Meet my 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 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
- â…“ cup diced red onions
- â…“ 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
This salad is fantastic. Much lighter that the usual broccoli salad and so much flavor. My new favorite!
Do you miss this before hand or just when your ready to serve?
Hi Brittany, I think “miss” was a typo, I’m not sure what your question is.
I love a classic broccoli salad, and this one trumps the cheese/bacon but variety! Love the toasted nuts. I did add more mayo (close to double?) as we’re are firmly team mayo around here. It’s fabulous.
Interesting, delightful salad. It reminds me of a Waldorf salad b/c of the slightly sweet taste. Nice, light salad. Next time, I’ll cut the broccoli pieces smaller (similar size to the whole almonds in this) and parboil the broccoli to take off the crunch edge just a bit. The nut recipe for this is genius, takes the salad to the next level! I have gotten to rely on Love and Lemons as one of my go-to websites for recipe ideas. Thanks for what you do!
Hi Nancy, I’m so glad you loved the salad!
YES!! I agree…this salad is to die for!! It’s one of my go-to recipes…I make it to go with veggie burgers because my husband like it so much, he’ll eat it instead of fries…big victory…I often add cut up apple, as well… thanks for this great recipe!!
I stopped by two grocery stores because I was craving broccoli salad. I’m so glad neither had it because this recipe is delicious! I love the tangy and sweet flavors. I didn’t have the pepitas. I had Korean bbq almonds on hand so I diced and used those. I will definitely be making this over and over again this summer!
I’m so glad you loved it!
I love broccoli, especially in the winter months, when the fresh produce selection around these parts is slim. This salad offers a delightful combination of textures and flavors the crispiness of broccoli and bacon, the sweetness of cranberries, the crunch of sunflower seeds, and the creamy tanginess of the dressing. Enjoy
Looks very much like recipe by Sohle El-Waylly for New York Times. It also gets rave reviews, but this version uses items I have in my pantry. Thanks.
I hope you enjoy the salad!