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This celery salad is my twist on the viral version all over social media right now. It adds more protein, more flavor, and more overall health benefits! The real secret? Letting the salad marinate briefly in a fresh orange vinaigrette so the celery absorbs all that bright, citrusy flavor. With just a few extra ingredients, you turn a basic celery salad into a satisfying, everyday meal.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This crunchy salad is a creative and vibrant mix of textures and flavors, combining fresh crisp celery and radishes with the slightest hint of sweetness from the chopped dates and the satisfying crunch of walnuts. Dressed in a super bright, zesty orange vinaigrette and finished with savory Parmesan. Here are a few more reasons you’ll love it!
- Ingredients You Already Have: As you know, I love recipes that don’t cost a lot and use ingredients you probably already have in the pantry. This recipe is no different! Chopped salads like this can help bulk up your meals, making your dollar stretch a bit further.
- It’s Marinated In Flavor: Literally! The chopped salad ingredients marinate in an orange vinaigrette for around 20 minutes before serving, giving the flavors time to really develop.
- Contains Loads Of Health Benefits: Celery alone is a nutritional powerhouse, but we are also adding walnuts (a known superfood), black beans (full of fiber), dates (great for digestion), and radishes (good for heart health). Read more in the “Health Benefits” section below.
Looking for more easy salads with celery for busy weeknights or meal prep? Then you are in the right place! Here are 3 healthy celery salad recipes you’ll love like this Celery Fennel Salad, this Easy Chopped Chicken Salad, and this Healthy Waldorf Salad.
Health Benefits of This Celery Salad
Celery is such a nutritional powerhouse. Here are some of its powerful benefits:
Brain Booster:
Celery is rich in luteolin, a flavonoid that research suggests can help reduce inflammation in the brain, potentially protecting your memory as you age.
Joint Comfort
Traditionally used for gout and joint pain, celery contains anti-inflammatory compounds like apigenin that help neutralize the uric acid responsible for joint discomfort.
Vitamin K
Just one cup of chopped celery delivers nearly 30% of your daily Vitamin K, which is essential for keeping your bones strong and your blood healthy.
Anti-Bloat
Thanks to its perfect balance of potassium and sodium, celery acts as a mild natural diuretic, helping your body flush out excess water and reduce bloating.
And those benefits are just from the celery!
If we look at some of the other ingredients:
- Walnuts contain omega 3 fatty acids, protein, and fiber that are good for the brain, gut, and heart.
- Black beans are high in plant based protein and fiber to help you maintain your weight goals and regulate blood sugar.
- Dates improve digestion and increase energy naturally.
- And radishes contain loads of antioxidants that support reduced inflammation, heart health, and regulated blood pressure.
Can you see why this is such a fantastic salad! I can’t wait for you to try it!
Ingredients
The simple ingredients that make this celery salad recipe perfect for a healthy meal prep lunch, potluck, or a nutritious side dish are the following:
Celery Salad:
- 1 bunch celery, ribs thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 8 small radishes, very thinly sliced
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 x 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup pitted dates, very finely chopped
- ½ cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped
- ½ cup freshly shaved Parmesan
Orange Vinaigrette Dressing:
- zest of a fresh orange
- 3 Tbsps freshly squeezed orange juice
- 3 Tbsps high quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp sherry vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
- pinch flaky sea salt, to taste
- fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Variations And Substitutions
It is super simple to personalize your salad by swapping out ingredients to your liking or what you have on hand. Here are a few suggestions:
Swap the sherry vinegar: Use balsamic vinegar in place of the sherry vinegar for a slightly deeper, sweeter flavor.
Change the citrus: Swap the orange zest and juice for lemon or even lime for a more tart vinaigrette.
Try out different nuts: Swap walnuts for a different nut like pecans, macadamia, or almonds for a different type of flavor and crunch.
