Waldorf salad
- Yield
- 4 servings
Crisp apple, celery, grapes and toasted walnuts in a light, lemony mayonnaise dressing. There's almost no cooking, which makes it a clean lesson in the small moves that decide any cold salad: toast the nuts until they smell right, keep cut fruit bright, and dress lightly enough that the crunch survives.
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Ingredients
Batches and reset
4 servings · US measures · 1 batch
Batching
A double batch fits the same large bowl; toast the walnuts in two batches if they will not fit in one layer in the 10-inch skillet. Toasting and chilling times do not multiply with the ingredient amounts.
Original recipe: 4 servings.
The optional honey, the to-taste salt and lemon juice and the black pepper are left out of the base nutrition scenario.
Before you start
- Read through the recipe before you start. Gather the skillet, knife, cutting board, bowls, whisk, spatula, plates and the measured ingredients.
Directions
Read and gather
For the whole recipe
Read through the recipe and gather the equipment. Use the ingredient lines to prepare and measure everything except the apples, which you will dice straight into lemon juice. Set a plate beside the stove for the walnuts. Everything is washed, dried and measured.
Toast the walnuts
For the whole salad
Toast about 3/4 cup walnut halves in the dry 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring or shaking the pan often, until they smell toasty and turn a shade darker, about 5 to 7 minutes. Move them to the plate right away, and chop them roughly once they are cool.
Pour lemon juice into the bowl and dice the apples into it
For the whole salad
Pour 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice into the large bowl. Core the apples and dice them into 1/2-inch (1 cm) cubes, skin on, tossing each handful in the lemon juice as you go until every piece of apple looks glossy. Add the celery and grapes.
Whisk the dressing
For the whole salad
Whisk about 1/2 cup mayonnaise, about 1/4 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp honey if you are using it, 1/8 tsp fine salt and black pepper to taste in the small bowl until the dressing is smooth and spoonable.
Dip a piece of apple and taste the dressing
For the whole salad
Dip a piece of apple into the dressing and taste it. Aim for creamy, tangy and a little sweet. If it tastes flat, add fine salt to taste. If it tastes heavy or too sweet, add fresh lemon juice to taste. The dressing tastes creamy, tangy and bright.
Fold in the dressing
For the whole salad
Fold about two-thirds of the dressing into the apple mixture with the rubber spatula, lifting from the bottom and turning it over, until every piece is lightly coated. Add more dressing only if the salad looks dry.
Cover and chill the salad
For the whole salad
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the salad until it is cold, about 30 minutes, if you have time.
Lay the lettuce on plates and serve
For the whole recipe
Lay the lettuce leaves on the plates and divide the salad among them to make 4 servings. Sprinkle the walnuts and 2 tbsp pale inner celery leaves over the top. Keep leftovers refrigerated, and return the salad to the refrigerator within two hours of setting it out. The salad is plated and topped.
About this recipe
Research preview: these details come from our sourced research and haven't been reviewed by our chef yet.
Why it works
Tossing the apple in lemon juice as you dice it keeps it bright, toasting the walnuts deepens their flavor, and a light mayonnaise-and-yogurt dressing coats the fruit without weighing it down.
Associated with
American (New York hotel cooking)
The salad is named for the New York hotel where it was first served in the 1890s. The first published version, in 1896, was only apples and celery dressed with mayonnaise; nuts were added soon after, and grapes and yogurt dressings came later.
Taste
- Sweet
- Sour
- Salty
- Bitter
- Savory
- Heat
Sweet-tart apples and grapes in a creamy, tangy dressing., Toasted walnuts add crunch and a slight bitterness. · crisp apple and celery, juicy grapes, crunchy toasted walnuts, creamy dressing, soft lettuce · cold
Skill level
Easy
Almost no cooking: toasting the walnuts is the only heat, and the care points are keeping the apples bright and not overdressing.
Allergens
Contains: tree nuts (walnuts), egg, milk.
Check the mayonnaise (soybean oil) and the yogurt labels. Bottled lemon juice can contain sulfites; check the label.
Diets
Vegetarian: Fits as listed Vegan: Doesn't fit as written Pescatarian: Fits as listed Dairy: See the allergen lines Egg: See the allergen lines Gluten: See the allergen lines
Occasions
Lenten Fridays (Catholic)
No meat is listed; eggs and dairy are allowed on days of abstinence.
Fall and winter
Apples and grapes are fall produce in the USDA seasonal guide.
Serving and keeping
Best served: Cold, after about 30 minutes in the refrigerator if you have time On butter lettuce leaves, topped with the walnuts and chopped celery leaves
Make ahead: Add the walnuts and celery leaves when you serve, so the walnuts stay crunchy.
Storage: Refrigerate covered within 2 hours. No federal chart lists Waldorf salad; this time follows the federal row for mayonnaise-dressed egg, chicken and tuna salads. It does not freeze well.
Leftovers: Keep covered in the refrigerator and return it there within 2 hours of setting it out (1 hour above 90 °F). The apples and walnuts soften as it sits.
Food safety
- Keep the salad refrigerated and return it to the refrigerator within 2 hours of setting it out, or 1 hour above 90 °F.
- Leave out the optional honey for babies under 12 months.
