Vegan Broccoli Salad
Ligia Lugo
Published:
July 4, 2023
Last Modified:
May 8, 2024
Vegan Broccoli Salad- Chopped broccoli florets, matchstick broccoli stems, sweet apple pieces, red onion, raisins, and sunflower seeds are tossed in a sweet yet tangy dressing made with apple cider vinegar and maple syrup. This salad is fresh, simple to make, and surprisingly delicious!
Whether there is an Apple Hill or an Apple Valley around your home – get going! You can pick your own or buy a bushel.
Well, okay. The grocery store and farmer’s markets are full of apples too so it is all good.
I never met an apple I didn’t like. Especially fresh off a tree. We were lucky enough to live down the street from Apple Hill in Placerville, California.
If you know the area and Snows Rd. then you know what I mean by down the street. Long, steep, narrow and windy but there we were. Close to the very end.
Even though I had four apple trees in my yard I still bought a couple of bushels of two different varieties from my favorite farmer.
He lived at the top of the hill and had a much smaller farm than the ones that were mapped out for the visitors. I canned like crazy back then.
This vegetable and fruit salad can be made with your favorite apple although Granny Smith is probably too tart.
I used Gala for this apple broccoli salad but believe me there are so many great ones out there.
cropped black and white bowl filled with fresh fruits and vegetables.
Of course, broccoli always seems to be around but its true growing season is in the cooler weather.
Ingredients
For The Salad:
Broccoli – gives a great crunch and taste along with major health benefits.
apples – are fruity sweet and are the perfect flavor compliment.
red onion – is milder and sweeter than any other onion when eaten fresh.
raisins – are also sweet but there aren’t too many of them so the balance is just right.
sunflower seeds – aren’t used enough and they give extra taste and are even high in protein.
For The Dressing:
apple cider vinegar – is super healthy and the flavor is even better than red wine vinegar.
extra virgin olive oil – balances out the acidity of the vinegar.
garlic – adds a pungent seasoning for depth.
maple syrup – just goes so well with a mixed veggie and fruit salad.
salt and pepper – seems to be a seasoning necessity in almost every recipe in existence.
How To Make Apple Broccoli Salad At Home
To make homemade broccoli salad, you’ll want to break the process down into two parts, the salad and the dressing for the salad.
Wash your broccoli under running water, cut the florets from the stalks, and set the stalks aside. Cut the florets into small pieces and place them into a large bowl.
Cut the hard outer skin off for the stems to get to the more tender inside and discard the skin. Cut the inner stems into matchstick-like pieces. Add the matchstick broccoli pieces to the large bowl. Dice your red onion and apples and add them to the bowl with the broccoli, raisins, and sunflower seeds.
Now it’s time to make the dressing. Add all the dressing ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk until well combined. Once the dressing is mixed well, pour it over the broccoli apple salad, and toss it, coating everything evenly.
Chill the broccoli salad in the refrigerator until it is ready to serve.
How to pare broccoli stems
Fresh broccoli is easy to prepare. It’s just a matter of cutting with a knife.
People often wonder if they eat the steams. Yes, you do but after cutting away the hard outer part.
First, cut the stem off close to the florets.
Then stand it on it’s cut end or lay it on its side. Cut far into the stem until you get to the lighter pale green insides.
Roll on it’s just cut side and repeat the cut. Do this for the whole stem and you’re left with the tender inside the stem.
Slice the stem thinly as in julienne and then cut into shorter strips. Done.
Now cut close to the base for each floret. Cut those florets into smaller clumps for this salad. You can see none of them are very big.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
While this sweet and tangy salad is delicious as written, there are a few substitutions and additions you could make.
Nuts- If you don’t have sunflower seeds on hand or are looking for a different flavor, try using chopped walnuts, almonds, or pecans. You could also use roasted peanuts for a bit of a salty crunch.
Fruit- I like the sweetness that apples add to this salad, but if you don’t have apples, you could use pears, grapes, or mandarin oranges.
Veggies- You could also add in other chopped veggies such as carrots, celery, or radishes.
Cheese- For a great cheesy flavor, add vegan crumbled feta cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, or sprinkle on some nutritional yeast.
How To Reheat & Store Broccoli Apple Salad
This salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Broccoli apple salad is best served cold or at room temperature when you’re ready to eat it; give it a good stir and enjoy!
FAQ
Can I freeze homemade vegan broccoli salad?
I do not recommend freezing this salad as the broccoli will get mushy when thawed. If you have leftover broccoli that you won’t be able to eat within a few days, I suggest chopping it up and storing it in the freezer so you can use it for other recipes like stir fry or soup.
