Broccoli Salad
Everyone needs a Broccoli Salad recipe for summer, BBQs, and when they get invited to a potluck. This version has a slightly healthier take on it while keeping all the flavor, crunch, and deliciousness.
Putting a healthy spin on a recipe doesn’t mean you take out the flavor. Sometimes it’s the opposite.
The dressing, for instance, is loaded with flavor of diced red onion, apple cider vinegar, and sesame oil. In other words, I left out the mayo.
Then in the salad, I substituted the bacon with toasted almonds and a pinch of smoked paprika to still give the crunch and flavor we all know and love.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my bacon, but it’s good to mix things up a bit, too.
Making Broccoli Salad
Start with the dressing.
In a small bowl, mix all the dressing ingredients together, give it a stir, then set it aside in the refrigerator.
In fact, you can make the dressing the night before, so that you’re half way done.
Substitutions in the dressing:
- instead of using raisins, you can use dried cranberries, or a mixture of both.
- in place of the honey, you can use the same amount of granulated sugar.
Chopping up the broccoli.
What takes the most time, and it’s not much, is cutting up the broccoli.
You want the pieces small so that people don’t have to open their mouths all the way up just to chew it. It’s not pretty to watch.
So, cut all the florets into 1/2″ pieces.
To use the stems, you need to first shave off the woody exterior and discard that part.
You want the soft inside. Either chop into small matchstick-sized pieces, or run through the big grater.
For the best salad, steam the broccoli in a steamer for 3 minutes, then rinse in a colander. This insures your broccoli won’t be tough.
If you don’t have enough broccoli on hand, you can substitute with cauliflower, and you won’t have to steam the cauliflower.
Toasting the Almonds.
Preheat the oven to 300°, then lay the almond slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
Place in the oven and roast for 8 – 10 minutes, or until they begin to turn a lovely golden color.
Let them cool as you finish the salad.
Great substitutes for sliced almonds would be sunflower seeds or pepitas.
Finishing the Broccoli Salad.
In a large serving bowl, add the broccoli, green onion, apple, and the dressing.
Hang on, let’s talk about apples for a second. If you want a sweet apple, get a Fuji. For a tart apple; Granny Smith. Or, if you prefer a crisp apple somewhere in the middle, get a Red Delicious. Ok, back to your regular scheduled program.
While you toss the salad, add the salt and pepper to taste. You can also add more smoked paprika if you want.
Add the toasted almonds and halved grapes, tossing to evenly coat everything with the dressing.
Add more salt and/or pepper as needed, then chill until you’re ready to serve.
More salads and side dish recipes:
- Smokey Sweet Baked Beans
- Easy Creamed Peas
- Sweet Potato Mash
- Southwest Chicken Salad
- Summer Garden Pasta Salad
- Black Bean and Corn Salad
…and much more. Hover on “Recipes” at the top of the page, then scroll down to “Side Dishes,” or click HERE.
If you tried and love this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment below. Thank you so much.
Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup raisins, or dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
Salad:
- 1 1/2 lbs. broccoli, (about 2 heads)
- 2 green onion, finely chopped
- 1 apple, chopped into small cubes
- 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
- 1 cup red or green seedless grapes, halved
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Dressing:
- In small bowl or container, mix all dressing ingredients together. Cover and set aside in refrigerator.
Salad:
- Cut up broccoli florets into 1/2" pieces. For stems, shave off woody exterior and discard. Use only soft inside portion. Cut into matchstick-sized pieces or grate on large grater. Steam broccoli for 3 minutes, then rinse in colander.
- To toast sliced almonds, preheat oven to 300°. Lay almonds in single layer on cookie sheet and roast for 8 - 10 minutes, or until they're a golden color.
- In large serving bowl, add broccoli, green onion, apple, toasted almonds, halved grapes, and the dressing. Toss to evenly coat while adding salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, or chill first. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Broccoli Salad
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