Vegan Apple Broccoli Salad has everyone's favorite vegetables and fruits. You throw everything in a bowl then pour in the slightly sweet and tangy dressing. Toss and eat!
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.
Jump to:
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.
Of course, broccoli always seems to be around but its true growing season is in the cooler weather.
Non-leafy salads make a great lunch and side dish. I have quite a few on this blog. That's how much I like them.
Another good filling salad that keeps with the all vegetable theme (no rice or pasta) is my Fully Loaded Black Bean Salad.
It's pretty, heh? You can see how delicious it must be too.
It may even be easier than this apple broccoli salad because you don't have to cut up much. But broccoli is easy to cut anyway.
The Best Vegan Apple Broccoli Salad is a dream come true and it is right at your fingertips.
🥘 Ingredients
- 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 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.
💭 Chefs Tips
- If you're short on time the biggest help of all to speed up the process is to buy broccoli slaw. It will also taste great.
- There is a tool that cuts onion perfectly. It's called the Vidalia Chop Wizard. I know you've seen it on TV. It also makes it easy to cut bell peppers, tomatoes and anything you'd like cut into small or medium cubes.
- You can chop the garlic finely or you can mince it. This is a cool Garlic Press.
- I'm trying to think of how in the world this apple broccoli salad could be made any easier. How about making extra dressing. It doesn't make the salad faster but it does help to make your next salad delicious.
- See how simple? Not only that, it's doubly rewarding when you take a bite.
- I think my biggest help with preparing this recipe was just a sharp knife on a cutting board.
See how simple? Not only that, but it's also doubly rewarding when you take a bite.
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🥗 Great salads
- Cold Asian Boodle Salad has a homemade ponzu dressing that takes the salad over the top.
- If you're looking for extra goodness for your body then this Superfood Salad is for you.
- Asparagus Couscous Salad uses big fat Lebanese couscous for this wonderful dish.
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If you take a photo of your colorful apple broccoli salad I would love to see it. Follow me over on Instagram and tag me on your photo @vegan_in_the_freezer.
📋 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
- ¼ cup onion red, diced
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup sunflower seeds shelled
For the Dressing:
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup you could use up to 2 tablespoons
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ 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
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Ginny McMeans
Yes, they will Khrystyna. The dressing helps to keep them white and crisp.
Kim
Absolutely delicious. I've made this four times in two months because we have broccoli in the garden. Thanks so much for this recipe.
MaruManion
I loved this recipe!!!, my daughter took it to her first day of school today and it made her day happier too!!!, thank you for sharing your recipe ♥️♥️♥️♥️
Miroslava
This is very good!!! You can use orange insted apple too.
Malina Owens
I noticed one person omitted the oil which is what I would do. Would I need to double the rest of the dressing ingredients to compensate?
Ginny McMeans
Probably Malina. I think it would need more if the oil was omitted.