Vegan Broccoli Salad
on Jul 19, 2022, Updated Aug 15, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links.
This vegan broccoli salad features sunflower seeds, cranberries, red onion and a sweet, creamy and tangy mayonnaise dressing. It’s a vegan version of the classic salad, made without bacon or cheese and uses vegan mayo with just a few other everyday ingredients.
The recipe is super easy to make with no cooking required and is sweet, creamy, tangy, and crunchy for a delicious combination of flavours and texture.
Broccoli salad is a classic side dish that’s perfect for sharing. Whether it’s a BBQ, potluck or family get-together, this vegan broccoli salad is sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
The raw broccoli softens up once it’s marinated in the creamy dressing, so there’s no need to cook it, making this a low-fuss recipe.
Whether you make it for meal prep, in advance for your next gathering or for a healthy addition to a weeknight meal, you’ll love this simple but tasty vegan twist on classic broccoli salad.
I have a similar version of this recipe with apple and Brussels sprouts Broccoli Apple Salad or for a warm broccoli salad, this Miso Roasted Broccoli Salad is delicious.
Recipe Highlights
- Vegetarian, vegan (dairy-free and egg-free), nut-free and gluten-free.
- Super easy to make with just a few ingredients!
- Can be made with tofu for an oil-free and low-fat alternative to mayo.
- Amazing for potlucks, BBQs and picnics.
- Even better when made in advance.
- It’s always a hit!
- It’s versatile and a great way to use up extra fruits and veggies.
Ingredients
- Broccoli: You’ll need fresh, crisp broccoli. No need to cook it!
- Shallot: Shallot or red onion both work great or you can do a mixture of the two.
- Sunflower Seeds: Use sunflower seeds, chopped raw, slivered or dry-roasted almonds. Other nuts and seeds that work well are pecans, walnuts or pepitas.
- Cranberries: Use dried cranberries or raisins. I like the tanginess of cranberries but raisins are delicious too. Dried cherries are good too!
- Mayonnaise: Use your favourite vegan mayonnaise. This can be substituted with soft tofu, plain dairy-free yogurt, tahini or homemade cashew-based mayo.
- Vinegar: You can use white vinegar, white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Maple Syrup: This can be substituted with another liquid sweetener like honey or agave syrup. If you don’t have a liquid sweetener available, you can use light brown sugar or cane sugar.
- Garlic: You can use 2 cloves of garlic or substitute 1 tsp ground garlic powder.
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
Variations & Additions
- Use this tahini maple dressing instead of the mayo dressing.
- Broccoli Salad with Grapes: Omit or reduce the cranberries to 1/2 cup and add up to 1 cup of seedless halved red grapes.
- Broccoli Carrot Salad: Add up to 1 cup of grated or matchstick carrots.
- Sunflower seeds can be replaced with walnuts, almonds, pecans or pepitas.
- You can use packaged broccoli slaw instead of broccoli for convenience. You can also use half broccoli slaw and half broccoli florets.
- Use salted and roasted nuts or seeds for more crunch and flavour.
- Chickpeas make a good addition. Add up to 2 cups drained and rinsed or roasted chickpeas.
Step-by-Step Instructions.
Step 1: Chop the broccoli into florets and give it a good wash. Shake it well or use a salad spinner to remove any excess water.
Add the chopped broccoli to a large bowl with the cranberries, sunflower seeds and red onion or shallot.
Quick Tip: Cut the broccoli into bite-sized florets so it’s easy to eat. It’s also important to dry the broccoli so the dressing doesn’t get watered down.
It doesn’t have to be completely dry, just make sure you shake or spin to remove excess moisture. You can also pat it down with a dishcloth.
Step 2: Mix the dressing ingredients together in a bowl or container until completely smooth and combined.
Quick Tip: If you’re using granulated sugar instead of a liquid sweetener like maple syrup, you may want to add 1-2 tbsp of water to adjust the consistency. It should be thick and creamy but pourable.
