This healthy Waldorf salad is a lightened up recipe inspired by the classic dish. Added chickpeas contribute protein to make it a more complete meal, while Greek yogurt is used in place of mayo as the base of the dressing. It’s a wonderful vegetarian main dish for lunch or meal prep and makes a great side for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Waldorf salad was created by the maître d’hôtel, Oscar Tschirky, of the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. It’s typically made with grapes, apples, celery, and nuts tossed in a mayonnaise dressing but has seen many iterations over the years. Some people like to add chicken, serve it over lettuce, or make it into a sandwich.
I love how this dish is already so heavy on plant foods and easy to prepare, and I knew a few small changes could easily yield a healthy Waldorf salad with a whole lotta possibilities. If you’re a fan of creamy fruit salads or chicken salad made with grapes, I think you’ll love this rendition. The tangy, lightly sweetened dressing makes every bite so enjoyable.
Greek yogurt replaces the mayo in my version, while chickpeas add some oomph, making it suitable to eat as a vegetarian main dish. However, it’s also wonderful as a side for the holidays! You can make it festive by choosing red apples and green grapes or by adding pomegranate arils or dried cranberries.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Apples: Some people prefer the tartness of Granny smith apples for this recipe, but you can really use any variety you like. I enjoy Pink lady apples in healthy Waldorf salad. You can use one red and one green if you want both tart and sweet flavors.
- Celery: You could skip this ingredient if you really don’t like celery or something, but it’s key to balancing the flavors in my opinion.
- Grapes: Seedless grapes work best, either red or green.
- Walnuts: Sub pecans if desired.
- Chickpeas: Although these aren’t part of traditional Waldorf salad, I like to add them for some extra protein and to bulk up the recipe. White beans also work. Pulled chicken (use about 2 cups) is a good substitution if you don’t care if the recipe is vegetarian.
- Greek yogurt: Plain Greek yogurt of any fat percentage works best. To make the dressing low-fat, use a non-fat or low-fat variety. If you only have vanilla Greek yogurt, you can use that. If you like mayo and don’t want an all-yogurt dressing, consider using half mayo and half yogurt instead. I like Sir Kensington’s Avocado Oil Mayo.
- Vanilla extract: Omit if you end up using vanilla yogurt.
- Honey: A little sweetness brings out the flavors. Sub maple syrup or regular granulated sugar if that’s what you have, or omit if you don’t want the added sugar.
- Lemon juice: Use just a little to help keep the apples from browning and to add some flavor to the dressing, but don’t go overboard since the yogurt already has tanginess. Sub apple cider vinegar or orange juice if needed.
Possible Additions
Want to make a festive Waldorf salad for Thanksgiving or Christmas? Choose dark red apples and green grapes, use green apples and add dried cranberries, or sprinkle in some pomegranate arils. Fresh herbs, such as parsley, mint, or dill, also add good color and flavor!
Instructions
The full recipe card for healthy Waldorf salad is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the very easy steps!
Chop the fruit, celery, and walnuts.
In a mixing bowl, combine the dressing ingredients.
Add the salad ingredients.
Stir until everything is coated.
Serving
You can enjoy healthy Waldorf salad on its own or on top of a bed of lettuce. It’s also delicious on a roll or between two slices of bread as a sandwich. Keep in mind that it tastes best served chilled, so give yourself enough time to let it chill in the fridge before enjoying.
Storage
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last for up to three days. Since it’s served chilled, you can easily make the recipe in advance too.
Similar Recipes
If you love this healthy Waldorf salad, give these dishes a try too:
📖 Recipe
Healthy Waldorf Salad
Ingredients
- 2 apples of choice; cored and diced, about 2 cups
- 1 cup seedless grapes red or green; halved or quartered lengthwise
- ½ cup diced celery from about 2 ribs
- 15 ounce chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ½ cup walnuts roughly chopped
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice from ½ small lemon
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt more to taste
Instructions
- Prep the apples, grapes, and celery, and gather the other ingredients.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, honey, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Add the apples, grapes, celery, chickpeas, and walnuts to the bowl. Stir until coated.
- Cover and put in the fridge for at least a couple of hours to chill.
- Enjoy chilled on its own, over a bed of lettuce, or on a roll or bread as a sandwich.
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- Possible additions or substitutions: Pecans, dried cranberries, pomegranate arils, fresh herbs (parsley, mint, or dill), pulled chicken
- This salad is easy to prep in advance, but I recommend making it no more than 24 hours before serving it for the first time to ensure that nothing gets soggy. Speaking from experience, the ingredients hold up very well and that’s why leftovers are still good after a few days (see below) but it tastes best if made within 24 hours.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
Nutrition
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