Healthy Broccoli Salad Recipe - Kristine's Kitchen (2024)

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Updated on May 25, 2023

This Healthy Broccoli Salad is an easy and delicious side dish that’s perfect for any summer occasion! This healthy recipe features crunchy broccoli, apple, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries in a creamy homemade dressing. It’s the best healthy broccoli salad recipe and a reader favorite!

Healthy Broccoli Salad Recipe - Kristine's Kitchen (1)

Broccoli salad is a classic side dish for summer BBQ’s and potlucks. While I love this classic Broccoli Salad recipe, when I want a lighter, healthier side dish I make this healthy broccoli salad. It’s a long-time favorite and a reader favorite, too!

One of the best things about this salad is that it’s so quick and easy to make! You mix together a simple 5-ingredient dressing and pour it over the broccoli and other salad ingredients and that’s it! The creamy dressing is made with protein-packed Greek yogurt instead of mayo, for a lighter, fresher salad.

Take just one bite of this fresh no mayo broccoli salad and you will see why it’s so popular. The combination of flavors and textures is irresistible. The broccoli has the perfect crunch and the creamy dressing is just right. When you combine these with other classic broccoli salad ingredients you have a side dish that you’ll want to make all summer long!

Serve this healthy broccoli salad as a side dish with a weeknight dinner, or make it for Easter, the 4th of July, or a picnic!

This healthy side dish goes perfectly with this easy grilled chicken or grilled pork chops. If you’re planning your menu for a BBQ, also try these potato salad, macaroni salad, corn salad, coleslaw and fruit salad recipes.

See over 30 MORE healthy side dishes here!

Why you’ll love this healthy broccoli salad:

The combination of crunchy broccoli, crisp apple, sunflower seeds, onion and creamy dressing is irresistible!
The fresh and colorful ingredients make this salad so appealing. The blueberries are an unexpected and delicious addition. It will be the hit of the party!
You can make it ahead and it will stay fresh up to one day in the refrigerator.

Healthy Broccoli Salad Recipe - Kristine's Kitchen (2)

How to Make Healthy Broccoli Salad without Mayo

This healthy broccoli salad is one of the easiest side dishes to make! You’ll start by washing and chopping your ingredients and adding them to a large bowl:

Fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces. Discard any large stems and just use the florets.
One apple, chopped. Toss the apple with a little lemon juice to prevent browning.
Fresh blueberries. I know this is not a traditional broccoli salad ingredient, but it’s delicious and I love the extra pop of color!
Red onion, chopped.
Dried cranberries.
Sunflower seeds.

Once you have your salad ingredients in the bowl, make the dressing. In a bowl, whisk together plain Greek yogurt, honey, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and poppy seeds. Pour this over the other ingredients and stir until everything is well coated with dressing.

More Healthy Broccoli Salad Ideas

When it comes to broccoli salad, there are many variations on the classic recipe. Try any combination of these ingredients in your salad:

raisins or dried cranberries
chopped fresh apple
sliced or slivered almonds, sunflower seeds or pecans
shredded carrot
chopped kale
chopped red onion or shallot
crumbled bacon
shredded cheddar cheese

Healthy Broccoli Salad Recipe - Kristine's Kitchen (3)

Recipe Tips

Be sure to chop the broccoli small – you want bite-size pieces.
This broccoli salad is delicious with crisp, crunchy raw broccoli. I never cook my broccoli before adding it to broccoli salad, but some readers prefer it a little softer. You can blanch the broccoli by boiling it for no longer than one minute and then transferring it to a bowl of ice water with a slotted spoon. Blanching the broccoli softens it a bit, and gives it a bright green color. Just be sure to cook it very briefly because you do not want mushy broccoli in this cold broccoli salad recipe.
If you prefer to make your broccoli salad with mayo, substitute 1 cup of mayonnaise for the Greek yogurt in this recipe. Reduce the honey to 3 tablespoons.
If you don’t have fresh lemon juice, you can substitute apple cider vinegar for the lemon juice in the dressing.
You can leave the poppy seeds out of the dressing and no substitutions are needed.
You can make this healthy broccoli salad ahead. Once you toss it with the dressing, it’s best served within one day. However, you can store the dressing and salad separately for up to 2-3 days in the refrigerator and toss together right before serving. Once the dressing and salad are combined, the dressing may get watered down over time, but it will still taste delicious.

