Why does my broccoli salad get watery?

Extra water on the broccoli can make for a runny mixture . The same goes for rinsing your broccoli! Make sure you give your broccoli adequate time to dry after rinsing. You get enough moisture from the dressing mixture that any extra water will make your salad too watery.

How do you make broccoli not watery?

To avoid soggy broccolis try steaming it for 2 minutes and check the texture, if required cook for a minute more but not more than that. After this, you put the boiled broccoli into ice water, the constant shock will make them crispy.

How do you keep broccoli moist?

Wrap your broccoli in damp paper towels . Keep the broccoli in the fridge. It should remain fresh for about three days. Don't wrap the broccoli too tightly with the paper towels and don't keep it in a sealed container. Broccoli needs air flow to stay fresh.

Why is restaurant broccoli so good?

Many restaurants roast or pan-fry their vegetable side dishes in bacon, butter, or other animal fat – or a mixture of these. Why? Because it makes veggies taste richer, more flavorful, and saltier than they would if you cooked them at home , which encourages you and other customers to keep coming back for more.

How to make brocoli salad?

Whisk together mayonnaise, cider vinegar and honey. Toss salad ingredients with dressing: Combine broccoli florets, almonds, crumbled bacon, chopped onion, and peas in a large serving bowl. Add dressing to the salad and toss to mix well.

How do you remove excess water from broccoli?

Use paper towels to remove excess water from the broccoli. This will bring up the temperature of the broccoli so the whole dish cooks evenly.

Why does my salad get wet in the fridge?

Keep Them Cool on the Way Home From the Grocery Store Worobo, professor of food microbiology at Cornell University. Otherwise, the package of greens will be exposed to ambient temperature before it enters the fridge, thereby increasing the risk of condensation (moisture) .

Why does my broccoli get soggy?

The problem, explains cookbook author Liz Moody, is one of hydrophobia (though she does not use that term). When you coat frozen florets and stems in cooking oil, you repel and trap the melting water on the broccoli, giving it nowhere to go . This water then steams the vegetable and prevents it from getting crispy.

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

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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