Healthy broccoli cauliflower salad recipe that’s creamy and crunchy! Filled with red onion, apples, and carrots, and covered in a tangy-sweet cashew mayo dressing. Vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free!
The night before Easter my aunt handed me a head of cauliflower and a bag of broccoli and said, “can you do something with this?” Not being one to back down from any challenge, I said, “sure.”
The result, with a few minor modifications, was this delicious and easy broccoli salad.
Honestly, I didn’t think anyone would touch it because once they hear the word “vegan” they avoid it like the plague. But, to my surprise, they scarfed down every last bit of this delicious salad.
This vegan broccoli cauliflower salad is perfect for any backyard barbecue! It’s a great side dish to bring to summer potlucks or gatherings. Sprinkle some of my vegan bacon bits on top and you’ve got one incredible main dish that’s light and healthy.
So, if you’re looking for a family-friendly salad that is easy to make and a great way to get someone to eat their vegetables then you will love this broccoli salad recipe.
If for some strange reason they don’t like this salad try serving them my buffalo cauliflower wings, roasted sweet chili cauliflower, or blackened cauliflower steaks.
Ready, let’s make it!
Healthy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Ingredients
- Broccoli: 4 cups raw broccoli florets cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Cauliflower: 4 cups cauliflower into bite-sized florets and then riced with a food processor.
- Red Onion: Great in raw recipes. Red onions work well in salads because of their vivid color, crunch, sweet, and spicy flavor.
- Apple: Adds a pleasant sweetness and crunchy texture. I prefer using Honeycrisp, gala, pink lady, or cosmic crisp because they’re firm and sweet.
- Carrots: Great texture and beautiful color.
- Creamy Dressing: this recipe uses my cashew mayo, red wine vinegar, and pure maple syrup. It’s the perfect balance of creamy, sweet, and tangy.
Recipe Substitutes
- Use chopped celery in place of the red onion if prefer a milder flavor. You’ll still get that crunch without the intenseness of the onion.
- My tofu mayonnaise, cashew sour cream, or tofu sour cream are great replacements for cashew mayo.
- If you don’t have a red wine vinegar apple cider vinegar works very well.
- Use agave or honey if you prefer. Keep in mind that honey is not considered vegan.
How To Make Vegan Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
This easy and healthy broccoli cauliflower salad is vegan but will be enjoyed by everyone. It's packed with nutrients and comes together in just 10-15 minutes.
Place the cauliflower florets in a food processor and pulse chop until there are no bulky pieces. It should look like larger pieces of riced cauliflower. But, you don't want to finely chop it.
Cut the broccoli into bite-size pieces and place them into a large bowl with the cauliflower.
Give everything a toss and mix it all together.
Next, add the red onion, apple, and carrots then toss again.
Make the dressing by whisking together the cashew mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, and maple syrup until smooth. Pour the dressing over the broccoli cauliflower salad and stir until everything is completely coated.
Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. You could also add any extras like nuts, raisins, or seeds at this point.
Finally, place the broccoli cauliflower salad in the refrigerator and let it chill for at least 30 minutes. You want the veggies to marinate in the dressing for a bit.
Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Be sure and cut the broccoli into small florets that are fairly similar in size. It makes it easier to eat and looks good too.
- I like to use pre-cut broccoli and cauliflower for this recipe because I’m lazy. It’s much quicker and more convenient.
- If you don’t have a food processor just be sure you cut the cauliflower floret into small pieces and cut off most of the stem.
- You can enjoy this broccoli salad right away but it’s best if it marinates for at least 30 minutes.
- Use raw broccoli and cauliflower. Frozen does not work well for this recipe.
Recipe Variations
- Fruit: add dried cranberries, raisins, or cherries.
- Nuts and Seeds: toss in some sliced almonds, chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews, or sunflower seeds.
Can You Make Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Ahead Of Time?
Yes! You can prepare this salad 24 hours in advance, place it in an airtight container, and store it in the refrigerator overnight.
Personally, I think it’s the best way to make it because the flavors have time to meld together in the marinade.
How Long Does Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Last?
You can store this broccoli cauliflower salad in an airtight container for up to three days in the refrigerator.
Can You Freeze It?
Unfortunately, this recipe cannot be frozen. You want to enjoy it as close to fresh as possible.
More Healthy Vegan Salad Recipes
Healthy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad (Vegan)
- Total Time45 minutes
- Yield8 servings 1x
- DietVegan
Healthy broccoli cauliflower salad that’s creamy and crunchy! Filled with red onion, apples, and carrots, and covered in a tangy-sweet cashew mayo dressing. Vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free!
Ingredients
- 4 cups cauliflower florets
- 4 cups broccoli florets cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ red onion, chopped
- 1 medium apple, chopped
- 1 cup Creamy Cashew Mayo
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (can sub apple cider vinegar)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ cup julienned carrots
- Salt and pepper to taste
Optional Add-ins
- vegan bacon bits
- chopped pecans, walnuts, sliced almonds
- raisins, dried cranberries, cherries, or chopped dates
Instructions
- Place the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse four or five times and set aside. It should look like larger pieces of riced cauliflower. But, you don’t want to finely chop it.
- In a large mixing bowl add the cauliflower, broccoli, chopped red onion, and chopped apple. Toss until well combined.
- Combine the cashew mayo, red wine vinegar, and maple syrup then whisk until smooth. Pour over the broccoli cauliflower mixture and lightly toss to coat. At this point toss in any optional add-ins, season with salt and pepper if needed, and lightly stir.
- Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes giving the veggies time to marinate in the dressing.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Be sure and cut the broccoli into small florets that are fairly similar in size. It makes it easier to eat and looks good too.
I like to use pre-cut broccoli and cauliflower for this recipe because I’m lazy. It’s much quicker and more convenient.
If you don’t have a food processor just be sure you cut the cauliflower floret into small pieces and cut off most of the stem.
You can enjoy this broccoli salad right away but it’s best if it marinates for at least 30 minutes.
Use raw broccoli and cauliflower. Frozen does not work well for this recipe.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅛ of recipe
- Calories: 118
- Sugar: 7.2 g
- Sodium: 129.2 mg
- Fat: 5.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 3.6 g
- Protein: 4.6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Prep Time: 15 mins.
- Chill Time: 30 mins
- Category: Vegan Salads, Vegan Side Dish Recipes
- Cuisine: Vegan
Another satisfied patient! A patient who loves veggies but really loves her meat and cheese. She texted me about this and the chickpea salad sandwich that you have, that my daughter and I quickly meal prepped for her to pick up today. And she texted back “OMG… all the foods are absolutely delicious! ( I had to sample them all).” Thank you again Shane my patients are quickly becoming fans.
A delicious way to get in those cruciferous veggies w a yummy healthy dressing.
This recipe was so good and so perfect that I deleted all of the other broccoli salad recipes in my pinterest that I haven’t tried. Even deleted the other broccoli salad that was in my “good, make again” file. Thank you.
This was really good. I made it yesterday for today’s super bowl party. I wanted to add quinoa to make it more hearty so I doubled the dressing. I used the recipe for mayo linked in the recipe but used one cup of cashews and one cup of cannellini beans. Turned out very nice and smooth. I added sunflower seeds and raisins at the end but think I should/could have just left them out, not sure that they really added a lot to the dish.
This salad is very, very good! I will make it again, making these slight changes: blanch the broccoli to give it a brighter color and less of a raw taste, add chopped walnuTs and dried cranberries. A great salad to bring to a potluck!
Thank you, Karla, and sounds great.
Karla, I agree with you. I cut both broccoli & cauli into small pieces (or you can buy them that way), then blanch both for about 15 – 30 seconds and plunge into cold water, then drain. Way easier than fooling with a food processor – which I don’t have, anyway. And raw broccoli is not to everyone’s taste! Just that bit of blanching makes all the difference.
Thank you, Shane, for this recipe. I love ALL salads.
I always loved the traditional broccoli salad recipe so I was happy to find this one. It was absolutely delicious and I’ll definitely be making it again.
Maybe more importantly was that I also discovered your cashew mayo dressing. I’ve always been unsure about trying these vegan mayo recipes with cashews. I love sour cream too and have tried vegan versions but they’re awful. I decided to try your cashew mayo recipe and it’s wonderful! Thank you! Since the first time I made it I’ve also used your basic recipe and added taco seasoning to it for a southwest salad and for a potato corn salad I make I just added some hot honey. It’s versatile enough to adjust to whatever I need.
FYI to those without a Vitamix, I used my Oster blender and made a smooth creamy dressing with no problem after soaking the cashews.
Just made it for 2nd time this week! …. What does that say? Right! Love it! Made Shane’s Vegan Mayo to put in it this time …. Made it even tastier!
Thank you Shane!
I made this salad for a church pot luck luncheon and is was really yummy. Several of the folks who had it said they couldn’t believe it was vegan and oil free, I will definitely be making this again.
Awesome!!!
This is so delicious! I made it to serve tomorrow at our Father’s Day picnic. The cashew creme makes it! Thank you!
I just made a big batch for a barbecue today. It’s beautiful and tasty.
Thank you Shane!
Thank you so much and have a great weekend!
I had to halve the recipe as I didn’t have a bowl big enough since it’s just for me and Hubby. I had a taste prior to sticking in the fridge and it’s sooo good! I can tell you this will be a summer staple for us, and I cannot wait to have a big portion for lunch tomorrow!
Thank you!!!
YUMMY and flavorful! I’d been craving a good vegan broccoli salad and this was perfect. Making the cashew mayo is way better than store bought vegan mayo. I added vegan bacon as a topping. I look forward to taking it to some of my summer picnics.
Wow, that’s so great! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and thanks for reaching out with your kind words.
I saw this in my email and couldn’t wait to try it! It’s delicious! I did not have califlower, so I just used broccoli with all the other ingredients listed. I also added raisins, and celery. I made your cashew Mayo (first time making it, and it came out perfect) for this recipe, and the maple syrup and rice vinegar. Thank you so much for sharing. I now have a new favorite go to salad!!!
I am going to try this tomorrow. It sounds delicious.
I have frozen riced cauliflower. Even though you said not to use frozen, is it ok if it’s riced rather than flowerettes?
Sure thing.
I got this recipe in my email and made it that same night. My family loved it! I had the recipe for tofu mayo saved and I had already made some of the TVP bacon bits. (I use the dehydrator to make the bacon). My family loved it! I’ll be making it again. Thank you for all the wonderful vegan recipes you create.
WOW!!! You’d never know this salad is healthy. the cashew mayo makes it!!!
Healthy broccoli cauliflower salad recipe that’s creamy and crunchy! Filled with red onion, apples, and carrots, and covered in a tangy-sweet cashew mayo dressing. Vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free!