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This Vegan Broccoli Salad tosses crunchy veggies, sunflower seeds, and chewy dried fruit in a creamy and tangy dressing to provide the finest aspect dish for picnics, potlucks, and heat climate meals! Vegan, Gluten-Free, & Oil-Free.
You don’t need to be vegan to fall for this Crunchy Vegan Broccoli Salad. Made with a colourful mix of crunchy greens, dried fruit, and sunflower seeds tossed in a easy but candy and creamy dressing, it’s a fast 15-minute aspect dish that’s at all times a success at picnics and potlucks.
Desk of Contents
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Traditional Broccoli Salad with a Ton of Crunch
You’re not prepared for barbecue season till you’ve made a bowl of my Crunchy Broccoli Salad. This basic summer season aspect dish is made vegan thanks to some plant-based substitutions, however nobody will have the ability to inform the distinction. It’s simply as creamy, refreshing, and crave-worthy!Â
In the event you’re a fan of crunchy issues, this salad is undoubtedly for you. A mixture of broccoli, crimson onion, carrot, and sunflower seeds provides it some main CRUNCH, whereas the tangy-sweet dressing and tart dried cranberries assist steadiness each chunk. Toss ‘em all collectively, and you’ve got a scrumptious vegan summer season aspect dish to deliver to the yard barbecue, picnic, or potluck.
What You Want for this Crunchy Broccoli Salad
This crunchy vegetable salad requires 3 recent substances plus a couple of pantry staples.Â
- Broccoli: the entire head of broccoli is thrown into this salad, florets, stem, and all. In the event you’d quite omit the broccoli stems, you should definitely save them for this Home made Vegetable Broth.Â
- Carrot: grated carrots add a pleasant splash of colour in addition to extra crunch.
- Purple Onion: diced crimson onion additionally brings some crunch to this salad whereas additionally lending a candy tanginess that completely compliments the uncooked broccoli and creamy dressing.Â
- Sunflower Seeds: go for roasted and salted sunflower seeds for additional taste. In case your seeds aren’t salted, you possibly can add somewhat extra salt to the dressing.
- Dried Cranberries: I discovered that dried cranberries plus 1 tablespoon of maple syrup gave the salad simply the correct quantity of sweetness. In the event you desire a extra tart taste, use unsweetened dried cranberries.Â
- Dressing: the crunchy veggies are tossed in a simple broccoli salad dressing produced from my Straightforward Vegan Mayo (or store-bought vegan mayo), maple syrup/agave, apple cider vinegar, and easy seasonings. In the event you’d like the flavour to be barely sweeter, add an additional 1 tablespoon of maple syrup.
Make Vegan Broccoli Salad
- Chop the broccoli, carrot, and crimson onion. Separate the broccoli florets, then finely cube the stems.
- Stir the vegan mayo, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper collectively within the base of a big bowl.
- Toss the broccoli, carrots, and crimson onion with the dressing till coated. Fold within the sunflower seeds and dried cranberries.Â
- Chill the salad within the fridge for 10 minutes, then serve in bowls.
Caitlin’s Cooking Ideas
- Chop the broccoli into evenly sized items: Small, persistently sized broccoli florets shall be simpler to eat and get evenly coated within the dressing.
- Time-saving hack: Make this salad with pre-chopped broccoli florets and grated carrots to save lots of on prep time.Â
- Wait so as to add the sunflower seeds: In the event you don’t plan on consuming this salad instantly, don’t add the sunflower seeds. They need to be added proper earlier than serving the salad to allow them to keep crisp and crunchy.
Serving Recommendations
Every chunk of this broccoli salad is flavorful and refreshing, making it the proper aspect dish to pair with heat climate meals. I prefer it on the aspect of those Vegan Beet Burgers, these Grilled Pesto Tofu Sliders, and these Rainbow Veggie Sandwiches.
Bringing it with you to a picnic lunch? Take pleasure in it with much more summer season sides, like this Creamy Dill Pickle Salad, this Pesto Orzo Salad, or this Crunchy Cucumber Salad. All 4 of those sides journey effectively, don’t get soggy, and even style nice at room temperature.
In the event you’re on the lookout for extra thrilling and flavorful vegan broccoli recipes, you’ll additionally love this Roasted Broccoli Quinoa Salad, this Tacky Broccoli Rice Casserole, and this Roasted Garlic Sesame Broccoli!
Retailer Leftover Broccoli Salad
The leftover dressed broccoli salad will maintain for as much as 5 days when saved in an hermetic container within the fridge. The greens will soften barely as they sit, however the flavors will solely proceed to develop and get higher! I don’t suggest freezing this salad.
Benefit from the leftover broccoli salad straight from the fridge or set it on the kitchen counter for 15 to half-hour when you’d quite serve it at room temperature.
Substitutions and Variations
- Add Extra Greens: Shaved brussels sprouts, cauliflower florets, or finely chopped kale would all style nice right here.
- Add Vegan Bacon: You may crumble a few of my Smoky Tempeh and toss it within the salad when you’re lacking the salty-smoky flavors of actual bacon (a basic broccoli salad ingredient).
- For Additional Protein: Toss 1 can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans within the salad for a protein and fiber enhance!
- Sunflower Seed Substitution: Use pumpkin seeds or chopped almonds as an alternative so that you don’t miss out on the crunch.
- Combine and Match the Dried Fruit: As an alternative of or along with the cranberries, be happy so as to add raisins, cherries, or chopped dates to the salad.
Recipe FAQs
You guess! Uncooked broccoli is tremendous crunchy and travels effectively, making it ideally suited for broccoli salad recipes.
It’s non-compulsory, however you possibly can blanch the broccoli in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute when you desire a softer texture. Drain and dry the cooked broccoli rather well to stop the salad from turning into mushy, soggy, and watery.
No, frozen broccoli is not going to work as a result of it will likely be too soggy and watery after thawing. As an alternative, save the frozen broccoli for soups or stir fries.
Take pleasure in! In the event you make this recipe and resolve to share it on Fb or Instagram, don’t neglect to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I might additionally adore it when you may depart a remark beneath with a recipe ranking! Thanks for the assist 😊
For the Salad:
- 1 pound broccoli florets
- 1 cup carrot grated
- 1/2 cup crimson onion diced
- 2/3 cup roasted salted sunflower seeds
- 2/3 cup dried cranberries*
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Wash and chop the broccoli, carrot, and crimson onion. Separate the broccoli florets from the stems. Chop the heads into small, bite-sized items, then peel the stems and finely cube them.
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Add the vegan mayo, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper to the bottom of a big bowl, then combine effectively till mixed. Toss within the broccoli, carrots, and crimson onion, then combine till all items are evenly coated within the dressing. Fold within the sunflower seeds and dried cranberries, then add any further salt and black pepper to style.
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Let sit for at the very least 10 minutes earlier than serving to permit the flavors to mix. Refrigerate any leftovers in an hermetic container for as much as 5 days.
- Dried cranberries could be substituted for an additional dried fruit, reminiscent of raisins, cherries, or chopped dates.
- Protein Enhance: Add 1 can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans to this recipe for a protein and fiber enhance!
Energy: 336kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 6gFats: 24gSaturated Fats: 3gPolyunsaturated Fats: 5gMonounsaturated Fats: 1gTrans Fats: 0.02gSodium: 400mgPotassium: 418mgFiber: 5gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 4078IUVitamin C: 70mgCalcium: 62mgIron: 1mg
