Easy & Healthy Broccoli Apple Salad - The Best Recipe! (2024)

This fresh and healthy Broccoli Apple Salad will make your taste buds sing! The delightful Fall flavors of crunchy raw broccoli and apple go perfectly with the sweet tang of creamy, homemade poppy-seed dressing. Yum!

CREAMY BROCCOLI APPLE SALAD WITH YOGURT DRESSING

Come Fall, I tend to think a lot about warm and hearty soups, home-baked bread, pumpkin-spice everything, and all the other fall classics.

But, Fall is also a wonderful time for cool-season veggies and fruits, like crisp apples and bright green broccoli. That’s why I’ve crafted this easy, tasty recipe for a slaw-like salad that combines a healthy yogurt and poppy-seed dressing with autumn all-stars. It’s meant to be!

IS BROCCOLI SALAD HEALTHY?

You betcha! Mine has all kinds of healthy seasonal goodies, from red onions to cranberries to shelled sunflower seeds. It’s not only delicious, it’s full of much-needed nutrition! Broccoli is an excellent source of fiber, protein and other good for you things like potassium, calcium, selenium and more! It even has vitamins A, C, E, K and folic acid. It’s a real superfood you can feel good about eating.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

For the Salad:

• Broccoli: You’ll need 3 to 4 cups of fresh broccoli, cut into small florets. No stems! (Stems are fine when peeled and cooked, but not so good raw). 🥦
• Bacon: For just a taste of smoky flavor. You’ll need 4 slices of your favorite bacon, cooked to a crisp and crumbled. 🥓
• Apples: Use 2 whole apples, diced. I recommend Honeycrisp—they are really bright and flavorful! 🍎
• Onion: This recipe uses a 2-inch wedge of red onion, thinly sliced. A sweet onion will also work, if no red onion is available. 🧅
• Dried Cranberries: For a pop of sweet and tart flavor. I suggest to use reduced sugar dried cranberries.
• Sunflower Seeds: I like to buy mine pre-shelled.

For the Dressing:

• Plain Yogurt: A healthy base for the creamy dressing. You can use full-fat yogurt, fat free, or reduced fat.
• Mayonnaise: You’ll need about ¼ cup of your preferred mayonnaise. You can use fat free mayo, or reduced fat mayo, if you prefer.
• Honey: This recipe uses 3 tablespoons of honey, but adjust to your taste. You can also substitute maple syrup.
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Poppy Seeds
• Salt: To taste.

HOW TO MAKE BROCCOLI SALAD

1. Combine the Dry Ingredients. In a large salad bowl, combine the broccoli, bacon, apples, onions, cranberries, and sunflower seeds; set aside.
2. Mix Up the Dressing: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, honey, apple cider vinegar, poppy seeds, and salt; taste and adjust the salt, honey, and vinegar accordingly.
3. Toss the Dressing with the Salad and Chill. Add salad dressing to the broccoli salad and gently toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Enjoy!

TIPS FOR THE BEST BROCCOLI SALAD

• Rinse, Repeat: Make sure to wash your broccoli well before adding to the salad. It’s great to soak the head of broccoli in a big bowl of water for about 5 minutes, and then rinse well with cool water, before cutting. After you’ve cut the florets, you can rinse them again in a colander.
• Cut the Broccoli and Apples Small. It’s a common mistake with salads that the ingredients aren’t really bite-sized. So while you’re cutting the florets and apple dice, make sure you keep them to a size that won’t overwhelm a salad fork!
• Cheese, Please? This salad reminds me a little bit of classic Amish broccoli salad, which is also super-delicious! If you like, you can add a cup of cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes, to add that vibe to this healthy side!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

• Winner, Winner! This salad goes wonderfully with a classic roast chicken, like my Maple Butter Whole Roasted Chicken. So satisfying!
• Chop, Chop: A dinner of juicy pork chops also works extremely well with fresh apples and broccoli! Try my Garlic Butter Fried Pork Chops with Zucchini for a perfect cool-weather meal!
• That’s Bananas! A simple dessert of Banana Oats Chocolate Chip Cookies is sure to bring a smile.

HOW TO STORE LEFTOVERS

• To refrigerate, place in an airtight container and tightly cover the leftovers; store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Stir well before serving leftovers.
• It’s not recommended to freeze leftovers, as the textures of the dressing, as well as the fresh, unblanched veggies and fruit, will degrade after thawing.

More Broccoli Salad Recipes

• Creamy Broccoli Salad with Chicken, Bacon, and Cheese
• Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
• Potluck Pasta Salad

ENJOY!