Step 3: Mix everything up until all the broccoli is coated in the dressing. Place the salad in the fridge for at least 1 hour up to overnight to marinate and soften the broccoli.
After chilling the salad, serve and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
- Pairs well with a veggie burger like these beet burgers or chickpea burgers.
- Serve with a wrap like buffalo cauliflower wraps or chickpea wraps.
- Serve with baked marinated tempeh or tofu nuggets.
- Great as a side salad for BBQ’s, summer gatherings, grilling, etc.
- Serve as a side salad with any entree or protein.
No-Mayo Option
There are a few options for making broccoli salad without mayo. The original version of this recipe was made with soft tofu as follows:
- 300 g package of soft tofu
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 T white wine vinegar
- 2 T maple syrup or sweetened to taste with stevia for sugar-free dressing
- pinch of salt
To make this version, blend everything until smooth. You could also use cashew butter, plain yogurt, soaked raw cashews or tahini.
To use cashews, soak 2/3 cup raw cashews in just boiled water for 30 minutes. After soaking, drain well then blend with 1/2 cup of water until completely smooth and creamy. Add the rest of the dressing ingredients and blend to combine.
FAQs
You don’t have to cook broccoli for broccoli salad. The broccoli softens once it marinates in the dressing.
If you’re not a fan of raw broccoli or have a hard time digesting it, you can blanch the broccoli before using in the salad. Cook it for 2 minutes in boiling water then drain and rinse well under cold water or place in a bowl of iced water for 2-3 minutes.
This broccoli salad is naturally gluten-free without any substitutions. If you add anything other than additional fruits, vegetables, nuts or seeds (such as bacon bits) be sure to check the label before using.
It’s highly recommended, yes. You could eat the salad right away but it’s much better after the broccoli softens and the flavours have time to mix.
Storing
- The salad is best if it marinates for at least 1 hour so this is a great salad to make ahead.
- Make it up to 24 hours before serving.
- Leftovers store well in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 4 days.
- This salad is not suitable for freezing.
- The broccoli can be chopped a day ahead of time and stored in the fridge.
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to comment section below to leave your star rating and review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Vegan Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
For the Broccoli Salad
- 8 cups broccoli chopped into small florets, 500 g
- 1 cup dried cranberries, 150 g
- 1 cup diced red onion or shallot, 140 g
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds or chopped or slivered almonds, 70 g
For the Dressing
- 2/3 cup vegan mayonnaise, 150 g
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 45 mL
- 2 tbsp maple syrup, 30 g
- 2 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- pinch of pepper
Instructions
- Prepare Salad: Add the salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
- Mix Dressing: Add the dressing ingredients to a bowl or container and whisk until completely smooth and creamy.
- Mix Salad: Add the dressing to the salad and mix well to coat all the broccoli and distribute the rest of the ingredients.
- Marinate: Refrigerate the salad for at least 1 hour to marinate.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published May 16, 2017.
Easy to make and delicious. I think I ate a portion before putting it in the refrigerator!
Thank you for posting.
Haha, thank you, Brooke!
I don’t know how much to buy seeing this: 1 x 300 g package soft tofu, can you help? Thanks!
Yes, one 300 gram-sized package of soft tofu. I’m not sure what sizes will be sold where you are but you’ll need 300 grams total. Enjoy!
Surprisingly yummy! Even my tofu-aversive bf loves this recipe. Used dried cranberries instead of raisins. I am very thankful for your recipe as I have multiple food sensitivities and this one agrees with me 🙂
So happy you guys liked it. Sounds perfect with cranberries!
can I substitute firm tofu for soft? Believe it or not I can’t find soft anywhere ????
I wouldn’t suggest firm tofu for this one but medium would probably be ok! Or maybe use plain non-dairy yogurt in place of firm tofu?
WOW !! A quick and easy salad that tastes wonderful. I used less garlic and splurged by substituting 2 tablespoons of maple syrup for the stevia. Added some dried cranberries for a touch of tartness. This salad will be part of my weekly meal rotation. Thank You
Yum, nice choice on the maple syrup! So glad you enjoyed it.