PrintCreamy Celery Salad with Toasted Pecans and Dried Cranberries
This is the best celery salad you will make. It is a crunchy, flavorful side dish featuring a creamy dressing that coats crisp celery, dried cranberries, and toasted pecans. It is quick to prepare and perfect for any gathering or light lunch.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 5 min
- Total Time: 45 min
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the celery by washing the stalks thoroughly and slicing them thinly across the grain. Place the sliced celery in a medium bowl.
- Toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often until fragrant. Remove from heat and let them cool slightly before chopping.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream (or yogurt), lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and sugar until smooth. This creates your zesty celery dressing.
- Pour the dressing over the sliced celery. Add the dried cranberries and most of the toasted pecans to the bowl.
- Gently toss all ingredients together until the celery and other additions are evenly coated with the creamy dressing.
- Season the salad with salt and pepper to your preference.
- Cover the bowl and chill the celery salad for at least 30 minutes before serving. This allows the flavors to blend.
- Before serving, sprinkle the remaining toasted pecans over the top for added crunch.
Notes
- For a refreshing low calorie salad option, substitute half the mayonnaise with plain non-fat Greek yogurt.
- You can make this a vegan celery salad by using a vegan mayonnaise substitute.
- This crunchy side dish holds up well for meal prep; store dressing separately if preparing more than one day in advance.
- If you want a Mediterranean celery salad variation, omit the cranberries and pecans and add feta cheese and Kalamata olives.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 10
- Sodium: 180
- Fat: 16
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Unsaturated Fat: 13
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 16
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 3
- Cholesterol: 8