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Purple Waldorf Salad with Red Cabbage, Apples, Grapes, and Walnuts

Purple Waldorf Salad with Red Cabbage, Apples, Grapes, and Walnuts prepared dish

This colorful waldorf-style salad combines crisp red cabbage, sweet apples, juicy grapes, celery, and toasted walnuts in a creamy yogurt dressing. It is bright, crunchy, and refreshing enough for lunch, dinner, or a make-ahead picnic salad.

This recipe is american style, lunch, scaled for 6 servings, with 25 min prep and 5 min cook.

Prep: 25 min · Cook: 5 min · Total: 30 min · Serves: 6

Quick cooking notes

  • Core ingredients include plain greek yogurt, kosher salt, red seedless grapes, mayonnaise.
  • Follow all 11 steps in order for the intended texture and doneness.
  • Ingredient quantities listed below are for 6 servings.

Ingredients

  • 0.5 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 0.75 tsp kosher salt
  • 1.5 cups red seedless grapes (halved)
  • 0.25 cup mayonnaise
  • 0.75 cup walnuts (roughly chopped)
  • 0.25 cup red onion (finely diced)
  • 4 cups red cabbage (finely shredded)
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 2 stalks celery (thinly sliced)
  • 2 medium red apples (cored and diced)
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 0.25 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper (freshly ground)

Instructions

  1. Place the walnuts in a dry 10-inch skillet over medium heat and toast for 4-5 minutes, stirring often with a heatproof spatula, until they smell nutty and the cut edges look lightly golden.
  2. Immediately transfer the toasted walnuts to a plate in a single layer and let them cool for about 5 minutes, so they stay crisp instead of steaming in the hot skillet.
  3. Set a large cutting board on a stable surface and use a sharp chef's knife to finely shred the red cabbage, dice the apples, halve the grapes, slice the celery, dice the red onion, and chop the parsley; keep the prepared ingredients in separate piles so the salad can be mixed evenly.
  4. Add the 4 cups finely shredded red cabbage to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle it with 0.25 tsp of the kosher salt, then toss firmly with clean hands or tongs for 1 minute until the cabbage begins to soften slightly and looks glossy.
  5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the 0.5 cup plain Greek yogurt, 0.25 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, remaining 0.5 tsp kosher salt, and 0.25 tsp black pepper for about 30 seconds, until the dressing is smooth and pourable.
  6. Add the diced apples to the bowl with the cabbage and toss for 30 seconds, making sure the apples are lightly coated by the cabbage juices so they are less likely to brown.
  7. Add the 1.5 cups halved grapes, 2 sliced celery stalks, 0.25 cup diced red onion, and 0.25 cup chopped parsley to the large bowl, then toss with salad tongs for about 1 minute until the colors are evenly distributed.
  8. Pour the dressing over the salad and fold with a silicone spatula or salad tongs for 1-2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the bowl, until every piece is lightly coated and no dry streaks of cabbage remain.
  9. Add the cooled toasted walnuts and fold gently for 20-30 seconds, just until incorporated, so the nuts remain in distinct crunchy pieces.
  10. Let the salad stand at room temperature for 10 minutes, or refrigerate it in a covered container for up to 2 hours, until the cabbage is crisp-tender and the dressing has lightly tinted purple.
  11. Taste the salad with a clean spoon and adjust only if needed with a small pinch of salt or a few drops of lemon juice, then serve chilled or cool in a wide salad bowl with the apples, grapes, cabbage, and walnuts visible on top.

Nutrition (per serving)

  • Calories: 237
  • Protein: 6 g
  • Fat: 16 g
  • Carbohydrates: 23 g
  • Fiber: 4 g
  • Sugar: 17 g
  • Sodium: 360 mg

Nutrition values are estimates based on stored ingredient totals and serving size.

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