Meet my new favorite broccoli salad recipe...aka the best cookout side dish! With a lightly creamy, tangy dressing, it's fresh, healthy, and delicious.
This broccoli salad recipe is one of my favorite side dishes. It’s my lighter spin on classic Midwest broccoli salad, and though you won’t find any cheese or bacon here, it’s every bit as delicious. A creamy, tangy dressing coats crisp broccoli florets, chewy dried cranberries, sharp red onion, and smoky roasted nuts. Even salad skeptics will love it.
This broccoli salad recipe is easy to make, and even better, make ahead. A few hours or a day in the fridge gives the broccoli a chance to soften and soak up the dressing’s punchy flavor. Pack it up for a potluck, a cookout, or a weekday lunch. It’s guaranteed to be a hit!
A Broccoli Salad Recipe That’s Good for You
Broccoli salad is a standard cookout side dish, but the typical classic broccoli salad recipe is loaded up with sugar, ample mayo, bacon, and sharp cheddar cheese. My version is a fresher, healthier twist—I nix the sugar, meat, and cheese altogether. The result is a crisp, refreshing salad that’ll be the star of your cookouts all summer long!
How to Make Broccoli Salad
The first step in this broccoli salad recipe is chopping the broccoli. Make sure to cut the florets into bite-sized pieces and to finely dice the stems. The small pieces will soften more and soak up the dressing better than larger pieces will.
Next, you’ll mix up the homemade broccoli salad dressing. Instead of using the typical 1 cup mayo: 2 tablespoons vinegar ratio for my broccoli salad dressing, I replace some of the mayo with olive oil and up the proportion of vinegar. I also add a few teaspoons of Dijon mustard and a little honey to the mix, making for a light, super tangy dressing with a delectable sweet/salty flavor.
Add the broccoli, red onion, and dried cranberries to the creamy dressing, and stir to coat.
Now for the best part: the smoky tamari almonds and pepitas! They add wonderful crunch to the salad and bring richness and smoky flavor. They’re the perfect nutritious substitute for bacon and cheese. They’re easy to make—toss the almonds and pepitas with tamari, maple syrup, and smoked paprika, and toast in a 350°F oven for 10 to 14 minutes, until golden brown. Top the salad with the nuts.
Season to taste, and enjoy!
Tip: If you can’t find pepitas, sunflower seeds work here too!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Best Broccoli Salad Recipe Tips
Want to make the best broccoli salad around? Here are a few simple tips:
- Cut your broccoli small. Because this salad features raw broccoli, you want to make sure the pieces are small enough to become fully coated and soften in the dressing. Also, when the broccoli pieces are a similar size to the other ingredients in the salad, you can get a little of everything in each bite.
- Let it marinate. This salad is good right after it’s made, but it’s even better after a few hours (or even days) in the fridge. The broccoli softens and absorbs the flavors of the dressing—my family loved it on day three!
- Save some nuts for the last minute. Sure, I like to make this salad ahead so that the flavors can develop, but the key to making it great is the crispy, smoky nuts and seeds on top. If you add them too early, they’ll lose their crunch, so save some to sprinkle on right before serving!
Storage
- If you’re making this recipe ahead, wait to add the almonds and pepitas. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Store the rest of the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Add the almonds and pepitas right before you eat.
- If you have leftover salad, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
What to Serve with Broccoli Salad
This broccoli salad recipe is a perfect side dish for potlucks and cookouts! Serve it alongside classic cookout recipes like these:
- Best Veggie Burger
- Easy Black Bean Burger
- Portobello Mushroom Burger
- Vegan Hot Dogs
- BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches
Round out the meal with other summer favorites like grilled zucchini and grilled corn on the cob. Don’t forget the lemonade to drink!
More Salad Recipes You’ll Love
If you love this summer salad, try one of these easy salad recipes next:
- Easy Pasta Salad
- Best Potato Salad
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Watermelon Salad
- Creamy Coleslaw
- Orzo Salad
- Greek Salad
- Or any of these 51 Best Salad Recipes!
Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound broccoli crowns
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, I like Sir Kensington's or vegan mayo
- 1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
- ⅓ cup diced red onions
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
Smoky tamari almonds
- ½ cup almonds
- ½ cup pepitas
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Chop the broccoli florets into ½-inch pieces and any remaining stems into ¼-inch dice. Peel any woody or course parts from the stem first.
- In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, mayo, apple cider vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, garlic, and salt. Add the broccoli, onions, and cranberries and toss to coat.
- Place the almonds and pepitas on the baking sheet, toss with the tamari, maple syrup, and smoked paprika and spread into a thin layer. Bake 10 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes (they’ll get crispier as they sit).
