The BEST Celery Salad
What’s even better is you will turn the celery haters in your life into celery lovers too!
Celery Salad Ingredients
Below are all the ingredients you will need to make this celery salad recipe. I have included important notes and potential substitutions.
How to Make Celery Salad
1. TOAST CHOPPED PECANS in a dry skillet until they are golden brown and fragrant.
2. IN A LARGE BOWL, STIR together dressing, sour cream, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, salt and black pepper.
3. ADD celery, dried cranberries, and chopped pecans.
4. COMBINE until the ingredients are well coated and evenly distributed.
5. REFRIGERATE for a few hours before serving (give the salad a good toss before you do).
Make Ahead and Storing Information
This Celery Salad is great for making ahead of time because it actually tastes better the longer it refrigerates. You can make it and store covered in the refrigerator up to 2 days before you plan on serving it. It is also great for portioning out and meal prepping up to 4 days out.
Any leftover salad should be stored in an airtight container and in the refrigerator. Freezing is not recommended. It is best to eat within 4 days, and don’t forget to give your salad a good toss before you plan on eating or serving it.
What to Serve With Celery Salad
- smoked meats – Smoked Pork Butt, Smoked Hot Dogs
- sliders – Ground Beef Sliders, Pulled Pork Sliders
- chicken – Oven Baked Chicken Wings, Cajun Chicken Thighs, Greek Yogurt Chicken Bake,
- seafood – Cod Fish Sliders, Pesto Crusted Salmon
- with soups – Chicken Alfredo Soup
- eat it as a stand alone snack or lunch like I do
- the list goes on and on!
3 Recipe Tips You Need To Read
This Celery Salad is so easy to make, but here are a few tips to make it even better.
1. CHOP YOUR CELERY ON THE DIAGONAL. This may seem like a “style” choice for a prettier salad, but there is more to it. Cutting celery on the diagonal avoids a stringy texture. It also reduces bitterness because of how the celery fibers are severed.
2. DON’T SKIP THE REFRIGERATOR TIME. This is essential for building flavor in the celery salad. It also allows some time for the onion and celery to slightly soften and soak up some of the dressing.
3. PRESENTATION IS EVERYTHING. I like to add additional toasted pecans, dried cranberries, and black pepper to make the top look pretty for serving. I do this right before serving and after I have refrigerated and tossed the salad.
Frequently Asked Questions about Celery Salad
More Salad Recipes You Might Like
Celery Salad
INGREDIENTS
- 8 ribs celery - thoroughly washed, chopped into 1/2" pieces
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup pecans - roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat chopped pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, or until they are golden brown and begin to smell toasted. Stir frequently to prevent the nuts from burning.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, salt, and black pepper.
- Add celery, dried cranberries, and toasted chopped pecans.
- Toss the salad and dressing together until everything is well coated and combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours. Lightly toss prior to serving.OPTIONAL: Top the salad with more dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and black pepper for presentation.
RECIPE NOTES
Storing Information:
- Refrigerated, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days.
- Freezing this Celery Salad is not recommended.
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.