If you’ve ever had Whole Foods Broccoli salad you will love our lightened up version. It still has the crunchy broccoli, dried cranberries, slivered almonds, red onion and bacon, but the dressing is much lighter with no added sugar!
In a universe where culinary trends and fads come and go, this Broccoli Salad remains a steadfast favorite that can light up any table. With a fresh, crisp bite and a delightful combination of flavors and textures, it’s perfect for picnics, family gatherings, or simply as a side dish to brighten up your daily meals.
How to Make a Lightened Up Broccoli Salad
- We used a combination of whole organic Greek yogurt and mayonnaise as the base instead of just full fat mayo. This helped to cut back on the calories and fat.Â
- We also used honey as a sweetener instead of regular sugar.
- Instead of the classic raisins we decided to change things up and added dried cranberries to compliment the red onion and yogurt.
So what’s in our dressing that makes it so good?
- Whole Greek Yogurt – gives it a little tang, thins out the dressing and substitutes the mayo.
- Mayonnaise – just a little for that traditional flavor and body
- Apple Cider Vinegar – acid is necessary for balance
- Honey – a great substitute for sugar
- Dijon Mustard – not the grainy kind
- Sea Salt and pepper
Bright Green Broccoli: Tips to Remove the Raw Taste
- Do you ever wonder how broccoli gets that vibrant green hue and how to get rid of the raw broccoli taste? It’s a trick borrowed from the pros – blanching. Briefly blanch the broccoli in boiling water for just a minute and then swiftly plunge it into an ice bath. This simple technique not only enhances the color but also rids the broccoli of any lingering bitterness.
- Some folks sail through life perfectly content with raw broccoli, and that’s perfectly fine. However, for those looking to mellow out the taste and make it gentler on the digestive system, blanching is the way to go.
PRO CHEF TIP:
If you are making this salad for an event, or even for dinner, it would be best to make it at least the day before. The longer the broccoli salad sits the more the flavors blend together. Stir it every so often and serve it SUPER cold !!
MORE SUMMER SALAD RECIPES:
If you love this salad, and are looking for some of my go-tos, then check out some of these:
Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest and if you’ve had a chance to make this delicious salad, then definitely leave me a comment and a rating below!
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Healthy Broccoli Cranberry Almond Salad
- Total Time: 15 min
- Yield: 4– 6 Servings 1x
Description
A lightened up version of a fun and brightly colored summer broccoli salad with Greek yogurt, mayo, honey as a sweetener, almonds, red onions and dried cranberries.
Ingredients
FOR THE DRESSING:
- 3 Tablespoons Greek Yogurt
- â…“ Cup Mayonaise
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- ½ teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- ÂĽ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ÂĽ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE SALAD:
- 4 Cups Broccoli FloretsÂ
- ÂĽ Cup Red Onion, chopped
- â…“ Cup Slivered Almonds
- â…“ Cup Dried Cranberries
- ÂĽ Cup Unsalted Sunflower Seeds
- 3 Bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- Chop up the red onion and then place it in a small bowl of cold water for 5 minutes.
- While the red onion is soaking, combine the ingredients to make the dressing and stir using a whisk, then set it aside.
- In a larger bowl, combine the ingredients for the salad, including the broccoli florets, toasted slivered almonds, dried cranberries, unsalted sunflower seeds, and crumbled bacon.
- Drain the onion and add it to the salad ingredients. Pour the dressing on top.
- Cover and chill the salad for at least 1 hour before serving, although overnight is best for the flavors to meld.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Category: side dish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 250-275
- Sugar: 10-12 gr
- Sodium: 300-325 mg
- Fat: 10-15 gr
- Carbohydrates: 20-25 gr
- Fiber: 4-6 gr
- Protein: 5-7 gr
- Cholesterol: 10-15 mg
One of my favorite salads! This is really good.
Our family loves this broccoli salad, especially straight from the fridge when it’s ice cold.
I’ve made this twice now in 2 weeks. Thank you!
This is probably my favorite salad on the planet. I love the dressing in this. The yogurt adds such a nice sweetness and it cuts back on that heavy mayo feeling.
I LOVE this salad, it’s my favourite by far. The only thing I don’t do is add red onion as I’m not a fan, love adding some walnuts for the crunch. Absolutely beautiful and I feel like as it’s so tasty I’m eating tonnes of calories but not at all! Thank you
I agree with you Jess. This is one of my favorite salads. I’m not a fan of red onion either, but once I submerge it into some ice water for a minute or two it’s not bad and I actually like it.
I’m thinking about trying this BUT without the mayo and using Creme Fraiche instead along with the greek yogurt. I personally don’t think it needs a sweetener if you use dried cranberries that are already soaked in apple juice as well as adding some dried blueberries. I’m vegetarian so I’d have to leave out the bacon. How about adding some diced roasted sweet potato? Gees, I’m coming up with the substitutes and making a completely different version! Yikes!!!
Hi Deb am really in love with Whole Foods broccoli salad with their rotisserie organic chicken, been so busy never really try to make the salad ,since Whole Foods is on my way home
is this plain greek yogurt or vanilla? I can only find the vanilla flavor from stony field at my local grocer. Thanks!
Hi Deb … I like ur name 🙂 I used plain but I don’t think a little vanilla will hurt it at all