Salads in summer is a classic combination, and one of the favorite salads in our home is the classic Waldorf Salad. Even though this salad has been around since the late 19th century it still ranks in the Top 10 of America’s favorite salads – and with good reason. The combination of flavors and textures is fabulous, it’s healthy without trying too hard, and it’s so easy to make! My HH likes this as a quick guilt-free snack and requested it the other day so I did a quick Pinterest search and found this Pin for the Best Ever Waldorf Salad Recipe by Daniela of My Gorgeous Recipes. I had to know the difference between my version and the “Best Ever” recipe so let’s get to the Pintesting.
Some interesting history on the Waldorf Salad: It came from the famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel in 1896 and was created by Oscar Tschirky who was not a chef but the dining room manager or “the maître d’hôtel.” It was a huge hit and has stayed on the menu ever since with a minor tweak. History can be delicious.
The Pintesting:
The ingredients include those of a traditional Waldorf Salad and added Greek yogurt to the dressing.
The salad ingredients are apples, celery, grapes, and walnuts. I was so happy to find the walnut pieces which I think are easier to mix into a salad.
Next add the dressing ingredients; lemon juice, mayo (I recommend using real mayonnaise instead of “salad dressing” for this), and Greek yogurt.
The variation that I had been making just used vanilla Greek yogurt which made it a little sweeter. The mayo and lemon juice gave a nice tanginess.
Now comes the hard part; toss everything together until it’s mixed well.
That’s it! You can chill it or serve it immediately (which is what we did).
Normally Waldorf Salad is served on a bed of lettuce; this recipe uses spinach. However, we were going more for the snack version so we skipped this and just dug in. One of the things that I liked about this recipe is that it makes two very generous servings rather than a huge amount. You can easily be double or triple the recipe, but since it’s just the two of us we had four snack or side-salad servings.
The Pintesting Results:
Overall Results: 4.85 Pins
Accuracy: Daniela’s recipe is the classic with a fresh update. The Greek Yogurt and lemon juice give a nice tang and lighten the heaviness of straight mayonnaise without compromising the original version. 5 Pins
Difficulty: There is nothing hard about this recipe but it does require a bit of chopping. 4 Pins
Time: This recipe is very quick to put together. You can make it ahead of time but it’s not necessary to chill it to develop the flavor. That’s perfect for when you need something quick. 5 Pins
Cost: Although its origins are from the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, a 5-star luxury historic hotel, this classic is inexpensive to make. The total cost was less than $2 for 4 snack/side-salad servings. 5 Pins
Practicality: Whether for a snack, side dish, or light meal, the Best Ever Waldorf Salad Recipe is perfect for any salad occasion. 5 Pins
Comments
2 responses to “Best Ever Waldorf Salad Recipe”
We love Waldorf salad, and we can’t wait to try your version! The Greek Yogurt will add some healthy protein to the salad. Beautiful presentation with the spinach leaves–it looks like a flower! My 12-year old daughter Haleigh says: “I know who you are! And my grandma makes Waldorf salad but I’ve never tried making it.” Hopefully this beautiful post will convince her to try making it herself!
Hi, Heather and Haleigh! I’m so glad you liked the post and hope you’ll try the recipe. If you’re making it for a family of four, you might want to consider doubling it since the recipe says it serves 2. I think this would be a great recipe for Haleigh and Katie to make when Brian is grilling. 😀 Miss you guys!