Vegan Apple Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 4 cups broccoli cut up and shredded (about 2 medium heads)
- 3 apples of your choice, diced right before you add them to the salad, I used Gala
- 1/4 cup onion red, diced
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds shelled
For the Dressing:
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup you could use up to 2 tablespoons
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
To prepare the salad:
- Wash broccoli under running water. Cut the florets from the stalks and set the stalks aside.
- Cut the florets into very small pieces. See the photo for a visual. Place in a large bowl.
- Cut the hard outer skin off of the stems to get down to the tender inside. Discard the outer peelings.
- Cut the tender inside stems into matchsticks. Or if you have a mandolin that would work well too. If your food processor has an attachment that will cut the stems into long strips (not grated) then that would work also. Scissors work too. The idea is to have very small sticks of raw broccoli stems. They will hold their shape.
- Add to the large bowl along with the florets. Add the apples, red onion, raisins and sunflower seeds.
To make the dressing:
- In a medium bowl whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.
- Add the dressing to the salad and toss. Chill until ready to serve.
Video
Nutrition
119 responses to “Vegan Broccoli Salad”
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What do you do with the apples?
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Sorry about that Marilyn. I went back to make the directions clearer. Dice the apples and add them to the salad right before tossing with the dressing.
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Yes, please!! This is my kind of salad!! YUM!
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I love non-leafy salads for a change too Katerina!
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I’ve never made a salad with apples! Lame, right? I need to try your recipe!
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Hahaha Erin. You really have to try it 🙂
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I love this kind of salad! Broccoli and apples go so well together.
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They really do Amy!
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It is such a great combination Annie. You’ll love it.
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This salad needs to be on my dinner table at my next meal!
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Hahaha! I hope it gets there Megan 🙂
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I love broccoli salad! The addition of apple is perfect! This is great for that weird in between from summer to fall!
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Haha! It really is Sarah!
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This is my kind of lunch! It looks so good! So pretty too! I need to get myself to an apple orchard again soon because we just ran out. Ah!
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Haha Jenn! Thanks so much and I’m out too 🙂
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It’s so fun to go to the apple orchard and pick apples straight off the trees. It is one of my favorite things to do in the fall. I love this idea for branching outside of the ordinary with a broccoli & apple salad!
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You are so right Cadry. Thank you 🙂
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This is one seriously perfect salad!
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Glad you love it Jocelyn!
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I love this salad! I am thinking lunch this weekend!
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Oh, good Krista! That would be perfect.
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I love broccoli salad and it’s such a great idea to use the apples in there. yum!
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Thanks Mary Ellen! It works so well:)
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Can’t wait to make this! It looks so good and sounds easy to make.
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Super easy Heather! Thank you,
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Thanks so much Sharon. It just makes it different doesn’t it 🙂
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This broccoli salad sounds like it’s just bursting with texture & flavor! The apples, onions, raisins and sunflower seeds are great additions to compliment the broccoli. This is a must make! 🙂
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So very glad you like it Melissa. 🙂
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Broccoli salad is one of my absolute favorite dishes, and one I make often for get togethers! Perhaps I should whip this up for Thanksgiving! I can’t wait to try it! 🙂
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I hope you get to Alison. You’ll love it!
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This salad looks delightful! I LOVE broccoli and just picked up some Gala apples so I can’t wait to whip this up!
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Fantastic Sara! Have fun making it too 🙂
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Tried it and both my son and I loved it. It is now a regular part of our meal plan. TY.
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That is fantastic Amena! Thank you so much for letting us know. 🙂
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Hi
I am not yet a vegan or vegetarian, but am trying to convince myself to start eating vegetarian full time soon. I try at least four times a week and am really enjoying it. This recipe looks really wonderful and i am dying to try it. Thanks for making something easy (for us beginners) to find something scrumptious to eat..-
My pleasure and thanks for your kind words. Congratulations on making the switch. Slow but steady wins the race. 🙂 Have fun!
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I need to try this
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I hope you get to Amy! 🙂
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looks so yummy! do you know if this holds up ok in the fridge for a while? i’d love to be able to make it in advance (like the day before a party, maybe) if it doesn’t get too mushy/weird. thanks!
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Thanks! It holds up great tessa! Go for it!
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Unfortunately, raw broccoli has always been quite useless to me, no matter how I tried to incorporate it into salads, it was just tasteless ️. That is, UNTIL I FOUND THIS RECIPE! I made this for my family tonight, and they loved it, even my anti-raw broccoli sister ! The flavor is wonderful, and the acidity of the apples I used (fuji) made a perfect flavor balance for me. I used raw agave instead of maple syrup, omitted the raisins, and blended the dressing for a creamier texture. I will definitely be making this again! Thanks for the recipe.
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That is so fantastic Amaylah! I love to hear these stories especially whe it is my recipe. 🙂 Thanks so much for telling me and your ‘change-ups’ sound really good too.
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I love the idea of blending the dressing
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Your recipes look delicious!
