Vegan Broccoli Salad
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Published Mar 15, 2012, Updated Nov 16, 2022
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The most amazing vegan broccoli salad made with a rich and creamy cashew dressing instead of mayo. This salad is a total crowd-pleaser and perfect for parties!
Like many of the recipes you’ll find here on EBF, this one is inspired by my mom. She used to make classic broccoli salad all the time when I was growing up. Her version was sweet, crunchy and a staple dish at all of our summer cookouts. I loved that salad and used to request it frequently. Alas, said salad is like most southern “salads” and has a good amount of mayo, 1/2 cup of sugar and bacon…
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:
More Broccoli Recipes to Try:
- Classic Broccoli Salad
- Broccoli Avocado Tuna Bowl
- Roasted Broccoli Quinoa Salad
- Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
- Broccoli Cranberry Salad
Vegan Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
- 6 cups broccoli, two small to medium sized crowns, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, roasted and salted
- 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup raisins
Cashew Dressing
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked at least 1- 2 hours
- 1/3 cup fresh water
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon shallot, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
Instructions
- Soak cashews: place cashews in a bowl, cover with water and let sit for 1-2 hours or until soft. Drain water.
- Make dressing: mix soaked cashews, fresh water, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, shallot, garlic, salt and dijon mustard in a high powered blender or processor until completely smooth.
- Mix ingredients: combine broccoli, sunflower seeds, red onion, raisins and dressing. Toss until all ingredients are covered.
- Serve: Serve immediately or let chill in the fridge a bit before serving.
Video
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 or sweet vidalia 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 chopped medjool dates, dried cherries, prunes or another dried fruit.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do you soak the cashews in the 1/3 c of water, or is the 1/3 cup of water needed in the dressing?
Great question. You soak the cashews in water and then discard that water, then use 1/3 cup of fresh water for blending the dressing. I’ll update the recipe to make sure this is clear. 🙂
Like you, I was raised with this delicious broccoli salad, loaded with sugar, bacon, and mayo. I asked my mom to make it often and I’d despaired of ever tasting it again, now that I eat vegan. Thanks for caring enough to make it healthy! I’m making it tonight, so excited! I love your recipes ♡♡♡
How did it turn out for you, Susan?!
Thank you for this great recipe! We’re celebrating a birthday today and a few guest are vegan. I doubled the recipe and it came out perfectly. I used golden raisins and also threw in some cranraisins and pepitas. Everything else was the same as in the recipe. I hope they like it as much as I do!
So glad this salad was a hit, Marsha! Thanks for making it and for the review. I so appreciate it!
This salad is SO EASY and SO TASTY. It’s wonderful to have a creamy salad option that doesn’t rely on mayo or oils. I didn’t have raisins or scallions, so I used dried cranberries and a little extra red onion in the sauce. I also made a little extra sauce and added some lentil pasta for a little punch of protein. The only struggle is not eating it all in one day!
This salad was delicious! I didn’t have raisins but decided to add blueberries.We loved it. Thanks Brittany.
Even though I had to make a few small changes, this salad was wonderful: crunchy, balanced, and satisfying. I had to replace the sunflower seeds with pepitas, and I soaked the cashews for just a few minutes before making the dressing in the botanic with a couple extra tbsp of water. I’ll make this again!
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Charley! Thanks for making it and for leaving a review. I so appreciate it!
Thanks for sharing a vegan alternative!It sounds delicious. Can’t wait to try it!
Definitely let me know if you end up trying this salad and what you think of it!
Amazing !!! I am not vegan but having family over and some of our guests are vegan. I don’t like raisins so I replace with cranberries. Looks great and tastes wonderful. My favourite from now on. Thank you.
Yay! So glad you loved this recipe! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Can’t wait to make this – thank you for sharing … wondering, could you use cashew butter instead of soaking the cashews?
Hey Kristin – I am not sure how using cashew butter instead of soaked cashews would alter the dressing in this recipe as I haven’t tried it. Definitely come back and let me know if you try it and what you think!