This celery salad recipe is crunchy, bright, and refreshing. It's tossed in a lemon vinaigrette and filled with apples and dates for pops of sweetness.
This celery salad recipe is fresh and flavorful, filled with a delicious variety of textures and flavors. Chewy Medjool dates and tender chickpeas accent the celery’s crunch, and apple adds a nice sweetness to play off the celery’s savory flavor. Rich, nutty almonds and Parmesan balance the fresh ingredients, and a bright lemon dressing ties the whole thing together.
I love this salad because it shows that celery can be so much more than a supporting ingredient in a soup or the base for ants on a log. This humble veggie is crisp and refreshing, with juicy stalks and leaves so fragrant they’re practically herbs. This celery salad shows it off at its best.
This recipe is a delicious side dish, and thanks to the chickpeas, it’s hearty enough to pass as lunch with some good crusty bread on the side. I hope it gives you a new appreciation for this underrated veggie!
Celery Salad Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this celery salad recipe:
- Celery, of course! Choose a bunch with crisp stalks and a good number of leaves attached. Pro tip:Â The farmers market is a great place to look for fresh celery. It’s often extra-leafy, with a darker color and bolder flavor than what you’d find at the store.
- Red onion – For crunch and sharp, onion-y flavor.
- Chickpeas – I love how their tender texture plays off the crunchy celery. They add protein too.
- Medjool dates – For chewy texture and sweet flavor. If you don’t have any on hand, you could substitute another soft dried fruit. 1/4-1/3 cup chopped dried apricots, dried cranberries, or even raisins would work nicely here.
- Apple – For sweetness and crisp texture. A crisp variety like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Gala is best.
- Almonds and Parmesan cheese – They add rich, nutty flavor.
- Fresh parsley – I love its fresh flavor with the fragrant celery leaves.
- A simple lemon vinaigrette – This easy dressing is based on my go-to lemon vinaigrette, but I adjusted the ratios slightly to pair with this salad. I added a little extra honey for sweetness and increased the quantity of olive oil to create a bright, but not overly acidic, flavor.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Celery Salad
This celery salad has 4 main steps:
- Make the dressing. It’s easy to whisk together in a bowl or shake together in a jar.
- Prep the salad base. Slice the celery, apple, and red onion and chop the dates. Toss them all together with the chickpeas and salt.
- Toss the celery mixture with half the dressing and let it marinate for 20 minutes. I think this step is the secret to making the flavors in this recipe pop. The celery, chickpeas, and apple soak up the bright flavor of the dressing, so every component of the salad is well-seasoned.
- Garnish with the almonds, Parmesan, and parsley, and serve!
What to Serve with Celery Salad
This celery salad is a fresh, delicious side dish. Serve it alongside any soup, pasta, or simply cooked protein. Thanks to the apples, celery, and parsley, it pairs especially well with fall flavors. Try it with this butternut squash pasta, this butternut squash risotto, or this mushroom pasta.
I also love this recipe for lunch. Enjoy it with some crusty bread on the side. It’s great with a grilled cheese or butternut squash soup too.
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
To make ahead:Â On its own, the lemon vinaigrette keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, so you can easily make it ahead before you assemble the salad. The salad itself holds up well for a few hours once it’s dressed, so if you’re making it ahead for a dinner party or gathering, feel free to prep it up to 2 hours in advance.
To store:Â Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The almonds and apples will soften in the dressing over time.
More Salads You’ll Love
If you love this celery apple salad, try one of these fresh, simple salads next:
- Shaved Fennel Salad
- Spinach Salad
- Waldorf Salad
- Or any of these 52 Best Salad Recipes!
Celery Salad
Ingredients
- 8 large celery stalks with leaves, stalks sliced on the bias, leaves chopped
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1½ cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 4 soft Medjool dates, pitted and diced*
- 1 small apple, cored and thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup toasted almonds
- ¼ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
Lemon Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
- 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- â…“ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Make the lemon vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, honey, mustard, garlic, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking and continue whisking until the dressing is emulsified. Alternatively, combine the dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake to combine.
- In a large bowl, combine the celery, red onion, chickpeas, dates, apple, and salt. Add half the dressing and toss to coat. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the fridge and toss again. Top with the almonds, Parmesan, and parsley. Season to taste, adding more dressing as desired, and serve.
