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!
What do apples and broccoli have in common? They're both quintessential fall foods! Apples are perfect for apple pie and sauce and can be eaten raw or cooked. Broccoli is a great side dish to any meal and is a good source of fiber and vitamins C and K. But what do you get if you combine the two healthy autumn essentials? Delicious apple broccoli salad!
I know it's an odd combination, but trust me, it's delicious! This vegan broccoli salad is incredible because it's full of flavor and texture. The apples add a sweetness that contrasts perfectly with the broccoli, and the dressing gives it all a tangy kick. Plus, it's really easy to make, so you can put it together in no time. Serve it at your next fall potluck or barbecue, and watch it disappear!
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Vegan Broccoli Salad Recipe
Fresh- Light and refreshing side dish with raw broccoli, crisp apples, and a sweet and tangy dressing.
Easy To Make- Apple broccoli salad comes together quickly and easily with just a few simple ingredients.
Perfect For Any Occasion- Broccoli apple salad is perfect for potlucks, barbecues, or any other gathering. It's also great for meal prep and makes a delicious lunch or dinner side dish.
Beautiful- The bright colors and vibrant flavors are sure to please any crowd.
Sweet And Tangy- The dressing for this salad is made with apple cider vinegar and maple syrup. It's the perfect balance of sweet and tangy.
Equipment Needed To Make Homemade Apple Broccoli Salad
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Large Bowl
- Medium Bowl
- Large Spoon
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
What Is In Broccoli Salad?
For The Salad:
- Fresh Broccoli
- Apples
- Red Onion
- Raisins
- Shelled Sunflower Seeds
For The Dressing:
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Minced Garlic
- Maple Syrup
- Salt
- Pepper
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.
What to Serve/Pair With Vegan Apple Broccoli Salad
This delicious vegan broccoli salad is perfect for bringing to a potluck, bbq, or holiday gathering. It's also a great side dish for a weeknight dinner. Serve it with grilled tofu, tempeh, or seitan. It could also be served alongside black bean burgers, lentil soup, or roasted cauliflower.
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!
Vegan Apple Broccoli Salad FAQs
What can I use in place of apple cider vinegar?
You could use white or red wine vinegar if you don't have apple cider vinegar.
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.
π Recipe
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
- ΒΌ cup onion red, diced
- Β½ cup raisins
- Β½ cup sunflower seeds shelled
For the Dressing:
- ΒΌ cup apple cider vinegar
- Β½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup you could use up to 2 tablespoons
- Β½ teaspoon salt
- ΒΌ 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.
Marilyn Wood
What do you do with the apples?
Ginny McMeans
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.
Katerina @ diethood .com
Yes, please!! This is my kind of salad!! YUM!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking
I've never made a salad with apples! Lame, right? I need to try your recipe!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day
I love this kind of salad! Broccoli and apples go so well together.
Ginny McMeans
It is such a great combination Annie. You'll love it.
Ginny McMeans
I love non-leafy salads for a change too Katerina!
Ginny McMeans
Hahaha Erin. You really have to try it π
Ginny McMeans
They really do Amy!
Megan @ With Salt and Wit
This salad needs to be on my dinner table at my next meal!
Sarah
I love broccoli salad! The addition of apple is perfect! This is great for that weird in between from summer to fall!
Ginny McMeans
Hahaha! I hope it gets there Megan π
Ginny McMeans
Haha! It really is Sarah!
Jenn
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!
Ginny McMeans
Haha Jenn! Thanks so much and I'm out too π
Cadry
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!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby cakes)
This is one seriously perfect salad!
Krista
I love this salad! I am thinking lunch this weekend!
Ginny McMeans
You are so right Cadry. Thank you π
Ginny McMeans
Glad you love it Jocelyn!
Ginny McMeans
Oh, good Krista! That would be perfect.
Mary Ellen @ VNutrition
I love broccoli salad and it's such a great idea to use the apples in there. yum!
Heather
Can't wait to make this! It looks so good and sounds easy to make.
Ginny McMeans
Thanks Mary Ellen! It works so well:)
Ginny McMeans
Super easy Heather! Thank you,
Ginny McMeans
Thanks so much Sharon. It just makes it different doesn't it π
Melissa @ Vegan Huggs
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! π
Ginny McMeans
So very glad you like it Melissa. π
Alison | Blossoming Intentions
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! π
Ginny McMeans
I hope you get to Alison. You'll love it!
Sara Hohn
This salad looks delightful! I LOVE broccoli and just picked up some Gala apples so I can't wait to whip this up!
Ginny McMeans
Fantastic Sara! Have fun making it too π
Amena Andersson
Tried it and both my son and I loved it. It is now a regular part of our meal plan. TY.
Ginny McMeans
That is fantastic Amena! Thank you so much for letting us know. π
Sue
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..
Ginny McMeans
My pleasure and thanks for your kind words. Congratulations on making the switch. Slow but steady wins the race. π Have fun!
Amy
I need to try this
Ginny McMeans
I hope you get to Amy! π
tessa
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!
Ginny McMeans
Thanks! It holds up great tessa! Go for it!
Amaylah I
Unfortunately, raw broccoli has always been quite useless to me, no matter how I tried to incorporate it into salads, it was just tasteless οΈ. 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.
Ginny McMeans
That is so fantastic Amaylah! I love to hear these stories especially whe it is my recipe. π Thanks so much for telling me and your 'change-ups' sound really good too.
Ladonna sololowski
Your recipes look delicious!
Ginny McMeans
Ahhhh, thanks Ladonna! I so appreciate the compliment.
Teya
I love the idea of blending the dressing
Brian Jones
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.
Ginny McMeans
Thanks so much Brian! I use that dressing on other things too. It's goood. π
Dannii
I love making a brocolli slaw, but this is next level. Brocolli and apple will go so well together.
Tara
This salad looks so refreshing! I love all the colors and textures. Such a great side dish for a picnic.
Valentina
This combination of ingredients sounds so yummy & healthy! And it's so pretty!