I love this broccoli crunch salad! It is one of my favorite summer side dish recipes, and it is so easy to make at home. Here's how to make the best broccoli salad.

You'll love this broccoli crunch salad

It’s so flavorful. All the ingredients and the dressing bring different flavors and textures that work so well together! For not having to cook anything in this recipe, it turns out so flavorful.

It’s easy to whip together. A few minutes of chopping broccoli, onions, and walnuts and you have an easy side dish salad that's perfect for a weeknight dinner or it makes for a great picnic salad!

It goes with all your favorite BBQ main dishes. This is truly one of my favorite side dishes to have for a summer BBQ. It works so well with all your grilled favorites.

It’s not a boring salad, it’s a fun, crunchy veggie salad. I'm all about the fun veggie salads, and this is certainly it!

I love this broccoli crunch salad! It is one of my favorite summer side dish recipes, and it is so easy to make at home.

Ingredients

Fresh Broccoli. Normally, I'm all for saying you can use frozen produce in place of fresh, but for this recipe, you need fresh broccoli. Be sure to utilize the broccoli stems, too! You can use the whole piece for this raw broccoli salad.

Red Onion. Want that onion taste without having it overpower your dish? Rinse your chopped onions in cold water! You still have that onion bite, but it doesn't take over your whole salad.

Craisins. You can also use raisins, but I love the slightly more sour bite of craisins in this recipe to add a layer of dimension to the flavor.

Walnuts. You can use whatever nut you prefer, I like walnuts because they have a "fattier" taste to me so it kinda cuts the sweetness of the dressing, and the tartness of the onion, and brings everything together.

Sweet Onion Salad Dressing. Don't worry, this sounds specific, but a handful of brands like Ken's makes sweet onion dressing so you will be able to easily find this in your local grocery store!

How to make broccoli crunch salad

This is such a delicious salad, it's the perfect combination of sweet and savory! Here's how to make this easy broccoli salad recipe.

Chop up your large head of broccoli, red onion and walnuts. I like chopping big chunks of broccoli and smaller pieces of red onion and walnuts.
Take your red onion and place it in a strainer. Run cold water over the raw onion. This gets rid of the super pungent onion taste, but still leaves a great flavor. You'll want to save that kitchen tip for any summer salad recipe that calls for raw onions.
In a large mixing bowl combine your chopped broccoli, red onion, walnuts, craisins and salad dressing.
Mix until the dressing is evenly coated.
Serve immediately or allow it to chill in the fridge in an air-tight container.

Tip: If you want to serve this the next day, I recommend not dressing it until you are ready to serve it!

I know in the summer a lot of people are looking for side dish recipes without mayo, and this is it! You will love this broccoli salad without mayo. It's light, refreshing and so tasty.

Substitutions and variations

Nuts and Seeds. If you don't have walnuts, or don't like them, you can use pumpkin seeds, almonds, or crunchy sunflower seeds. You can even include these in addition to the walnuts.

Bacon. A great way to add an extra crunch is by including some chopped-up crispy bacon. Be sure to let the cooked bacon drain on a paper towel before chopping it or else your crunchy broccoli salad will be too soggy with all the grease.

Other Mix-Ins. If you want to sub out the dried cranberries you can use golden raisins or regular raisins.

Protein. If you want to make this perfect side dish into a meal, you can add some chopped chicken breasts or chicken thighs. It's such a versatile dish!

Homemade Broccoli Salad Dressing. If you prefer to make your own creamy dressing for this recipe, this is a great recipe!

Broccoli Slaw. You can make this with broccoli slaw in place of fresh broccoli, too! It's a delicious way to serve this salad instead of having to chop up a whole head of broccoli.

Storing leftover broccoli crunch salad

Store any leftover broccoli crunch salad in an airtight container in the fridge. If the salad is dressed, it will keep for 2-3 days.

FAQs

Why does my broccoli salad get watery?

If your broccoli is too watery, that can cause it! To get that crunchy texture I recommend washing your fresh broccoli florets and then putting it through a salad spinner.

What to serve with broccoli crunch salad?

You can serve broccoli salad with all your BBQ favorites, chicken burgers in the air fryer, or air fryer BBQ chicken.

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