Broccoli Apple Salad
A dreamy broccoli apple salad made from all-star ingredients. Bright broccoli florets, crisp apples, crunchy fried shallots, candied nuts and slivered red onions are tossed in a honey-kissed, creamy, almond dressing.
All things crunchy and colorful are combined in this broccoli apple salad. And it’s a beauty! Bright broccoli florets, crisp apples, crunchy shallots, candied nuts and slivered red onions are tossed in a barely sweet, creamy almond dressing.
This is a hearty and substantial salad with lots of play between the sweet of the apple, the savory shallots, and the crunch of the candied walnuts and crisp, flash-boiled broccoli. It’s the sort of thing that is welcome on just about any table - holiday, picnic, Tuesday night, or desk at work. I if you’re on the look out for feel-good lunch ideas, I also love this broccoli salad as a bento component.
Make Ahead Plan
With a bit of planning, this recipe comes together quickly. You can make most of components ahead of time, but, pro-tip, don't dress the salad until you are ready to serve it. This preserves the various crunches. Make the almond butter dressing up to a few days in advance. Same goes for the crispy shallots. If you are going to do the version with candied walnuts, those will hold in an air-tight container for weeks. Beyond that you’re simply boiling broccoli and slicing apples.
Broccoli Salad Variations
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Make it a Main Dish: Add caramelized tofu, pan-glazed tempeh, or spicy tempeh crumble (on top) to turn this into a main course.
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Ginger Carrot Broccoli Salad: Swap out the creamy almond butter dressing in the recipe below, and use this ginger carrot dressing instead.
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Broccoli Apple Salad with Spicy Ranch Dressing: Swap out the creamy almond butter in the recipe below and use this spicy ranch dressing in this wedge salad recipe instead.
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Broccoli Apple Salad with Peanut Butter Dressing: In this version, swap out the almond butter and swap in peanut butter.
More Broccoli Recipes
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Braised Broccoli with Orange and Parmesan
- Double Broccoli Quinoa
- Broccoli Soup with Coconut Milk
- Roasted Broccoli
- all broccoli recipes
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Broccoli Apple Salad
The success of this salad hinges on the broccoli. Buy good-quality, bright green broccoli with tight florets. Now, do your best not to overcook it. You don't want it to stay crisp and bright. As far as substitutions go, if you don’t have almond butter on hand, peanut butter is an easy swap. And if you don’t have time to make candied walnuts, toasted walnuts are just fine! Lastly, if you aren't going to use the apples immediately after chopping, or if you’re going to pack this into a lunch, let the apples sit in a bowl of water plus the juice of a lemon. This will help to prevent browning - drain completely before using.
- 5 cups broccoli florets
- 1 garlic clove
- scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons hot water
- 2 apples, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup candied walnuts or toasted walnuts
- 1/3 cup pan-fried crunchy shallots*
- 1/4 cup chopped chives
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Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt as you would pasta water. Boil the broccoli just long enough to take the raw edge of - 10 or 15 seconds. Drain and immerse it in cold water (or let cold water run over it). At this point, I like to spin the broccoli in a salad spinner to get the water off, but a few good knocks against the sink in a strainer can do the trick pretty well. Set aside.
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Make the dressing by sprinkling the salt over the clove of garlic. Smash the clove and chop, smash and chop - turning it into a paste. In a small bowl whisk the salty garlic paste with the almond butter, lemon juice, honey and olive oil. Add the hot water and whisk until light and creamy. Taste, make any adjustments, and set aside.
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In a large bowl gently toss the broccoli, apples, red onion, most of the shallots and nuts with a generous drizzle of the almond dressing. Turn out onto a platter and finish with the rest of the shallots and chives if you like. Serve family style.
Serves 4-6.
*Thinly slice peeled shallots razor thin, then place in a small saucepan. Add enough oil to coat the shallots well. The shallots should be swimming in oil, but not entirely submerged. Cook slowly, over medium heat, until shallots are deeply browned and fragrant. Use a strainer to remove shallots, transferring to a paper towel to cool. Sprinkle with a bit of salt. Keep the shallot oil for another use.
Related Recipes
Roasted Broccoli
The bonus part of this roasted broccoli is the creamy tahini under-dressing along with the scallion-peanut sprinkle. Inspired by a sheet pan recipe in Alison Roman’s Dining In, this broccoli is on repeat.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
A simple, everyday broccoli soup made special with crusty, mustardy croutons and cheddar. Perfect for those days when you need some extra nutritional punch.
