This delightful vegetarian Broccoli Craisin Salad is crunchy, sweet and satisfying. It features lightly steamed broccoli, toasted sunflower seeds, sweet plump dried cranberries (craisins), and a creamy sweet-and-tangy dressing. A versatile make-ahead side salad, this recipe can also be made vegan if you use an egg-free mayonnaise in the dressing. The flavor is absolutely addicting!
You know those facts on the bottom of the Snapple caps– “Real Facts”? My family is kind of obsessed with them. We find them to be a great source of entertainment; in fact, they’ve started many a dinner table conversation in our home.
One evening, I got a Snapple cap with a fun food fact:
Broccoli is the only vegetable that is also a flower.
Fascinating stuff, just the kind of brilliant tidbit I’d come to expect from a Snapple cap. And yet, it wasn’t entirely true. Apparently, this Snapple fact was later updated to reflect a more accurate fact– Broccoli and cauliflower are the only vegetables that are flowers. Broccoli and cauliflower are, after all, botanical siblings.
On the surface, broccoli seems like a pretty run-of-the-mill vegetable. I serve it at least once a week with dinner because it’s one of the healthiest greens out there. Broccoli is a great source of vitamin C, folate, beta-carotene, potassium, fiber, and calcium. Like other cruciferous vegetables, it contains potent cancer-fighting compounds called phytochemicals that make it a powerhouse in the nutrition department.
However, broccoli’s story goes much deeper than nutrition. If broccoli could talk, it would whisper of an ancient ancestry that goes back further than anybody can really pinpoint.
Antique engraving of a broccoli plant from “Specimens des divers caracteres et vignettes typographiques de la fonderie” by Laurent de Berny (Paris, 1878).
Broccoli first appeared in the Mediterranean, and may have been biologically bred from a cabbage-like ancestor by the pre-Roman Etruscan civilization. The vegetable became popular in ancient Rome; the name broccoli derives from an Italian word, brocco, which means “little branches.”
Broccoli was introduced to the American colonies in the early 1700’s. Thomas Jefferson had it planted in his gardens at Monticello, and it was mentioned in a Virginia gardening book published around 1765. Recipes for the vegetable appear in several American and British cookbooks from the 1700’s and 1800’s. Here is a recipe from “The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy” by Hannah Glasse (American edition, 1805):
To dress Broccoli.
STRIP all the little branches off till you come to the top one, then with a knife peel off all the hard outside skin, which is on the stalks and little branches, and throw them into water. Have a stew-pan of water with some water in it: when it boils put in the broccoli, and when the stalks are tender it is enough, then send it to table with a piece of toasted bread soaked in the water the broccoli is boiled in under it, the same way as asparagus, with butter in a cup. The French eat oil and vinegar with it.
Though broccoli was known throughout the colonies, it wasn’t widely available in America till the 1920’s when Italian immigrants began to cultivate it in California.
This is all great information, but how does one turn these “little branches” into a delicious side dish? Enter my Crunchy Sweet Broccoli Craisin Salad.
You only need to lightly steam the broccoli, which means it keeps most of its nutrients. Sunflower seeds add a delicious crunch and a healthy dose of Vitamin E to the mix. Craisins provide a burst of tart sweetness and color; regular raisins can be substituted if you’ve got them on hand.
If you have broccoli haters in your family, give this salad a try. It may just convert them.
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Food Photography and Styling by Kelly Jaggers
Broccoli Craisin Salad
Ingredients
- 3 pounds broccoli (about 4 heads)
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup craisins
- 8 scallions chopped into small rings (green part only)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (use a vegan mayonnaise to make recipe vegan)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (gluten free note below)
- 1 tablespoon sugar (you may substitute any preferred sweetener, less or more to taste)
NOTES
Instructions
- Remove stems from the broccoli heads and chop them into smaller bite-size florets. Pour 1/2 cup of water into a medium pot and bring to a boil. Add broccoli pieces to the pot and cover. Steam the broccoli for 4-5 minutes until bright green and tender-crisp.
- Remove broccoli pieces from the pot with a slotted spoon and place them on two layers of paper towel, allow them to drain and cool completely.
- Toast the sunflower seeds in a skillet over medium heat until lightly browned.
