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This healthy broccoli salad with cranberries is a lighter twist on a classic made without mayo! Crisp raw broccoli, dried cranberries, red onion, and herbs are tossed with crunchy sunflower seeds and coated in a creamy Greek yogurt dressing. It’s quick to make, perfect for meal prep, and a delicious side for picnics, BBQs, or an easy lunch.
Try our air fryer frozen broccoli and honey soy ginger sauce for vegetables next!
Table of Contents
- 🔍 Quick Look: Healthy Broccoli Salad with Cranberries
- Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Substitutions & Variations
- How To Make Healthy Broccoli Salad with Cranberries
- Expert Tips
- Serving Suggestions
- Healthy Broccoli Salad FAQs
- More Healthy Salad Recipes!
- Healthy Broccoli Salad with Cranberries Recipe
🔍 Quick Look: Healthy Broccoli Salad with Cranberries
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- ⏱️ Cook Time: 0 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 15 minutes
- 🍽 Calories: ~92 kcal per serving
- 👥 Servings: 6 servings
- 🥣 Key Ingredients: Broccoli, red onion, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, Greek yogurt, maple syrup
- 📖 Dietary Information: Vegetarian, gluten-free
- 👩🍳 Cook Method: No-Cook Recipe
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- No Mayo: Made with Greek yogurt for a creamy texture while being lightened up.
- Fresh & Crunchy: Crisp broccoli and sunflower seeds add the perfect bite.
- Sweet & Savory Balance: Dried cranberries add a burst of sweetness to every bite.
- Quick & Easy: It comes together fast in about 15 minutes with simple ingredients. There’s no cooking required.
- Great for Meal Prep: It holds up well in the fridge and tastes even better chilled.
- Versatile: It’s perfect as a side dish, BBQ salad, or light lunch.
“So very good. We love the sunflower seed addition for a nice little crunch. I’ve also made this with rice vinegar, which goes nice with the sesame oil.”
– robin
Key Ingredients
- Broccoli: Cut the broccoli into small pieces for this salad.
- Cranberries: Finely chop the dried cranberries for a burst of sweet flavor in every bite. For more delicious salads with cranberries, try our cranberry pecan chicken salad and cranberry apple tuna salad next!
- Sunflower Seeds: Add crunch to the salad.
- Greek Yogurt: We used 0-fat Greek yogurt as the base of the dressing. It makes the dressing lighter and adds some protein.
- Champagne Vinegar: Adds acidity and a lovely light vinegar flavor to the dressing.
- Maple Syrup: Adds sweetness to the dressing.
Find the full measurements in the recipe card below.
Substitutions & Variations
- Champagne Vinegar Substitution: Champagne vinegar adds a lovely acidic flavor to the dressing. If you don’t have champagne vinegar, you can replace it with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Substitution For Cranberries: You can replace the dried cranberries in this salad with raisins or golden raisins. We recommend finely chopping them to disperse the flavor throughout.
- Sunflower Seeds Substitution: If you don’t have sunflower seeds, they can be replaced with salted sprouted pumpkin seeds or slivered almonds.
- Add Bacon: Cooked and chopped bacon or turkey bacon is a great addition to this salad if you would like to add some more savory flavor. See our post on how to cook bacon in the oven.
- Add Feta Cheese: You can add crumbled feta cheese to your broccoli salad.
- More Add-Ins: Some other optional add-ins are shredded carrots, sliced red grapes, or diced apple.
- Add Nuts: Almonds or chopped walnuts would be a delicious addition and add even more crunch.
- Maple Syrup Substitution: You could substitute the maple syrup in the dressing for honey.
How To Make Healthy Broccoli Salad with Cranberries
- Wash and dry the broccoli. Then, chop the broccoli florets into small, bite-sized pieces. Also, dice the red onion, finely chop the dried cranberries, and chop the parsley.
- Add the broccoli, red onion, dried cranberries, parsley, and sunflower seeds to a large bowl.
- Thoroughly mix the 0-fat Greek yogurt, champagne vinegar, maple syrup, toasted sesame oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the dressing into the bowl with the salad. Then, thoroughly toss the salad and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Add the Sunflower Seeds at the End: We recommend that you add the sunflower seeds at the end when you are ready to eat the salad, so they don’t get soggy if you store this salad in the refrigerator.
- Chop the Cranberries: We recommend finely chopping the dried cranberries so the flavor is distributed throughout the salad. Also, this gives you cranberry flavor throughout without having to use as many.
- Dry the Broccoli: You want to wash and dry the broccoli before cutting it. Just make sure the broccoli is completely dry because you don’t want a watery salad.
- Cut the Broccoli: You want to cut the broccoli florets into small bite-sized pieces. This makes for the perfect bite of salad!
Serving Suggestions
This healthy broccoli salad is such a great side dish! It’s perfect for parties, potlucks, gatherings, and BBQs. Serve it with other side dishes such as our cauliflower potato salad or with cooked protein such as air fryer salmon, air fryer chicken bites, or slow cooker BBQ chicken.
Healthy Broccoli Salad FAQs
Is Broccoli Salad Healthy?
This broccoli salad is a healthy option made without mayo! The base of the dressing is fat-free Greek yogurt. We have lightened up the classic broccoli salad while keeping the delicious flavors.
How Long Does Broccoli Salad Last?
It will last 1-2 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container. We recommend eating it the day you make it or the following day.
Can You Make Broccoli Salad in Advance?
Yes, you can make this salad in advance. However, don’t add the sunflower seeds until ready to serve so they don’t get soggy.
Can You Eat Broccoli Raw in Salads?
Yes, you can eat raw broccoli in salads. There is no cooking required to make this recipe.
Is Broccoli Salad Vegan?
You can make this recipe vegan and dairy-free by using a plain plant-based yogurt.
More Healthy Salad Recipes!
If you try this recipe please be sure to leave us a comment and star rating, ★★★★★, letting us know how it turns out for you.
Healthy Broccoli Salad with Cranberries
Ingredients
For The Salad
- 5-6 cups of broccoli, about 2 large heads of broccoli
- 1/2 cup red onion
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro
- 3 tablespoons roasted and salted sunflower seeds
For The Dressing
- 1 cup 0-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Wash and dry the broccoli. Then, chop the broccoli florets into small, bite-sized pieces. Next, dice the red onion, finely chop the dried cranberries, and chop the parsley.
- Add the broccoli, red onion, dried cranberries, parsley, and sunflower seeds to a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, thoroughly mix the 0-fat Greek yogurt, champagne vinegar, maple syrup, toasted sesame oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the dressing into the bowl with the salad. Then, thoroughly mix and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Sunflower Seeds Swap: If you don’t have sunflower seeds, they can be replaced with sliced almonds.
- Cranberries Swap: You can replace the cranberries in this salad with raisins.
- Vinegar: If you don’t have champagne vinegar, replace it with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So very good . We love the sunflower seed addition for a nice little crunch . I’ve also made this with rice vinegar ,which goes nice with the sesame oil .
Hi Robin, thank you so much! I’m so happy to hear you loved the broccoli salad! The sunflower seeds really do add such a great crunch! I love your idea of using rice vinegar, what a perfect pairing with the sesame oil, that sounds so flavorful. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Love this incredible healthy salad!!! Broccoli is one of my favorites!
I am so glad you enjoyed this salad!