More Broccoli Salad Recipes

Mason Jar Broccoli Salad (meal prep lunch)
Broccoli Kale Salad
Broccoli Slaw

4.80 from 10 ratings

Healthy Broccoli Salad

Servings: 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 15 minutes mins

This Healthy Broccoli Salad is an easy and delicious side dish that's perfect for any summer occasion! This easy, healthy salad has crunchy broccoli, apple, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries in a creamy yogurt-based dressing.

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Ingredients

▢ 1 ½ pounds fresh broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
▢ 1 cup fresh blueberries
▢ ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
▢ ½ cup dried cranberries
▢ ¼ cup sunflower seeds
▢ 1 large apple, chopped into bite-size pieces
▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the homemade dressing:

▢ 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, I use full fat, low fat will also work
▢ ¼ cup honey
▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
▢ 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
▢ 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Instructions

Place broccoli, blueberries, red onion, cranberries, and sunflower seeds in a large bowl. In a small bowl, toss apple with 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Add to the big bowl with the salad.
In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine. Salad may be served immediately or refrigerated until serving. Once tossed with the dressing, it's best served within one day.

Notes

You can substitute 1 cup mayonnaise for the Greek yogurt. Reduce the honey to 3 tablespoons.
You can substitute apple cider vinegar for the lemon juice in the dressing.
You can leave the poppy seeds out of the dressing and no substitutions are needed.
If you wish to make the salad ahead, I recommend storing the dressing and salad in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. Toss the dressing with the salad right before serving.

Serving: 1/8 recipe, Calories: 128kcal, Carbohydrates: 23.6g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 2.3g, Sodium: 39mg, Fiber: 3.9g, Sugar: 16.5g

Nutrition information is an estimate.

Cuisine: American

Course: Side Dish

Tried this recipe?Mention @kristines_kitchen on Instagram or tag #kristineskitchenblog.

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posted by Kristine Rosenblatt on May 24, 2019 (last updated May 25, 2023)

96 comments Leave a comment »

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96 comments on “Healthy Broccoli Salad”

Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice — June 24, 2016 @ 5:19 am Reply
What a pretty salad, Kristine! I’ve been loving your colorful dishes lately! And I especially love the greek yogurt dressing in this salad. I do like mayo, but this sounds like a better option, especially for the summer! And what a great twist with blueberries and apples, too. Perfection!
- Kristine — June 27, 2016 @ 6:26 am Reply
  Thank you, Gayle! I’m loving summer because it’s so easy to make pretty (and healthy) food! 🙂
  - Cherrie — July 11, 2016 @ 2:54 pm
    Thanks so much!
- Nancy — August 9, 2016 @ 5:44 am Reply
  Looks good but it looks like a lot of sugar per serving, although I’m sure some of it is the sugar in the fruit. Is that right? If I decreased the honey a bit, do you think it would affect the flavour of the dressing?
  - WendyHT — September 11, 2017 @ 7:26 pm
    Hi Nancy, I wonder if you’re being careful of sugar/honey due to cooking for people with diabetes? I bought 100 grams of a chicken vindaloo and 100 grams of a broccoli salad (that looked like the one above) and when I checked my glucose levels, they’d shot up to 13.2 Canadian / 237.6 USA. They tasted fabulous, but there’s a price to be paid. I really appreciate Kristine providing this recipe, as I intend to start with maybe a couple of teaspoons of honey and adjust until I like the flavour – because I really LOVE broccoli salad and I’ve never found a recipe for it before. Thank you, Kristine :-). Cheers
  - Kristine — September 11, 2017 @ 8:10 pm
    Thanks for your comment, Wendy. I hope you enjoy this recipe and that you are able to adjust it to meet your dietary needs. Enjoy! 🙂
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen — June 24, 2016 @ 1:17 pm Reply
Broccoli salad is one of my favorite things to eat during the summer and I totally love that you added blueberries and apple! Beautiful!
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- Kristine — June 27, 2016 @ 6:26 am Reply
  Thanks so much, Christin! The fruit adds a nice sweetness to this salad!
Blair @ The Seasoned Mom — June 24, 2016 @ 1:46 pm Reply
Gah! I love this!!! Everything about it! Printing the recipe so that I can make it this weekend. 🙂
- Kristine — June 27, 2016 @ 6:25 am Reply
  Thank you, Blair! 🙂
marcie — June 24, 2016 @ 6:58 pm Reply
This salad is just stunning! I love the blueberries here so much, and we’re dressing twins. I just shot a kale-broccoli salad with a Greek yogurt poppyseed dressing the other day because I don’t like mayo either! lol Can’t wait to try this!
- Kristine — June 27, 2016 @ 6:24 am Reply
  Thank you, Marcie! I can’t wait to see your kale broccoli salad!
Blair — June 26, 2016 @ 2:12 pm Reply
Just made this to have with dinner tonight, Kristine! I bought some broccoli and blueberries at the farmer’s market yesterday, so it was FATE that you shared this recipe a couple of days earlier. 🙂 Delicious! Thanks for the inspiration!
- Kristine — June 27, 2016 @ 6:24 am Reply
  Yay!! I’m so glad to hear you tried the recipe, Blair! I hope you loved it!
Bernice — July 9, 2016 @ 10:40 am Reply
Hi Kristine, I just made this salad for the first time and my Sister came by and wanted half, It not only looks appealing, it tastes great. I used Vanilla flavoured greek salad, just wondering what you use? Thanks for sharing those recipes
!!!
- Kristine — July 10, 2016 @ 6:59 am Reply
  I’m so glad you enjoyed this salad, Bernice! I always use plain Greek yogurt, because I like to avoid the added sugar that is in the flavored yogurts. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Cherrie — July 9, 2016 @ 2:41 pm Reply
Is there any info on nutritional value? E.g calories /fat.
- Kristine — July 10, 2016 @ 6:58 am Reply
  Hi Cherrie, I’ve just updated the recipe to include nutritional information. Have a nice day!
  - Dale — February 27, 2017 @ 8:57 am
    is there really 39 g. of salt in each serving? that is huge
  - Kristine — February 27, 2017 @ 1:26 pm