Make the Viral Celery Salad: Make a simpler version by recreating the viral celery salad made up of chopped dates, shallots and shaved parmesan with a lemony vinaigrette.
Add A Tart Apple: Apple is actually an ingredient that goes really well with celery and is used in many celery salad recipes. A variety that is a little sweet and tart is best.
Add Fennel: I love adding fennel to my celery salads. The flavors just really go together well by adding a slight licorice flavor. Try out this easy fennel celery salad next if you want.
Add Carrots: Carrots and celery are a classic combo. Adding carrot sticks adds crunch and sweetness.
How To Make Celery Salad
Step 1. Make your orange Vinaigrette, season to taste, and set aside.
Step 2. Layer the bottom of the bowl with the sliced celery.
Step 3. Add the rest of the sliced veggies.
Step 4. Top with the chopped nuts, beans, dates, and shaved parmesan.
Step 5. Drizzle the dressing over your salad and toss gently.
Step 6. Allow it to sit for about 20 minutes before serving, so that flavors can combine.
Enjoy!
Love, Rachel
Rachel’s Tips For The Best Results
- Definitely let this salad marinate! The flavors will have time to come together making it taste even better!
- For easier slicing of all your veggies, try using a Handheld Mandoline Slicer.
- When going to a BBQ or Potluck, this salad looks amazing in a Large Wooden Salad Bowl. It really makes all the colors pop!
- Oranges are harder to squeeze by hand than lemons and limes. To get the most juice from your oranges, use a Citrus Juicer.
At CFC, we love salads, so much that we have close to 400 salad recipes on our site! I invite you to check them all out, but in the meantime, here are three of our most popular salad recipes, quick-pickled cucumber salad, black bean chopped salad, and Italian chopped salad.
How To Serve This Salad
I love this celery salad recipe because celery holds up really well over time. It doesn’t get wilted like lettuce after you add dressing. No, this salad just gets better and better as the celery and other ingredients marinate in the orange vinaigrette, making it perfect to take to potlucks or BBQ’s, make in advance for an easy weeknight dinner, or store in the fridge for weekly meal prep.
The great thing is, you can also serve this in place of a typical side salad. It pairs really well with healthy chicken recipes, fall squash recipes, and citrusy salmon recipes.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
You can make this ahead and store it in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days. Since it is a marinated salad, the flavors just get better over time. Leftovers also store well in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.
We don’t recommend freezing this salad.
Recipe FAQs
Can celery be eaten raw in salad?
Celery is a great addition to any salad and can definitely be eaten raw.
Do I use the entire celery stalk for this salad?
Yes, it is fine to use the entire celery stalk in this recipe.
What mixes well with celery?
Other vegetables mix really well with celery such as fennel, radishes, carrots, onions, and many, many more.
What flavors compliment celery?
The bright flavor of orange complements the sweetness of celery perfectly which is why I chose to dress this salad with an orange vinaigrette.
What if I don’t have sherry vinegar?
If you don’t have sherry vinegar then balsamic vinegar will also work in this recipe. Both have a similar sweetness to them but the balsamic has a richer flavor.
Did you try this celery salad recipe? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
🩷Rachel
More Simple Veggie Salad Recipes You’ll Love
Simple Celery Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Celery Salad:
- 1 bunch celery, ribs thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 8 small radishes, very thinly sliced
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 x 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup pitted dates, very finely chopped
- ½ cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped
- ½ cup freshly shaved Parmesan
Orange Vinaigrette Dressing:
- zest of a fresh orange
- 3 Tbsps freshly squeezed orange juice
- 3 Tbsps high quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp sherry vinegar, or balsamic vinegar
- pinch flaky sea salt, to taste
- fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Whisk or shake together all of your dressing ingredients until very well combined. Taste test, and adjust to your liking.
- Prepare all of your salad ingredients and place them in a large bowl.
- Drizzle the dressing over your salad and toss gently.
- Allow it to sit for about 20 minutes before serving, so that flavors can combine.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
