Refreshing Waldorf salad

Creamy crunchy, sweet and sour.

If you are looking for a light and fresh salad to add to a heavy festive meal, this fruity and refreshing Waldorf salad ticks all the boxes. It features a delicious combination crisp apple, celery, grapes, and crunchy walnuts, all tossed in a creamy tangy dressing. Whether the occasion is a hot or cold meal, the blend of flavours and textures in this refreshing Waldorf salad are sure to compliment.

This famous salad has become a timeless culinary classic. The original Waldorf salad was just apple, celery and mayonnaise. We’ve lightened up the salad by adding homemade yogurt, lemon juice and zest to the dressing, plus grapes and nuts for additional textural contrast. With all that refreshing crunch and creamy probiotic dressing, it’s similar to our Christmas kale and cranberry salad, but with fruitier and nuttier vibes.

Homemade yogurt and mayonnaise combo
This creamy duo forms the base of the Waldorf dressing. If you’re not a fan of store-bought mayonnaise, you can easily make your own or skip it all together and use only yogurt or substitute with homemade cultured cream for a richer dressing.

Get the perfect tang
A little bit of honey helps to round the tartness of yogurt. Start with one teaspoon, taste test, then adjust to your liking.

Choose your nutty crunch
We are using walnuts in this recipe, but pecans or any other nut of your choice are just as delicious. Completely optional but toasting the nuts adds lots of extra flavour and more crunch. 

Choose your colourway
When it comes to grapes and apples you have so many options. We went with green apples for their extra-crisp texture and tart flavour but red or yellow apples or a combination will work. For the grapes, we chose a big, red, seedless variety, for maximum pop of colour and festive feel. If you’re aiming for a monochromatic look, choose green grapes and green apples. What ever you choose will taste amazing.

Pack in some protein
Refreshing Waldorf salad can easily be turned into a main dish by adding diced or shredded chicken, turkey or prawn.

Meal prep
Making refreshing Waldorf salad couldn't be easier and comes together in approximately 10 minutes. The dressing can be made several hours or up to 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight glass container. For the best texture, prepare the salad 2 - 3 hours before serving. Note, apples discolour and turn brown after slicing. Both yogurt and lemon juice will prevent apple from going brown, so be sure to toss with dressing soon after chopping.

INGREDIENTS

Dressing
1/3 cup homemade yogurt
1 tablespoon mayonnaise 
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-2 teaspoons honey
¼ teaspoon salt

Salad
2 green apples, skin left on, diced
1 ½ cups diced celery
1 cup halved grapes
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped

METHOD

1.   In a small bowl, whisk together homemade yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, zest, honey, and salt. Stir until well combined. Set aside.
2.   In a large bowl, add the chopped apples, grapes, celery, walnuts, and parsley.
3.   Add the dressing and stir until well coated.
4.   Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

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