Double Broccoli Quinoa
For the broccoli lovers out there (or anyone who strives to be), this is your recipe. Cook up lots of broccoli, and puree half of it into a pesto. The other half is cut into little florets. Toss the broccoli with some quinoa, sliced avocado and a drizzle of feisty chile pepper oil.
Broccoli Soup with Coconut Milk
This broccoli soup with coconut milk is so good and super easy. It's a simple broccoli and spinach affair made with a coconut milk broth a topped with good stuff like pan-fried tofu croutons, toasted almonds, and shredded scallions. Time to break out your blender.
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Comments
I made this last night with Peanuts and peanut butter (cause i had no almonds etc) It was still really nice.
Thanks!
This looks like a great salad to feed adults and kids. I can’t wait to make it!
I made this last night. Awesome!!! I love broccoli salad, and this was a whole new twist. Lots of great flavors and textures. My shallots weren’t really crunchy, but were very good in the mix. The dressing is amazing. That will get used on other things as well. YUM!!
Wow, I just had this for lunch and it was great! I’m going to use that dressing on other veggie mixes as well, it’s surprising how different and tasty it is.
I absolutely loved it! The flavors in the dressing are amazing. I added a little bit of Granny Smith apple to it and the sour taste mixes very well with the lemon juice. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers for lunch.
I’m a poor and extremely busy college student (who follows you devoutly, by the way!) so I’m always looking for a way to prepare myself food that healthy and quick so I’m not tempted to buy fast or overly-processed foods. Yesterday on my way back from class I picked up two gorgeous heads of broccoli and some shallots and immediately threw this together. I couldn’t find almond butter in the store, but in our fridge was a lonely jar of apple butter — and the variation tasted amazing! I ate this as a meal in itself and didn’t feel the least bit guilty for eating so much afterwards! Thanks Heidi. ;D
yep, that’s definitely on our list to prepare this weekend. Broccoli is definitely one of my favorite veggies for sure. thanks!
I absolutely love broccoli… it’s great to see new ways to prepare it. I usually just top it with cheese and nuke it in the microwave… foodie vice! 🙂
Ugh, you’ve managed to create another delectable dish. The combination of apples and almonds(or almond butter), and almonds and broccoli have to be some of my favorite food combos, but I never thought of putting all three together! Thanks for the recipe, I can’t wait to try it.
Oh yum! I love broccoli. I can almost taste it with those crispy shallots.
I think what happens with a lot of people and broccoli, is that they either leave it raw or overcook it for salads. A few good pieces of slightly crunchy, dressed broccoli is just as good (or better) than potatoes for your salad!
looks incredible. just made a shopping list!!
I LOVE Broccoli, and this looks beautiful, but I’ll be trying this with purple cauliflower first. Why? because I have it, and because Hubby’s allergic to broccoli! (He thought he hated it. Then I made it a million different ways until he loved it. Then one night after broccoli alfredo, his lips swelled up…) The non-broccoli eaters might want to try cauliflower instead.
As for the nuts, I recommend the sugar method described by Kristen, and I usually add cayenne pepper, salt, and chili powder. I’ve used all sorts of nuts, as well as sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. I like them best when I start with raw nuts and use a mix.
Heidi, thanks for yet another beautiful recipe! (I’m hooked on grandma’s grains…)
Heidi, my taste buds are alerts, even by reading the recipe. I live in Turkey, and broccoli is somewhat new in here and only eaten because it is healthy. I love sweet and savory tastes together, will try this soonest. Isn’t is great to share something with someone at the other end of the world?
Thanks
As this has been my son’s favorite vegetable since he was small, when he used to mix up it’s name with the city Brooklyn, NY, where we lived at the time, calling it ,”brocclyn”, I can’t wait to make it for him when he comes for a visit! Thanks.
I do love broccoli already but your pictures are so good that I just want to eat the picture right off my computer screen! thanks for the great recipe! YUM
made this for dinner last night. delicious. Hot Squeeze is a sweet heat sauce that makes really nice spicy-candied pecans. they would be perfect in this salad.
I’ve had good success with taking a vegetable peeler to the stalk of the broccoli to get the super-tough skin off…and then doing whatever with the inside. It is much more tender (but still holds enough crunch to get by in this salad).
If you don’t like the little floret bits (Kirsten’s BF, I’m talking to you here!!) you could always use the stalk parts exclusively. I like it shredded a la broccoli slaw, but I’m sure it would be great chopped too.
And as far as I know, broccoli just came into its peak season.
