Broccoli Salad Recipe with Blueberries, Red Onion, Dried Cranberries and Honey-Toasted Walnuts is a beautiful side dish for any of your gatherings.
This is not your momma’s broccoli salad recipe. I don’t even know what that means, I just wanted to say it.
Loaded with fresh blueberries, zippy red onion, tangy dried cranberries and toasted candied walnuts, it is the perfect side dish to just about any main dish. The candied walnuts really bring it up a notch!
Ideal for those who love broccoli salads but also love a little adventure, this easy recipe is here to support your desire for novelty.
Ingredient Notes:
Here are the ingredients needed to make this simple recipe.
Fresh Broccoli: The main ingredient! We need one large crown of broccoli, or a bunch of broccoli with the stems attached. You can blanch broccoli for 30 seconds in boiling water to soften it up a bit if you’d prefer.
Fresh Blueberries: Berries level up this unique broccoli salad recipe and turn it into a never-before-seen sort of situation.
Honey Toasted Walnuts: You’ll go wild over them! They add pizzaz, crunchy flavor and some sweetness to make the salad sing.
Dried Cranberries: Mandatory in all salads in my opinion! They add sweet and tangy flavor.
Dressing Ingredients: Plain Greek yogurt, avocado oil, pure maple syrup, and fresh lemon juice. This combination of ingredients yields a light creamy dressing.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Replace the fresh blueberries with dried blueberries and omit the dried cranberries.
- Use raisins instead of dried cranberries.
- Make my Rosemary Candied Walnuts for added flair.
- Swap the walnuts for pecans or almonds.
- Play with the portions of mayonnaise and Greek yogurt depending on your preference.
- Use pure maple syrup instead of honey.
- Add 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- Just add cooked bacon!
How to Make Broccoli Salad with Toasted Walnuts:
Cook all of the ingredients for the toasted walnuts in a small skillet until the walnuts are coated in honey and sticky. Once cool enough to handle, chop the nuts.
Mix the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl.
Toss all of the broccoli salad ingredients together in a mixing bowl with the creamy dressing.
Serve with your main dish, and enjoy!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
If you’re a lover of broccoli recipes, also try my Broccoli Slaw and my Broccoli Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing!
Here’s the recipe:
Broccoli Salad with Honey-Toasted Walnuts
Ingredients
- 2 large crowns broccoli chopped into florets
- ¼ red onion thinly sliced
- 4.5 ounces fresh blueberries
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 3 Tbsp avocado oil mayonnaise
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
To Prepare the Honey Toasted Walnuts:
- Add all ingredients for the walnuts to a small skillet and heat over medium. Cook 5 to 8 minutes until mixture is very bubbly and walnuts have caramelized and turned golden-brown. Set aside and allow to cool. Chop the walnuts when cool enough to handle.
To Prepare the Broccoli Salad:
- Soak the broccoli in a large water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from the water and pat dry.
- Chop the broccoli crowns into small florets, and chop the broccoli stems. Add stems and florets to a large serving bowl.
- In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, honey, and salt.
- Pour this mixture over the broccoli and stir well to coat all of the broccoli with dressing.
- Add the red onion, blueberries, dried cranberries, and toasted walnuts. Toss everything together and serve with your favorite entree.
Nutrition
More Delicious Recipes To Bring to Any Gathering:
- Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes from Sarcastic Cooking
- Strawberry Cinnamon Twist Knots from A Kitchen Addiction
- Lemon Shortbread with Salted Chocolate Drizzle from The Lemon Bowl
- Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream from A Zesty Bite
- Blackberry and Mango Curd Pie from Joanne Eats Well With Others
- Super Simple Sugar Cookies from Espresso and Cream
- Raspberry Acai Frozen Margarita from Nutmeg Nanny
- Berry Coconut Frozen Yogurt from Well Plated
- Pretty in Pink Buttercream Cups from Keep it Sweet Desserts
- Neapolitan Baked Doughnuts from The Curious Plate
- No-Bake Rhubarb Cheesecake Parfait Cups from Hungry Girl Por Vida
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp from A Cedar Spoon
- Freckled Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade from Take a Megabite
- Vanilla Anise Cupcakes from A Classic Twist
- Mini Blackberry Hazelnut Meringue Cakes from Stephie Cooks
Your broccoli salad recipe is ALWAYS a hit! The blueberries and toasted walnuts add great flavor and texture. Keep the recipes coming you’re an amazing chef.
Awww thank you, Debbie! I love the toasted walnuts too! I appreciate the sweet words and encouragement!
I’ve never seen a recipe call for soaking broccoli in a water bath before. What’s the purpose? Just to clean it?
I soak the broccoli to remove anything from it. If you’d like, you can just give it a good rinse, but soaking it is more effective for removing anything unwanted (pesticides, dirt, critters, etc)
This looks beautiful, and stuffed full of goodness! Thanks for posting!
I must tell you… I will use this recipe, forever!
Yaaaaay! So glad to hear it, Debra!! I absolutely love the salad too 🙂 So simple and healthy, yet packed with flavor.
Hands down the best broccoli salad I’ve seen. I love all the flavors going on in here. pinning.
This looks so good!! I cannot wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!
This salad is fabulous. So glad you brought it to the party to keep us balanced 🙂 PS: Very happy to meet you!! I love your blog and have spent a few many minutes drooling over your amazing recipes (and photos!!!)
Thanks, my dear! I adore your blog too!
Oh, I am SO pinning this! 🙂 A friend shared her mom’s broccoli salad recipe with me years ago and I adore it, but the idea of adding fresh fruit and walnuts is just too much to resist. Fabulous!
Thanks, Meg! Let me know if you try it! I’m a huge fan of broccoli salads and there are so many ways to make it fun, healthy and tasty 😀
Aw man, I want a T-rex hug. I can see the literal version of that coming to life in my dreams. Hopefully a bowl of this awaits at the end. Love the creativeness of mixing blues with broccoli!
Haha! Luckily, I give T-Rex hugs away liberally, so I reckon I have an extra to spare 😉 Glad you like the salad, m’lady!
Loving this salad, broccoli is one of my most favorite veggies and this combination is killer.
Thanks, Cheri! Broccoli’s always a winner and I was very pleasantly surprised by how well the salad came together. Let me know if you try it! 🙂