Broccoli Apple Salad is a healthy all season salad recipe. It has fresh broccoli, apples, carrots and pecans, and a tasteful dressing of apple cider vinegar. So, whisk together this fabulous vegan, gluten-free salad with my easy recipe! Here is how to make it.
Everyone in my family loves broccoli. In fact, my son likes eating steamed broccoli with some lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
I make sure to serve him dishes made using broccoli-like Broccoli Paratha.
But, this time, I am making this healthy and delicious Broccoli and Apple Salad for him.
Salads are great when they have the right greens, right fruits, and that lip-smacking dressing like in Roasted Pear Fig Salad with Feta Cheese, Citrus Fennel Salad, Pear Pomegranate Salad. Or for that matter, today’s special Apple Broccoli Salad.
This Broccoli Salad has a soothing texture and a very pleasing motley of flavors.
It is loaded with cranberries, roasted pecans which grants it a subtle sweetness.
If you wish then you may also toss a few walnuts, raisins, and sunflower seeds.
Along with broccoli and apple, even carrot and red onion go into this salad. As a result, you get the right crunch and texture in it.
However, the best thing about this salad is its light dressing.
Some people also make a dressing of mayonnaise for this salad but I chose to keep it healthy and use extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and honey.
Make this nutritious broccoli salad any time for any meal and you are sure to feel wholesome.
It is vegan, paleo, and very diet-friendly. Mark it up on your menu then? Here’s my recipe for making this salad at home:
This Salad is
- Vegan
- Gluten-Free
- Paleo
- Healthy
- Low Carb
- Without Mayonnaise
- Easy & simple to make
Variations
I have made healthy olive oil and vinegar-based dressing for this salad, however, you can also use the following ingredients to make the dressing or in the salad.
- Greek Yogurt – Use 1/4 cup for dressing. Add garlic powder, salt, pepper, and lemon juice to it for a great healthy creamy dressing.
- Mayonnaise – The classic Southern Broccoli Apple Salad uses mayonnaise in the dressing. I am not a big mayonnaise fan, but if it’s your thing, go ahead and use it in the salad.
- Sour Cream – Sour Cream is a great replacement for greek yogurt or mayonnaise. You can even use a mix of these creamy ingredients.
- Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing – This is my fav all-purpose salad dressing and goes well in all the salads.
- Tahini Dressing – Looking for something different and earthy in this salad. Then Tahini Dressing is your thing.
- Crispy Bacon – Crispy Bacon on anything is good, right!
- Roasted Walnuts or Pecans – I like some crunch in my salad and what better than some roasted crunchy pecans or walnuts. You can even use cashew nuts, walnuts or sunflower seeds for the crunch.
- Cheese – A fresh grating of parmesan cheese works great in this salad.
- Lettuce – I haven’t added lettuce or any other salad greens in this recipe but you can totally do. Cabbage is a great option too.
- Fruits – Feel free to add fruits other than apples in this recipe. Mango, avocado, strawberry is what’s coming in my mind right now. But be creative and choose what you like.
- Beetroot – Boiled or roasted beetroot will work great along with broccoli and apples. Give it a try.
- And do try roasting the broccoli instead of blanching it. It will be a very new taste profile and a very tasty one, I bet.
Can you pack this salad for lunch?
The ingredients in this salad are mostly raw and will not wilt even after a few hours of making it.
However, I suggest packing the dressing in a separate bottle and mix it with the salad once you are ready to eat.
If you are making a creamy Yogurt or Mayonnaise dressing, then you can mix it in advance too.
Which apples are best for this Salad?
I prefer sweet and juicy apples like Red Delicious, Gala, or Fuji over sour ones like Granny Smith to make this salad.
You can try a mix of sweet red apples and sour green apples if you wish to.
Make sure to choose the fresh and firm apples to make this salad. Their crunch is what makes this salad extra special.
You might also like
Step by Step Recipe
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tsp salt and broccoli florets in the boiling water. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Drain the water and transfer the broccoli in a pot with ice-cold water to stop cooking.
Toss together all the salad ingredients in a bowl.
Mix the dressing ingredients in another bowl.
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.
Broccoli Apple Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Broccoli (Cut into small florets)
- 2 cups Apple (Cut into cubes)
- 1/4 cup Dried Cranberries
- 1/4 cup Onion (Chopped)
- 1/2 cup Carrots (Chopped)
- 1/2 cup Roasted Pecans (Chopped)
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1/2 tsp Lemon Zest
- 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Add 1 tsp salt and broccoli florets in the boiling water.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Drain the water and transfer the broccoli in a pot with ice cold water to stop cooking.
- Toss together all the salad ingredients in a bowl.
- Mix the dressing ingredients in another bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Greek Yogurt - Use 1/4 cup for dressing. Add garlic powder, salt, pepper and lemon juice to it for a great healthy creamy dressing.
- Mayonnaise - The classic Southern Broccoli Apple Salad use mayonnaise in the dressing. I am not a big mayonnaise fan, but if it's your thing, go ahead and use it in the salad.
- Sour Cream - Sour Cream is a great replacement for greek yogurt or mayonnaise. You can even use a mix of these creamy ingredients.
- Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing - This is my fav all purpose salad dressing and goes well in all the salads.
- Tahini Dressing - Looking for something different and earthy in this salad. Then Tahini Dressing is your thing.
- Crispy Bacon - Crispy Bacon on anything is good, right!
- Roasted Walnuts or Pecans - I like some crunch in my salad and what better than some roasted crunchy pecans or walnuts. You can even use cashew nuts, walnuts or sunflower seeds for the crunch.
Cindy
This recipe is so good. Thanks for sharing! I’m not an apple or pecan fan, but this combination is delicious.
Neha Mathur
I am glad you liked it Cindy 🙂