Salads are a great way get a taste of spring in a quick and easy dish. And once you whip up this simple Broccoli Apple Salad recipe, you’ll want to make it for every get-together you’re invited to. The combination of crunchy vegetables, sweet apples, and creamy dressing make this delicious salad a tasty bite that everyone will enjoy eating!
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What Do I Need to Make the Broccoli Apple Salad?
This simple take on a broccoli salad adds in the sweet crunch of apples to the mix. The combo of broccoli and apples in this easy spring recipe is a great way to enjoy sweet and salty flavors together. To make your own salad recipe at home, you will need the following ingredients:
- Broccoli
- Celery
- Apples
- Pumpkin seeds
- Red onion
The quick recipe also includes a delicious homemade dressing. To make your own creamy salad dressing, you willl need just three ingredients:
Looking for more healthy and delicious salad recipes? Give these reader favorites a try:
Easy Broccoli Cauliflower Crunch Salad | Mediterranean Tomato Salad | Cucumber Strawberry Salad
How Do I Make the Salad Recipe?
Once you have all your ingredients gathered, you can start mixing up your delicious spring salad. Follow these simple steps to make this simple side dish for your next get-together.
Step One: Prepare your ingredients
Before you can start mixing up this easy broccoli crunch salad with apples, you’ll need to prepare your ingredients. Start by washing all the fruits and vegetables. Then, cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces and chop the celery stalks. After that, chop the apples into small pieces. To keep the onion pieces from being too big and overpowering your salad, make sure to finely chop them.
Step Two: Combine the salad ingredients
Next, prepare the salad by combining the broccoli, celery, apples, pumpkin seeds and onion in a large mixing bowl. Stir until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
Step Three: Make the salad dressing
When your salad ingredients are well combined, it’s time to make your homemade dressing. To make the salad dressing, whisk together the mayonnaise and sugar until the sugar is fully dissolved. Add the apple cider vinegar to the mixture and stir until smooth and well combined.
Step Four: Chill the salad
Pour the prepared dressing over the top of all the salad ingredients and toss to coat. Cover the salad with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Broccoli Apple Salad Variations
This broccoli salad recipe could not be easier to make, which means it is also simple to change up! Give these delicious variations a try
- Add bacon. Mixing in some bacon would make this salad even more delicious. Cook and chop four slices of bacon and stir them into the rest of the ingredients when you add the dressing.
- Stir in some cheese. Cheddar cheese is another ingredient that pairs well with the salad’s ingredients, especially broccoli and apples. Add the cheddar cheese to the rest of the salad ingredients before chilling.
- Mix in sliced grapes. For more fruit in your salad, mix in some grapes. Both red and green grapes would be delicious. To include grapes, slice them in half and add them to the salad.
- Include more seeds or nuts. Seeds and nuts make another great addition to this broccoli salad recipe. Sunflower seeds, pecans, and walnuts are both perfect mix-ins for your salad.
- Toss in dried fruit. The combination of dried fruit and crunchy vegetables is another way to enjoy this side dish. Using raisins or dried cranberries in your broccoli salad will add tart flavor and chewy texture to your side dish.
What Kind of Apples are Good for Salads?
The best kind of apples for salads are hearty, crunchy apples that won’t brown too quickly after they are sliced. These apple varieties are perfect for salads:
- Honeycrisp
- Fuji
- Pink Lady
- Jazzy
- Envy
- Empire
When added to the broccoli salad, tart apples like pink lady or honeycrisp pair well with the dressing and other ingredients. For added flavor, try mixing two different apple varieties into the salad.
How to Keep Apples from Browning
While some varieties of apples go longer than others before they start to brown, depending on how far in advance you make this recipe, you may run into issues with brown apples in this salad. To ensure your apples don’t turn brown before your salad is served, try tossing them in a small amount of lemon juice before adding them to the bowl. A tiny bit of lemon juice will help stop the browning process. Use a small amount of the lemon juice so it will not alter the taste of the recipe.
How to Store Broccoli Salad
Since this salad is so delicious, you probably won’t have any leftovers! But if you do, you can store the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Quick and Easy Broccoli Apple Salad
Ingredients
For Salad:
- 6 cups fresh broccoli cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 ribs Celery chopped
- 1 large or 2 small tart apples cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
For Dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Combine all salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix mayonnaise and sugar together in a smaller bowl until sugar dissolves.
- Add apple cider vinegar to other dressing ingredients and mix well.
- Pour dressing over salad ingredients and combine.
- Chill 30-45 minutes and serve.
Lise Ode
Saturday 20th of February 2021
I love the addition of apples and pumpkin seeds. Brilliant idea. Sound delicious!