Vegan Creamy Broccoli Cranberry Salad! Perfect for holiday feasts, family gatherings, or a simple weeknight dinner, this salad is the delicious, wholesome dish you’ve been searching for!
Indulge in the vibrant flavors of our Vegan Creamy Broccoli Cranberry Salad, a delightful dish that will elevate any holiday gathering or potluck! This salad is a perfect harmony of textures and tastes, featuring crisp, tender broccoli florets that provide a satisfying crunch, beautifully complemented by the sweet-tart burst of dried cranberries. Each bite is a celebration of tangy yumminess, making it an irresistible addition to your festive dinner table.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi there, Ameera here!
Holidays wouldn’t be the same without this beloved traditional Broccoli Cranberry Salad, a festive staple that adds a burst of color and flavor to every gathering! The combination of crisp broccoli, sweet-tart cranberries, and a creamy dressing creates a delightful contrast that keeps everyone coming back for more. You gotta give this one a try!
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: This Vegan Creamy Broccoli Cranberry Salad is delicious. It is fully of tangy yumminess. Broccoli and dried cranberries shine in this fantastic holiday or potluck dinner table.
- Broccoli Florets: For best results, trim off excess stems and thicker pieces. Cut into small bitesize pieces. The key is to trim the broccoli florets into small bitesize pieces. This little extra effort improves the mouthfeel of this dish and makes a big difference in the end product.
- Size does Matter: Cut the broccoli florets into small bitesize pieces. It matters! 🙂
- Blanched Broccoli Florets: Blanching the broccoli florets makes all the difference in the world. It improves the look, flavor and, texture without losing the rich nutrients. Of course, you do not have to blanch the broccoli florets at all and can use raw broccoli florets in this salad. If you do blanch the broccoli florets (which we highly recommend), make sure you do not blanch them more than 2 minutes. We suggest one minute but can go up to 2 minutes. Start the countdown as soon as the broccoli hits the boiling water. This extra step (which is not typical of many broccoli salads) is totally worth the extra bit of effort. If you blanch the broccoli florets too long, they will become wilted, and the mouthfeel will be off-putting.
- Thoroughly Draining the Blanched Broccoli Florets: Once the broccoli florets are blanched and run under cold tap water, give the blanched broccoli a good shake to remove any excess water, then place them onto a lint-free dish towel or paper towels. Spread them out. This ensures that the broccoli is thoroughly drained. If you skip this step, the salad could get watered down from all the hidden water in the broccoli florets.
- Measurement of Broccoli Florets: We used 16 oz. of small broccoli florets. This measurement was taken after the broccoli florets were thoroughly cleaned, trimmed and cut into small pieces, then blanched. In other words, you may need to buy more then 16 oz. of broccoli florets in order to arrive at 16 oz. of trimmed broccoli florets.
- Amount of Pure Maple Syrup: Our family was divided over the amount of maple syrup that was needed to create the perfect amount of sweetness. Feel free to use less or add more.
- Optional – Soaked Red Onions: If you are concerned about the sharpness that can come from red onions, then we suggest lightly soaking them. The purpose of soaking the red onions is two-fold. One – it removes any sharp notes as some red onions can be overpoweringly strong. In this salad, mild red onion perfectly complements the flavor. Two – it ever so slightly reduces the crunch. The red onions are still crunchy as they are raw, but soaking can mitigate some of the crunch. Simply place the chopped red onions into a small bowl, cover with warm tap water and steep for 7 minutes, then drain off the water, shake well to remove any excess water, then they are ready for the recipe.
- Cashew Substitutions: You can try the typical cashew substitutions like silken tofu, white beans, or other nuts or seeds with the understanding that the flavor and texture will be impacted accordingly. We have not tested any substitutions.
- Yellow Mustard: We used a classic yellow mustard (condiment) like French’s in this dish.
- Toasting the Almond Slivers (and Pepitas): Stir constantly to avoid burning. Immediately remove them from the skillet to also avoid burning them.
- Pepitas: If you wish, you can just increase the amount of almond slivers to ½ cup and leave out the pepitas.
- Amount of Sea Salt: Our family was completed divided over the amount of sea salt that was needed to perfectly season the salad. Use ½ teaspoon of sea salt as the base level and add more as needed. However, see the notes in the “Make Ahead” instructions below for some tips.
- Serving after Refrigerating: This recipe is best when served immediately after making. If serving after refrigeration, remove from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to wake up and allowing the cashew-based dressing to thin out again. Cashew creams tend to thicken during refrigeration.
