This Classic Waldorf Salad is refreshing and tasty. It’s the perfect side dish recipe for a holiday lunch or backyard summer picnic. With a little twist on the classic Waldorf Salad, this recipe adds tangy pineapple and raisins to this sweet and tangy dish.
Waldorf Salad
My mom’s potluck summer classics were always a sweet broccoli salad and a Waldorf salad.
If you love old-fashioned potluck salads like I do, then you might like my recipes for
Classic Ramen Noodle Salad, Healthy Shrimp Salad and, Basil Layered Salad
Table of contents
You would think, as a kid that I’d be put off by anything with mayonnaise in it.
But, I absolutely adored my mom’s Waldorf Salad. I would sneak into the fridge to eat all of the leftovers.
Properly stored, Waldorf apple salad will last 3-5 days in the refrigerator
The original salad was created at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. The dining room manager created it with mayonnaise, apples, and celery. It was an instant hit!
Absolutely not. Walnuts or peanuts are a great substitute for pecans in this salad
How Do You Make Waldorf Salad?
The original Waldorf Salad recipe, dating back to the 1800s, only contained apples, and celery, mixed with mayonnaise. Anything that has been added is a twist on this American Classic Recipe. Of course, to make Waldorf Salad a salad, it’s usually served on a bed of lettuce. 
We always go without the lettuce and just scoop out the delicious apple salad onto our plates in heaping spoonfuls. This particular recipe has been handed down to me a couple of generations ago and adds a small twist of raisins, pecans, and the tang of pineapple. I hope you enjoy it.
Here’s a printable for this Waldorf Salad Recipe…
Old Fashioned Waldorf Salad {For a Crowd}
Ingredients
- 6 apples – cored and sliced – {If you preferyou can chop them into bite-sized pieces}*No particular variety, but a mixture of Granny Smith Apples, and Royal Gala – is a nice combination
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup raisins
- ½ cup chopped pecan bits
- 1 cup halved seedless grapes
- 1 pineapple tidbits in the juice – drain but reserve some juice for dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp. pineapple juice from canned pineapple
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the mayonnaise and the reserved 1 Tbsp. of pineapple juice
- Add your apples, celery, raisins, pineapple, grapes, and pecans to the mayonnaise mixture
- Mix it all together
- Cover and set in the refrigerator to chill – overnight
Notes
Tips and Tricks
- You’ll want to make this a day ahead. It’s better if left to chill in the refrigerator overnight which gives the dressing time to thicken up
- the pineapple juice contains citric acid much like lemon juice, it helps prevent the apples from browning plus adds another level of flavor to the dressing
Add-Ins and Substitutions:
- pecans can be substituted with another nut like peanuts or walnuts
- mini-marshmallows are always a delicious add-in to Waldorf salad
- using half Miracle-Whip and half Mayonnaise plus sugar to cut through some of the tang is another classic form of dressing for this recipe
Nutrition
~Melissa – KidFriendlyThingsToDo.
Adapted from Calvin Christian School Cookbook
