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Home / Recipes

Waldorf Salad

15 minutes
4.8 from 15 votes
8 Comments
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  • 160
by: Joanna Cismaru
06.23.22

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This Waldorf Salad is a classic American salad that is packed with chicken, apples, pears, grapes and topped with a creamy and delicious dressing. It’s crunchy, creamy and fresh, ready in just 15 minutes, making it perfect for lunch!

freshly made waldorf salad on a bed of lettuce.
Table of Contents Open
  • 1 Waldorf Salad
  • 2 Waldorf Salad Highlights
  • 3 Ingredients You’ll Need
  • 4 How To Make Waldorf Salad
  • 5 What Is Waldorf Salad?
  • 6 Serve This Salad With
    • 6.1 Homemade Croissants
    • 6.2 Air Fryer Chicken Breast
    • 6.3 Air Fryer Whole Chicken
    • 6.4 Grilled Tomahawk Pork Chops
  • 7 What Other Ingredients Can I Add To Waldorf Salad?
  • 8 Different Ways To Serve Waldorf Salad
  • 9 Expert Tips
  • 10 Leftovers
  • 11 More Delicious Recipes To Try
  • 12 Waldorf Salad
    • 12.1 Ingredients
    • 12.2 Instructions
    • 12.3 Video
    • 12.4 Recipe Notes
    • 12.5 Nutrition Information:

Waldorf Salad

I had my first Waldorf salad over 20 years ago at a restaurant. I absolutely loved the crunchiness of the apples and all the yummy creaminess. The fact that this salad has fruits and chicken all mixed together is a winner in my book.

Made with with crisp apples, pears, grapes, celery, raisins, and walnuts and an incredibly easy creamy dressing, this salad is perfect for either lunch or dinner. To make this salad stand out, serve it over a fresh bed of lettuce.

Waldorf Salad Highlights

  • Versatile. This is a very versatile salad. It can be eaten for lunch or dinner, either by itself or as a side dish. If you have any leftovers, it can also be used make sandwiches or wraps!
  • Ready In 15 Minutes. Yep, all you need is 15 minutes to whip everything together.
  • Loaded with Goood-For-You Ingredients. I consider this salad a healthy salad since it’s loaded with fruits, walnuts and chicken!

Ingredients You’ll Need

overhead shot of ingredients needed to make waldorf salad.
  • Chicken – You’ll need some cooked chicken, either cook a chicken breast or use the breast meat from a ready cooked chicken. For some easy ways to cook chicken, try my Instant Pot Chicken Breast or Oven Baked Chicken Breast.
  • Fruit– I used fresh fruit including a chopped apple, a peeled chopped pear, such as a Bosc pear, and some halved grapes, either red or green.
  • Celery – I used fresh chopped celery sticks.
  • Raisins – I used golden raisins but regular raisins work as well.
  • Walnuts – I usually make this with walnuts but feel free to use other nuts such as pecans or sunflower seeds.
  • Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice is the best.
  • Yogurt – You’ll need some plain Greek yogurt. Feel free to use full fat or less based on your preference.
  • Mayonnaise – You can use either store bought mayo, or make your own using my recipe.
  • Lettuce – The lettuce is optional, but I love to serve this salad over romaine lettuce.

How To Make Waldorf Salad

detailed process shots showing how to make waldorf salad.
  1. Make the yogurt dressing. Combine the lemon juice, Greek yogurt, and mayonnaise in a small bowl and whisk well.
  2. Combine salad ingredients. Add the chopped apple, pear, grapes, celery, chicken, raisins and walnuts to a large bowl and toss. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
  3. Pour dressing over salad. Pour the yogurt dressing over the salad and toss well. Adjust seasonings as needed.
  4. Finish and serve. Serve by itself or over romaine lettuce.

What Is Waldorf Salad?

According to google, the first Waldorf salad was created by a maître d’hôtel, Oscar Tschirky in 1896 and it only contained apples, celery and mayonnaise. Basically, a Waldorf salad is a salad made with fruits such as fresh apples, celery, grapes and walnuts. It was brilliant. Since then, there have been many variations of this popular salad and this is my favorite way to have it.

freshly made waldorf salad on a bed of lettuce.

Serve This Salad With

Homemade Croissants

Air Fryer Chicken Breast

Air Fryer Whole Chicken

Grilled Tomahawk Pork Chops

What Other Ingredients Can I Add To Waldorf Salad?

That’s one of the great things about this salad, its versatility. Here are some recommendations:

  • Other dried fruits such as dried cranberries, dried cherries or dried currants
  • Broccoli or cauliflower florets
  • Other nuts such as pecans, pepitas, sunflower seeds, almonds or cashews
  • Diced turkey breast
  • Other veggies such as red onion, bell peppers or cucumbers

Different Ways To Serve Waldorf Salad

Going back to this salad’s versatility, you can serve this many ways. Besides on a bed of lettuce as I have served it, here are some other suggestions:

  • In a wrap, sandwich or on a croissant. If I have leftovers, I love making a wrap because it makes for such an easy and quick lunch.
  • You can serve it in little bowls or coupe glasses, if you’re going fancy.
  • Use romaine lettuce to serve it in lettuce cups/wraps, rather than on a bed of lettuce. This way you can easily pick a lettuce leaf up, wrap it up and enjoy.
freshly made waldorf salad on a bed of lettuce.

