This Healthy Broccoli Salad is an easy and delicious side dish that’s perfect for any summer occasion! This healthy recipe features crunchy broccoli, apple, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries in a creamy homemade dressing. It’s the best healthy broccoli salad recipe and a reader favorite!

Broccoli salad with apple and blueberries and a creamy homemade dressing.

Broccoli salad is a classic side dish for summer BBQ’s and potlucks. This is my all time favorite healthy broccoli salad recipe, and it’s a reader favorite, too!

One of the best things about this salad is that it’s so quick and easy to make! You mix together a simple 5-ingredient dressing and pour it over the broccoli and other salad ingredients and that’s it! You can make this cold broccoli salad up to three days ahead and keep it in your refrigerator.

Take just one bite of this fresh no mayo broccoli salad and you will see why it’s so popular. The combination of flavors and textures is irresistible. The broccoli has the perfect crunch and the creamy dressing is just right. When you combine these with other classic broccoli salad ingredients you have a side dish that you’ll want to make all summer long!

The best thing about this vegetarian broccoli salad is that it is so quick and easy to make. Serve it as a side dish with a weeknight dinner, or make it for Easter, 4th of July, or a picnic!

This healthy side dish goes perfectly with this easy grilled chicken or baked chicken. If you’re planning your menu for a BBQ, also try these potato salad, macaroni salad, corn salad, coleslaw and fruit salad recipes.

See over 30 MORE healthy side dishes here!

Why you’ll love this healthy broccoli salad:

  • The combination of crunchy broccoli, crisp apple, sunflower seeds, onion and creamy dressing is irresistible!
  • The fresh and colorful ingredients make this broccoli salad so appealing. The blueberries are an unexpected and delicious addition. It will be the hit of the party!
  • You can make it ahead and it will stay fresh for a few days in the refrigerator.

Pouring creamy dressing over broccoli salad.

How to Make Healthy Broccoli Salad without Mayo

Broccoli salad is one of the easiest side dishes to make! You’ll start by washing and chopping your broccoli salad ingredients and adding them to a large bowl:

  • Fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces. Discard any large stems and just use the florets.
  • One apple, chopped. Toss the apple with a little lemon juice to prevent browning.
  • Fresh blueberries. I know this is not a traditional broccoli salad ingredient, but it’s delicious and I love the extra pop of color!
  • Red onion, chopped.
  • Dried cranberries.
  • Sunflower seeds.

Once you have your salad ingredients in the bowl, make the broccoli salad dressing. In a bowl, whisk together plain Greek yogurt, honey, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and poppy seeds. Pour this over the other ingredients and stir until everything is well coated with dressing.

More Broccoli Salad Ideas

When it comes to broccoli salad, there are many variations on the classic recipe. Try any combination of these ingredients in your broccoli salad:

  • raisins or dried cranberries
  • chopped fresh apple
  • sliced or slivered almonds, sunflower seeds or pecans
  • shredded carrot
  • chopped kale
  • chopped red onion or shallot
  • crumbled bacon
  • shredded cheddar cheese

Ingredients for broccoli salad in a bowl.

Recipe Tips

  • Be sure to chop the broccoli small – you want bite-size pieces.
  • This broccoli salad is delicious with crisp, crunchy raw broccoli. I never cook my broccoli before adding it to broccoli salad, but some readers prefer it a little softer. You can blanch the broccoli by boiling it for no longer than one minute and then transferring it to a bowl of ice water with a slotted spoon. Blanching the broccoli softens it a bit, and gives it a bright green color. Just be sure to cook it very briefly because you do not want mushy broccoli in this cold broccoli salad recipe.
  • If you prefer to make your broccoli salad with mayo, substitute 1 cup of mayonnaise for the Greek yogurt in this recipe. Reduce the honey to 3 tablespoons.
  • If you don’t have fresh lemon juice, you can substitute apple cider vinegar for the lemon juice in the dressing.
  • You can leave the poppy seeds out of the dressing and no substitutions are needed.
  • You can make this broccoli salad ahead. It will last for 2-3 days when stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator. The dressing may get watered down over time, but it will still taste delicious.

More Broccoli Salad Recipes

No mayo broccoli salad with blueberries and apple.

close up of broccoli salad in a white bowl
5 from 3 ratings

Healthy Broccoli Salad

Servings: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 15 mins
This Healthy Broccoli Salad is an easy and delicious side dish that's perfect for any summer occasion! This easy, healthy salad has crunchy broccoli, apple, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries in a creamy yogurt-based dressing.
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Ingredients

  • 1 Ā½ pounds fresh broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • Ā¼ cup finely chopped red onion
  • Ā½ cup dried cranberries
  • Ā¼ cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 large apple, chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the homemade dressing:

  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, I use full fat, low fat will also work
  • Ā¼ cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Instructions
 

  • Place broccoli, blueberries, red onion, cranberries, and sunflower seeds in a large bowl. In a small bowl, toss apple with 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Add to the big bowl with the salad.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine. Salad may be served immediately or refrigerated until serving. It will last for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

Notes

  • You can substitute 1 cup mayonnaise for the Greek yogurt. Reduce the honey to 3 tablespoons.
  • You can substitute apple cider vinegar for the lemon juice in the dressing.
  • You can leave the poppy seeds out of the dressing and no substitutions are needed.
Serving: 1/8 recipe, Calories: 128kcal, Carbohydrates: 23.6g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 2.3g, Sodium: 39mg, Fiber: 3.9g, Sugar: 16.5g
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: American
Course: Side Dish
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