Crunchy, creamy, sweet and savory, this dairy free broccoli salad is a must-make for potlucks, parties and barbecues! Wonderfully classic and incredibly easy to pull together, it’s a crowd favorite anytime of the year. Gluten free with egg free and mayo free options included.

This delicious dairy free broccoli salad is one of those classic side dishes that will never go out of style.

It’s a touch sweet. Plenty savory. Filled with crunchy texture. And all kinds of dreamy flavor.

Not to mention that it’s crazy simple to pull together and gets even better as it sits. 

Making it completely fantastic for holidays, parties, potlucks and picnics. 

Or for a weeknight dinner. You really can’t go wrong.

Tips & Tricks

1. You can absolutely adjust any of the ingredient quantities to your liking. Maybe you want more broccoli or less add-ins or a different ratio of add-ins – adjust to you. I personally like a lot of “stuff” in my broccoli salad so it’s definitely not skimpy on the add-ins as written.
2. If you don’t enjoy raw broccoli, you could certainly blanch it briefly before using in the recipe. With that said, I normally am not a fan of raw broccoli but I do really enjoy it in this salad.
3. The bacon cook time is not included in the recipe as this will vary depending on the method used to cook it. 

Substitutions

• Dried cranberries can be used instead of the raisins.
• Raw sunflower seeds will work just fine in place of the salted sunflower seeds. With that said, you may need to add a touch more salt to the finished product.
• Honey can be used instead of the pure maple syrup.

How To Store

Fridge: The salad will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 days.

When it comes to serving, please do not leave the salad at room temperature for more than 2 hours for food safety reasons. And make sure that it’s less than 1 hour if outside in the heat.

Additional Dairy Free Side Dish Recipes:

• Dairy Free Macaroni Salad
• Dairy Free Coleslaw
• Dairy Free Italian Pasta Salad
• Summer Veggie Quinoa Salad
• Blueberry Quinoa Salad

Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.

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Dairy Free Broccoli Salad

Yield: about 6 to 8 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Crunchy, creamy, sweet and savory, this dairy free broccoli salad is a must-make for potlucks, parties and barbecues! Wonderfully classic and incredibly easy to pull together, it’s a crowd favorite anytime of the year.

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Ingredients

For the salad:

• 6 cups bite-sized broccoli florets
• ¾ cup chopped crispy bacon*
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup salted sunflower seeds
• ⅓ cup finely diced red onion

For the dressing:**

• ¾ cup mayonnaise***
• 2 ½ tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

For the salad:

1. Add the broccoli florets, chopped bacon, raisins, sunflower seeds and red onion to a large bowl. Toss to combine.

For the dressing:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, maple syrup, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper until smooth. Taste and adjust any of the flavors as needed.
2. Add to the bowl with the broccoli and toss until well combined. Taste and season with additional salt / pepper if desired (I usually add about ¼ teaspoon more salt). 
3. For best flavor, cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Notes

*The following is how I like to cook bacon for this recipe: Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Arrange about 8 slices of bacon (I use applewood smoked uncured bacon) on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate, then let cool and chop.

**Don’t enjoy mayonnaise? I also tested this broccoli salad using the following dressing (i.e. instead of what’s listed in the recipe above): whisk ¾ cup of our homemade dairy free sour cream with 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup and a good pinch of salt. Pour over the broccoli / mix-ins and toss until well combined. Taste and season with extra salt as needed (I find I need more salt with this dressing versus the mayonnaise - about ½ teaspoon or so - to make the flavors pop). The mayo version of the dressing is a tad more flavorful but we really enjoyed this one as well. Note: I have not tried this with store-bought dairy free sour cream - the flavor may be very different! 

****While most mayo is dairy free, please be sure to double check the ingredients.

To keep the salad egg free - use egg free / vegan mayo.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 298Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 736mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 5gSugar: 12gProtein: 7g

Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.