Description
The best broccoli salad for a crowd! This easy vegan broccoli salad is also gluten-free, paleo AND made without mayo, so it works for all kinds of dietary needs. Win-win!
Ingredients
Scale
For the Salad:
- 12–16oz (6-8 cups) broccoli florets
- 1 1/2 cups red grapes, halved
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (or raisins)
- 1/2 cup toasted or smoked almonds, chopped
- 1/4 cup red onions, finely minced
For the Poppy Seed Dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons agave syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds (optional)
Instructions
- First, Mix Up The Dressing. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, agave, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine. (It’s normal for it not to be perfectly blended.)eed quite all of the dressing). Stir to combine.
- Assemble The Salad. In a large mixing bowl, combine chopped broccoli, grapes, cranberries, and onion. If serving right away, add almonds. If you have time to let the salad chill in the fridge, leave the almonds out until right before serving for best results.
- Dress The Salad. Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss to combine until everything is evenly coated.
- Chill. Ideally, let the salad chill at least 30 minutes to let the flavors blend and the broccoli soften. (Add almonds right before serving.) Store leftovers in an airtight container up 2-3 days (almonds will soften with time)
Notes
- Almonds – I really love the smoky flavor of smoked almonds and *highly* recommend using them if you can find them. If you can’t or don’t want them, I recommend using toasted almonds.
- Make Ahead Tips: You can easily assemble this vegan broccoli salad in advance. I love to make it a few hours before serving, but it can be made as much as 4-5 hours ahead of time! The broccoli will soften slightly and absorb some of the dressing. If making ahead of time, I do recommend adding the almonds right before serving to preserve their nutty crunch.
- Broccoli. You don’t need to cook the broccoli before adding it to the salad (it will soften in the dressing), but if you want to, you can blanch it in boiling water for 30-60 seconds, then transfer it to an ice bath to cool down. Don’t fully cook the broccoli, or it will get soggy in the salad.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: American