- Make Ahead: If making ahead for serving for a potluck, picnic, or family gatherings and to obtain optimum serving beauty and freshness, do the following:
- Day Before or Earlier in the Day:
- Clean, trim, and blanch the broccoli florets. Lay onto paper towels or lint-free towels to thoroughly drain, then place them in an air-tight bowl and refrigerate.
- Slice the red onions and place in a small glass air-tight bowl and refrigerate.
- Make the dressing and place in a small glass air-tight covered bowl and refrigerate.
- Toast the almond slivers and pepitas, place in separate bowls, cover and store at room temperature.
- Measure out the cranberries, store in a container at room temperature.
- 30 minutes Before Serving:
- Remove the dressing from the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes before dressing the salad.
- Before dressing the salad, test the thickness of the dressing. Whisk the dressing vigorously. The thickness should be somewhat like mayo. If not, add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar if too thick, whisk well until smooth and emulsified.
- Right Before Serving:
- Assemble the salad ingredients, gently mix.
- Add the dressing to the salad mixture. Mix until all the salad ingredients are evenly coated with the dressing. Serve immediately.
- Table Salt: If using table salt, you should use less table salt than the amount listed in the ingredients as sea salt crystals are larger than table salt crystals. Since table salt crystals are very fine, less table salt is required to season a dish. We would suggest starting with about 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of sea salt listed. You can always add more salt but cannot take it away. We recommend using sea salt as it is less refined than table salt.
- Day Before or Earlier in the Day:
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 4 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered container.
This dish does not freeze well.
Pantry Products:
- Yellow Mustard: We used French’s Classic Yellow Mustard. Feel free to use your favorite yellow mustard.
- Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Kitchen Equipment:
- High-speed blender
- Large stockpot (to blanch the broccoli florets)
- Large baking sheet (to lay out the blanched broccoli to drain) – optional
- Large skillet (to toast the almond slivers and pepitas)
If you try this delicious salad, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
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Vegan Creamy Broccoli Cranberry Salad
- Prep Time: 25 Minutes
- Cook Time: 1 Minute
- Total Time: 26 Minutes
- Yield: 6 Cups 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Indulge in the vibrant flavors of our Vegan Creamy Broccoli Cranberry Salad, a delightful dish that will elevate any holiday gathering or potluck!
Ingredients
Scale
Salad Base Ingredients:
- 6 cups small (bitesize) broccoli florets (16 oz.) *
- ½ to 1 cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ½ to 3/4 cup finely diced red onion (+/-) *
- ¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted (+/-)
- ¼ cup pepitas, toasted (optional) *
Dressing Ingredients:
- 1 cup [raw] cashews
- ¼ cup + 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (+/-)
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon yellow mustard (+/-) *
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ cup water
- 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup (+/-) *
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Pinch to 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
Instructions
- Place the cashews into a small bowl, cover with boiling water, allow to sit for 15 minutes, then drain off the water (discard), and set aside.
- Blanch the small broccoli florets by filling a large stock pot 2/3 full of water. Bring the water to a rolling boil. When it reaches a rolling bowl, drop in the small broccoli florets and boil for one minute, then immediately drain into a colander and run cold tap water over the broccoli florets until cold.
- Line a baking sheet with a large lint-free dish towel (or paper towels), then lay the blanched broccoli florets onto the baking sheet to thoroughly drain and remove any excess moisture. Once thoroughly drained, place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- In a large skillet, place the slivered almonds. Toast over medium heat until lightly golden. Stir constantly and flip around the skillet to prevent burning. Once lightly golden, approximately 3 to 5 minutes, then immediately remove from the skillet onto a plate to completely cool.
- Rinse the skillet to remove any slivered almond fragments, dry the skillet, then place the skillet back on the stove to toast the pepitas. Place the pepitas into the skillet, then toast over medium heat, stirring constantly and flipping them around to prevent burning until lightly toasted, immediately remove from the skillet onto a plate to completely cool.
- Place the soaked cashews along with all the remaining Dressing Ingredients into a high-speed blender and process until smooth and emulsified, scraping down the sides occasionally.
- In the meantime, place all the Salad Base Ingredients (including the blanched broccoli and toasted almond slivers) into a large bowl, gently mix to evenly distribute the ingredients.
- Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients, mix well to thoroughly coat all the ingredients. Serve. Refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Servings: Makes 6 cups (6 to 8)
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