Amazing dish — thank you! I didn’t have enough broccoli so threw in some cucumber chunks. Worked well!
it is very tastey food thanks for your recepies.and give more tips. its is very useful to us.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! It looks great! I love healthy food so I’m going to give this a try today! I never thought of this combination before – broccoli & crisp apples. What a wonderful salad to try for this warm fall day! 😉 Your photos are fabulous. Thanks for posting such appealing pictures!
That looks so good! Except, sorry, I don’t like onions, so I’ll leave those out thank you!
Ugh, I think I’m the only one who really doesn’t like broccoli here. Anyone else out there brave enough to risk 101cookbooks ridicule by admitting it?
I love every other brassica — cauliflower, brussel sprouts, turnips, gai lan, mustard greens, cabbage, kale, etc — but broccoli makes me sad. I don’t hate it, but it’s probably one of my 3 least favorite veggies (along with sundried tomatoes and roasted bell peppers).
So, I used to do prep work in a cafe where a broccoli salad, 80s-90s style, was standard. I could never figure it out, because the thing was laden with mayonnaise. To its credit, I did think the raisins in it were a great idea for sweetness, as you’ve said here. Though I wasn’t a fan of the cafe’s broccoli salad, this version I could happily recommend! I’m not a raw broccoli fan myself simply because it seems dry to me, but I love broccoli otherwise. Thanks for raising the idea of broccoli salad to a higher plane!
I absolutely adore broccoli and my husband absolutely detests it. I fear the only way I can sneak it to him is masked in cheese sauce (which I have yet to resort to) but I’m going to to try this. And if he doesn’t eat it? More broccoli for me! Thanks Heidi!
I already love broccoli, but my brothers don’t, so I’m gonna have to try doing it this way. (We’ve already got most of the items needed. Yay!)
I’m in need of a good salad recipe for a dinner tonight and this fits the bill. I have everything on your list except the optional chives. I use almond butter in so many things, but never thought of using it in salad dressing. Wow, what a great idea. Sounds delightful!
Melissa
Heidi,
I’m a long-time reader of 101cookbooks, though this is my first comment: there are people who don’t like broccoli?! Shame on them! And this looks absolutely delicious; I’m looking forward to trying it later this week.
All the best,
-Josh
This looks fabulous, I will be making this tonight. Like Jenny my little ones will love this recipe too!
Heidi- this looks absolutely fabulous. The crisp apples, crunch from the broccoli, shallots, and candied nuts oooh yum.
Jess,
Someone early in the comments mentioned using Tahini paste in place of almond butter. I think this would be a good substitute, and since it’s made with sesame seeds, there are no nuts in it.
Lovely presentation of one of my favorite salads. Another addition, I like, is a handful of raisins or currants. They add a soft,chewy counterpoint to the crisp apple and crunchy onion and a touch of sweetness. Nice dressing combo!
This is getting made tonight. Broccoli season is taking shape, and the harvest at my local farmer’s market (Cambridge, ma) is better each week. I also really like the idea of adding Tempeh and just eating this as a main course. Thank you!
This looks awesome! I love broccoli already, but I can’t wait to make this to mix things up a bit. I’ll probably have wait until I can get good broccoli at my farmers’ market, though, because I don’t think the stuff at my grocery store would do this dish justice.
No convincing necessary for me… I love broccoli, and it’s one of a small handful of veggies that my little one will eat!
I’ll be trying this recipe soon. I could eat just this for dinner and be happy, happy, happy!
This sure is a head-turner!!!
Broccoli never seemed so sensous before!
Have to try it and have it! 🙂
I have an on-again/off-again relationship with broccoli, but crisp is the way to go! Is autumn a good season for broccoli? I’m embarrassed to say I have no idea…
Interesting… I bought broccoli, apples, and shallots at the farmers’ market this weekend without any real plan. And now this! I think I know what I’m making for dinner tonight! (Probably with tahini instead of the almond butter because that’s what I have at home, but otherwise this looks perfect.)
that looks just about perfect!
no need to convince me. I love broccoli. But I’ll still make this recipe.
I love broccoli! I could eat it every day!
This looks delicious, perfect for lunch. I’ll be making this soon.
I can’t imagine people not liking broccoli–I truly love it and also eat it frequently (as well as chocolate, cookies, etc. . . . ). This salad looks terrific and is one I will definitely try out! 🙂
Hm. I am thinking that the people with nut allergies/limited ability to procure almond butter could use silken tofu creamed with a hand blender and a little extra acid, lemon juice or a mild vinegar. That would be sort of like a mayo (bringing us a little closer to my family’s church potlucks). It would be important to cream it so it is not lumpy, I have not found electric beaters or food processors to do the trick.
