This delicious broccoli salad with cranberries is a perfect side dish for sandwiches or your favorite summertime grilled dish. Or take it along on a picnic; this easy salad won’t get soggy.
This kale salad is another favorite around here!
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Broccoli Cranberry Salad
When I’m harvesting fresh broccoli from the garden, this salad is on the rotation regularly. The leftovers are great for packing in lunchboxes, because even a day or two later, it retains its crunch.
Ingredients
Fresh broccoli — Make this recipe when broccoli is in season; don’t be tempted to try it with frozen broccoli. This cruciferous vegetable is high in fiber and so good for you. And for goodness sake, be sure to use the broccoli stalk, too.
Onion — Red onions are delicious in this broccoli salad recipe, and a bit sweeter than its yellow or white counterparts. In a pinch, you can use any kind of bulb onion you have on hand.
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Dried cranberries — These little flavor nuggets give the salad a nice sweet flavor. No cranberries? You could also use raisins.
Nuts — Offering a nutty crunch, almonds are delicious in this recipe, but you could also use pistachios, walnuts, or pecans. For extra flavor, feel free to toast the nuts before adding them. For a nut-free version, use sunflower seeds.
Dressing — The dressing we like with this recipe is a riff on our favorite creamy Caesar salad dressing. This version is free of dairy ingredients, making it great for those who avoid milk products. It’s not vegan, though, due to the egg. Have a favorite creamy salad dressing of your own? Feel free to try that!
Making it
This is really such an easy recipe. Start by slicing broccoli florets and red onion into thin slices. Use a knife, a mandoline, or a food processor equipped with a slicing blade. Combine those in a large bowl with the nuts and cranberries.
Making the creamy broccoli salad dressing requires either an immersion blender or an upright blender.
The easiest way to make this is with an immersion blender. You’ll simply combine all of the ingredients in a wide-mouth canning jar and pulse the blender. The egg and oil will emulsify, thickening into a creamy mixture.
To make it in an upright blender, combine all ingredients except the oil and rice vinegar into the blender carafe. Turn machine on (I use a medium low speed on my Vitamix) and s l o w l y pour the oil in through the feed tube to emulsify the dressing. Adding the oil slowly is the key to emulsification. It should take about 8-10 minutes to add the oil.
One important thing to note: It’s pretty critical that the egg be at room temperature. 75 degrees or so is ideal. If your house is cooler than that, let the egg sit in a bowl of warm water for a little while.
Storing this salad
If you have any leftovers, transfer salad to an airtight container and refrigerate for several days.
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Broccoli Salad with Cranberries
This easy broccoli salad recipe has a delicious crunch and a bit of sweetness from the dried cranberries.
Ingredients
- One large head broccoli, about 4 cups sliced
- 1 small red onion
- 1 cup chopped almonds
- 1 cup dried cranberries
For the Dressing:
- 1 egg , at room temperature
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/4 cup avocado oil, or extra light olive oil
- 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
Instructions
- Soak head of broccoli in a bowl of cold water to clean and remove any possible bugs; dry.
- Break broccoli into florets and slice each thinly with a knife, a mandoline, or a food processor equipped with a slicing blade. Transfer slices to a large mixing bowl.
- Peel the onion and remove outer skin. Quarter and slice thinly with a knife, a mandoline, or a food processor equipped with a slicing blade; add to broccoli.
- Measure nuts and cranberries into the bowl with the broccoli and onion.
- Toss to mix, then add the dressing.
- Store in the refrigerator for several days.
For the dressing:
- Measure all ingredients except the rice vinegar into a wide mouth quart jar.
- Hold the blade of an immersion blender at the bottom of the jar and pulse on and off 10-20 times then hold the power on.
- Move the blender up and down slowly until ingredients are well blended and emulsified, about 30-60 seconds.
- Add rice vinegar and process until mixed.
You can also use a blender:
- Put all ingredients except the oil and rice vinegar into the blender container.
- Turn machine on (I use a medium low speed on my Vitamix) and s l o w l y pour the oil in through the feed tube to emulsify the dressing. Adding the oil slowly is the key to emulsification. It should take about 8-10 minutes to add the oil.
- Add rice vinegar and process until mixed.
Notes
One important thing to note: It’s pretty critical that the egg be at room temperature. 75 degrees or so is ideal. If your house is cooler than that, let the egg sit in a bowl of warm water for a little while.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1/2 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 1177Total Fat: 120gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 101gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 429mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 6gSugar: 17gProtein: 6g
