Crunchy and sweet Broccoli Raisin Salad: the healthier side dish that's welcome at any summer barbecue or cookout!
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Need an easy-to-make, wilt-resistant, and tasty side dish salad that will be welcome at any potluck or barbecue? This Broccoli Raisin Salad is just for you!
With a yogurt-based dressing, crisp apples, and sweet raisins, this is a healthier take on classic Broccoli Salad. Seasonings like ginger and honey add flavor in place of bacon, making this salad delicious but light.
Best of all, this salad is ready in just a handful of easy steps. So easy that kiddos could even help make the recipe.
Just whisk the dressing ingredients together in the bowl, gently fold in the chopped broccoli, celery, and fruit, and chill for 30 minutes - 1 hour.
Then, just before serving, sprinkle the salad with toasted sliced almonds (slivered are ok, too!) and your dream summer salad side dish is served.
The yogurt dressing on this salad does have reduced-fat mayonnaise in it, so it can't stay out in the heat for hours, but the broccoli will hold the chill (keeping the dressing safe) longer than would lettuce or another leafy green.
This salad is perfectly served for almost any summer get-together: Memorial day, the 4th of July, or weekend barbecues, cookouts, or potlucks. It's also welcome at baby showers, wedding showers, or anywhere you're serving a light spread.
Because this salad doesn't contain bacon it's naturally vegetarian. It's also super easily made vegan by substituting vegan mayonnaise for the reduced-fat mayo and plain nut-milk yogurt for the dairy yogurt.
Swap the raisins and ginger for ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese and this recipe is now low carb, keto, and delicious. The options are endless!
Any way you mix it, this broccoli salad is summer in a bowl. What are you waiting for? Save or pin this recipe for your next event or whip up a batch of it today!
Table of contents
- This recipe is...
- Recipe ingredients
- Ingredient substitutions
- How to make this broccoli salad with raisins...
- Recipe pro-tips:
- Recipe variations:
- Serving suggestions:
- Storage recommendations:
- Tools needed to make this recipe:
- Other summer salad recipes you'll love:
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This recipe is...
- Fresh
- Crunchy
- Sweet
- Versatile
This healthy broccoli salad is a favorite cold side dish recipe for hot summer days. Unlike potato salad, you don't have to turn on your stove or heat up your kitchen for any part of it! Easy breezy and so delicious.
Recipe ingredients
- Broccoli florets - small florets are best
- Raisins - either red or golden raisins
- Apple - gala, fuji, Honeycrisp, or Cameo apples work best for this recipe
- Celery
- Toasted sliced almonds
- Low-fat plain yogurt - 1 or 2% fat is ideal for this recipe
- Reduced-fat mayonnaise - I love Best Foods (or Hellman's) olive oil mayonnaise
- Honey
- Distilled white vinegar
- Ginger powder
Ingredient substitutions
- Raisins - substitute dried cranberries for the raisins and enjoy a fresh broccoli cranberry salad; chopped-up dried apricots are also nice! Similarly, 1 ½ cups halved grapes can work in place of the raisins
- Apples - tart granny smith apples can work in place of the sweeter apples, but the salad will have a bit of a bite to it
- Vinegar - white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar can easily work in place of the distilled white vinegar
- Nuts - cashews, walnuts, and even pecans are also delicious on this salad
How to make this broccoli salad with raisins...
- Whisk the yogurt salad dressing ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until smooth.
- Add the broccoli, celery, and fruit to the yogurt dressing.
- Gently fold the veggies and fruit into the broccoli salad dressing until evenly covered with the dressing.
- Chill the salad for 30 minutes to 12 hours.
- Garnish the salad with almonds and serve cold!
Recipe pro-tips:
- Chill the salad before serving - this will help the salad dressing flavors penetrate the salad. I recommend at least 30 minutes - 1 hour, but you can chill it for up to 12 hours before serving.
- Don't use non-fat yogurt - the small amount of milk fat in 1 or 2% yogurt adds loads of flavor to the recipe. Without it, the flavors aren't as developed and the texture of the dressing isn't as rich.
- Wait until serving to garnish the salad with almonds - as they will get soggy from sitting too long on the salad. If you plan on having leftovers, garnish individual servings with the almonds immediately before serving.
- To save time, use pre-cut broccoli - pre-cut broccoli is a game-changer for this recipe! If the pieces are too large, break or cut them down into smaller pieces before mixing them into the dressing, but they will still make the recipe that much simpler and easy to make.
Yes, you certainly can make this recipe ahead of time. Whisk up the veggie salad (without the almonds) up to 12 hours ahead of time. Store it covered in the refrigerator until serving. Sprinkle the salad with the almonds immediately before serving and the salad will naturally be nice and crunchy!
I do not recommend using frozen broccoli for this recipe. Frozen broccoli is par-boiled (boiled quickly) before freezing, so it will not be crunchy or fresh when it defrosts.
Recipe variations:
- Broccoli & cauliflower - switch this recipe up by substituting half cauliflower and half broccoli for the broccoli.
- Add protein - make this recipe a complete meal by stirring in 1 ¼ cup chickpeas, grilled chicken, or cubed turkey breast.
- Add in diced sweet onion or red onion - add even more dimension to the salad dressing by whisking in ½ cup minced sweet or red onion. Thinly sliced green onions also work!
Serving suggestions:
This salad serves best cold within an hour of being removed from the refrigerator. To keep the salad safe, don't let it sit out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
Otherwise, this salad goes perfectly with almost any summer meal. It's perfectly served alongside potato salad, baked beans, and macaroni salad with...
Storage recommendations:
- Refrigeration: leftover salad keeps covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. For best results garnish the salad with almonds right before serving (especially if you anticipate having leftovers); almonds refrigerated on top of the salad will get soggy.
- Freezing: unfortunately, this salad does not freeze well.
Save this Recipe for Later on Pinterest:
Tools needed to make this recipe:
Other summer salad recipes you'll love:
- 5 Bean Salad
- Broccoli Slaw Recipe
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Salad Dressing
- Italian Tuna Pasta Salad
- Avocado Blueberry Salad
Broccoli Raisin Salad
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup low-fat plain yogurt
- 3 tablespoons reduced-fat or olive oil mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 ½ tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- ½ large apple cored and diced
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup diced celery
- 5 cups small broccoli florets
- ⅓ cup toasted sliced almonds
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, honey, vinegar, sea salt, and ginger powder until combined.
- Add the raisins, celery, and broccoli to the yogurt mixture. Gently fold the veggies and fruit into the yogurt until evenly covered in the dressing.
- Cover and chill the salad in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 12 hours.
- Sprinkle the salad with almonds and serve cold!
