I like my Broccoli Salad with slightly softened bite rather than a hard raw crunch, and plenty of dressing that’s not excessively mayo-heavy. The dressing is still creamy, but it’s a lightened up mayo based dressing with fantastic flavourings – and there’s plenty of it!
For an even healthier option, try this Broccoli Salad with a mayo-free Creamy Lemon Dressing or Ranch Dressing, or this Broccoli Salad with Sour Cream dressing!
The mere mention of Broccoli Salad conjures up visions of giant bowls of broccoli swimming in oily mayo dressing that’s often too sweet. Just the thought makes my thighs start expanding.
Yet I cannot deny that I’m a sucker for a good Broccoli Salad with a creamy dressing. So today, I’m sharing mine. Plenty of dressing. Lots of add ins to make the salad interesting. And marinated broccoli with a softened crisp bite, rather than hard raw crunch.
A BETTER RAW BROCCOLI
I know some people have a hard no! stance on raw broccoli. I’m pro raw broccoli in salads – as long as it’s had time to “marinate” and soften slightly. It’s not so much the stems that bothers me – I actually like the crisp freshness of the stems. It’s the florets. They’re just kind of dry and crumbly when raw.
Solution:
a) give the salad time to marinate in the creamy lemon dressing which slightly tenderises the broccoli. Both the acid and the oil in the dressing helps here; and
b) slicing the florets thickly rather than leaving them whole. More surface area = better marinating effect to take the hard raw edge off the broccoli.
PLENTY OF LIGHTER MAYO DRESSING
This dressing is made with a combination of mayonnaise, sour cream or yoghurt, lemon and milk, plus flavourings. The sour cream or yoghurt act as a thickener with a touch of acidity and the milk thins out the dressing, making it pourable for better coverage and so the florets soak up the dressing like a sponge. Plenty of dressing flavourings compensate for using less mayonnaise.
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE I STRUGGLE WITH
This is one of those salads that is best made the day before – or at the very least 2 hours before serving.
I don’t deal with this well. I pick at it constantly straight after making it – and am always disappointed with how it tastes, and I fret that it’s not going to taste great.
Have patience my friends. Let time work its magic, let those flavours meld together, let the dressing marinate the broccoli. It’s so worth it! – Nagi x
PS If you’re in a rush, I’d recommend steaming the broccoli. Steam, rather than boil – you want to avoid water soaked florets. It will ruin the creamy dressing experience.
MORE SALADS TO TAKE TO GATHERINGS
Here are some more of those salads that are terrific to make in vast volumes to take to gatherings because they’re actually even better the next day!
Mrs Brodie’s Famous Potato Salad
Coleslaw
Italian Pasta Salad
Pasta Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes
Macaroni Salad
MORE BROCCOLI RECIPES – And if you’re overstocked on broccoli, have a browse of all my broccoli recipes -> Broccoli Recipes.
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Broccoli Salad with Lighter Creamy Dressing
Ingredients
Broccoli Salad:
- 500 g/1 lb broccoli florets (2 large heads, 22cm/9" diameter)
- 150 g/5oz bacon , chopped then cooked until golden
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries (or raisins, sultanas or blueberries)
- 1/2 cup almond slivers
- 1/2 red onion , finely sliced
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 3/4 cup Greek yoghurt or sour cream
- 1/4 cup / 65ml milk , low fat
- 1/4 cup / 65ml lemon juice (or cider vinegar)
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tsp each onion powder , garlic powder, mustard powder
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp finely ground pepper
Instructions
- Cut the florets into slices no thicker than 0.7 cm / 1/4" thick.
- Place in a bowl with remaining Salad ingredients.
- Mix Dressing well in a large bowl - use a whisk to ensure it's all well incorporated. It will be thin and pourable - see video for consistency.
- Pour all over Salad, toss well.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight (minimum 2 hours). Remove from fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
He can inhale a hunk of cheese in 1 chomp. And yet, he nibbles on a single broccoli floret for almost a minute, crumbling it into pieces before progressively and very deliberately eating each tiny piece. ?
A quick question, is it 1 teaspoon onion powder + 1 teaspoon garlic powder + 1 teaspoon mustard powder? Or are the garlic & mustard powder’s substitutes? (Usually it would read “or”, and the last 2 powders are written in faint print) just double checking…
Whoops! Helps if you watch the video… 🤣
Delicious! I left it to marinate for 6 hours and the broccoli had the perfect crunch without the bitterness of raw broccoli. Everyone was pleasantly surprised with how good it tasted even though the broccoli hadn’t been cooked. I made two substitutions: I forgot to get slivered almonds and only had flaked almonds in the pantry. Didn’t seem to make much difference apart from them sticking to my salad bowl more than I imagine slivered almonds would. I also used spring onions instead of red onion because I don’t like the taste of raw red onion.
Hands down, one of the BEST salad dressing I have ever tasted! I clicked on this recipe because of the “lighter creamy dressing” part of the title. I have a general salad recipe that I use that had some heavy hitters in it, and it is my general go to. But I needed some fresh dressing ideas. this one was a hit. the only ingredient I did not have on hand was the dry mustard. I used a couple of tsp of dijon instead. So I don[‘t know how much it may have changed the taste, but it doesn’t matter, it was delicious. My husband used the words “tangy with a bit of a bite”. He liked it quite well, Salad disappeared. This made quite a lot of dressing–about 2 cups when all was said and done. Enough for several salads for the two of us. I think I could even use it for a crudite tray, Just for fun. Thanks Nagi, you never disappoint.
