Light & Easy Broccoli Salad
This lightened up broccoli salad is easy, refreshing, and tasty! Made with fresh broccoli, raisins, nuts, and a creamy dairy-free dressing.
Why We Love This Light & Easy Broccoli Salad
- Quick & Easy: This salad is super easy to make with very minimal cooking (or none at all if you prefer). You can easily throw it together when you need a last minute veggie side.
- Healthy & Delicious: Broccoli salad can often be too heavy when made with lots of bacon and mayonnaise. This version is lightened up with a dairy-free and egg-free creamy dressing, but it still tastes great!
- Meal Prep Friendly: Unlike many other salads, broccoli salad can be stored for a few days without losing quality or flavor – in fact, it tastes even better after marinating for a couple hours. No sad soggy salad here!
Key Ingredients
- Broccoli ⟶ I recommend fresh broccoli for the best flavor and texture, but frozen broccoli would probably work in a pinch. I like to briefly steam/blanch the broccoli for a softer texture and sweeter flavor.
- Carrots ⟶ A little bit of shredded or julienned carrots add color and nutrients but can be omitted if desired.
- Nuts or Seeds ⟶ Toasted almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds would all be delicious!
- Raisins ⟶ A bit of sweetness to help balance out the acidity and slight bitterness of the broccoli. Dried cranberries or chopped dates would be delicious, too!
- Red Onion ⟶ Diced or thinly sliced and then soaked in the dressing for a “quick pickle”.
- Vegan Mayo, Yogurt, or Tahini ⟶ The creamy element that ties this salad together. I like to use my homemade Japanese mayo, Trader Joe’s unsweetened cashew yogurt, or tahini.
- Lemon Juice ⟶ Adds acidity and brightness to balance all the flavors. You can also use apple cider vinegar.
- Seasonings + Spices ⟶ Garlic, mustard, parsley, sugar, salt, and pepper to enhance all the flavors.
How to Make
This broccoli salad is so easy to make. Minimal cooking necessary – basically just throw everything in a bowl and you’re done! There are two prep steps you can do in advance to make assembling the salad really quick and smooth:
- Par-cook the broccoli: Personally, I’m not a fan of raw broccoli, so I like to steam/blanch the broccoli first. But if you like the crunchier, slightly more bitter taste of raw broccoli, you can skip this step.
- Soak the onions: To reduce the pungency of the onions, soak them in the dressing for about 10 minutes. The acid in the dressing will help remove the raw bite.
Technically, you can skip these steps if you don’t mind raw broccoli or raw onion, but I think these extra steps make the broccoli salad taste even better. And it really doesn’t take much time or effort!
Light & Easy Broccoli Salad FAQ
More Light & Easy Sides
- Silken Tofu Salad
- Sesame Mizuna Salad
- Black Bean and Corn Salad
- Broccoli Goma-ae (Japanese Sesame Broccoli)
- Spinach Goma-ae (Japanese Sesame Spinach)
- Cucumber Ponzu Salad
If you try out this recipe, don’t forget to leave a comment/rating down below and tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking. I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
Light & Easy Broccoli Salad
This lightened up broccoli salad is easy, refreshing, and tasty! Made with fresh broccoli, raisins, nuts, and a creamy dairy-free dressing.
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Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 head broccoli cut into florets, about 4 cups chopped
- ¼ cup red onion thinly sliced
- 1 small carrot julienned or shredded
- ¼ cup nuts or seeds
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ cup chopped vegan bacon optional
Dressing
- ¼ cup vegan mayo
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tsp mustard
- ½ tsp dried parsley or 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- dairy-free milk or water to thin dressing
Instructions
- Par-cook broccoli (optional): Add broccoli to a microwave-safe dish with about a tablespoon of water. Cover and microwave for 1½-2 minutes until crisp-tender, not soft. You want it to retain some crunch! OR you can blanch the broccoli in boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside to cool in a colander for about 10 minutes.Tip: You can skip this step if you prefer raw broccoli. The dressing should soften the broccoli a bit, but it will be crunchier than par-cooked broccoli.
- Make dressing: Whisk all dressing ingredients together. Add a splash of dairy-free milk or water if needed to thin the dressing.
- Soak red onions: Add red onions to the dressing and let soak for about 10 minutes while the broccoli cools. This will help remove the raw bite of the onions. You can also soak them in some lemon juice or cold water if you prefer.
- Mix: Dry the broccoli with a towel then add to a large bowl along with the carrots, nuts/seeds, raisins, and vegan bacon (if using). Pour the dressing with the onions over and toss well to combine. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice as desired.
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