Plant-Based Recipes, Salads, Side Dishes · August 3, 2021

Broccoli salad is an absolute potluck classic…and this healthy vegan broccoli salad is sure to please a crowd! Creamy, tangy, sweet and crunchy, this healthy vegan salad is so easy to make. It’s packed with nutrient-dense plants and keeps really well.

All veg are good veg, but if she had to pick favourites, this dietitian would absolutely vote for a daily serving of cruciferous veggies like broccoli, kale, and arugula. These vegetables are incredibly nutrient-dense and have unique anti-inflammatory phytochemicals like glucosinolates that are well-researched to support optimal health.

And if you can turn them into a creamy, crunchy, sweet and tangy salad…well, all the better.

This healthy vegan broccoli salad is ‘health food’ for the rest of us: nutrient-dense but also flavourful, craveable and so easy to throw together.

Because your body doesn’t run on what you DON’T eat. It thrives on the plants you DO eat. So yep, this salad has a bit of vegan mayo in it. And a bit of maple syrup—because it’s DELICIOUS…and doesn’t take away from all the goodness you’re about to pop into your mouth.

That’s healthy living you can actually live with, am I right?

How to Make a Healthy Vegan Broccoli Salad

This vegan spin on a classic broccoli salad is adapted from a recipe I wrote for my first ever book, Un-Junk Your Diet. It’s a lot like the broccoli salads you remember, minus the bacon: it’s got bite-sized pieces of broccoli and plenty of whole food sweetness from grapes and apple. I’ve added some extra crunch from chopped almonds (go for salted almonds if you like!) and snuck a bit of hemp hearts in to give you a boost of minerals and omega 3 fatty acids without altering the flavour one bit.

All you need to do is whisk up the dijon + mayo-based dressing, chop everything up into bite-sized pieces and then toss the salad together. Easy peasy!

The only reason it takes 20 minutes to prep is because chopping does take a bit of time!

Health Benefits of Broccoli

Broccoli is the original ‘superfood’ AKA a plant that just has a lot of good stuff in it. It has long been touted as part of an ‘anti-cancer’ lifestyle…but what does that even mean? It does NOT mean that broccoli is going to cure cancer. It does mean that there are naturally-occurring plant compounds that have been associated in research (primarily lab-level studies) with supporting a healthy cell cycle and combating chronic inflammation.

It’s not a panacea, but all the more reason to enjoy cruciferous veggies like broccoli as part of a healthy anti-inflammatory diet.

• One cup of raw broccoli contains more than a day’s worth of vitamin C to support your immune system, boost iron absorption and healthy collagen production in the skin, and also contains anti-inflammatory, bone-strengthening vitamin K.
• It also contains small amounts of plant-based protein and fibre: about 2.5 grams each. Broccoli boasts plenty of folate for building healthy babies and red blood cells plus small amounts of energizing minerals like manganese, copper, and iron.
• Broccoli is packed with supportive phytochemicals such as kaempferol, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
• One of the most exciting benefits of broccoli is the level of glucosinolate compounds found in broccoli. In the research, these sulfur-based compounds are thought to support the liver in its detoxification work as well as support a healthy cell cycle and help protect the body from oxidative damage and inflammation.

Want to boost your broccoli benefits even further? Add mustard, like I did here!

Myrosinase, an enzyme found in mustard, helps with the bioavailability of sulfur-based compounds in broccoli.

Vegan Broccoli Salad Tips and Tricks

• You can absolutely make this salad ahead of time! This salad keeps really well in the fridge for 2-3 days, but I do find it is more flavourful on the first day.
• Making the florets quite small means more dressing coverage and makes it even more delicious.
• If you like a sweeter (vs tangier) salad, up the maple syrup to 1 tablespoon. You can also use cane sugar if you wish.
• Try this salad with salted almonds for an extra yum factor!

What to Serve with This Broccoli Salad

This broccoli salad will go so well with whatever you’re serving…but here are a few ideas!

• A yummy veggie burger, like my beet + black bean burger or my buffalo white bean burgers
• A chickpea tuna sandwich, or my tofu eggless salad sandwich
• BBQ Tofu skewers
• Veggie sausages

Healthy Vegan Broccoli Salad

Prep Time20 minsTotal Time20 mins Course: Appetizer, Lunch, Salad, Side DishCuisine: AmericanDiet: Gluten Free, Vegan, VegetarianKeyword: almonds, Apple, Broccoli, Easy, grapes,, hemp hearts, hemp seedsDietary Preference: dairy free, Gluten-Free, vegan, vegetarian Servings: 6 people Author: Desiree Nielsen, RD

Ingredients

Broccoli Salad

• 1 lb (450 g) broccoli crowns longer stems diced and florets cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 medium-sized apple skin on, diced (I like pink lady apples)
• 1 cup (250 mL) red or purple grapes cut in half
• ¼ cup (60 mL) almonds chopped
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) hemp hearts

Dressing

• ⅓ cup (75 mL) vegan mayo
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp (5 mL) maple syrup
• ½ tsp (2 mL) salt
• ½ clove garlic crushed or micrograted
• Freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

• In a large salad bowl, whisk up mayo, mustard, vinegar, maple syrup, salt, garlic, and pepper.
• Add the broccoli, apple, grapes, almonds, and hemp hearts. Toss thoroughly to coat.

Notes

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Posted By: Tracy Ramsay · In: Plant-Based Recipes, Salads, Side Dishes

Revolutionize your approach to a healthy anti-inflammatory diet with the power of plant-based foods.

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Comments

1. Renée says

   August 10, 2021 at 5:16 pm

   So easy and delicious, I’ll make this again this summer. I added crispy chickpeas and called it supper ?

   Reply

   • Desiree Nielsen says

     August 11, 2021 at 7:03 am

     I’m so glad you enjoyed it Renee!

     The crispy chickpeas would be a delicious addition ?

2. Jordanna says

   August 14, 2021 at 2:20 am

   Hi Desiree,

   We have a picnic tomorrow and I am beginning to make our dishes this morning with my mom in preparation. I just finished making this recipe and after taste testing, we absolutely loved it! This healthy vegan broccoli salad is really delicious! It is the perfect balance of flavors of being mildly sweet with the apples and grapes and has a delicious tang from the other flavors!

   There is absolutely no raw, bitter flavor from the raw broccoli at all which I was worried about initially. The apple cider vinegar from the dressing accents the apple flavor which is really lovely. It will go perfectly with the other sides and veggie burger! We made your homemade vegan mayonnaise in your 2nd cookbook without the tumeric to control our oil (avocado oil).

   It is so easy to make, saves us a little more money on groceries each week, allows us to eat it more without health consequences,
   and tastes better than the store bought version of vegan mayo. I did cut the heck out of the broccoli heads and stems even smaller than bite size because I wanted the dressing to intensely permeate the raw broccoli and activate the chemical reaction from the sulfur compounds in the broccoli to transform into isothiocyanates from the mactivation of the myrosinase enzyme. These ITCs have powerful immunity- boosting effects and anti cancer activity. ( I care about nerdy science?). I am grateful to you for making this salad have tremendous flavor!

   We will be making it for summer picnics the next 2 months for as long as we can get organic red or purple grapes! Great recipe!! Jordanna ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

   Reply

   • Desiree Nielsen says

     August 15, 2021 at 7:33 am

     Ah!!! I love that nerdy stuff too.

     Broccoli rocks! I’m so glad you enjoyed the salad

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