Vegan Broccoli Salad (Gluten-Free, Allergy-Free) - Strength and Sunshine (2024)

A super simple and easy recipe for Vegan Broccoli Salad! This classic Southern side dish is a must for all your cookouts, potlucks, and picnics! Just 8 ingredients, this healthier vegetarian broccoli salad is gluten-free, allergy-free, no-cook, and can be whipped up in 10 minutes!

Well, if you're looking for a delicious way to eat some raw broccoli, this recipe is for you! Classic Southern Broccoli Salad, but veganized and made allergen-free! While traditionally, it may not be the healthiest way to enjoy broccoli, it's a staple green salad for your potlucks and gatherings! It's crunchy, sweet, tangy, cool, and creamy with just a hint of smokiness from some coconut bacon!

Why This Is the Best Vegan Broccoli Salad

Not only is it quick and easy, but it's allergen-free too!

• Gluten-Free
• Vegan & Vegetarian
• Allergy-free (Dairy-Free,Soy-Free,Egg-Free,Nut-Free,Peanut-Free,Wheat-Free,Sesame-Free,Corn-Free)
• Low-Carb & Grain-Free
• Can be Made Keto & Paleo Friendly
• Kid-Approved
• Great to Make-Ahead & Meal Prep
• Perfect For Potlucks, Cookouts, BBQs, Large Gatherings

Made with Healthy Ingredients

• Broccoli: Find the greenest, most beautiful, and fresh head of broccoli you can! You can cut the florets as small as you'd like, but I kept them a bit more on the larger size. I also included stem pieces as well (the best and underutilized part of broccoli!)
• Red Onion: Red onion is perfect for raw salads and really gives this broccoli salad a flavor punch!
• Roasted Unsalted Sunflower Seeds: The perfect nut-free addition! In some recipes, you'll see crushed almonds or even peanuts! To keep this recipe safe and allergen-free, roasted sunflower seeds are perfect. You can use salted or unsalted, but definitely use roasted, as raw won't have enough flavor.
• Coconut Bacon: Traditionally, bacon is included, however, to make this vegan recipe meatless, just swap in some crunchy smokey homemade coconut bacon! No need to worry about getting your bacon crispy enough for this vegetarian recipe!
• Raisins (or Craisins): Raisins are the classic sweet and chewy addition, however, if you're feeling dried cranberries instead, feel free to swap it out!
• Vegan Mayo: The "dressing" that brings this entire broccoli salad together! You can use these easy creamy homemade vegan mayo or you can use your favorite allergen-safe store brand!
• Vinegar: To thin out the mayo and make it a bit more tangy and liquidy, you'll be adding just a few tablespoons of white vinegar, cider vinegar, or even lemon juice!
• Granulated Sweetener: Adjust to taste, but add a small amount of sweetener (of choice) to balance out all the tanginess of the mayo dressing!

Additional Ingredient Swaps:

• Despise broccoli? Try cauliflower! Maybe even do a mix.
• Hate red onion? Swap it with Vidalia!
• Try almonds or peanuts if allergies aren't a concern for you.
• Don't have time to make homemade coconut bacon? You can buy a bag of toasted coconut chips and toss them with smoked paprika, then gently toast again in a pan!
• Raisins (sultanas, currants), Craisins, even golden raisins, or dried cherries! To make it paleo and keto, chose an unsweetened variety or leave them out or use fresh grapes!
• Vegan mayo or a store-bought eggless mayo is fine. Want to keep it keto and paleo? You can use normal mayo too. To make it oil-free, you can use non-dairy yogurt or sour cream. You may need to leave out the extra vinegar.
• Vinegar can be white, cider (apple cider), or plain lemon juice.
• To make it keto and paleo, use a granulated sweetener like Swerve!

How to Make Broccoli Salad From Scratch

1. Chop the raw broccoli and dice the onion. Add all the veggies and add-ins to a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the mayo, vinegar, and sweetener. Taste and adjust as needed.
3. Add the dressing to the bowl of salad and toss!
4. Serve it chilled for optimal deliciousness.

Tips and Tricks For the Best Broccoli Salad

• No need to steam the broccoli for this raw broccoli salad! You want the crunch, plus, after the salad has had time to marinate in the fridge with the tangy mayo dressing, the broccoli will soften up perfectly!
• When cleaning your broccoli before making this salad, make sure it is completely dry before tossing together the salad. You don't want excess water in the dressing.
• Some people like to add cheddar cheese shreds! You can use your favorite vegan cheddar shreds for another variation on this classic.
• This really is best made ahead of time so the cold salad has enough time to soften in the fridge and for the flavors to develop. Plan on making this the night before serving!
• You can store leftover vegan broccoli salad covered in the fridge for 5-6 days. Toss the salad before serving leftovers.

Depending on the size of the crowd you'll be feeding with this salad, you can easily double, even triple the recipe for your needs!

More Side Dish Salads:

• Classic Italian Pasta Salad
• Mexican Street Corn Salad
• Southern Potato Salad
• Classic American Macaroni Salad
• Old-Fashioned Cucumber Salad
• Old-Fashioned Three Bean Salad
• Old-Fashioned Pea Salad
• Italian Tomato Salad

Print

A classic made healthy, your search for the best broccoli salad ends here and it just happens to be vegan, gluten-free, and allergy-free!

So tell me:

+ What are/was your family's go-to broccoli salad additions? I've never had it until...now, haha!

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