Our Vegan Waldorf recipe is BETTER than the original! Why do you ask? Well, because of that heavenly creamy nutty dressing that we have tossed those classic ingredients in 😉. Try it and you won’t be sorry!

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Close-up of Vegan Waldorf Salad in a black bowl with grapes in top right corner and walnuts in bottom left.

Let’s face it Waldorf Salad is just not a pretty salad, it’s creamy, crunchy and delicious but it is certainly not attractive. That’s why I thought I would slice the apples into wafer-thin slices instead of a boring dice \and hey don’t they look pretty this way?

Vegan Waldorf Salad is a timeless classic recipe that has been given a plant-based facelift without losing its decadent creaminess. This is a simple, versatile salad that can be served either as a starter or a side for dinner.

Want to make it a bit fancier? Then you could try serving it on some elegant soft lettuce leaves such as butter or Bibb lettuce.

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Ingredients & Substitutions

Take a look at the ingredients in the classic Waldorf salad, you will notice that it is a crunchy blend of savouriness, sweetness and creaminess.

In our version of the salad, we have used traditional celery for crunch.
We have included both a green and a red apple for the variety of colour and sweetness. A savoury tart Granny Smith and a sweet Fuji apple.
As an alternative try making it with some pears, look for the firm varieties as the soft ones tend to go mushy in this recipe, try William (Bartlett), Anjou or Asian Pear.
For some added sweetness and a pop colour we have added black grapes and cranberries. But, any grapes are good in this salad so feel free to swap them for whatever is at hand. Try some sultanas, cranberries or dried cherries.
For vegan creaminess, we have blitzed roasted walnuts into a creamy nut butter. We then added some apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of maple syrup – ahhh heaven!
We have also added toasted walnuts for an added nutty crunch, but you could use some hazelnuts, or pecans if you prefer.
Consider adding some chopped parsley for a pop of bright green colour or some finely diced red onion for some sharpness.
Bulk it up with some leafy greens such as baby spinach, arugula/rocket or chopped romaine/cos lettuce and it will feed a crowd.

Make it A Meal  - by adding a cooked grain such as pearl barley, freekeh or quinoa; OR a legume such as chickpeas or edamame soybeans; OR even some hulled hemp seeds for a nutty protein boost.

Labelled ingredients needed to make a vegan waldorf salad.

How to Make It

Step 1 – Prepare Your Apples

Wash your apples and remove the core with an apple corer.

CORING RED AND GREEN APPLES WITH AN APPLE CORER ON A WOODEN BOARD

Thinly slice your apples into half-moons using a sharp knife or v-slicer (watch your fingers).

THINLY SLICING RED AND GREEN APPLES USING A MANDOLINE SLICER

For white, crisp apples soak them in salted water using one teaspoon of salt for every two cups of water.

APPLE SLICES SUBMERGED IN SALTED WATER TO STOP BROWNING

When you are ready to assemble the salad strain your apples well and pat them dry.

Step 2 – Cut Celery and Grapes

Wash your celery stalks carefully to remove any dirt that may be lodged there. Cut off the white part of the celery, trim the top part of the leaves and discard the offcuts or you could freeze them to add to a stock.

Then, using a vegetable peeler, de-thread your celery (no need to do this if you don’t have the time).

DE-THREADING CELERY STALKS WITH A VEGETABLE PEELER ON A WOODEN BOARD

Chop them finely into small dice.

Or thinly slice in a food processor if you are in a hurry.

THINLY SLICED CELERY IN A FOOD PROCESSOR

Wash your grapes under cold running water, pat them dry then remove them from the stems and cut them in half.

Step 3 – Make Your Dressing

Chop your toasted walnuts (it is important to chop them so your dressing is smooth and not lumpy). Place the walnuts in a blender with the oil and blitz until it comes together.

Add the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and season. Blitz again until it is creamy, taste and adjust seasonings according to your preferences.

Step 4 – Assemble Your Vegan Waldorf Salad

Strain your apples and dry them, then place in a large mixing bowl, add the celery, grapes, roasted walnuts and cranberries.

Season your salad with sea salt and cracked black pepper, pour over the dressing and mix well until everything is well coated with the dressing.

Taste and adjust seasonings according to your personal preferences.

Arrange in a salad bowl and keep chilled until ready to serve.

Vegan Waldorf Salad in a black bowl with grapes and walnut on the right.

How Did We Veganise it?

We didn’t go the vegan Mayo, yoghurt and tahini route here.

Instead, we added the creaminess by blitzing roasted walnuts in a high-speed blender with some apple cider vinegar and maple syrup for some sweetness.

Guys, it is UNBELIEVABLY DELICIOUS!! I just couldn’t stop licking the blender bowl, I was dipping apple slices into the dressing and munching away, just lucky I had made extra.

Serving Suggestions

To keep your menu vegan you can serve Vegan Waldorf with:

For the carnivores, you can serve it with roasts such as pork, chicken or turkey and it’s great with grilled meats making it an ideal BBQ side.

Origins of Classic Waldorf

According to salad lore, Waldorf salad was created at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York (hence the name). If you presumed that it was the chef who thought of it then you would be wrong, surprise, surprise it was the maître d hotel Oscar Tschirky’s, brainchild.

Originally it was made just with apples, celery and mayo, later it evolved to include walnuts which are now a staple of the salad. More modern versions include grapes and sultanas.

Tips and Questions

What Are the Best Apples to Use?

You are looking for crunch and a mix of sweet and tart so definitely a Granny Smith as your green apple, for the red try pink lady, Kanzi, Fuji, Gala, or a Honeycrisp, are all great options. Give the red delicious varieties are miss as they tend to go mealy if they are not fresh.

Do I HAVE to Use Roasted Walnuts?

YES, plain and roasted walnuts are completely different! Roasting them gets rid of their tart bitterness and truly sweetens them and adds a lovely mellow nutty flavour. Pretty please don’t skip this vital step.

Can I Make Vegan Waldorf Salad Ahead?

This salad can easily be prepared the day before you need it and keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

BUT, if you are like me and prefer to make your salad on the day you could:

Cut your celery a day or two in advance, keep it covered in water in the fridge, then on the day drain it well and pat it dry before adding to your salad, it will be super crisp.
Roast the walnuts and make the dressing in advance, store it covered in the fridge, take it out and allow it to come to room temperature. You may need to loosen it with some water as it may thicken.
You can store any leftover Waldorf salad in an airtight container in the fridge and it should be good for about a week.

Tasting Notes

Make half an hour in advance and allow the flavours to meld together for a tastier salad.
It is at its best when you serve it cold from the fridge, it is nice and crisp that way.
If you want to make it even creamier add 1-2 tablespoons of coconut yoghurt to your dressing.
To speed things up you may use a premade nut butter to make the dressing and just mix in the vinegar and maple syrup. Depending on your nut butter you may need to add a tablespoon or two of oil if you find it is too stiff.

What Can I Do With the Leftovers?

You can store your Vegan Waldorf Salad in an airtight container in the fridge and it should be good for about a week.

Or you could use it as added flavour to a Budha bowl (add some brown, rice, spinach and roasted pumpkin) or as a filling for wraps with some roasted sweet potato.

Looking for more vegan or apple salads?

Comments

5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

Creamy, Dreamy Vegan Waldorf Salad

Ingredients & Substitutions