The Waldorf salad has made a name for itself in the culinary world. Originally, it was a simple salad consisting of apples, celery, and mayo. Introduced on March 14, 1893, the Waldorf salad was served to guests at a charity ball honoring St. Mary’s Hospital for Children. Coincidentally, the Waldorf hotel opened the previous day, and the charity ball was the very first event to take place in the hotel.

Edouard Beauchamp, the Waldorf’s original executive chef, came up with the salad (and the rest of the menu) with Oscar Tschirky, the maitre d’hotel. Just three years later, Tschirky published a cookbook with the recipe for the historic salad. The simplicity of the salad may be the reason for its rise to fame. However, shortly after the salad’s introduction to the world, people began to elaborate on the original three ingredients. Over time, people added walnuts, oranges, marshmallows, and a few other items on occasion.

This salad does not contain mayonnaise, nor does it contain walnuts. It does, however, contain raw pecans, grapes, apples, dried cranberries, celery, and mixed greens. We used Granny Smith apples, but you can use Fuji, Honeycrisp, or Gala apples if you prefer those varieties. Similarly, you can swap out the red grapes for green grapes if you prefer the flavor profile.