    Good catch! It’s supposed to be 39mg. I just fixed that. 🙂
Julie — July 13, 2016 @ 7:41 am Reply
This looks delicious and I will make it tonight for dinner.. I have no poppyseeds, though!! Will it affect taste? 🙂
- Kristine — July 13, 2016 @ 1:47 pm Reply
  This will be just as delicious without the poppy seeds, Julie. I hope you enjoy it!
Kimberly — July 25, 2016 @ 10:14 am Reply
Hey Kristine! I am on a Whole30 and will need to make this without the Yogurt–any suggestions on what to substitute for that? Thanks!
- Kristine — July 27, 2016 @ 10:15 pm Reply
  Hi Kimberly! That is a tough one! Do you have a favorite salad dressing that you could use instead of the yogurt dressing? Or you could make it without the dressing?
  - Kari — May 17, 2018 @ 11:36 am
    I know I’m “late to the party” on this, as this question was from nearly two years ago, but you could use CoYo (coconut yogurt) in place of the Greek Yogurt on Whole30. CoYo is Whole30 compliant & tastes yummy! ?
  - Kristine — May 17, 2018 @ 8:51 pm
    Hi Kari, I haven’t tried coconut yogurt, but my guess is that it would work. If you try it, report back to let us know how it turned out. 🙂
- Kristy — April 24, 2021 @ 12:27 am Reply
  Hellman’s makes a vegan mayonnaise. Could you use that instead of the yogurt?
  - Kristine — April 24, 2021 @ 12:24 pm
    Definitely!
Kristina — August 1, 2016 @ 4:27 am Reply
This is such a great idea. Literally going to make it tonight! Thanks for the recipe xx
- Kristine — August 2, 2016 @ 6:28 am Reply
  I hope you like it, Kristina!!
Mary brooks — August 6, 2016 @ 7:28 am Reply
Can you make it with out the honey
- Kristine — August 7, 2016 @ 7:15 am Reply
  Hi Mary, I think the dressing needs something to sweeten it a bit, as the combo of Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar would be pretty tart on its own. You can use pure maple syrup instead, and can also reduce the amount of sweetener if you like.
Krystle — August 8, 2016 @ 7:24 pm Reply
This looks awesome. I don’t like mayo either so I’m happy for the substitute! I’m trying to eat more salads, but I get tired of lettuce so broccoli is perfect!
Velva-tomatoes on the vine — December 23, 2016 @ 3:29 pm Reply
This salad looks amazing. Love, love it.
Velva
Jamiep — February 18, 2017 @ 7:11 pm Reply
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Great salad! I cannot have dairy so replaced yogurt with coconut cream.
- Kristine — February 19, 2017 @ 10:23 am Reply
  Coconut cream is a great idea! I’m so glad you enjoyed the salad!
sandy — March 7, 2017 @ 5:08 pm Reply
Looks amazing, cant wait til I try this!!!!!
- Kristine — March 10, 2017 @ 5:24 am Reply
  I hope you like it, Sandy!
Lauren — March 8, 2017 @ 8:47 pm Reply
This fits just right in the diet I’m following. It’s hard to find a recipe for this kind of salad because they call for either bottled dressing or a mayo dressing. I’m just going to drop the vinegar and it’s just right.
- Kristine — March 10, 2017 @ 5:24 am Reply
  I hope you like it, Lauren!
Kim — March 12, 2017 @ 6:32 am Reply
I am going to try this…..looks yummy! Thanks!
yvonne Dalcourt — March 23, 2017 @ 7:57 pm Reply
Hello Kristine
This looks Yummmmmy…..love every ingredient mentionned…..anxious to try it, Thanks for this great idea.
Erin — March 26, 2017 @ 1:41 pm Reply
I really like the contents of the salad, dressing is not my favourite, even though a better choice then mayo dressing. I think I will make mayo dressing with salad.
Sally — March 27, 2017 @ 6:19 am Reply
Such a pretty salad. I will be making for Easter! Thanks
- Kristine — March 28, 2017 @ 8:21 am Reply
  Thank you, Sally! Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Kelly — April 8, 2017 @ 5:42 am Reply
Can you tell me the correct amount of fiber? Thank you!
- Kristine — April 8, 2017 @ 7:36 am Reply
  There are about 4 grams of fiber per serving, according to myfitnesspal.
Wrayanne — May 15, 2017 @ 2:11 pm Reply
This was soo good. I will be making it often
