Broccoli Cranberry Salad

This vegan broccoli cranberry salad recipe is a delicious salad for lunch, dinner, or a holiday side dish. It's fresh, healthy, and delicious with a lightly creamy, tangy dressing. Make this cranberry broccoli salad recipe in under 15 minutes. And it lasts all week long in the refrigerator.

I love broccoli! And this vegan broccoli cranberry salad checks all my favorite things boxes! Sweet dried cranberries, crispy apples, tangy red onions, and a delicious combination of ingredients are in every bite. The dressing is smokey, creamy, and sweet! YUM!

Jump to:

• Broccoli Cranberry Salad Ingredients
• Broccoli Cranberry Salad Ingredient Substitutions
• How to Make Broccoli Cranberry Salad
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• More Vegan Recipes to Try!
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

Not all salads are created equally. This vegan broccoli cranberry salad tastes incredible as a side dish, lunch, dinner, or the perfect salad for a potluck or holiday dinner. And you can make this cranberry broccoli salad in under 15 minutes! What's not to love about that?

Broccoli Cranberry Salad Ingredients

• Broccoli: I love broccoli, but I don't like it raw. Instead, I steam it slightly, softening it a little without cooking it all through.
• Chickpeas: Chickpeas give the broccoli cranberry salad texture and additional protein.
• Honey Crisp Apples: I prefer honey crisp apples, with the skins on, for both color and sweet flavor.
• Celery: The celery adds a freshness as well as a crunchy texture.
• Red Onion: Red onion is strong in flavor and enhances the flavors in the salad, giving it incredible flavor.
• Dried Cranberries: Dried cranberries add another sweet dimension to the salad.
• Pepitas: Pepitas are pumpkin seeds and add texture to the salad recipe.
• Raw Walnuts: Raw walnuts add texture and an earthy flavor to the cranberry broccoli salad.
• Cashew Mayo: Cashew Mayo is the base of the broccoli cranberry salad dressing.
• Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is used as a natural sweetener.
• Lemon Juice: I prefer fresh lemon juice whenever possible. It gives the salad freshness.
• Liquid Smoke: I chose hickory-flavored liquid smoke.

Broccoli Cranberry Salad Ingredient Substitutions

• Cauliflower is an excellent substitute for broccoli.
• Instead of chickpeas, white beans work well as a substitute.
• Any sweet apples can be substituted for honey crisp apples. Or, for a sour apple flavor, choose green apples.
• Fennel is often used as a substitute for celery. However, fennel has a slight licorice flavor.
• Green onions are a substitute for red onion for those who prefer a lighter onion presence.
• Dried cherries are a great alternative for dried cranberries.
• Use sunflower seeds in place of pepitos.
• Pecans taste fabulous with these ingredients if you don't have walnuts.
• Choose any vegan mayo, or substitute cashew mayo with plain vegan yogurt.
• Date syrup is often used to replace maple syrup.
• Bottled lemon juice substitutes fresh lemon juice in recipes.
• Smoked paprika is an excellent substitute for liquid smoke.

How to Make Broccoli Cranberry Salad

Since I don't like raw broccoli, I decided to steam it for half the time to cook it slightly, but not all the way through.

1. Using a vegetable steamer, steam the broccoli for 3-4 minutes (half the time required to cook the broccoli all the way through).
2. Or, boil a pot of water with a teaspoon of salt, add the broccoli, and cook for 1 ½ minutes. Drain and allow to cool in the colander.
3. In the meantime, make the dressing.
4. Whisk the cashew mayo, lemon juice, maple syrup, dijon mustard, and liquid smoke. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients.
6. Pour the dressing over the top of the salad.
7. Toss to combine.
8. Cover and allow the salad to chill for about an hour before serving.
9. Stir before serving.

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• Serve the broccoli raw if you prefer. You can also blanch the broccoli and cool in cold water and ice, and add it to the salad when chilled.
• Skip the walnuts and make the dressing with vegan plain yogurt instead of cashew mayo for a nut-free option.
• If you don't like apples, try red grapes cut in half.
• Use a vegetable chopper to expedite chopping the vegetables.
• Broccoli cranberry salad stays fresh for 5 days in the refrigerator.

This broccoli cranberry salad recipe is a delicious side dish, lunch or dinner salad the whole family will love.

More Vegan Recipes to Try!

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