This classic-tasting broccoli salad relies on a honey and Dijon infused vinaigrette to keep it light yet incredibly flavorful. Perfect for those who don’t (and do!) love mayo.

In surveys aimed at ranking the most polarizing foods, mayonnaise consistently tracks as a top vote-getter. The thick, creamy condiment ranks right up there with the likes of black licorice, olives, oysters, blue cheese, and pineapple on pizza. (I’d love to hear where you stand on this—feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below!)

That said, I happen to enjoy mayo. Beyond its classic use as a sandwich spread, I appreciate the way a little bit of mayonnaise can be an aid in cooking, acting as a binding agent, supplying flavor, moisture, and thickness—even lending golden brown color to grilled and roasted seafood and meat.

Used judiciously, I also love a creamy, mayo-based salad dressing, like in my Curried Chicken Salad, Classic Broccoli Salad, and various Caesar salad recipes.

But variety is the spice of life, as the saying goes, and whether you’re on Team Mayo or not, this No-Mayo Broccoli Salad recipe is a keeper.

I often serve the crisp, colorful salad alongside everyday dinners like burgers, fish, pork, steak, or plain roasted chicken. It’s also a good way to provide balance to a rich main dish or something else with mayo in it, like the aforementioned chicken salad or my Chicken Chip Bake.

The mayo-less broccoli salad is essentially a hybrid of my Fall Slaw and Favorite Broccoli Salad recipes. The latter is classic broccoli salad, with a mayo-based dressing, at its best. The former pairs a simple honey Dijon vinaigrette with cabbage—but cruciferous vegetables are often easy to use interchangeably. In this case, the vinaigrette proved to be a lovely complement to the main components of a classic broccoli salad.

Tips for Perfect Texture

To elevate this salad from good to excellent, keep these simple prep tips in mind:

Chop the broccoli very small: For the best texture, chop the florets into tiny bite-sized pieces.
Don’t waste the stalks: When working with long broccoli stalks rather than just the crowns, I like to coarsely shred them. (Peel away any woody or discolored spots first.) The shredded pieces soften the naturally fibrous texture of the veggie, enhancing the mouthfeel. They also help to unite all the ingredients.
Add-ins: Optional extras, like grains, will further augment the texture. More on this below…
Make it ahead: The enduring texture of this salad makes it an excellent prep-ahead side dish for backyard cookouts, potlucks, and busy weeknight dinners; it stays crunchy and won’t get soggy. Leftovers hold up beautifully in the fridge for up to five days.

Mix-Ins and Flexible Substitutions

I appreciate how customizable this salad is; you can often make use of complementary items that may already be in your pantry or fridge. Some of my go-tos include:

The Crunch: Chopped almonds (I love Smokehouse almonds for their salty, smoky flavor), and roasted sunflower seeds are my usual picks, but walnuts, pecans, peanuts, pistachios, and pepitas are great choices as well.
For Creamy Sharp Balance: I typically use shredded sharp cheddar, but you could dice the cheese into small cubes if you prefer. Alternatively, smoked Gouda, Pecorino Romano, feta, and pepper Jack (for a hint of heat) pair well with this salad too.
A Hint of Sweetness: Golden raisins are my favorite (and people who say they dislike raisins don’t tend to be offended!), although dried cranberries and/or crisp, diced apples also work beautifully.
Bacon: In the photographed batch, I included crisp, crumbled bacon. While the old saying dictates that bacon makes everything better, I promise this salad is plenty flavorful without it. More times than not, I actually skip the bacon simply because it’s quicker and still completely delicious.
Grains & Legumes: Because this salad holds its crunch so well, it makes for an excellent make-ahead lunch, and it packs well. If you have leftovers, you can easily bulk them up by stirring in cooked rice, quinoa, farro, couscous, or white beans. Recently, I added leftover cooked millet and it was delish. Grains also tend to soften the mouthfeel of cruciferous salads. (Heed note about making extra vinaigrette when incorporating add-ins like grains.)
Quick Proteins: You can turn this side dish into a fast, filling entree by stirring in leftover cooked chicken, salmon, or tinned fish (mild mackerel and salmon are my canned favorites).