Debi — May 29, 2017 @ 7:58 am Reply
Making this for Memorial Day… using my fresh blueberries that are frozen…. should I thaw them 1st?
- Kristine — May 29, 2017 @ 8:44 am Reply
  I’d be careful about using frozen blueberries. They may release some juices in the salad and be less firm than fresh. If you decide to use frozen berries I’d mix them in right before serving, without defrosting. Let me know how it turns out!
  - Debi — May 29, 2017 @ 11:41 am
    Txs!… I will!
  - Debi — May 29, 2017 @ 5:34 pm
    The frozen blueberries worked perfectly! I kept them frozen till everyone arrived… then mixed them in.. dinner wasn’t quite ready… by the time we ate they were thawed…. didn’t mush up … stayed whole and sooo good… great salad! Txs?
  - Kristine — May 29, 2017 @ 8:12 pm
    I’m so glad!! Thank you so much for reporting back. I’m happy that you enjoyed the salad!
Sass — June 22, 2017 @ 11:48 am Reply
Great recipe! This is my favorite one I’ve ever tried off of Pinterest Pin. 🙂
Boyan Minchev — June 30, 2017 @ 9:01 am Reply
I love broccoli, but I never taste them with blueberries. I will cook this salad tonight for my girlfriend it will be good for bought to taste something different. Thanks for sharing this salad recipe with us.
- Kristine — June 30, 2017 @ 1:56 pm Reply
  Thanks, Boyan! The combination of sweet and savory in this salad is really good!
Jennifer — July 2, 2017 @ 4:35 am Reply
What could you substitute for the apple cider vinegar?
- Kristine — July 2, 2017 @ 8:47 pm Reply
  I’d try lemon juice. 🙂
Katie — August 6, 2017 @ 7:18 pm Reply
Hi! I made this a few weeks ago and it was sooo good! I added strawberries in the dressing, and it was amazing! How long do you think the dressing will last?
- Kristine — August 9, 2017 @ 9:15 pm Reply
  I think the dressing will last for a few days in the refrigerator. Adding strawberries was a great idea!
Tyler Bruce — September 28, 2017 @ 11:05 pm Reply
Another awesome salad! I guess I may be the only guy on here but I accidentally found your super salad with blueberries and quinoa a while back and now that me and my wife are going vegetarian I could use some more great ideas for any food. I have definitely found it so thanks a bunch.
Lexi — April 18, 2018 @ 7:28 pm Reply
I made this with honey crisp apples and a little extra lemon juice in the dressing to make it a bit more tart and it was amazing!
- Kristine — April 21, 2018 @ 2:44 pm Reply
  Honeycrisp apples sound perfect in this! I’m so glad you liked it!
Lisa M — June 7, 2018 @ 1:40 pm Reply
Made this last night. Family loved it!!!
I have had a similar salad, but the blueberries changed it up a bit. Perfect.
I did use the mayo dressing and the salad was de-lish. My “non-healthy” eating family loved it, too. I used just enough mayo dressing to barely cover. You couldn’t taste it or even tell it was on the dish when I served it on the individual plates. At least, it’s a start. 😉 I am going to definitely try more of your recipes.
Thank you!
- Kristine — June 7, 2018 @ 3:30 pm Reply
  Hi Lisa, I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this salad. I agree, the blueberries make it something special! 🙂
Becky — September 24, 2018 @ 2:49 pm Reply
Happy to see a no mayo option for a favorite recipe. Granddaughter is allergic to eggs, so always on the lookout for alternatives.
- Kristine — September 24, 2018 @ 9:08 pm Reply
  I’m happy that you found my recipe, Becky! It’s a favorite. 🙂
Shawna — January 24, 2019 @ 7:48 am Reply
Hi, I’m very interested in this recipe, but I can’t have poppy seeds. Do you have a suggestion for an alternative or just omit it altogether? Thanks!
- Kristine — January 24, 2019 @ 8:20 pm Reply
  You can omit the poppy seeds. Enjoy!
Dory — July 15, 2019 @ 4:25 pm Reply
Broccoli salad… with…. blueberries? And? Apple??? And…. RED ONION???? Is this some American thing? Pardon me but – blueberries with ONION?! ??
Well, I won’t knock it til I’ve tried it…
The dressing looks delish.
