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Vegan Broccoli Salad

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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

Vegan broccoli salad ingredients labels

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.

Vegan broccoli salad ready 4

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! 

Vegan broccoli salad ready 2

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 broccoli salad ready 1

Vegan Apple Broccoli Salad

Ligia Lugo
Broccoli, apple, onion, raisins, and sunflower seeds mixed in a sweet, tangy dressing made with apple cider vinegar and maple syrup. It's startlingly delicious!
4.53 from 305 votes
Print Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Lunch
Cuisine Salad
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 343 kcal

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.
    Add florets apples red onion raisins and sunflower seeds

To make the dressing:

  • In a medium bowl whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.
    In a medium bowl whisk together all of the dressing ingredients
  • Add the dressing to the salad and toss.  Chill until ready to serve.
    Vegan broccoli salad mix all ingredients

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 343kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 4gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 317mgPotassium: 485mgFiber: 5gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 425IUVitamin C: 59.9mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 1.5mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Comments

    4.53 from 305 votes (267 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  14. 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!

  16. 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!

  27. 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! šŸ™‚

  35. 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..

  39. 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!

  41. Unfortunately, raw broccoli has always been quite useless to me, no matter how I tried to incorporate it into salads, it was just tasteless ļø. 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.

  42. That is so fantastic Amaylah! I love to hear these stories especially whe it is my recipe. šŸ™‚ Thanks so much for telling me and your ‘change-ups’ sound really good too.

  48. 5 stars
    I love making a brocolli slaw, but this is next level. Brocolli and apple will go so well together.