Broccoli Slaw
Broccoli Slaw is a fresh, flavorful salad made with broccoli, carrot, apple and sunflower seeds in a creamy dressing. This recipe is easy to make and perfect for serving with pulled pork, grilled meats and more!
Broccoli slaw is similar to Coleslaw, except it’s made with broccoli instead of cabbage. This easy broccoli slaw recipe packs in the flavors and textures. Crisp broccoli and carrot, sweet apple and cranberries, crunchy sunflower seeds and a creamy dressing come together to make a delightfully colorful and delicious salad.
This fresh slaw is the side dish you’ll want to serve all summer long. Like this Broccoli Salad, it’s quick to prepare and goes with just about anything, from Grilled Chicken Thighs to Black Bean Burgers and Pulled Pork.
Making Easy Broccoli Slaw
You can make broccoli slaw with a packaged broccoli slaw mix, or you can chop everything yourself for a completely homemade salad. Since julienne-cutting broccoli stems can be quite tedious, I like to take some help from the grocery store by buying a package of broccoli slaw mix. To this I add fresh chopped broccoli florets and fresh carrot, so that you get a nice balance of fresh colors and flavors, with much less time and effort.
If you prefer to use fresh broccoli stems, first peel off the tough outer layer of the stems and then julienne-cut them into thin matchsticks. This can be done by hand with a sharp knife or by using a julienne peeler. You will need 3-4 cups of julienned broccoli stems.
Broccoli Slaw Recipe Ingredients
Wondering what’s in broccoli slaw? While recipes vary, my favorite version includes broccoli and carrot, plus apple, sunflower seeds and more. It’s packed with color, flavor and texture!
- Broccoli Slaw Mix: This can be found in the produce section of most grocery stores, and usually contains julienne-cut broccoli stems and carrot. It saves a lot of time and effort vs. julienning the broccoli stems yourself.
- Broccoli Florets: Adding fresh chopped broccoli florets brings vibrant green color, great flavor and texture to the salad.
- Carrot: I like to add fresh carrot even if carrot is in the packaged broccoli slaw mix.
- Red Onion: The sharp flavor of red onion is a nice contrast to the other ingredients.
- Dried Cranberries: Bring sweetness and color.
- Sunflower Seeds: For crunch and flavor.
- Fresh Parsley: Adds fresh flavor, but you can omit if you don’t have any on hand.
- Apple: The sweet-tart flavor of apple complements the savory vegetables in the slaw. I like to use an apple that I’d enjoy eating on its own, such as Honeycrisp, Gala or Fuji.
- Lemon Juice: Tossing the apple sticks with lemon juice helps to prevent browning.
Broccoli Slaw Dressing
This salad is lightly dressed with a creamy dressing to let the flavors of the fresh ingredients shine. The broccoli slaw dressing is a slight variation on my favorite Coleslaw Dressing. For the dressing you’ll need:
- Mayonnaise: To make the dressing creamy. If you don’t care for mayo, plain Greek yogurt is a good substitute, and full fat works best. I’ve made this slaw with both mayo and Greek yogurt and preferred the mayo version, even though I don’t love mayo.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: For a little bit of tanginess.
- Honey: Sweetens things up. You can substitute pure maple syrup.
- Dijon Mustard: Adds a subtle tangy, sharp flavor that elevates the flavor of the dressing. If you don’t care for Dijon mustard you can leave it out.
- Salt & Pepper: Salt and pepper bring all of the flavors together.
How to Make Broccoli Slaw
- Toss the apple with the lemon juice.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the slaw mix, broccoli florets, carrots, apple, red onion, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and fresh parsley.
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients.
- Pour the dressing over the slaw and stir to combine.
Tips
- Dry the broccoli well after washing so that it doesn’t water down the dressing.
- Taste the salad after mixing it with the dressing to see if it needs more salt and/or pepper.
- Broccoli slaw is best served immediately or within a few hours of making it.
- If you’re using a new jar of mayo, chill it in the fridge before making the dressing so that the dressing will be cold when mixing with the slaw.
Serving Suggestions/Ways to Serve
Enjoy this slaw recipe as a side dish with your favorite meals. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Make Ahead & Storage Instructions
Broccoli slaw is best served the day it is made, either right away or you can refrigerate it for a few hours before serving. It’s still delicious on the second day, but the dressing may be watered down a bit as the ingredients lose some moisture. Just give it a good stir before serving.
To make broccoli coleslaw ahead, you can mix together the slaw ingredients and dressing and refrigerate them separately, up to 2 days ahead. It’s best to chop the apple right before serving.
More Favorite Summer Side Dishes
Broccoli Slaw
Ingredients
Broccoli Slaw:
- 2 cups chopped broccoli florets, chopped into small bite-size pices
- 1 large carrot, julienne-cut into thin 1 ½-inch long matchsticks
- 18 ounce bag broccoli slaw mix*
- ⅓ cup finely chopped red onion
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup roasted sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 apple, cut into thin matchsticks
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Dressing:
- ½ cup mayonnaise, or full-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the chopped broccoli florets, julienned carrot, broccoli slaw mix, red onion, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and fresh parsley.
- In a medium bowl, toss the apple matchsticks with the lemon juice until well coated. Add to the bowl with the other slaw ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, combine all dressing ingredients: mayonnaise (or plain Greek yogurt), apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over the broccoli slaw ingredients and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours before serving. Stir to recombine everything before serving.
Notes
- If you prefer to use fresh broccoli stems instead of packaged broccoli slaw mix, first peel off the tough outer layer and then julienne-cut the stems into thin matchsticks. This can be done by hand with a sharp knife or by using a julienne peeler. You will need 3-4 cups of julienned broccoli stems.
- Broccoli slaw is best served the day it is made, either right away or you can refrigerate it for a few hours before serving. It’s still delicious on the second day, but the dressing may be watered down a bit as the ingredients lose some moisture. Just give it a good stir before serving.
- To make broccoli coleslaw ahead, you can mix together the slaw ingredients and dressing and refrigerate them separately, up to 2 days ahead. It’s best to chop the apple right before serving.
Easy and delicious! Thank you!
My husband does not like coleslaw, doesn’t really like creamy dressings at all but he does love his broccoli so when he found this recipe (he’s trying to eat healthier) and asked if i could help him make it, I was a little surprised. Well we’ve made it at least 3 times now and to me it tastes alot like coleslaw but he likes it (probably a nice change from green salads too) so thanks for sharing, your pictures won him over! I love salads and love the variety so this one will be a keeper for us. I’ve been adding jicama and also tried asian pear instead of the apple. Its all very good!