- Toss the almonds and pepitas into the salad, reserving a few to sprinkle on top. Season to taste and serve.
Notes
Amazing and light. I hate mayo dressings so had tended to stay away from broccoli salads. I substituted the mayo with lactose free yoghurt and it was still yummy. Kids even like/tried it. Going straight onto the recipe favs list.
The.best!!! I can’t get enough of this. I eat it for DAYS. (Actually, it doesn’t even last that long!) I tried it tonight with cauliflower and it’s still delicious. Yum!
absolutely loved this ! Made it for a dinner party and it was devoured in minutes so going to use this one for another party this week .
I made this for Thanksgiving and everyone LOVED it. I used a sherry balsamic instead if apple-cider vinegar (it’s what I had on hand) and a little chipotle powder on the nuts. I could eat this as a stand-alone dish. Was amazing! I have shared with friends and family and highly recommend it. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad everyone loved it!
Love this recipe!!! I have made it 3 times in one month. It is delicious, healthy & totally addicting. Thank you for creating it:)
I’m so glad you’ve been loving it so much!
Amazing! Lasts well in the refrigerator! Even better in a day or two! Thanks this will be added to my favorites!
Great recipe! I would lightly steam my broccoli keeping it’s crunch instead of raw. It still is a good salad 😊
So so good! I didn’t have cranberries so I used goji berries and I’m glad I risked it. I dumped them in the dressing first while I chopped broccoli and onions and they softened nicely. I really appreciate a dressing without sugar. The touch of honey is just right.
This is a very delicious recipe! I actually added finely chopped romaine and spinach and made it a full salad for lunch rather than just a side. It was great!
This is sooo good… even better the next day. Hubby stood at the fridge and finished off… he loves it. Making more today!
Ha ha, I’m so glad it was such a hit!
Hi, is there a nutritional/caloric breakdown for this recipe? It’s so gooooooood! I’ve already made it twice after having it at a friend’s house. Thanks!
I’m so glad you loved it! Apologies, I don’t calculate nutritional info.
I made this for dinner tonight and served it with grilled Halibut. I didn’t have pepitas but I did have almonds. My husband raved about it, even there was no bacon or heavy mayo in it.
Will definitely make it again.
Hi Mary, I’m so glad you both loved it!
I don’t usually cook, as myhusband and I buy most of our main meals from a catering company we like. WE mistakenly got a pound of broccoli and he found this recipe. I’m going to try it, but I haven’t all the ingredients, so I want to know:
Can I use balsamic vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar?
What is it like if I don’t have any onions?
Can I use raisins instead of cranberries?
Thanks.
Hi Aynn, balsamic will be a lot stronger and sweeter in flavor. It might work, of if you have white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar those would be my top choices. The onions add some flavor and crunch. Yes, raisins will be just fine instead of cranberries. I hope that helps!
I made this last night for a group of friends alongside a bbq. Never received so many compliments about a salad & there was nothing leftover. Absolute winner of a recipe – thanks so much for sharing.
Oh yay, I’m so glad it was such a hit!
I love broccoli salad. Just made two batches for different friends and dinners. I taste-tested, and it was dry, so I doubled the sauce, and it still tasted nice and light. Used toasted slivered almonds, and they were the perfect size. I used salted pepitas, so I didn’t bother with tamari. Best after one day. I will definitely make it again.
Boy! This broccoli salad is so yummy. We ate it right after making it so I’m looking forward to leftovers today with blended flavors. We had it with mango Salsa and leftover grilled salmon.
Great recipe!
I’m so glad you loved it!
what is Tahini i have never heard of this help
It’s like peanut butter, except it’s made with ground up sesame seeds. Look for it in the middle eastern aisle of any grocery store.
My daughter has nut and seed allergies so we don’t have any in our house. What can I use instead of the almonds?
Hi Lynn, just double the pepitas – they’re still so crunchy and tasty!
Hi
Pepitas are a seed so I can’t use them.
Lynn
oh sorry, I read to quickly and just saw the nut part. I would just skip the toppings (nuts & seeds) altogether.
I absolutely love this salad! I had never eaten broccoli salad before. In all my 38 years it had always looked so gross. Then I found your recipe by accident and the photos looks so good I went for it. I LOVE this salad so much. I craved it all summer long. I make it at least 2 times a week in warmer weather and I still make it a few times a month the rest of the year.
Thank you
I was hesitant to make a recipe with raw broccoli. I made this one last night and we loved it. Will definitely make this again!
Jeanine, I love your cookbooks. Thank you for this recipe.