Vegan broccoli salad is super creamy, crunchy, and delicious! It’s loaded with crisp broccoli florets, sweet grapes, red onions, crunchy pumpkin seeds, and tangy dried cherries that are tossed in cashew cream sauce. Complete your summer cookouts or party with this easy to make gluten-free and vegan side dish!
Have you tried the classic broccoli salad at Sweet Tomatoes? I used to love it before I went vegan, so I made a vegan version that tastes just as delicious! This version is so much better for you too, because it’s free of refined sugar and it’s also oil-free, mayo-free, and bacon-free.
This raw vegan broccoli recipe is crunchy, creamy, and loaded with flavor! The refreshing salad features crisp broccoli florets, red onion, tangy dried cherries, sweet red grapes, crunchy pumpkin seeds, and it’s all tossed in the creamiest cashew-based sauce.
Believe me, this is the best vegan broccoli salad you’ll ever make and it always gets rave reviews from everyone who tastes it! It’s also the perfect cold vegan side dish to bring to a summer picnic, potluck, or BBQ!
How to Make Vegan Broccoli Salad
First, you’re going to boil the cashews in water for 10 minutes to soften them and make them easier to digest. Next, add the cashews, unsweetened coconut milk (I used a refrigerated carton), apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to a blender and blend the sauce until smooth and creamy.
Next, cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces and put them into a large mixing bowl. Add the dried cherries, roasted pumpkin seeds, diced red onion, and halved grapes to the bowl and mix it well. Pour the creamy cashew dressing over the broccoli and toss it well to coat every piece of broccoli.
Put the salad in the fridge to chill for one hour prior to serving. During this time, the cashew sauce will continue to thicken and coat every nook and cranny of the broccoli.
Do You Steam the Broccoli First?
No, you don’t need to steam the broccoli before using it for the salad. However, if you don’t like crunchy raw broccoli, then you should blanch the broccoli for two minutes and then immediately put it into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. The broccoli should still be firm but it will be less crunchy and a little bit tender.
What to do With Leftover Broccoli Stems?
This raw salad is usually made with just the florets but you could dice the stem and add it to the salad. I like to do this but my husband doesn’t because he says the broccoli stems are too tough. If you don’t want to add the stems to the salad, you could freeze the diced broccoli stems and then add it to vegetable barley soup or vegan cauliflower curry (I often dice the cauliflower stem and leaves to add to the curry, so broccoli stems would be a great addition!).
Cashew Alternative
If you don’t have cashews, you could replace the cashew sauce with vegan mayo instead. You won’t need the blender, so you can just mix all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Substitute one cup of vegan mayo (Vegenaise is my favorite vegan mayo) for the creamy cashew sauce. If you want to put a tasty spin on this salad, try using this vegan garlic mayo instead of plain mayo.
What Goes With it?
This creamy salad is the perfect side dish to go with:
- Vegan Pesto Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Burgers
- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Quesadillas
- Slow Cooker Vegan Pulled Pork Sliders
- Vegan Pesto Stuffed Tomatoes
- Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Can You Make it in Advance?
Yes, you can make this vegan salad 24 hours in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. The salad holds up very well, but keep in mind that the broccoli will absorb the cashew cream sauce and get a little bit softer the longer it sits.
How Long Does Broccoli Salad Last in the Refrigerator?
The creamy broccoli salad will last for 3-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. You can read more about storing raw broccoli, here.
Can You Freeze it?
I don’t recommend freezing the salad because the creamy cashew sauce becomes a little watery once it’s defrosted. This salad is best made fresh or the day before.
Ways to Adapt this Recipe
- Add Plant-Based Protein: Top the salad with crispy baked tofu to make it a more substantial meal.
- Vegan Broccoli Pasta Salad: You could mix the broccoli, grapes, seeds, dried cherries, and cashew cream sauce with 8 ounces of cooked pasta and make creamy broccoli pasta salad! If you do this, I recommend that you double the cashew cream sauce so the pasta salad is extra creamy.
- Vegan Broccoli Potato Salad: Use half the broccoli that the recipes calls for and sub cooked russet or gold potatoes for the rest of the broccoli. This is an easy way to make a lower-carb vegan potato salad!
Notes & Substitutions
- Dried Cherry Substitutions: You could also use raisins, golden raisins, dried goji berries, chopped Medjool dates, dried cranberries, or chopped pieces of any dried fruit like apricots or prunes.
- Red Onion Substitutions: Yellow onion, shallots, green onions, chives, or the white/light green part of leeks can be used instead of red onion.
- Pumpkin Seed Substitutions: You could also use roasted (not salted) sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, or pecans.
- Broccoli Substitutions: Cauliflower florets, broccolini, or cooked potatoes can be used instead of broccoli florets.
- Grape Substitutions: Instead of grapes, you can use mandarin orange slices (fresh or canned) or chopped Medjool dates.
- Maple Syrup Substitutions: You could also use agave or date syrup (low glycemic index) instead of maple syrup.
- Coconut Milk Substitutions: You can use unsweetened almond milk or your favorite plant milk as long as it’s unsweetened and not vanilla flavored.
- Cashew Cream Substitutions: Homemade or store-bought vegan mayo can be used instead of the cashew cream sauce if you can’t use cashews.
Success Tips
- Don’t use frozen broccoli because it was already blanched before it was frozen so it won’t have the same crispy texture as fresh broccoli does.
- Cut the broccoli into uniform, bite-sized pieces so it’s easier to eat.
- Halve all of the grapes at once by putting them on a large plate and then put another large plate on top of the grapes. Then slide a long thin serrated knife in between the plates and slice all the grapes at once!
- Refrigerate the salad for one hour before you serve it so all the flavors have time to meld and the sauce will get really thick and creamy.
- Store the leftover vegan broccoli salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
More Vegan Broccoli Recipes You’ll Love!
Broccoli Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Vegan Cheese Sauce
Creamy Vegan Lasagna with Roasted Broccoli
Vegan Broccoli Salad
Equipment
- Blender
- Large Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
Creamy Cashew Sauce-
- 1 cup raw cashews (soaked or boiled)
- 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk (from a refrigerated carton)
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp sea salt (more to taste)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Broccoli Salad-
- 2 lbs raw broccoli (stems removed)
- 1 1/2 cups red grapes halved
- 1/2 cup red onion diced
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Boil the cashews in water for 10 minutes. Drain the cashews and discard the water.
- Add the soaked cashews, 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper to a blender. Blend on high until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Trim the stems off the broccoli and cut the broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces. Put the broccoli into a large mixing bowl along with 1 1/2 cups halved grapes, 1/2 cup diced red onion, 1/2 cup dried cherries, 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds and all of the cashew cream sauce.
- Use a large spoon to toss the salad together until all of the broccoli florets are coated with the cashew cream sauce. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.
- Put the salad into the fridge to chill one hour prior to serving. The cashew cream sauce will continue to thicken as it chills in the fridge.
Notes
- Don't use frozen broccoli because it was already blanched before it was frozen so it won't have the same crispy texture as fresh broccoli does.
- Cut the broccoli into uniform, bite-sized pieces so it's easier to eat.
- Halve all of the grapes at once by putting them on a large plate and then put another large plate on top of the grapes. Then slide a long thin serrated knife in between the plates and slice all the grapes at once!
- Refrigerate the salad for one hour before you serve it so all the flavors have time to meld and the sauce will get really thick and creamy.
- Store the leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days, but don't freeze it.
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally shared on 9/5/16, but I updated it with better recipe instructions on 5/23/20.
