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Home » Recipes » Salad Recipes

Waldorf Salad Recipe

Published: Jul 7, 2022 · Modified: Nov 8, 2024 by Brooke Fajcz · As an Amazon Influencer, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Looking for a way to use up leftover turkey or chicken?  You need to try our Waldorf salad recipe. You'll love the sweetness from the grapes, nuttiness from the walnuts and crunch from the tart apples.

If you love recipes that use up leftover turkey, check out our recipe for turkey stroganoff and turkey a la king.

turkey waldorf salad on a plate of lettuce
Jump to:
  • About
  • Ingredients
  • Variations
  • How to Make Waldorf Salad
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Serve
  • Expert Tips
  • Other Delicious Salad Recipes You'll Love
  • Recipe
  • Comments

About

The original recipe for Waldorf salad had only three ingredients: apples, celery, and mayo.  Over time, walnuts became standard, and now dried fruit like raisins, chopped dates, or dried cranberries are popular additions. 

Adding meat, such as chicken or turkey, is a modern variation.  This is served chilled and is usually presented on a bed of fresh lettuce.

Ingredients

glass bowls of ingredients for turkey waldorf salad

The ingredients for our Waldorf salad are easy to find at your local grocery store. Let's talk about some of the key ingredients.

  • Fresh Fruit: We used crisp, tart apples like a Granny Smith and red grapes.
  • Dried Fruit: We used dried cranberries, but you can substitute with raisins or chopped dates.
  • Dressing: We used mayo, but you can substitute with sour cream, or Greek yogurt.
  • Nuts: We used chopped walnuts which are traditional, but you can substitute with pecans.
  • Poultry: We used leftover turkey, but chicken is more common; however, the original recipe didn't include meat.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

  • Don't have leftover turkey?  Use poached chicken or rotisserie chicken.
  • Need a veggie?  Try thinly sliced celery; it's in the original Waldorf salad recipe.
  • Need this vegetarian?  Leave out the turkey or chicken.  It won't be as filling, but still very tasty and it was originally served this way.

How to Make Waldorf Salad

Gather the ingredients for our Waldorf salad recipe.  Chop up the leftover turkey (or chicken), slice the grapes in half, and measure out the ingredients for the dressing.

person stirring salad and whisking dressing
  1. Add the sliced grapes and dried cranberries to the bowl of diced apples.  Keep some cranberries to use as garnish. (image 1)
  2. Whisk 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into the mayo. Add the seasonings, Dijon mustard, and some salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in the spices and Dijon so the dressing is smooth and uniform in color. (image 2)
adding turkey and dressing to salad
  1. Add the chopped turkey or chicken to the bowl of apples, grapes, and dried cranberries. (image 3)
  2. Pour as much dressing as you would like. Toss to combine. Cover and chill for a minimum of one hour. (image 4)
adding walnuts to salad and putting lettuce on a plate
  1. When ready to serve, add the toasted walnuts, keeping a few for garnish. (image 5)
  2. When ready to serve, line a plate with 7 fresh butter leaves. If you are making this on individual plates, you can tear up the butter leaves so it is easier to eat. (image 6)
serving the turkey waldorf salad with a spoon
  1. Carefully place the ingredients on top. Garnish with the remaining walnuts and some extra dried cranberries. (image 7)
  2. Serve our Waldorf salad recipe right away and enjoy! (image 8)

Recipe FAQs

What is Waldorf salad dressing made of?

The classic dressing is plain mayonnaise, but over time it's become standard to add lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Of course you can add other spices and ingredients like Dijon mustard and sugar. 

If you want to stay away from mayonnaise, use half sour cream and half Greek yogurt for the base of the dressing, just add some honey to cut the tartness of the yogurt.

Why is a Waldorf salad called that?

In 1893, Oscar Tschirky, the maître d' at New York City's Waldorf Astoria Hotel, invented a very simple recipe for an important fundraising event being held at the hotel.

Does Waldorf salad contain celery?

Yes, traditionally Waldorf salad contains celery, but we decided not to include it in our version. If you want this to be more like a classic Waldorf salad, feel free to add 1 cup of thinly sliced celery.

Where did Waldorf salad originate?

Although the original recipe is popular in many countries like Great Britain, it originated in the United States in the state of New York.