A Quick Note on Tinned Fish: For those who feel sardines are too strong or fishy, canned mackerel may be a welcome alternative. The taste is mild, it is extremely high in Omega-3s, and it’s shelf-stable, just like canned tuna. Chunked and tossed into a serving of this broccoli salad, a standard-size can will add roughly 20 grams of high-quality protein to your plate. And for salmon fans, I’ve mentioned before, but it’s worth repeating, that Wild For Salmon’s canned Sockeye is my favorite canned salmon of all that I’ve tried.

Helpful hint: If you plan to add more than a cup or so of grains and/or protein to the salad, I recommend making extra vinaigrette. The dressing is versatile, so if you end up with any leftovers, you can easily use it throughout the week on other cruciferous slaws or green salads.

I’d love to know if you try this recipe! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @fountainavenuekitchen on Instagram and Facebook. Your feedback is always appreciated. 💛

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No-Mayo Broccoli Salad

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A mayo-free broccoli salad that rivals the classic recipe is possible thanks to this light but incredibly flavorful vinaigrette.

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Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Yield servings

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:

¼ cup (56 ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (30 ml) apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon (20 grams) honey
1 tablespoon (15 grams) Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon kosher salt and a few turns of the pepper mill

For the salad:

4-5 cups small broccoli florets* (from about 1¼ pounds broccoli)
⅓ cup (55g) raisins (golden are nice) or dried cranberries (could use dried cherries**)
¼ cup minced red onion (may adjust to taste based on preference and pungency of onion)
½-¾ cup (2-3oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
⅓ cup (~47g) almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, or sunflower seeds (or a mix; my personal favorite combo is chopped Smokehouse almonds + roasted sunflower seeds)
Optional: 4-6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled***

Instructions

Add the vinaigrette ingredients to a small bowl or jar and whisk (or screw on the lids and shake) until thoroughly blended and emulsified. Make-ahead tip: The vinaigrette may be prepared in advance and stored at room temperature for several hours or refrigerated.
In a large bowl, toss together the broccoli, dried fruit, and onion. Pour the vinaigrette over the broccoli mixture and toss to evenly coat. If time allows, cover and chill the salad in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.
Prior to serving, add the cheese and nuts (roughly chopped if using whole almonds, walnuts, etc.) and optional bacon. Toss to thoroughly incorporate. Store any leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator. They will keep well for 4-5 days.

Video

Notes

*Optionally, you may make this salad with 14-16 ounces of broccoli slaw mix. In this case, if desired, adding a handful of small florets will add visual appeal. I’ve also used bagged coleslaw and rainbow slaw mixes as well as random combinations of cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, kale, and broccoli from my fridge.

When using broccoli with stems (instead of just the crowns), I coarsely shred the stems with a mandolin or box grater and mix them with the florets. The shreds combine with the florets to create a softer/less cruciferous texture and better “mouthfeel.”

A large head of broccoli (or approximately 1 to 1¼ pounds) will yield 4-5 cups of florets. If you like a more heavily dressed salad, opt for the lesser amount of broccoli; use 5 or so cups if you prefer a lighter coating of dressing. Note that after the salad rests for an hour or two the dressing will seem more plentiful.

**Fruit options: Dried cherries may be used instead of raisins or dried cranberries. As yet another option, you could use a rounded ½ cup or so of halved fresh grapes or even some diced apple.

***No bacon but like its flavor? On occasion, I’ve added 3-4 ounces of ham, roughly chopped, as a well-liked alternative to bacon. That said, I most often make this salad without either, as it’s delicious as is.

Make it a meal: This salad takes well to various grain and protein additions, like quinoa, wild rice, white beans, shredded chicken, salmon, and some tinned fish (salmon and mackerel being my favorites). See post above for additional details.

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