Meal Type » Gluten Free Appetizers and Sides » Vegan Broccoli Salad

Vegan Broccoli Salad

Name: Vegan Broccoli Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 4 cups chopped broccoli florets (about 2 small heads); 1 1/2 cups shredded purple cabbage; 1/2 cup golden raisins; 1/2 cup sliced almonds; 1/3 cup green onion; 1/4 cup cilantro; 6 tablespoons creamy almond butter; 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup; 2 tablespoons rice vinegar; 4 tablespoons orange juice; 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari; 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tablespoons freshly grated ginger; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)

Claire Cary

5 from 5 votes

April 1, 2022

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While it may not sound like much, this vegan broccoli salad is a fresh and easy to make side dish that is chock full of flavor. With a simple almond and orange based dressing, this recipe is healthy, crisp and ready in 15 minutes!

vegan broccoli salad in a bowl with sliced almonds on top

Maybe this is an unpopular opinion but broccoli is my favorite vegetable. I love it in salads like this one, air fried, roasted, steamed and even in smoothies. Broccoli salad is a traditionally not so healthy salad with lots of mayo, sometimes sugar and cheese.

It can be pretty heavy and dairy-filled, but this vegan broccoli salad is totally the opposite! The flavors are similar to my edamame crunch salad, but with a few key twists.

It’s fresh and crisp with an incredibly flavorful almond and orange based dressing. Plus, it only takes about 15 minutes from start to finish and keeps in the fridge for about 3 days. Try my tomato cucumber salad or spicy asian cucumber salad next!

Before we get started…

You need fresh, raw broccoli for this recipe. Try to find broccoli that looks very green and vibrant, not yellow!
This recipe is very versatile, you can toss in some shredded carrots, leave out the cabbage, make the dressing spicier – whatever you like!
Most broccoli salads call for a mayo based dressing, but I am not a big mayo fan so we’re taking a bit of an Asian spin on this recipe and using a homemade almond butter based dressing.

How to make vegan broccoli salad

Make dressing. Add all of the salad dressing ingredients to a bottle and shake well to combine. You can also stir it up in a bowl, but I find shaking is easiest and really helps the ingredients incorporate well. Taste and adjust flavors as desired.

Prep salad base. Add all salad ingredients to a bowl. My preferred method of chopping broccoli for a salad is to make it really small. I don’t keep it in larger florets, rather I like bite sized/shaved pieces. I find it’s easiest to eat this way!

Combine and serve. Toss the salad with half of the dressing and let sit for about 10-15 minutes to marinate. This will help soften the broccoli a bit without anything getting soggy. Toss with the rest of the dressing and serve. Enjoy!

two images showing how to make the recipe

Key ingredients

Broccoli. You need about 2 small heads of fresh raw broccoli for this recipe. I like to chop it really small to make for a better eating experience!

Purple cabbage. I like to finely shred the cabbage either in my food processor or using a mandolin to get very thin pieces.

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Golden raisins. Regular raisins are also a great option, but I’ve always preferred the taste and texture of the golden variety and I think they pair well with the rest of the ingredients in this recipe.

Almonds. I like using sliced almonds in this recipe, but slivered almonds, chopped almonds or even walnuts would be delicious.

Green onion & cilantro. I’ve made this vegan broccoli salad with both green and red onion, but generally prefer it with the green. It’s a bit more mild and I find the flavor of red is a bit too strong. You can try using a mix if you like though!

Almond dressing. We’ll be using a homemade almond based dressing that features creamy almond butter, orange juice, soy sauce/tamari, garlic, ginger and rice vinegar. I used honey to sweeten, but maple syrup will work if you follow a strict vegan diet.

You can leave out the almonds in the salad and sub the almond butter with sunflower seed butter for a nut free option. Tahini would be ok as well, but the flavor of sunflower butter would be best.

pouring the salad dressing on top of the salad

Do you cook broccoli for broccoli salad?

No! Well, I suppose you could if you wanted to, but broccoli is generally raw in salad and I suggest keeping it that way for this vegan broccoli salad!

The dressing will soften the broccoli over time so it won’t be quite as tough, and I suggest chopping it up into smaller florets to make it easier to eat.

If you are going to cook the broccoli, I suggest blanching it for just 30 seconds to 1 minute, then letting it cool. It will still be crisp and bright green, but will be a bit easier to chew/digest.

vegan broccoli salad in a bowl with dressing on top

Storage tips

Because broccoli is such a tough vegetable, it holds up well and won’t get soggy like some other salads. You can safely prep this salad in advance and it’ll keep in the fridge for about 3 days.

You could even add it to a stir fry with some rice and protein of choice for a simple meal!

vegan broccoli salad in a bowl with a fork on the side

Try these salads next!

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