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Ahhhh, thanks Ladonna! I so appreciate the compliment.
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That sounds like a delicious side dish and that dressing is wonderful, I can think of loads of things that it will work wonderfully on.
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Thanks so much Brian! I use that dressing on other things too. It’s goood. 🙂
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I love making a brocolli slaw, but this is next level. Brocolli and apple will go so well together. -
This salad looks so refreshing! I love all the colors and textures. Such a great side dish for a picnic.
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This combination of ingredients sounds so yummy & healthy! And it’s so pretty!-
Ahhhh Valentina, thank you for all those kind words!
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This salad is so delicious!!! Great for fall when apples are in season. I used half of the oil that the recipe called for and it turned out perfect!-
That is wonderful Susan! I’m glad that the change turned out so well. Thanks for letting me know!
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What can I use instead of the cider vinegar?
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2 tablespoons lemon juice and two tablespoons dry white wine would be good Margaret. All lemon juice might be too strong.
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I love our Apple Hill! This looks so tasty.
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I just made this and it turned out delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe! I made a couple adjustments: I added celery and instead of red onion I just minced more garlic. I also chopped up some almonds instead of the sunflower seeds, and didn’t use quite as much maple syrup considering there was plenty of sweetness from the apples and raisins. So happy with how it turned out, thanks again! -
How far ahead can you make this.
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My hesitation for saying how far you can make it ahead of time is because of the apples. They would keep but if they aren’t covered very well with the dressing they will turn brownish. If it works for you, you can make it up to three days ahead and add the apple the day of serving. That would be safer to keep the salad looking much prettier Sandy.
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Why couldn’t you put apples in lemon or lime juice to keep from turning brown? Just briefly dip them in it.
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You certainly can Kimberly. That’s very commonly used with apples. I just didn’t want either of those flavors in this salad so it isn’t mentioned. I think the recipe is better without and makes the dressing flavor more unique.
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I really like this salad. Thank you so much. I have made it twice now. I omit the oil from the dressing–but that’s just me. It is so delicious and so cool in the summer. Thanks again.
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That is great Teresa and thank you so much for telling me. I am so glad you are enjoying it!
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The Vegan Apple Broccoli Salad was FABULOUS, EXCELLENT. Keep salad recipes coming please. Need a special listing for them. Looking forward to more.-
Thank you so much Gail, I made a salad category and put it on the recipes page. Click on recipes on the menu and you’ll find it alphabetically.
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Thanks for the recipe. I made this and it was delicious. My sunflower seeds had gone bad so I substituted sliced almonds. They worked perfectly. Thanks again.
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I made this today, delish!
I blanched broccoli & sautéed onions since I have a hard time digesting raw veggies.
Turned out great! -
Thank you for this recipe. I tried making it and everybody loved it!-
That is very wonderful and you are very welcome Steven.
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How does this salad hold up the following day?
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Excellent Tammy! It’s perfect for about 3 to 4 days. We’ve never had it that long but the dressing should keep the apples from turning.
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Wow, so yummy! I made a 1/2 batch just to see if hubby and I liked it and we will be making a full batch next time! He also wants to take it to all of our family get-togethers as our side dish! We didn’t have red onion on hand, so subbed green (spring) onion and it was great!-
That is fantastic Emily! I am so happy and I am really glad it’s becoming a family tradition!
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MY family just ate every bite of Your salad. Great recipe. WELL HAVE IT MANY TIMES. THANK YOU -
I had to prepare NO COOK MEALS THIS WEEK AS MY STOVE IS OUT. So happy for this challenge as I came across this recipe. It’s so delicious! The only thing I changed was I used the cruciferous crunch collection (bagged salad) from Trader Joe’s, in place of the broccoli and some golden raisins. -
thankyou it so easy^^ -
I am eager to make this, looks so much more appetizing than other broccoli salads I have seen. Two questions, at the end of the video it looks like you pour more dressing on the salad?? Is that just for the video or do you recommend that? And about how many servings is this recipe?
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Thanks Jodi! Yes, the extra dressing at the end is just for the video. It serves 6 people. Just follow the directions from the recipe card and not the video and you can’t go wrong.
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I made this and it is one of the bests I have tasted. Very refreshing and actually I couldn’t stop taste testing it before I put it in the refrigerator. Something so simple but good. Thanks for the recipe! -
Made this for one! Used cranraisins cause thats what I had but it is awesome!!!!! Delicious! -
This was so good! Everyone loved it! Thank you for the recipe ! -
So heath and yummy -
I lovef this salad! It has just the right amount of sweet & tangy. My husband is very picky, but he liked it! It stays crisp the second day, which is a bonus. A definite keeper!:-) -
Will the apples keep for a few days?
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Yes, they will Khrystyna. The dressing helps to keep them white and crisp.
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