This was hands down one of the best summer recipes I have EVER made. And I did it in the first try! OMG that dressing!!!! Must admit I soaked all the extra up with French bread and I want to try it on a lettuce salad next, but will be making THIS recipe all the time. Substitutions I made: did not have mustard powder so added about a TBS of yellow mustard and didn’t have onion powder so omitted it. I am also not a huge dried cranberry fan nor did I have any of those on hand, so to add some sweetness I candied the bacon with plenty of brown sugar as it cooked. Finally, I did not have plain slivered almonds so substituted with crushed Smokey seasoned almonds. It turned out FABULOUS. My husband and my 5 and 4 year olds all enjoyed it equally.
Kudos to the chef/creator of this recipe, we are officially OBSESSED.
*Served this along with the BEST chicken marinade bbq’ed chicken breasts and buttered baguettes. This was one amazing summer Sunday dinner.
That looks so good. Making this while broccoli is in season. When is your cookbook coming out?
I found this broccoli salad recipe last week—and I’ve now made it twice because we can’t get enough! Even my 11 yo twins love it! And definitely, let it sit or make the day ahead.
I made this salad tonight not expecting any of my family to be fans – one told me beforehand she wouldn’t be eating uncooked broccoli. Famous last words, everyone loved it!! I’ll be making this again. Thx Nagi, your recipes never fail 😊
Followed directions exactly and it came out wonderful. Made so much I shared with a neighbor! I made a try out batch before bringing it to our potluck feast this Thursday at work. Thank you girl for knocking it out of the park. Every recipe I make of yours comes out delicious!
I haven’t made this yet, but I hope I will like it. I know exactly what you mean about the S&W mayo! I grew up hating mayonnaise until I found S&W! Now I won’t use anything else!!
Hi Nagi! Will this pack well for a picnic at the park? Been looking for salad recipes that don’t get soggy when served outdoors, and left there for long periods.
Fabulous recipe! I love broccoli salad any time of year. I used smoked cheddar instead of the bacon to keep it vegetarian and that worked well for us. Thanks for another keeper!
Oh my goodness Nagi I know what you mean about picking at this salad. Have just made it and can’t stop going back for just one more taste. It tastes amazing!
Another fabulous, quick and delicious recipe! Thank you Nagi – I’m learning so much from you 😊
Hi Nagi, Just a quick question here; is there a particular rand of mayo you recommend using? I feel like the mayo at woolies and coles all tastes so different, and as a person tat doesn’t consume a lot of it usually, I’m wondering if there is a brand you best recommend?
Holly x
Hi Holly! Absolutely – Hellman’s or S&W. I’m like you – I don’t use it much so when I do, I want the best! (PS Homebrands are just too sour or too sweet 🙂 Will update recipe notes with this tip) N x
Hi Nagi,
This recipe is just AMAZING. How on earth did I eat 6 persons portions in 24 hours? Delicious but i’m exploding!
I do it all the time Bella – at least it’s good for you! 😉 N x
Made this wonderful dressing for my version of broccoli salad this morning with one substitution: in place of the lemon juice / cider vinegar, I used 2 TB white wine vinegar and 2 TB lemon infused balsamic vinegar, which can put any recipe over the top. While the lemon balsamic dressing is not cheap – it is so delicious and you have to try it to believe me!
Thanks for all your great recipes, Nagi!
Can the mayo be totaled eliminated and substituted with greek yogurt or sour cream? Personally I like mayo but my husband refuses to eat anything with mayo.
I’ve been making reduced or no mayo dressings for a long time because I just don’t like the greasy waxy cloying mouthfeel of mayo-heavy dressings so finding Nagi’s web site was like finding a long lost soul mate for me. I agree with Nagi re the flavour balance. When I have made entirely mayo-free dressings, I have taken the edge of all that yoghurt/sour cream by dissolving a little brown sugar into the acid (eg. Vinegar). About enough to equate to the sweetness of the mayo you would have used. Depending on the dressing, I have used palm sugar, or honey, or maple syrup or even a tablespoon of dessert wine, which can add a nice note of complexity. It could be worth one last shot before getting a new husband. I hope this helps.
Use buttermilk instead of mayo but you can try the Mayo version and just not tell your husband sometimes it’s best just not to tell your husband that you put mayo in it he will never know. you may also want to add a tablespoon of oil just to smooth it out too much yogurt and sour cream and it will have a chalky taste
Try using buttermilk
Sounds like you need a new husband! 😂 I find the mayo balances it here, I think it would be too much with just sour cream or yogurt! N x
I absolutely love this salad. I made it as a side but it turned into my main. Will definitely be making this again and will be perfect to make the night before to take into work the next day. Thanks for another great recipe Nagi 🙂
You’re so welcome Alex! N x
This is soooo tasty!!
Despite not being able to tempt the kids to eat broccoli, I was secretly happy because I get the leftovers all myself.❤️
Cheesy broccoli fritters – that’ll convert them Vanessa!
Yummmmm!!