Hey, salad lovers! Ready to shake things up? Meet the Vegan Waldorf Salad – it’s all about crispiness, sweetness, and a whole lot of yum!
Seeing how today IS Mother’s Day (and a very happy Mother’s Day to all of you moms out there), I thought a nice refreshing salad might be the way to go for today’s recipe.
I chose the Waldorf not only because of its simplicity but also how easy it was to make vegan. It’s simple but elegant at the same time so if you want to do something special for any of the ‘moms’ in your life, make them this salad 🥰.
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What Makes This Waldorf Salad Recipe So Special?
100% Vegan & Gluten-Free: Like all of my recipes, this recipe is 100% Vegan and just happens to be gluten-free as well for all of my gluten-intolerant friends.
Simple Ingredients: Every item in this recipe was purchased at a regular big-chain grocery store, so no wild ingredient hunts or last-minute Amazon purchases are required 😍.
Brand New Vegan Friendly: If you are new to this style of eating I’ve made this recipe as simple and tasty as possible. I want you to see that anyone can make healthy and delicious recipes like this no matter what your level of culinary expertise.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Apples
I used a sweet and a tart apple to make this recipe. Granny Smiths are the goto when it comes to tart apples and I used a Honeycrisp for the sweet one. Feel free to use whatever your local grocery store has on hand.
Celery Root
This knobby-looking bulb is also called Celeriac and is a cousin to the familiar celery plant we know today. Since it is a root vegetable it has a crunchy, earthy flavor kind of like celery but with some turnips tossed into the mix too. A good alternative would be regular celery, parsnips, turnips, or rutabaga.
Walnuts
Walnuts are the standard in a good Waldorf Salad and are a good source of healthy fats including omega-3. But feel free to substitute pecans if you already have them.
Vegan Yogurt
There are many brands of good vegan yogurt in the stores today and my personal favorites are Kite Hill or Forager. Just make sure you buy PLAIN yogurt, none of that vanilla-flavored stuff. If you need to substitute you can always use a vegan mayonnaise or if you are the adventurous type you can try to make your own vegan yogurt using your instant pot.
Vegan Sour Cream
Like yogurt, there are several good brands on the market today such as Tofutti, and Violife. Even the Kroger chain has its own brand of plant-based, dairy-free sour cream – Simple Truth. If you want to keep it as unprocessed as possible, you can always make your own using either tofu or cashews. My Green Chile Sour Cream Recipe (minus the chiles) would be a good start.
Sweetener & Spices
Inspired by the Executive Chef of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, I chose to “candy” my walnuts by roasting them with some sweetener & spices. You can always skip this step and just use plain walnuts. If you do make them as instructed, I used maple syrup as my sweetener but feel free to substitute your own favorite. As far as spices I used coriander, fennel seed, and paprika.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities and detailed cooking directions.
How To Make A Vegan Waldorf Salad
Storage Hints
- This salad will keep for up to a few days in an airtight container in the fridge, but keep in mind that it will eventually become watery and the apple will discolor over time.
- I do NOT recommend freezing leftovers.
Top Tip
- Feel free to swap out the apple variety with your own favorites.
- Be sure and cut the apples last as they will start turning brown fairly quickly.
- Don’t like walnuts? Try substituting pecans or almonds instead.
- Some versions add dried cranberries, raisins, or grapes. Be creative and make this your own!
Recipe FAQs
It was created by Oscar Tschirky, the original maître d’hôtel of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in the late 1880s.
Not at all, but I would still suggest you roast them.
Very true, but for Brand New Vegans just getting started, making this recipe as simple as possible was my main goal. Feel free to substitute it with your favorite version of vegan sour cream.
You might serve it on a bed of greens with a thick slice of my Rustic No-Knead Bread (if you’re not GF). Or maybe with my Gazpacho for a nice Summer Picnic.
I would not recommend freezing this, and if stored in an airtight container it should last for a few days in the fridge. Keep in mind it may become watery and the apples will eventually brown (but it will still taste good!).
You can easily substitute several stalks of fresh celery instead. Or be adventurous and try substituting a turnip, parsnip, or rutabaga!
Pairing
These are my favorite bread recipes that might go nicely with this salad.
Vegan Waldorf Salad Recipe
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 5 min
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
Category: Salads
Method: Oven
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Description
Hey, salad lovers! Ready to shake things up? Meet the Vegan Waldorf Salad – it’s all about crispiness, sweetness, and a whole lot of yum!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Candied Walnuts
Dressing
Salad & Garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Toss the walnuts with the maple syrup, then the spices until they are evenly coated.
- Roast for 5-10 min. Watch carefully so they don’t burn. Set aside.
- Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together and set aside.
- Remove the stalks from the celery root and peel the bulb.
- Core the apples, then using a mandolin, CAREFULLY julienne the celery root and apples. Alternatively, you can just cut them into equal-sized cubes.
- Toss the apples, celery root, walnuts, and dressing together in a large bowl.
- Garnish with grape halves and celery leaves.