We took the ingredients of a classic waldorf salad and gave them a more modern twist. This hearty fall and winter salad is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas and any other holiday entertaining occasion! We're pretty sure your family will appreciate the contemporary update.
I'm not sure about you, but I've never been particularly enthused about a traditional waldorf salad. Apples, grapes and walnuts absolutely slathered in mayo...*shudder*...not exactly aesthetically appealing.
That being said, once you get past the unappetizing look, the ingredients actually go quite well together (which is probably why it's such a classic recipe!).
We decided to give grandma's classic waldorf a much more modern update, with a lot more pizzazz (pomegranate, dried cranberries, walnut pumpkin seed brittle) and a lot less mayo. The dressing is still creamy, tangy and delicious, but it doesn't completely overwhelm the salad.
Plus, it will look much, much prettier on your holiday table!
This waldorf salad isn't just for the holidays. It's perfect for just about any fall/winter dinner or entertaining occasion! Don't skip the walnut brittle – it adds SO much.
Ingredients
- Romaine lettuce: a good head of romaine lettuce has a nice freshness and crunch that holds up well to a heavy dressing. You can also use butter lettuce, bibb lettuce, mache, or any other mild leafy green.
- Celery: essential to a waldorf salad!
- Red Grapes: see above 😉
- Apple: just about any variety will do, but I personally prefer something sweet and crisp, like honeycrisp or granny smith.
- Dried Cranberries: optional, but they add a nice tartness and chewy texture. Dried tart cherries would be great, too.
- Pomegranate: also optional, but they add so much!
- Walnut pumpkin seed brittle: if you're feeling lazy, plain walnuts will do, but you really shouldn't skip this simple brittle. It adds so much to the recipe! You'll need walnuts, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper.
- Yogurt dressing: instead of mayo, we used plain yogurt for a lighter, tangier dressing that perfectly complements the other elements of this salad.
Instructions
Make the brittle. Preheat the oven to 275˚F. Add walnuts and pumpkin seeds to a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together maple syrup, olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Pour over nuts and toss well to coat. Spread out on a small parchment lined baking sheet. Bake on the lowest rack of the oven for about 35 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Once cooled, break apart into bite sized pieces.
Make the dressing. Whisk together all ingredients, taste and adjust salt and pepper if desired.
Salad assembly. Prep all salad ingredients, add to a large mixing bowl and toss. Add dressing just before serving and toss well. Top with cooled brittle.
Substitutions/add-ins
- For a more classic waldorf salad: omit the lettuce and pomegranate seeds and toss all of the other ingredients in the dressing.
- Add in pickled red onion for tanginess.
- Sub dried cranberries with raisins or dried tart cherries.
- Add in finely chopped broccoli.
- For more plant-based protein, add in chickpeas.
More salad recipes you'll love:
- Roasted Beet & Kale Salad
- Roasted Vegetable & Wild Rice Salad
- Dill Pickle Potato Salad
- Kale Tahini Caesar Salad
- Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette
If you make this vegan waldorf salad, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.
Print📖 Recipe
Waldorf Salad
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
We took the ingredients of a classic waldorf salad and gave them a more modern, healthy, vegan twist. This hearty fall and winter salad is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas and any other holiday entertaining occasion! We're pretty sure your family will appreciate the contemporary update.
Ingredients
- 1 large head of romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
- 1 cup sliced celery
- 1 large apple, diced*
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ¾ cup pomegranate arils
- Walnut pumpkin seed brittle (recipe below)
Walnut Pumpkin Seed Brittle:
- 1 cup raw, unsalted walnut pieces
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Dressing:
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup plain yogurt (or vegan yogurt)
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275˚F.
- Add walnuts and pumpkin seeds to a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together maple syrup, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour over nuts and toss well to coat. Spread out on a small parchment lined baking sheet. Bake on the lowest rack of the oven for about 35 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Once cooled, break apart into bite sized pieces.
- While the brittle is cooling, whisk together dressing ingredients and prepare salad ingredients.
