Apple and celery salad is crisp, and tossed in a bright, lemony, creamy mayonnaise dressing. A simple yet elegant side dish, perfect for any time you’re looking for something different.

Adapted from Regula Ysewijn | The Official Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook | Weldon Owen, 2020

Celery was often used as a salad vegetable in the past. In this no-fuss combination, it is paired with apple and then dressed with mayonnaise. Using a simple mayonnaise dressing for finishing everything from salads to cold cooked meats and vegetables was popular in the Edwardian kitchen.–Regula Ysewijn

Apple and celery Salad FAQs

How do I choose the best celery leaves?

You’ll score the most leaves by looking for a full bunch, with dark green outer stalks. Pale leaves have a more delicate taste and texture, while the darker leaves are grassier and a little tougher.  Pick the leaves off the thin stems at the top of the stalk, wrap them in a slightly damp kitchen towel and place the bundle in an open plastic bag in your vegetable drawer. 

Why do I have to string celery?

The strings of celery are tough and extra-fibrous and give the stalks their support. They’re unpleasant to eat. Stringing the celery gives you all the flavor and crunch without any of the tough chew.

What should I serve with this apple celery salad?

Our testers enjoyed this as a light lunch alongside freshly baked bread, or as part of a more substantial meal that included roasted meat, fried chicken, or barbecue.

Apple and celery salad in a patterned bowl, beside a cutting board with a knife and apple slices.

Apple and Celery Salad

4.50 / 2 votes
This apple celery salad is also good with grated raw celery root or with radishes thinly sliced in half-moons in place of the celery.
CourseSalad
CuisineBritish
Servings4 servings
Calories85 kcal
Prep Time15 minutes
Total Time15 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 4 stalks (8 oz) celery including tender, young leaves*
  • 1 good eating apple such as Granny Smith, Cox’s Orange Pippin, or Braeburn
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Instructions 

  • Using a small, sharp knife, peel away the tough outer strings from each celery stalk. Thinly slice the stalks crosswise on the diagonal, then coarsely chop the leaves.
  • Peel the apple, quarter through the stem, and cut away the core. Starting from the short side, slice each quarter as thinly as possible. Working quickly, dump the slices into a bowl and toss them with the lemon juice, coating evenly to prevent browning.
  • Add the celery slices and leaves to the apple slices, then spoon in the mayonnaise and cream. Stir gently to coat the apple and celery.
  • Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper, garnish with mint, if using, and serve.
Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook

Adapted From

The Official Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook

Buy On Amazon

Nutrition

Serving: 1 servingCalories: 85 kcalCarbohydrates: 7 gProtein: 1 gFat: 7 gSaturated Fat: 2 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3 gMonounsaturated Fat: 2 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 8 mgSodium: 47 mgPotassium: 59 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 5 gVitamin A: 89 IUVitamin C: 4 mgCalcium: 6 mgIron: 1 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2020 Regula Ysewijn. Photo © 2020 John Kernick. All rights reserved.

Recipe Testers’ Reviews

Organic celery and apples are two staples in my fridge at all times. Both are so versatile–great for snacking with nut butter, great add-ins for pureed soups, or great on their own as the star of a recipe like this one. Celery is definitely an underappreciated veggie; it has such a wonderful crunch when raw in salads, but the flavor is so floral with the tiniest hint of pepper, it truly is a game changer. 

The combination of the fresh, crisp celery slices with sweet apple is so refreshing! I used a Pink Lady apple (my favorite), a total of 1/4 teaspoon of fresh pepper, and fresh mint. The creamy dressing really did round everything out.

I served this apple and celery salad on the side of chipotle baked salmon with some roasted sweet potato wedges. I can see this salad being a nice alternative to a traditional Waldorf salad at lunch, maybe on a bed of watercress with some roasted, sliced chicken as well.

I love apple and celery together in Waldorf salad so I decided to give this apple celery salad a try. Unfortunately, since I had that thought in my head, I found that I kept missing the raisins and walnuts as I ate the salad! For anyone who can’t eat nuts and/or is philosophically opposed to raisins, however, this would be a great, more basic alternative to the Waldorf.

The dressing was bright and creamy. It doesn’t specify the type of mayonnaise and all I keep on hand is Hellman’s light mayonnaise, so that’s what I used. Employing a full-fat mayonnaise would make the dressing richer, but we thought it was fine as it was.

Since I didn’t have mint, I sprinkled a handful of chopped parsley over the salad at the end instead. That added some nice color.

I love this apple and celery salad. My mother used to make a salad very similar to this and it was my job to peel the apple(s). It graced our Thanksgiving table many times. Sometimes she added walnuts or pecans, but celery was always the star!

The ribs nearer the center were better, as the outer ribs were more mature and had more “strings attached” (and who wants that?). A few radishes added color, as well as texture.

I’ve made this several additional times and each time I think we enjoy it more. Last time, I added a bit of grated lemon zest (about 1/2 of the zest from a small lemon) and we liked that addition very much. This salad was wonderful with a pork roast, with lamb burgers, and with fried chicken!

I found this salad kept well. It could certainly be made several hours ahead, even overnight, without compromising its texture.

Make coleslaw or sour cream cucumber salad? Try this apple celery salad next time instead. It’s light, refreshing, and wonderful with barbecue, fried chicken, and roasts, to name a few.

Putting celery front and center in a dish may be new to some, but the beautiful chartreuse veggie has a lot going for it. It’s uniquely fragrant, crunchy—do peel and remove some of the strings for an addictive airy crispness—and versatile fresh or cooked.

It marries the apple flavor so well in this recipe, and I loved the addition of mint. The apple of my choice was Pink Lady, my go-to when I need apples that have a nice balance of tartness and sweetness, and retain the crunch over time. I used two different kinds of mint from my garden: spearmint and apple mint.


I used a Mutsu apple (a very good eating apple that doesn’t brown quickly) and celery from the farmers market. Had mint been in season, I might have used it as the suggested garnish. It was a nice simple salad with lots of CRUNCH!, and because it was very white without the garnish, apart from the flecks of freshly ground pepper, we served it atop a good amount of lettuce bedding, to add some green color to the plating.

We ate this with thick slices of a seedy freshly baked bread, unadorned, and a couple of handfuls of sweetly roasted mixed nuts, all of which made for a quick, easy, and pleasant lunch on the go.

Originally published October 18, 2021




About David Leite

David Leite has received three James Beard Awards for his writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


Hungry For More?

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

A sublime and tasty crossover between vegan and soul food—who would have thought it was possible? It is and it’s fabulous. Healthy and filled with flavor, it’s everything a salad should be.

30 mins

Beet Salad with Feta and Pumpkin Seeds

A stunning jumble of ingredients you’ll forget are healthy the moment you take a bite. Sweet roasted beets. Peppery watercress. Tangy feta. And a perfectly balanced vinaigrette.

3 hrs 15 mins


Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating