Pineapple Waldorf Salad

Passover is almost here and I have another yummy addition to add to your holiday table. There is always room for another salad that makes the holiday even more festive. Plus, the recipe is super easy to make!

This version of Waldorf salad is the best-known way in Israel for making this particular salad. Originally the recipe that was invented in the Waldorf Astoria hotel back in 1896 included only apples and celery and it was dressed with mayonnaise. That’s it, so simple but yet crunchy and delicious. During the years, many different versions were created and nuts and grapes were added too. From what I found online, most versions today include grapes and walnuts. The dressing sometimes changes and contains whipped cream instead of mayonnaise.

In the ‘80s, this salad was very popular in Israel and everyone wanted to serve it so they could feel like they are in a New York hotel enjoying a great, fancy meal. The Israeli recipe for Waldorf salad is made with pineapple and pecans instead of grapes and walnuts. I assume the pineapple was chosen since it’s available all year canned while grapes aren’t. Only recently I realized that the Israeli version I knew of Waldorf salad is so different from the original one. I like the combination of the sweet pineapple with the tart apple and crunchy celery and pecans too so I continue to make the salad this way.

To make this Waldorf salad, you will need pineapple (fresh or canned), pecans, celery, tart green apple, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and some salt and pepper for taste. This version of the salad is parve and also vegan in case you use vegan mayonnaise. I don’t add sugar to the salad since the pineapple is already sweet. You can replace the pecans with walnuts if you want. Some versions of the salad include lettuce as the base but it’s up to you if you want to add this or not.

The salad is fresh, crunchy, and full of flavors. It fits Pesach and I think it adds festivity to the holiday.

Like any other salad, you just need to cut all ingredients and mix well. To cut the apple I used a mandolin to get nice small sticks. The salad keeps fresh for 1-2 days in the fridge in a closed container.

For even more salad recipes on my blog, check out my salad recipe index.

Here are some other Passover recipes that were published on my blog:
Passover Rolls
Passover Chocolate Coconut Balls (non-dairy)
Maple Passover Cake
Almond Cookies
Sweet Potato Mini Pizzas
Passover Pancakes (Parve)
Passover Apple Crumble (Parve)
Passover Granola
Charoset
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vegetable Kugel
GF Lemon Crinkle Cookies (Parve)
Homemade Marzipan
Vegetarian Chopped Liver

Let's get started mixing this delicious Waldorf salad: