This Waldorf Salad recipe is a lighter, brighter, California take on a classic American salad, swapping out the original mayonnaise-only dressing for lighter non-fat Greek yogurt and olive oil, and most importantly adding the natural sweetness of California Prunes to the tangy, tart, and toasty mix of ingredients for the salad. Waldorf Salad is the perfect salad for an all-American Holiday table, or just any old weeknight. Shall we?
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What Ingredients You Need to Make Waldorf Salad
For the creamy Waldorf Salad dressing (without mayo!):
- non-fat plain Greek yogurt, ½ cup
- olive oil, 1 tablespoon
- lemon, ½ juiced, or about 1 tablespoon of juice
- coarse sea salt or kosher salt, ½ teaspoon
For the salad:
- California Prunes, 1 cup chopped
- apples, 2 diced
- celery, 1 cup diced
- radish, 1 cup thinly sliced
- walnuts, 1 cup toasted and coarsely chopped
- parsley, 2 tablespoons chopped
As an option, you can use butter lettuce leaves or radicchio leaves as "cups" to serve the Waldorf Salad.
What to Add to Waldorf Salad
To me, this Waldorf Salad is perfect.
That being said, you could add even more crunch, extra nutrients, or protein to make your Waldorf Salad a main dish salad with these additions:
- snappy grapes for more crunch
- dried cranberries, especially festive during the "cranberry holidays" i.e. Thanksgiving and Christmas
- red onions, chives, or green onions for some edge
- chopped rotisseries chicken to make it into the best chicken salad you've ever had,
- after Thanksgiving, leftover turkey!
What Kind of Prunes Should You Get and Where?
Use California Prunes for this and any other recipes.
In California, prunes are descendants of the Petit d'Agen prune plum imported from France. California grows 90% of the prunes in the US and 40% of the prunes around the world. So, more than likely if you're eating prunes in the United States, they're almost certainly from California.
You can find prunes in every grocery store near the produce department since prunes are, in fact, a dried type of plum. And because prunes by themselves can be a healthy, subtly sweet snack, you can also find them in the snack aisle.
What Does Sorbate or Non-Sorbate Mean in Prunes?
In the photo above, the prunes in the bowl on the left are "non-sorbate" and feel dry to the touch. The prunes on the right have sorbate and are shiny, plumper, and feel sticky to the touch. Either one work for this recipe.
Here's the info straight from the source, California Prunes: "Prunes are sometimes coated with potassium sorbate to preserve them and help retain moisture content. Potassium sorbate or sorbic acid is considered safe for consumption. Prunes without potassium sorbate are less sticky and more chewy."
How to Make Waldorf Salad
Waldorf Salad requires nothing more than mixing almost all of the ingredients together, and that's it!
Make dressing: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together ⅓ cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons olive oil, juice from ½ lemon, and ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt until fully combined.
Assemble Waldorf Salad: Add chopped 1 cup California Prunes, diced 2 apples, 1 cup diced celery, 1 cup thinly sliced radish, 1 cup walnuts, and 2 tablespoons chopped parsley to the bowl.
Stir until all the ingredients are evenly coated with the dressing.
Transfer salad to a large serving bowl or platter if using.
As an alternative, portion salad into individual servings in butter lettuce cups.
How Long Can You Keep/Store Waldorf Salad?
Keep any pre-made or leftover Waldorf Salad in a tightly sealed container, preferably glass, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You will definitely eat it long before then, I guarantee.
Why You NEED to Eat Prunes*
More fiber? Less refined sugar? Just because they taste good? All of the above!
One 38-gram serving of prunes, which is 4-5 prunes:
- provides 3 grams of both soluble and insoluble fiber
- has only 90 calories per serving
- is a good source of vitamin K, providing 20% RDA
- provides more antioxidants per serving than a serving of dried cranberries!
- Low-glycemic index at 29
* nutritional information provided by California Prunes
Dietary Considerations and Health Benefits of Waldorf Salad
This recipe for Waldorf Salad as published, is:
- vegetarian
- refined sugar-free
- gluten-free
How to Get More Prunes into Your Diet
For whatever reason, to incorporate more prunes into your diet beyond just popping them straight up, add prunes to the recipes you already love, especially sweets.
Adding prunes to recipes is an easy way to increase the health factor. Here's how:
- substitute for refined sugar, because prunes have a rich, natural sweetness
- replacement for butter or oil
- binding replacement for eggs in baked goods when re-hydrated and pureed
Best Prune Recipes
If you're perfectly happy popping 4-5 prunes straight up every day like me, that's awesome. But if you'd like to incorporate prunes into your lifestyle in other ways, here are a few more recipes to try.
Prunes add sweetness and a rich and sticky texture to condiments, dips, and sauces like these without having to add refined sugars or starchy thickeners:
- Pinot Prune Jam the new jam for cheese and charcuterie board
- Homemade Hoisin Sauce and Dip for Spring Rolls
- Pickled Prunes, perfect sweet tart accompaniments
Prunes are a great flavor complement to chocolate and cocoa in sweets and desserts like these recipes and add natural sweetness and lend a rich, sticky texture without having to add refined sugars or starchy thickeners:
- Healthy Chocolate Granola, with BIG clusters!
- Chocolate Salami, a subtly sweet dessert or snack
- Brownie Baked Oatmeal, no eggs no banana
- Healthy Chocolate Spread aka "no-tella"
Waldorf Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Waldorf Salad Dressing
- ½ cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ lemon juiced (about 1 tablespoon of juice)
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
Waldorf Salad:
- 1 cup California Prunes chopped
- 2 apples diced
- 1 cup diced celery 2-3 stalks, and save the leaves to use as garnish!
- 1 cup thinly sliced radish
- 1 cup walnuts toasted and coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Optional:
- butter lettuce or radicchio leaves for serving
Instructions
- Make dressing: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together ½ cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, juice from ½ lemon, and ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt until fully combined.
- Assemble Waldorf Salad: Add chopped 1 cup California Prunes, diced 2 apples, 1 cup diced celery, 1 cup thinly sliced radish, 1 cup walnuts, and 3 tablespoons chopped parsley to the bowl. Stir until all the ingredients are evenly coated with the dressing.
- Serve: Spoon Waldorf Salad into individual butter lettuce or radicchio leaves for serving if using. Garnish with additional chopped parsley, and serve immediately for best crunch, or cover and refrigerate for up to one day.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe developed in partnership with CA Prunes! Check out the their website and follow @CAPrunes on instagram for more information on prunes!
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