Waldorf Salad with Apples & Walnuts

This easy-to-make Waldorf Salad with apples and walnuts is a refreshing and crunchy salad that is chock full of crisp apples, sweet grapes, and celery then tossed with Greek yogurt. And for a little extra crunchy sweetness there's a handful of maple glazed walnuts mixed in. Salad never tasted better!

Great for a light lunch, a side for dinner, or absolutely perfect as an addition to Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.

Healthy Fruit Salad

Healthy fruit salads are a great way to indulge in the natural sweetness of fruits while benefiting from their nutritional content.  Fruit salads are vibrant and colorful, refreshing and light, and perfect for any time of year. And to make them even better, they are highly customizable. Change up the fruit with your seasonal favorites, add some chia seeds or a sprinkle of nuts for a little crunch, or pack a protein punch with some chicken, then toss in your favorite salad dressing or yogurt.

With their contrasting textures and flavor, and their delightful balance of sweet and tangy, they can be eaten as a light lunch or a refreshing side to any meal. If you love fruit salads try my favorite Ambrosia Salad with Yogurt or my tangier Pomegranate Orange Salad.

What is Waldorf Salad?

Waldorf salad is considered a fruit salad. It's typically an apple salad with grapes, celery, walnuts, and creamy dressing.

Waldorf Salad Origin

Waldorf Salad was created in 1896 by Oscar Tschirky, the maître d’hôtel of the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. This fruit salad was served as an appetizer at the St. Mary's Children's Hospital charity ball which was held on the day after the hotel's grand opening.

The original Waldorf Salad recipe had only 4 ingredients - green apples, green grapes, celery, and mayonnaise. It was served in a lettuce cup. It was meant to be uniform in color and have a crunchy texture.

The traditional Waldorf salad evolved to include walnuts. Sugar was added to the mayo for a sweeter Waldorf dressing.

These days, a modern Waldorf salad may also include dried fruit, honey, oranges, marshmallows, other nuts, meat (chicken and turkey), and a variety of other ingredients. The dressing can be made with mayonnaise, whipped cream, or yogurt.

Waldorf Salad Ingredients

So what's in this fruity Waldorf salad anyway? As you can see above, there aren't many ingredients but, when they are added together, it makes one heck of a tasty salad.

• Apples, the main ingredient, are known for their high Vitamin C content as well as fiber, lending a fresh crispness to the salad.
• Grapes contain Vitamins A, C & K, both adding a nice sweetness to the mix.
• Celery, an excellent source of antioxidants, is added for crunch.
• Pomegranate Seeds (Arils) are rich in fiber and antioxidants and full of Vitamin C, potassium, and magnesium
• Lemon juice helps prevent the apples from turning brown.
• Maple Glazed Walnuts add a little different texture and flavor to the salad.
• Greek Yogurt is a healthy alternative to mayonnaise, which also keeps the calorie count down. And I think the yogurt makes it so much more refreshing than the usual mayonnaise.

Best Apples for Waldorf Salad

Tart, crisp apples are best for a Waldorf salad. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala, and Pink Lady are all great choices.

Waldorf Salad Nuts

A classic Waldorf salad is made with walnuts. This recipe bumps it up a bit with sweet maple-glazed walnuts. You can also use pecans or pistachios.

Waldorf Salad Dressing

Are you wondering what is the dressing for Waldorf salad? Where is the Waldorf salad dressing recipe?

Well, there is no Waldorf salad dressing recipe. You simply toss the salad with yogurt.

However, if you want it sweeter, you can use a sweetened or flavored yogurt such as vanilla yogurt.

How to Make a Waldorf Salad

1. Place all the cut-up fruit, vegetables, and maple-glazed nuts in a large bowl.
2. Top with yogurt.
3. Stir until all ingredients are coated. Serve chilled.

What to Serve with Waldorf Salad

Are you wondering what goes with Waldorf salad? I love serving it with grilled dishes like Perfect London Broil or grilled salmon or quick and easy dinners such as Ham and Bacon Quiche or Crab Cakes. And, the best part is, this is one healthy salad so it's kind to your waistline. After all, bathing suit season is right around the corner.

Make Ahead

While this salad is best served right after it is prepared, you can make it a day in advance.

How to Store

Keep the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last up to 3 days. Note the apples may turn brown even though they are coated with lemon juice and yogurt.

Freezing Waldorf salad is not recommended. The liquid from the fruit will leak out when it is thawed and the salad will be watery. The fruit will also become soft.

More Healthy Salads with Fruit

• Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts
• Pear and Rocket Salad
• Red White and Blue Salad with Berries
• Strawberry Chicken Salad
• Strawberry Spinach Salad

Find more healthy salad recipes here on 2CM!

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This post has been updated and was first published on March 28, 2018.