A hearty salad with plenty of texture always feels so nourishing and satisfying. This Broccoli Waldorf Salad features fresh broccoli florets as the base with juicy red apples and sharp cheddar cheese throughout. With a creamy, greek yogurt dressing this salad is a nutritional packed recipe that tastes outstanding too!
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Salad is all about texture
A good salad is all about different textures and this Broccoli Waldorf salad takes texture to the next level. Traditional Waldorf Salad contains fruit, celery and nuts, but is served over a bed of lettuce. In this recipe, we will give it a twist and swap out that lettuce for broccoli florets, also making it great for meal prep because the broccoli won’t get soggy.
With this Broccoli Waldorf Salad you get an amazing crunch from the broccoli and a crisp juiciness from the apple. This is topped with a healthy dose of sharp cheddar cheese as another texture element and that salty, tangy cheese flavor we all love.
This Broccoli Waldorf Salad is smothered in a greek yogurt dressing adding creaminess and some extra protein. I love serving this with grilled chicken as a tasty lunch or as a side dish at a summer barbecue.
Ingredients for Broccoli Waldorf Salad
Broccoli - Instead of lettuce, we are using crunchy, fresh broccoli in this Waldorf Salad.
Sharp Cheddar Cheese - Sharp cheddar has the perfect salty and tangy bite that nicely contrasts the sweet apples in this salad.
Onion - Use red for little bit more bitterness.
Red Rockit Apples - Rockit apples have just the right amount of tartness and just the right amount of sweetness. They're so juicy, too.
Greek Yogurt - Yogurt will be the base of our Waldorf Salad dressing. This lightens up a what could be a heavy, cream based dressing and adds a bit of protein too.
Light Mayo - To thicken up the yogurt dressing a bit.
Salt & Parsley - Added to the dressing for a balance of flavors.
Kitchen equipment & tools needed
To make Broccoli Waldorf Salad you will need a large salad bowl, cutting board, chef’s knife, measuring cup/spoons, rubber spatula, and a strainer.
How to make Broccoli Waldorf Salad
This salad is super easy to make and comes together in just a few simple steps.
- First, chop the produce: If you’re broccoli isn’t already cut into florets, chop into bite size pieces. If you buy a pre-cut bag of broccoli, cut any larger pieces. The smaller the better with this salad! Finely dice the red onion. Dice Rockit Apples.
- Then, add produce to a large mixing bowl along with cheddar cheese.
- For the dressing, in a smaller bowl combine greek yogurt, light mayo, salt, and parsley. Mix until combined.
- Add dressing to the large bowl and toss well until all broccoli florets are covered.
- Enjoy!
Broccoli Waldorf Salad FAQs
Since there isn't any lettuce in this salad, it holds up great for meal prep. Store in an air tight container for up to 5 days.
The best way to not completely make a mess of your broccoli head is to cut at the stems. You can get as close to the top of the broccoli as you need to, but keep your knife on the stalk portion to avoid getting tiny rice-like shreds all over the place.
Since we are keeping the skin on, you want to give your apples a really nice wash before adding them to your Waldorf salad. Soaking the apples in a 2 cup water / 1 teaspoon baking soda mixture for up to 15 minutes followed by a good rinse works really well.
Yes you will need to use a plant-based cheese alternative or leave the cheese out. For the dressing use cashew milk or soy yogurt in place of both the greek yogurt and mayo and add a tablespoon of olive oil.
Don't stop at Waldorf Salad, try these too!
Chickpea Mediterranean Chopped Salad
Healthy Lemon Dill Potato Salad
Broccoli Waldorf Salad
Equipment
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Mixing Bowl
- Rubber Spatula
- measuring cups / spoons
Ingredients
- 6 cups broccoli florrets , (32 oz bag pre-cut florets)
- ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 small red onion
- 2 cups diced apple, Rockit
- ¾ cup non-fat greek yogurt, plain
- 2 tbsp light mayo
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- First chop the produce: If you’re broccoli isn’t already cut into florets, chop into bite size pieces. If you buy a pre-cut bag of broccoli, dice up any larger pieces. The smaller the better with this salad! Finely dice the red onion. Dice Rockit Apples.
- Then, add produce to a large mixing bowl along with cheddar cheese.
- For the dressing, in a smaller bowl combine greek yogurt, light mayo, salt, and parsley. Mix until combined.
- Add dressing to the large bowl and toss well until all broccoli florets are covered.
- Enjoy!
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved, something that you think it might need, or just say hi!
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you're using MyFitnessPal, search 'A Paige Of Positivity' and find BROCCOLI WALDORF SALAD calories and nutrition facts
1 serving: 21 grams Carbs | 5 gram Fat | 5 grams Protein
**Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
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California Pizza Kitchen has a Waldorf Salad that I LOVE, but this one I think takes the cake. I love the extra texture the broccoli offers. Definitely keeping this in my meal prep rotation.
This is so good that I ate half the plate. I liked eating mine like a dip and used pretzels and club crackers. This is a great healthy lunch or snack.
Broccoli salad never sounds good to me, but once I make it, I'm always pleasantly surprised. UMMM the apples in this - GENIUS! 12/10 for me!
Delicious
Traditional Salads can boring! I love this recipe. It has been my go to make for lunches/dinners and to share at parties. Plus there is no cook time which I love.