- Move the walnuts to the plate as soon as they are toasted; they keep cooking in the hot pan.
We make no statement about cross-contact in your kitchen or in packaged ingredients. This selected recipe includes walnuts (tree nuts); check the mayonnaise and yogurt labels.
Nutrition notes
Apples and grapes supply most of the carbohydrate and sugars, and the honey adds a little more if you use it.
Walnuts and mayonnaise supply most of the fat.
Mayonnaise is the main source of sodium; salting to taste keeps it modest.
Swap notes
mayonnaise · vegan
Use: a vegan mayonnaise (read the label)
What changes: Use plain coconut or soy yogurt for the Greek yogurt; soy yogurt adds soy, a major allergen.; Use maple syrup if you want the optional sweetener.; The dressing is slightly sweeter or thinner.
Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.
mayonnaise
Use: a vegan mayonnaise (read the label)
What changes: Little flavor change.
Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.
mayonnaise · jain
Use: a vegan mayonnaise (read the label)
What changes: Leave out the optional honey.; A little less sweet.
Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.
plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
Use: a plant-based yogurt, or none
What changes: Use a vegan mayonnaise, and on days when olive oil is avoided choose one made with another oil.; The dressing becomes plant-based.
Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.
mayonnaise · kosher
Use: a certified mayonnaise
What changes: Use certified yogurt too; with yogurt the dish is dairy.
Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.
mayonnaise · passover
Use: a mayonnaise certified for Passover
What changes: Many mayonnaises use soybean oil, which is kitniyot for Ashkenazi custom.; Use certified yogurt and nuts too.
Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.
mayonnaise
Use: a lower-sodium mayonnaise, or more yogurt
What changes: Skip the added salt; lemon carries the flavor.; Slightly flatter.
Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.
These notes don't change the amounts, allergens or nutrition shown for this recipe.
For your food tracker
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- Recipe url
- https://isthebestrecipe.com/salads/waldorf-salad
- Name
- Waldorf salad
- Servings
- 4
- Recipe yield
- 4 servings
- Recipe ingredient
- about 3/4 cup walnut halves, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice divided, 3 whole large crisp apples a mix of sweet and tart such as Honeycrisp and Granny Smith, skin on, 3 stalks celery cut into 1/4-inch (6 mm) slices, about 1 cup seedless red grapes halved, about 1/2 cup mayonnaise, about 1/4 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, 1/8 tsp fine salt, to taste black pepper freshly ground, 1 whole small head butter lettuce leaves separated, washed and dried, 2 tbsp pale inner celery leaves chopped
- Copy action wording
- Copy recipe and estimated nutrition
Sources
- FoodData Central: Apples, honeycrisp, with skin, raw (FDC ID 1750343) (USDA Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central, 2020-10-30)
- FoodData Central: Grapes, red or green (European type, such as Thompson seedless), raw (FDC ID 174683) (USDA Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central, 2019-04-01)
- Food Allergies (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026-03-11)
- Questions and Answers Regarding Food Allergens, Including the Food Allergen Labeling Requirements of the FD&C Act (Edition 5): Guidance for Industry (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Human Foods Program, 2025-01-06)
- FoodData Central: Salad dressing, mayonnaise, regular (FDC ID 171009) (USDA Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central, 2019-04-01)
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II: Substances or products causing allergies or intolerances (legislation.gov.uk copy, as amended by Delegated Regulation (EU) No 78/2014) (legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives), 2011-10-25)
- The Discipline of Fasting (Metropolitan Kallistos Ware) (Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Eastern America)
- List of 14 Allergens (Food Safety Authority of Ireland)
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II: substances or products causing allergies or intolerances (text as adopted) (European Parliament and Council; text read from legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives) copy of the adopted EU text, 2011-10-25)
- Cold Food Storage Chart (FoodSafety.gov (HHS/USDA/FDA/CDC), 2023-09-19)
- Leftovers and Food Safety (USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, 2020-07-31)
- Preventing Botulism (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2026-02-26)
- Japan moves to bolster food allergen controls after nut cases spike (FoodNavigator-Asia (William Reed), 2026-01-28)
- FoodData Central: Nuts, walnuts, english (FDC ID 170187) (USDA Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central, 2019-04-01)
- FoodData Central: Lemon juice, raw (FDC ID 167747) (USDA Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central, 2019-04-01)
- FoodData Central: Apples, granny smith, with skin, raw (FDC ID 1750342) (USDA Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central, 2020-10-30)
- FoodData Central: Celery, raw (FDC ID 169988) (USDA Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central, 2019-04-01)
- FoodData Central: Yogurt, Greek, plain, whole milk (FDC ID 171304) (USDA Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central, 2019-04-01)
- FoodData Central: Honey (FDC ID 169640) (USDA Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central, 2019-04-01)
- FoodData Central: Lettuce, butterhead (includes boston and bibb types), raw (FDC ID 168429) (USDA Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central, 2019-04-01)
- Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
- 21 CFR 101.54 Nutrient content claims for 'good source,' 'high,' 'more' (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (reproducing the eCFR))
- 21 CFR 101.61 Nutrient content claims for the sodium content of foods (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (reproducing the eCFR))
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Nutrition Values
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