Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing

Name: Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 cups chopped broccoli, I like to chop mine up really well; 1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups); Heaping 1/2 cup dried cranberries, or more if you like; 1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds; 1/3 cup diced red onion; Salt, to taste; 1/3 cup olive oil; 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup; 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 1 teaspoon dijon mustard; Salt and pepper, to taste

November 19, 2018 38 Comments Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Salads, Sides, Vegan, Vegetarian

This Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing is perfect for a holiday side dish that doesn’t require any cooking! It’s also great for an easy and healthy everyday side salad!

This Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing was inspired by a slightly gross looking raw broccoli salad a friend got from a grocery store a few days ago. I never actually tasted it so I can’t quite attest to it’s grossness, but he only ate a spoonful so I can’t image it was great 🙂

But, for some reason it had me craving a raw Crunchy Broccoli Salad! Broccoli is one of the vegetables that I’ve never loved raw. I absolutely love it cooked (mostly roasted) but for some reason it’s never appealed to me much in it’s raw state.

That is, until I made this delicious Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing! The broccoli is chopped into small pieces so it’s easy to eat and it’s mixed with tons of other delicious ingredients, including dried cranberries! As much as I love roasted vegetable salads this time of year, I love that this raw salad is light and fresh!

It’s topped off with my new favorite Maple Mustard Dressing that’s basically a honey mustard dressing made with maple syrup instead of honey. It’s a little bit sweet and a little bit tangy, thanks to the mustard and apple cider vinegar. I was originally going to top it with a lemon tahini dressing, but this light vinaigrette seemed to go with the flavors much better.

My husband and I have just been eating this as a lunch side salad (Eli has been eating all the chickpeas out 🙂 ) but I was thinking it would be so great for a Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish that doesn’t require any cooking. Some holidays it seems like it’s impossible to get everything finished on time because so many components need the oven. So, if you’re looking for a healthy, seasonal side dish that you can just throw together in about 10-15 minutes, this Crunchy Broccoli Salad is it!

Recipe tips for this Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing:

The amount of dressing in the recipe just perfectly coats everything without leaving a pool of excess dressing at the bottom of the bowl. If you like lots of dressing I recommend making either 1 1/2 or 2 times the recipe amount.
This salad is great for making ahead of time. I find that it actually tastes better the next day. I wouldn’t make it more than 2 days in advance though.
Feel free to add more or less of each ingredient listed!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I’ll be taking Thursday off from posting a new recipe but will be back next Monday!