How do you store turkey Waldorf salad?

Make Ahead: Yes, our recipe tastes better if it has at least one hour of chilling time.  If you need to make this the night before an event, add the grapes closer to serving time, as they can lose their crispness.  The walnuts are best if added just before serving.
Leftovers: Keep any remaining leftovers tightly covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Frozen: It depends. You can't freeze the grapes, the dressing or the lettuce, but all the other ingredients can be frozen.

Serve

What can you serve with this recipe? Serve on a bed of lettuce or in choux pastry. Make a sandwich with a croissant or pita, or make a wrap out of butter lettuce or a tortilla.

How can I change the presentation? Make a composed salad by artfully arranging the separated ingredients on a large platter with dressing on the side. Make a layered salad by using a glass trifle bowl to layer lettuce, chopped turkey or chicken, diced apples, and dried cranberries, etc. Serve dressing on the side. Or make it into lunch prep by layering the ingredients in four large mason jars.  Serve the dressing on the side./im

serving Waldorf salad with two forks.

Expert Tips

  • Toast the walnuts for more flavor, but add them in just before serving.
  • Toss the chopped apples with lemon juice to prevent browning.
  • Chill for a minimum of one hour.

Other Delicious Salad Recipes You'll Love

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Recipe

plate of turkey waldorf salad

Waldorf Salad Recipe

Waldorf salad recipe is a healthy recipe that has tart apples, sweet grapes, creamy mayo, crunchy walnuts, and dried cranberries.  Use up your leftover turkey to make this classic salad with a simple dressing.  Serve with lettuce for a light supper, or make into a sandwich for an easy lunch; either way, it's sure to please.
5 from 2 votes
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Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes minutes
Servings: 5 cups
Calories: 541kcal
Author: Brooke & Emma

Ingredients
 

For the Dressing

  • 1 cup Duke's mayo
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • sprinkle of salt and black pepper

For the Salad

  • ½ cup chopped walnuts
  • 2 ⅔ cups turkey, chopped
  • 1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
  • 1 Granny Smith apple, finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • 1 head butter lettuce

Equipment

  • whisk
  • baking tray
  • spatula
Keep your screen on while you work!

Instructions

Making the Dressing

  • Whisk together the dressing ingredients until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.

Making the Salad

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Toast the walnuts by spreading them on a small baking tray and baking them for 6 minutes.  Remove from the oven, shake the pan to redistribute the nuts, and bake for another 6 minutes.  Test to see if they are done by tasting one walnut piece.  The walnuts should look browned and taste toasted.
  • Toss the chopped apples with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to prevent browning.
  • Gently toss together the turkey, grapes, apples, and dried cranberries in a large bowl.
  • Add the dressing to the salad and toss to coat each piece.  Cover and chill for a minimum of 1 hour.
  • When ready to serve, stir the toasted walnuts into the salad.  Line each dinner plate or a serving platter with butter lettuce leaves and place the Waldorf salad on top of the lettuce.  Serve cold.

Notes

  • Toast the walnuts for more flavor, but add them in just before serving.
  • Toss the chopped apples with lemon juice to prevent browning.
  • Chill for a minimum of one hour.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 541kcal (27%)Carbohydrates: 24g (8%)Protein: 15g (30%)Fat: 45g (69%)Saturated Fat: 7g (44%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 27gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 57mg (19%)Sodium: 382mg (17%)Potassium: 369mg (11%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 18g (20%)Vitamin A: 1183IU (24%)Vitamin C: 6mg (7%)Calcium: 41mg (4%)Iron: 2mg (11%)

Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Beth

    January 17, 2020 at 1:25 pm

    5 stars
    The soft turkey, sour cranberries, and crunchy apples taste very nice together. It is a creamy combination of dressing and juicy fruit.

    Reply
    • Emma

      January 17, 2020 at 1:44 pm

      The dressing and salad ingredients really combine together nicely.

      Reply
  2. Alex

    January 17, 2020 at 1:24 pm

    5 stars
    The walnuts are crunchy, and the cranberries are chewy. The butter lettuce adds more crunch.

    Reply
    • Emma

      January 17, 2020 at 1:44 pm

      The contrasting textures of this salad are wonderful!

      Reply

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