Also fun fact, poppy seeds can make you test positive for opioid use.
- Kristine — July 16, 2019 @ 2:24 pm Reply
  Haha, yes, I’ll admit that this recipe isn’t traditional. I appreciate you saying don’t knock it til you’ve tried it, because it really does work so well together! And if you just can’t do the sweet blueberries, just leave them out. 🙂
Bobi — August 17, 2019 @ 1:28 am Reply
This salad has become a favourite for us. Bit of crunchy bacon works well too. YUM!
Arlene — October 24, 2020 @ 3:19 pm Reply
Yum!
Niza — October 5, 2021 @ 9:03 am Reply
It is a very delicious salad
?????
Big Al — January 15, 2022 @ 4:56 pm Reply
Always looking for easy and great tasting salad ideas. Super easy, great tasting and easy to modify. Good job, nice salad.
Keira — February 10, 2022 @ 8:08 pm Reply
What a great updated version of broccoli salad!
Ella — April 25, 2022 @ 9:25 am Reply
This looks like a tasty summer salad. I’ll be trying this one out.
Cathy — July 28, 2022 @ 9:39 am Reply
Saved your recipe to try sound delicious!
Karen McDonald — July 28, 2022 @ 10:01 am Reply
Could you use pumpkin seeds because I’m allergic to sunflowers?
- Kristine Rosenblatt — July 29, 2022 @ 6:27 am Reply
  Definitely! Enjoy. 🙂
Pamela Donahue — November 29, 2022 @ 8:49 am Reply
Hello! Thank you for this delishous broccoli salad. It’s different from the other one I downloaded. I love fact that it has the blueberries, apples and cranberries in it. Gonna try it soon, I need to eat more veggies!!!
Dianna Noe — April 2, 2023 @ 7:09 pm Reply
It was good, I used 2 cups of Blueberries and had to substitute macadamia nuts since my store was out of sunflower seeds. I also doubled nuts. Next time I will use yogurt. I bought the wrong kind and had to use 1/2 mayonnaise and 1/2 sour cream. Wish I would have tried the vanilla Greek Yogurt and left out honey.
Sandy — April 8, 2023 @ 11:16 am Reply
It takes much longer to cut up all the ingredients than 15 minutes.
Diane Stewart — April 15, 2023 @ 1:16 pm Reply
recipes sound wonderful……………love to receive more
Susan — April 16, 2023 @ 12:43 pm Reply
Any idea of the protein amount per serving?
- Kristine Rosenblatt — April 17, 2023 @ 11:07 am Reply
  There are about 6 grams of protein per serving. (There is a nutrition estimate under the recipe.)
Christina — May 3, 2023 @ 3:30 pm Reply
Love this salad!! Very tasty.
Gene — May 26, 2023 @ 3:23 pm Reply
Made today for our Senior Lunch. I added some Farfell ( bow tie ) gluten free noodles. I served two dressings on side- the yogurt one and a vinegar/ balsamic vinegar one. The bowl was emptied quickly!
Tamra Adrian — June 11, 2023 @ 7:54 pm Reply
Made this the first time today for a family gathering and it was a hit!!! I made the dressing with Triple Zero plain Greek yogurt. Will definitely be making this again!!
Mary C — August 5, 2023 @ 5:54 pm Reply
This Broccoli salad was very good! Dressing very light and mixed well with the fresh friut! It’s a keeper❤️❤️
Charlotte — September 10, 2023 @ 7:37 am Reply
This recipe sounds great, one question what could I substitute for the honey im very allergic
- Kristine Rosenblatt — September 11, 2023 @ 3:29 pm Reply
  You can substitute granulated sugar. I’d recommend using less sugar though, 1-2 tablespoons, to taste.
Shirley — October 5, 2023 @ 7:13 am Reply
Can you use dairy free yogurt?
- Kristine Rosenblatt — October 20, 2023 @ 12:30 pm Reply
  Yes of course, whichever is your preference.
Susan — October 11, 2023 @ 10:52 am Reply
Just curious where the 39mg salt comes from? I noticed no salt in ingredients. It’s very good, I just added a dash of salt. Might add some cheese or bacon later for the omnivores in family 🙂
Thank you for sharing this healthy salad recipe!
Cienna — November 22, 2023 @ 10:12 am Reply
Made this for Thanksgiving tmrw, taste tested it and wished I’d made it for just my house instead of for everybody! It’s so good. I’ll be making it again. I didn’t use lemon juice bc I ran out, but it didn’t even need it since I had ACV. 10/10