4.69 88 Published Mar 15, 2012, Updated Nov 16, 2022 I decided to try my hand at a healthy version of this old favorite — one that still has the crunchy, sweet vibe, but healthier without the added sugar, dairy and meat. My broccoli raisin salad is crunchy, rich in flavor and sweet, but with much healthier ingredients like raw nuts, seeds and raisins. I even managed to sneak apple cider vinegar into the dressing! I think I’ll take it to my next family cookout and see if my version stacks up to mom’s.
Ingredients Needed
Here’s what ingredients you’ll need to make this salad:
broccoli – you can use pre-chopped florets or buy full heads. raw sunflower seeds – I prefer roasted and salted, but you can use dry roasted or raw. Roasted tends to have more flavor and crunch.red onion – the red onion adds a pop of color and a nice crunch to the salad. raisins – I love the sweetness the raisins add to this salad!
Creamy Cashew Dressing Instead of Mayo
The key to this recipe is the creamy cashew dressing. It gives the salad tons of flavor and really brings this broccoli salad to life. Once cashews are soaked and blended, they get so creamy and make an amazing non-dairy dressing for broccoli raisin salad. No need for mayo or loads of sugar!
Substitutions & Notes
Raw broccoli – Make sure you’re using fresh, raw broccoli. Frozen or cooked broccoli won’t work for this recipe! If you’re looking for a salad with cooked broccoli try this: roasted broccoli quinoa salad. Red onion – Not a fan of red onion feel free to use yellow onion instead.Raisins – The raisins are what takes this salad to the next level, in my opinion. If you’re not a raisin fan you could swap in dates, dried cherries, prunes or another dried fruit.
Prepping & Storing this Salad
I love eating this broccoli raisin salad as a mid-afternoon snack or as a side with lunch or dinner but it would also be a great dish to bring to a potluck or summer cookouts. If you want to meal prep this broccoli salad, it will last up to five days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You may notice that the raisins absorb some of the liquid or the sunflower seeds soften but that’s okay! It will still be delicious.
More Vegan Salads to Try:
Vegan Cobb SaladHealthy Potato Salad (No Mayo)Vegan Pesto Pasta SaladVegan “Tofu” Chicken Salad
More Broccoli Recipes to Try:
Classic Broccoli SaladBroccoli Avocado Tuna BowlRoasted Broccoli Quinoa SaladCheesy Broccoli Quinoa CasseroleBroccoli Cranberry Salad
