Best Waldorf Salad combines fresh celery, granny smith apples, seedless grapes, and pecans to make a fruity, light dish. After these fresh ingredients are chopped and mixed, you can eat them right out of the bowl or serve them on a bed of crisp lettuce. While the recipe calls to dress the salad with mayonnaise, to create a healthier dish, you can swap out the mayonnaise for Greek yogurt. This dish is versatile enough to serve as an appetizer or a light lunch salad. This salad is truly fit for any occasion but is most enjoyable in the summer heat or in the fall when crisp apples are in season.
The Waldorf salad is said to have originated over 100 years ago at the Waldorf hotel in New York City. Starting out as a simple salad of apples, celery, and mayonnaise—ingredients that are in season all year long—over the years its flavor was tweaked with the addition of grapes and nuts added to the mix.
My recipe pretty much follows course with these ingredients and the addition of whipped cream to add extra fluff:
.Tart apples
. Celery
. Walnuts or pecans
. Grapes
. Lemon juice
.Sugar
. Salt
. Mayonnaise
. Whipped cream
How to Make the Classic Waldorf Salad？
This simple salad takes doesn’t require any cooking, just a little chopping, and only takes minutes to mix together. Use the crispest varieties of apples. Grandma said to use tart green Granny Smith apples, but for a little variety in color, I used one green apple and one crunchy Fuji apples. Red delicious, honey crisp and gala are also good options. Chop the ingredients the same size. Chopping the apples, celery, and grapes about the same size ensures you’ll get crunchy and sweet tastes in each and every bite.
Sprinkle the cut fruit with the lemon juice and sugar. Cut apples can quickly e discolor. Tossing with the lemon juice retards oxidation while sprinkling the fruit directly with sugar enhances it’s sweetness.
Mix the wet ingredients before adding to the dry. Whisk the mayonnaise and whipped cream together before adding to the fruit. This ensures a homogenous, creamy dressing. Toast the nuts for deeper flavor. Toasting the nuts before adding to the salad intensifies their nutty flavor by releasing their natural oils, eliminating their raw taste.
Add Greek Yogurt to Waldorf Salad’s Dressing
The dressing for Waldorf salad always starts with mayonnaise. In fact, you could get away with using only mayo, but because this salad deserves a topping that’s more than just one note of flavor, I add secret ingredient. secret ingredient for this dressing isssssss…whipped cream. Now, you could go ahead and sub the whipped cream with plain Greek yogurt or even sour cream, and I have. But, I encourage you to try both ingredient combos and decide for yourself which you prefer. If you prefer, use 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt or sour cream instead of the suggested ½ cup whipped cream.
More Ingredients to Add to Waldorf Salad
Keep this salad basic or jazz it up with these complimentary ingredients:
. Mini marshmallows
.Raisins
. Dried cranberries
. Diced pineapple
. Dried dates
.Chicken or turkey
. Red onion
. Broccoli or caulflower
. Sunflower seeds, pecans, or pistachios
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