chopped apples, celery, and mayonnaise was first served at a charity event and was later added to the hotel’s menu.

At the time I’m writing this, the Waldorf Astoria is actually closed for renovations, but up until recently, you could still go to the Peacock Alley restaurant in the lobby of the hotel and order yourself a Waldorf salad!

Luckily, Waldorf Salad is now served at restaurants all over, and it’s also super easy to make at home. This easy salad requires just a few minutes of time to chop up some produce and mix up the dressing.

My Wedge Salad is another classic salad recipe that you must try next! And if you like light lunch options, make some Cucumber Finger Sandwiches.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

1. It takes less than 10 minutes to make.
2. It’s a classy, and classic salad, perfect for serving to guests.
3. Your options for variations are endless (but not required – Waldorf Salad is perfect already!).

Waldorf Salad Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make this American icon:

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

• Grapes: Seedless grapes, cut in half, or in quarters if they are particularly large. I like to use both red and green grapes for interest.
• Apples: I think a good Waldorf salad needs both sweet apples and tart apples! Again, the different colors will add visual interest, and the different flavors are an extra bonus. Try a tart green Granny Smith apple and any sweet red apple that you like. Crisp apples like Red Delicious, Honeycrisp, and Fuji apples will be best.
• Celery: This salad is all about texture! Chopped celery adds an earthy flavor and more crunch to each bite.
• Nuts: Walnuts are traditional, but pecans also work. Toast the nuts briefly and then roughly chop them.
• Lettuce: While lettuce doesn’t go inside of a Waldorf salad, it is traditional to serve the salad on a bed of lettuce leaves. I’m using romaine today, but Bibb lettuce also works very well.
• Waldorf Salad Dressing: It takes one minute to stir up a creamy dressing for Waldorf salad made from mayo, sour cream (or yogurt), lemon juice, honey, and salt and pepper.

Optional Ingredients for Waldorf Salad

• Protein: To make a Waldorf Salad into a more filling meal, consider adding diced, cooked chicken. It also pairs well with shrimp, tuna, and eggs.

I enjoy serving this with boiled eggs (hard-boiled or jammy!) on the side. It’s the perfect light lunch.

• Dried Fruit such as raisins, dried cranberries, or dates.
• Other Fresh Fruit: pomegranate seeds, diced pineapple, or berries.
• Extra Flavor can come from diced red onion, cooked bacon bits, or salted sunflower seeds.

How To Make Waldorf Salad

1. Prepare Ingredients: Wash and chop your fruits and vegetables, wash and dry the lettuce leaves, and chop the toasted walnuts.

1. Make the Dressing: In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper.
2. Mix it Up! Add the chopped ingredients into the bowl with the dressing and stir to coat the salad. Serve over lettuce and enjoy.

Recipe Tips

• Sweetener Substitutions: Feel free to use regular sugar, agave, or any sweetener that you prefer in place of the honey. You can also reduce the amount of sugar in the dressing for Waldorf salad if you want the dressing to be more savory.
• Sour Cream Substitution: In most recipes, including this one, plain Greek Yogurt can be substituted for sour cream. Yogurt adds a slightly different tangy flavor, but it’s delicious made both ways. Dairy-Free yogurt can also be used.
• Mayonnaise: If you have a minute, make homemade mayo for this recipe. It’s so delicious! You can also substitute with your favorite vegan mayo if you like.
• Add the Lettuce: If you’d rather, chop up the lettuce and mix it right in with the other ingredients.

Storing Tips

Waldorf salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. The apples will start to brown and the grapes will get very soft if stored for longer.

It’s best to serve this salad shortly after making it.

What To Serve With Waldorf Salad

Many people like to serve Waldorf Salad at Christmas or Thanksgiving, along with all of the other holiday goodies!

It also makes a delicious light lunch or dinner, paired with one of these amazing sandwiches:

• Reuben Sandwich
• Cubano Sandwich
• Ham Salad Sandwich
• Deli ham or turkey sandwiches

FAQs

Be sure to Pin this Waldorf Salad Recipe! I know your family is going to love it when you serve this with dinner or at your next holiday meal.