- Place the broccoli florets, craisins, scallions, and toasted sunflower seeds in a large mixing bowl.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar. Add sugar (or preferred sweetener) last, adding a teaspoon at a time until the dressing is sweet enough for your taste.
- Pour dressing over the broccoli mixture. Toss to coat the broccoli evenly with the dressing and thoroughly mix all ingredients.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to marinate. Flavors improve with time. Serve chilled.
Nutrition
I’ve made it twice already. Absolutely delicious Easy to put together and very healthy Passed the recipe on to my daughter who is gluten free!!
Even broccoli has a back story! GREG
This recipe looks great I’ve been on a really big broccoli/ veggie kick lately my husband has heart disease and eats horrible… Do you have any substitutions for the mayo?
Thanks!
Vegenaise will work for the mayo, if you’re looking for something without cholesterol.
this was delicious! for me, it needed some heat so i added cayennne to it.
This is excellent! Even before I put it in the fridge, I couldn’t stop eating a piece here, a piece there – thanks so much for showing us a different way of making broccoli other than steam and stir fry!
I love the History you share in each post…and this recipe looks so so very good – I have never seen broccoli prepared this way – love it!
What a wonderful broccoli recipe!
I love reading how we can take a basic and make it special. My broccoli salad has raw broccoli, diced red onion, craisins, cashews and a dressing made with miracle whip, apple cider vinegar and white sugar. Thanks!
I made this salad last night with a few changes in order to use what I had on hand. I used two bags of broccoli slaw in place of the florets. I used finely diced yellow onion in place of the green onions and I omitted the sunflower seeds because I didn’t have any. I also used regular dark balsamic vinegar and splenda in the sauce. It came out great. It really was delicious. It was the very first thing my 10 year old reached for and she loved it. It was also a hit with my son and his girlfriend. You know you have a winner when the vegetable side dish is as popular as the entree. Thanks for this great recipe.
Great changes Ilana! So happy enjoyed the salad… and especially happy that your ten year old liked it too! 🙂
Tori, I have frozen broccoli. Will that work?
Thanks, Tami
Hi Tami, yes it will work fine. Just defrost completely and blot the broccoli with paper towels to soak up excess liquid before mixing with the other ingredients. No need to steam it, the freezing/defrosting process will soften the broccoli. Enjoy!
Tori, you won’t believe this, but I have a friend who makes this and I’ve been BEGGING her for the recipe for YEARS! I love this salad and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that you posted this one! WooHoo! I am doing the broccoli happy dance!
Awesome Ann! Glad I could help. 🙂
This stuff is sooooo yummmy!!!! Oh, I can eat this every day!!!
Just found this website and im in love. Your pictures, your recipes, the womderful stories behind it all, Im hooked! Thank you, there might be hope for me in the kitchen after all…
I make this salad with raw broccoli, thinly sliced red onion, sunflower seeds and raisins, LOVE IT!!! It keeps for several days in the fridge (if I don’t snack on it, lol!) So healthy and tasty too!! Try it without blanching, and I take the stalks and peel them slightly, put them thru the Cuisinart and add to the salad, really wonderful addition and no waste or compost, the stalks are just a flavorful as the florets when peeled! Enjoy!!!
This is beautiful!! The colors are so vibrant. And it’s healthy, double bang!
Indeed! It’s a really colorful salad, it makes a pretty addition to the buffet table.
Tori, what a delicious looking recipe — and I love the history!
Thanks Valentina! 🙂
This is the best salad ever! I make it with raisins, but the craisins are delish, too. I also add some chopped red onion and crumbled bacon–not kosher, but yummy. Also, no need to blanch the broccoli–the vinegar will ‘cook’ (soften) it.
Hey Lori! The reason I lightly steam the broccoli is that I have trouble digesting raw broccoli. It really gives me a tummy ache for some reason. But yes, you can also use raw, it will still turn out great– especially after marinating in the fridge for a few hours! 🙂
You always have the most gorgeous looking dishes! Not to mention YUMMY! Love this! 🙂
Thanks Kelly!
This is gorgeous!! I’m always looking for new ways to eat broccoli (other than dipped in ranch). And the sweet addition of the craisins has got me craving this!
I’m totally addicted Steph. And it’s a healthy addiction– yay!
This sounds great for brunch with the ladies! Thanks!
You’re welcome Katrina, enjoy!