Expert Tips

  1. For a healthier dressing, you can skip the mayonnaise and just use Greek Yogurt.
  2. My favorite thing about this salad is that you can also make a sandwich or a wrap with it, or just add some to a freshly baked croissant or your favorite bread.
  3. To prevent apples and pears from oxidizing, sprinkle them with a bit of lemon juice.
  4. For a deeper flavor, toast the walnuts before adding them to the salad.

Leftovers

If you have any leftover salad, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. It is best to store the lettuce separate from the salad so the leaves do not get soggy.

freshly made waldorf salad on a bed of lettuce.

More Delicious Recipes To Try

  • New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Grape Clafoutis
  • Crispy Chicken Cutlets
  • Pear Chocolate Chip Muffins
  • Summer Fruit Salad with Lemon Dressing

Looking for more recipes? Follow on… My Newsletter Pinterest Facebook Instagram

freshly made waldorf salad on a bed of lettuce.

Waldorf Salad

4.8 from 15 votes
Prep: 15 mins
Total: 15 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 4
Print Pin Rate
This Waldorf Salad is a classic American salad that is packed with chicken, apples, pears, grapes and topped with a creamy and delicious dressing. It's crunchy, creamy and fresh, ready in just 15 minutes, making it perfect for lunch!

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ¼ cup Greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise low-fat
  • 1 large apple chopped (like Granny Smith)
  • 1 Bosc pear peeled, cored and diced
  • 1 cup grapes seedless, halved
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 1 cup chicken breast chopped
  • ¼ cup raisins
  • ¼ cup walnuts chopped
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper or to taste
  • 1 Romaine lettuce washed, dried and chopped
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Make yogurt dressing: Combine lemon juice, Greek yogurt, mayonnaise in a small bowl and whisk well.
  • Combine salad ingredients: Add the chopped apple, pear, grapes, celery, chicken, raisins and walnuts to a large bowl and toss. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
  • Pour dressing over salad: Pour the yogurt dressing over the salad and toss well. Adjust seasonings as needed.
  • Finish and serve: Serve over the Romaine lettuce.

Video

Recipe Notes

  1. For a healthier dressing, you can skip the mayonnaise and just use Greek Yogurt.
  2. My favorite thing about this salad is that you can also make a sandwich or a wrap with it, or just add some to a freshly baked croissant or your favorite bread.
  3. To prevent apples and pears from oxidizing, sprinkle them with a bit of lemon juice.
  4. For a deeper flavor, toast the walnuts before adding them to the salad.
  5. I used Granny Smith apples for this recipe, but you can use whichever type you like.
  6. Bosc pears can be found at most grocery stores. They are more brown in colour that a regular green pear. You can use whichever type you prefer.
  7. If you have any leftover salad, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. It is best to store the lettuce separate from the salad so the leaves do not get soggy.
 

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1servingCalories: 305kcal (15%)Carbohydrates: 31g (10%)Protein: 11g (22%)Fat: 16g (25%)Saturated Fat: 2g (13%)Cholesterol: 30mg (10%)Sodium: 448mg (19%)Potassium: 516mg (15%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 17g (19%)Vitamin A: 755IU (15%)Vitamin C: 9mg (11%)Calcium: 43mg (4%)Iron: 0.9mg (5%)
Course:Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine:American
Keyword:30 minutes, chicken, waldorf
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!
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Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. Serena says

    March 9, 2022 at 7:40 am

    5 stars
    A great salad recipe just in time for Spring! Thanks, Jo!

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      March 9, 2022 at 9:54 am

      Absolutely!

      Reply
  2. Elaine says

    January 9, 2019 at 11:05 am

    5 stars
    So easy and 😋.

    Reply
  3. Brian says

    January 8, 2019 at 7:23 am

    5 stars
    This looks delicious. I used to love the Waldorf Salad at the Town & Country buffet in Toronto. I’ll be sure to make your recipe, and thanks for sharing it.

    Reply
  4. Grace Deetjen says

    June 30, 2018 at 2:16 pm

    5 stars
    Good salad! I added some fresh basil, and replaced the pear with another apple. Could’ve used a bit more walnuts for extra crunch. I also prefer my chicken shredded, not cubed, and I used craisins instead of raisins. Thanks!

    Reply
  5. shirl Morgan s says

    December 4, 2017 at 3:49 pm

    Thanks needed recipe for Waldorf salad looking forward to making it.

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      December 5, 2017 at 10:21 am

      Glad you found it!

      Reply
  6. amy boeru says

    August 1, 2016 at 8:05 am

    5 stars
    I don’t like pecan pie and I hate cheesecake but I made your dessert from last week yesterday. OH MY YUM!!! So incredibly delicious I wanted to take some to every person I ever met.

    Reply

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I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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