- Toss together all salad ingredients. Add dressing just before serving and toss well to coat. Top with brittle.
Notes
*We prefer a sweet, tart apple like honeycrisp or granny smith.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Bowl
- Calories: 446
- Sugar: 36.3 g
- Sodium: 1013.9 mg
- Fat: 26.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 53.7 g
- Fiber: 8.7 g
- Protein: 7 g
Ronda Ballinger says
The fresh thyme in the dressing just threw everything off for me. The whole concept with grapes, apples, celery, dried cranberries, etc. and of course the nut brittle is spectacular. The nut brittle is essential and so easy to do. I wasn't a big fan of the lettuce in the salad. I am definitely going to try this again without thyme in the dressing and lettuce.
Marianne Kleminski says
If I added cubed or shredded chicjen would I use more dressing?
Lexi says
Yes, I would use slightly more!
Sharon Corcoran says
The modern Waldorf update is simply gorgeous. The dressing has so many applications including a chicken breast marinade. Thanks so much.
Lexi says
Thank you so much, Sharon! So glad you enjoyed.
Melita says
Can I pre mix all ingredients minus the nuts and dressing day before?
Lexi says
Yes!
Carol says
Fantastic and creative. This is a winner!
Melanie says
A friend shared this recipe and I had to try it! So perfect as a transition from summer to fall salad, and I added a piece of roasted salmon to make it a meal. Make the brittle! So worth it, and I plan to make it for salads with sweet potatoes or winter squashes, like delicata or butternut. I will definitely make this again and again!
Marcia says
I was looking for a Waldorf salad recipe to serve to my book group…the character in book was famous for her Waldorf salads. I found this one and loved the modern twist! It is delicious! One of my favorite all-time salads! So thrilled I found you!
Lexi says
Hi Marcia, I'm so glad to hear that, thank you so much for sharing! Have a great week 🙂
Patricia Zbaraschuk says
This salad is in my weekly rotation. Delicious, easy to make. The flavours go so well together.
Lexi says
Love to hear that, thank you so much!
Karin Foster says
I love Waldorf salad but this one makes me dream of having it again. Made it several times over the holidays and I plan to make it for Superbowl. While I love wings, dips, etc, I also love a good salad. The gorgeous colors in this salad should compliment everything else. While I made it exactly as the recipe calls, I did add crumbled blue cheese - so good. Thank you!
Ann says
My sister-in-law made this for Xmas - AWESOME!!! I am making it to take to a dinner party at a friends house this weekend. Can't wait to pass along this delicious salad recipe to my friends.
Linda hooper says
My daughter in law made this for Xmas and it was the BEST. So delicious!!
Gretchen says
Brought this salad to Christmas dinner and it was a HIT! People actually had seconds of salad! Loved all the textures and the creamy dressing was so delish! Will absolutely make again.
Kate says
I was nervous about the brittle being too hard but it is incredibly tender!!!
And I didn't burn it!
I only had pancake syrup, but the result was fantastic.
Highly recommend!
Diane says
Making this for Christmas. Sounds so good! But my walnut brittle came out sticky…never hardened up. Where did I go wrong?
Lexi says
Hi Diane, if that happens, just leave it in the oven a few extra minutes! Every oven is different so it may take longer in some ovens.
Sarah says
This whole salad combo recipe was delicious for the holidays, thank you for posting! It was so yummy that today, I made a giant batch of the walnut brittle just for snacking (with more sea salt). Had to cook that big batch longer than expected but it turned out awesome. How do you suggest storing the brittle for the best crunch and longevity (since I have a lot of it LOL)?
Lexi says
Oh yay I'm so glad you enjoyed! Omg yes, the brittle is the best part, love that you made another batch! I like to store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I find it tends to lose its crunch a bit at room temperature. Thanks so much for your comment!
Jaime says
This recipe sounds amazing! We're on a no added oil diet, currently. Is there anything I could substitute for the 1/3 cup olive oil in the dressing and still have it turn out well?
Lexi says
Hi! Since this is a creamy dressing, it should be fine to just use more yogurt. Let me know how it turns out!