I am also very spoiled and can buy just about anything within a mile of my house, so I don’t know if silken tofu would be more difficult to find than almond butter.
This looks so good! I love broccoli!
I just have to try this! Beautiful photos!
There are people who don’t like broccoli? Isn’t broccoli the only vegetable many kids will eat?? 🙂
Thanks for the salad recipe!
This sound yummy! And my healthier than the traditional broccoli salad that I have made (read: tons of mayo!). I can’t wait to try it.
For those looking for Almond butter, I know they sell it at Trader Joes.
I love broccoli, and may try this recipe for my bring-to-work lunched. Unfortunately, my boyfriend broccoli not for the taste, but because of the texture of the little bits in the florets. Raw, steamed, boiled, stir-fried… he just won’t eat the florets, and this means I eat much less broccoli than I used to. Any thoughts on recipes that use broccoli stalks or have broccoli pureed in them?
As Jennifer stated, this will make a great alternative to the tired broccoli-slaw-potluck-salad-that-never-dies! I would probably add a bit of red pepper to the homemade candied nuts – I love the kick of pepper with my greens. Does anyone know if sunflower seeds/pepitas take well to candying??
Now sadly I am not a friend of the little tree, but this looks delish! My two bundles of joy (aged 9 and 6) and HUGE broccoli fans and would love this. I may make this for Thanksgiving 🙂
~Jenny
ps….Heidi, I made your sweet potato mousse with the delish oil last year, it was scrumptious!!!!
I love broccolis!
I discovered recently that a lot of people dislike broccoli becasue they have had it boiled, or in a bad context anyway. Get people to try a steam floret, maybe sprinkled with balsamic vinegar, and they soon change their mind! (well, obviously we won’t have a 100% success rate there!)
Aha, soon, we will convince the world that broccolis are gorgeous!!
i’m going to the grocery store right, now!
Any suggestions for a substitution for the almond butter? Not sure that I can find it at my local big box grocery store.
I doubt it was your original objective, but thank you for providing a natural and healthier alternative to the popular potluck staple. I love broccoli salad, but often find those versions too sweet. I look forward to trying this recipe.
Where would one fine almond butter? I cook broccoli (steamed) as a staple veggie, since my extremely picky 6 year old eats it willingly. I’m always looking for ways to prepare it (for the rest of the family who WILL eat things “all mixed up”) so we won’t get too bored!
I am so making this tonight.
I bet it would be equally yummy with Brussel sprouts, which I hate.
I’m going to try it both ways.
I love broccoli, and am always looking for new recipes. This sounds delicious. I am allergic to nuts…what do you recommend as a substitute for the almond butter?
To Tiffany—
Candied walnuts are really easy. Just take some walnut halves and put them in a small skillet. Add a few tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of salt (sorry I don’t have it measured, but you want to have enough sugar that your nuts will be reasonably coated.. usually mine are about halfway coated and that is sweet enough for me) You can add seasonings too if you like (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc) but I usually just make them plain. Stir the nuts and sugar over medium heat until the sugar caramelizes and coats the walnuts. Be sure to use a heat resistant stirring device (a silicone spatula works well) and resist any urge you have to touch the nuts with your finger (trust me on this one). Once the sugar has caramelized, dump them onto wax paper and allow them to cool completely. Then (now you can touch) break the nuts apart with your hands. Store them somewhere dry and cool. Make extra. Candied walnuts are great to have on hand for salads. I make one with spinach, dried cranberries, goat cheese, candied walnuts and poppy seed dressing that everyone loves.
I have never really liked broccoli. When I was a little kid my parents would serve me the same plate of broccoli night after night. I would never eat it and it would eventually be thrown away. Now that I’m older, I will tolerate it if it is pureed or chopped into unidentifiable oblivion and then covered in cheese sauce or mayonnaise. It’s not that I don’t want to like it. Each time I eat it, I try to like it. I am actually very annoyed by the fact that it is just about the only (real) food that I don’t like. But THIS looks and sounds really good and I don’t know that I have ever said that about a healthy preparation of broccoli. So, I’m going to try it and I’m going to keep my fingers crossed that this is the recipe that changes my life… or at least my dinner. If it works you’ll be my hero. I’ll keep you posted.
Thank you for this recipe! I can’t wait to try it out. I have one question though… Do you have a recipe for making candied walnuts?
Thanks!
I already love broccoli, but there is no doubt this would make me love it even more. What a perfect salad for Fall!
This is the kind of salad I really love! And the photos are beautiful as always. Thank you Heidi!
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