Broccoli Raisin Salad Recipe

Get your fill of vitamin C while enjoying a delicious dish with this broccoli raisin salad recipe. This dish softens the broccoli’s earthy taste with the sweet-tart delight of raisins and little sprinkles of red onion, almonds, and cheddar cheese. The layers of flavors are brought together by a creamy mayo-based dressing that fills the taste buds with a pleasant tang and sweetness.

This salad is made in just 10 minutes and can also be prepared ahead. Whether it’s a casual dinner, a potluck, or any outdoor gathering, you’ll have no problem making enough servings for your table mates to enjoy.

Is This Broccoli Raisin Salad Healthy?

Yes, it is.

With broccoli as the main ingredient, this salad comes with a copious amount of vitamin C. This cruciferous vegetable also offers other essential nutrients like fiber, vitamins A and K1, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, selenium, etc.

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Moreover, we also measured the specific ingredients to follow the standards set by our nutrition guidelines to ensure important dietary components are within acceptable limits. As such, each serving contains approximately:

• 2.6 g saturated fat
• 295 mg sodium
• 201 calories

Ingredients You'll Need

We keep things pretty simple with this salad, using mostly pantry staples and ingredients that can be substituted, so you won’t have any trouble assembling them. Here are what you’ll need:

1. For the Salad

• Broccoli: We recommend using fresh broccoli for this recipe to achieve the most natural taste. Our recipe also includes an extra step for this vegetable — blanching. This helps to preserve their taste, texture, and color for longer while partially softening the bitter undertones.
• Red Onion: Keeping the focus primarily on the broccoli, we only used one other veggie. A few slices of red onion were added for some extra peppery notes.
• Raisin: Our recipe uses Sun-Maid raisins, which have a sweet-tart taste that goes quite well with the earthy broccoli. That being said, you can go with any of your preferred varieties.
• Other Toppings: The salad is garnished with almond slices and cheddar cubes. The saltiness of the cheese and the almonds' nutty taste blend flawlessly with the sweet flavor of the raisin and the dressing.

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2. For the Dressing

• Mayonnaise: This ingredient gives the dressing a slightly thick consistency and a mildly sweet base flavor. We went with Kewpie mayonnaise. Unlike regular mayo, which is prepared from whole eggs, this Japanese variety is made from egg yolk, giving it a richer taste and texture. To sharpen the mayo’s creamy taste up a bit and create an interesting flavor contrast, we also added some white vinegar to the mixture.
• Other Condiments: Utilizing the remaining ingredients’ natural flavors, we only used salt and sugar. It’s not a lot, but you’ll be surprised by how well they tie everything together.
• Parsley: For an aromatic undertone, we added a pinch of chopped parsley to the mixture.

Variations & Add-ins

This salad is quite simple, leaving room for you to experiment and switch things around to avoid repetition. We recommend starting with some of the following ingredients:

• Raisins

It goes without saying that raisins are an essential ingredient in this recipe. However, if you’re ever in need of a slight flavor change, go for dried cranberries. They lean more towards the sour side but will make an enjoyable combination with broccoli nonetheless.

• Protein

For a savory touch, you can consider adding some crispy bacon bits or grilled chicken cubes to the salad. They will contrast marvelously with the dressing’s sweetness, giving you a quick and easy potluck side dish.

• Nuts

Since almonds can be quite pricey, feel free to substitute them with other nuts and seeds. We recommend sunflower seeds for a soft crispiness and mildly nutty taste.

Of course, with broccoli’s amazing versatility, there are so many other ways to get creative. Feel free to play around with the ingredients and make your own version of this dish. And if you’re looking for more delicious and healthy broccoli salads, check out some of our favorites: Chicken Broccoli Salad, Roasted Broccoli, and Broccoli Cauliflower Salad.

How to Store the Leftover

When stored in airtight containers in the fridge, this salad could last for up to 2 days.

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This salad tastes great cold so you can also prepare it ahead of time for a busy day. We suggest doing so a maximum of 1 day in advance and keeping the dressing separated. Only toss everything together once you’re ready to serve to preserve their natural taste and texture.

Broccoli Raisin Salad Recipe

5 from 1 vote

This broccoli raisin salad recipe offers a simple way to turn broccoli into a delightful side dish. It combines earthy broccoli with sweet-tart raisins and little sprinkles of red onion, almonds, and cheddar cheese. These ingredients are tossed in a creamy and pleasantly sweet mayo-based dressing. Everything comes together in just 10 minutes, making it an ideal choice for all your meals.

- by Tuyet Pham, Luna Regina, 2023-01-09

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• cook TIME 5 mins
• prep TIME 5 mins
• total TIME 10 mins

• COURSE Side Dish
• CUISINE American
• SERVINGS
  4

  servings
• CALORIES 199 kcal

INGREDIENTS

1x2x3x

• 10 oz broccoli (florets separated and halved)
• 2 oz raisins
• 1 oz red onion (coarsely chopped)
• 2 tbsp parsley (chopped, divided)
• 0.5 oz almond (sliced)
• 1 oz cheddar cheese
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 3 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Image instructions

Prep:

1

Prepare the Broccoli: Using a small paring knife, separate the florets from the stems, then slice each floret in half.

2

Chop the Onion: Cut off the roots then slice the onion in half lengthwise. Lay the half horizontally flat and make lengthwise cuts with the blade aimed toward the center but leave them connected at the other end. Hold the slices together with one hand and slice crosswise to cut them into pieces.

3

Chop the Parsley: Gather the leaves and thinly slice them. Rock the knife over the sliced pile a few times until they are finely chopped.

Cook:

1

Blanch the Broccoli: Bring some water to a boil then add 10 oz broccoli to the pot and boil them for 2 minutes.

2

Leave the Broccoli to Dry: Remove when done and quickly run them over cold water. Then set the broccoli aside and leave them to dry.

3

Make the Dressing: In a small bowl, mix 1 tbsp parsley, 1 tbsp white vinegar, 3 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tbsp sugar until the dressing is a pale yellow with a slightly thick texture.

4

Toss the Salad: Toss the dressing with the broccoli, 1 oz red onion, 2 oz raisins, 1 tbsp parsley, and 1 oz cheddar cheese until everything is evenly coated.

5

Refrigerate and Serve: Put the salad in the fridge for 15 minutes. Garnish with 0.5 oz almond. Enjoy!

NUTRITION

Nutrition Facts

Broccoli Raisin Salad Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 199

% Daily Value*

Fat 11.9g

18%

Saturated Fat 2.6g

16%

Trans Fat 0.1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6g

Monounsaturated Fat 1.7g

Cholesterol 7.1mg

2%

Sodium 295mg

13%

Potassium 387.8mg

11%

Carbohydrate 18.5g

6%

Fiber 3.2g

13%

Sugar 13g

14%

Protein 4.9g

10%

Vitamin A 601.8IU

12%

Vitamin C 66.3mg

80%

Calcium 105.5mg

11%

Iron 1.1mg

6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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