Light & Easy Broccoli Salad
A recipe for a lightened-up version of classic broccoli slaw, which can be made ahead and serves a crowd.
Serves8 to 10
Prep20 minutes to 30 minutes
In my Southern family, we grew up eating broccoli slaw that had
raisins
So I set out to modernize this retro slaw with a few fresh tweaks. Skip the toasted ramen noodles, use almonds instead of peanuts, currants instead of raisins, and the result is easy, lightened-up, and still oh-so-crunchy salad.
The Equipment to Use To Making the Broccoli Slaw
Most of the recipes I’ve seen call for a bag of pre-shredded broccoli slaw. Even the recipes that call for fresh broccoli use only the stalks. And while this would be a fine way to use up stalks if you don’t usually eat them, I’m all for using the tops. They shred up a bit fine, but they’re perfectly delicious in this slaw.
I will say that a food processor is pretty handy in making this dish. You could finely julienne the stalks and slice the florets into tiny pieces, but it’s much, much quicker with a food processor.
Substituting Ingredients
I skipped the ramen noodles and used almonds instead of peanuts, which added a little more crunch and a milder flavor. I also used currants instead of raisins, because I love how their smaller size meshes well with the fine texture of the slaw.
There is mayonnaise in the dressing, but not nearly as much as in most recipes I saw. It’s just enough dressing to keep everything moist without making a pool at the bottom of the bowl.
Tester’s Notes
I’ve eyed this recipe for quite a long time so I was happy to finally give it a go. It’s no doubt a versatile, crowd-pleasing salad that will go with just about anything you’re serving. Grating the broccoli yourself (versus buying bagged pre-shredded) really does make a difference in terms of taste and texture, so do try to go this route if you can.
As many previous commenters can attest, this recipe is adaptable. If you can’t find currants, feel free to use one of the many substitutes suggested at the bottom of the recipe — I personally loved it with dried cranberries and am eager to try it next time with golden raisins.
I did make a couple of changes to the recipe based on feedback from you. I toasted the almonds for extra crunch and nuttiness, and lowered the amount of both the sugar and salt in the recipe, as I felt the rice vinegar lent a good amount of sweetness already and the mayo carried a nice balance of flavor as well.
– Sheela, May 2018
Light & Easy Broccoli Salad
A recipe for a lightened-up version of classic broccoli slaw, which can be made ahead and serves a crowd.
Prep time 20 minutes to 30 minutes
Serves 8 to 10
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup
dried currants
- 1/2 cup
boiling water
- 1/2 cup
mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons
freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons
rice vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon
granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt, plus more as needed
Freshly ground pepper
- 2 pounds
broccoli (about 1 large head), cut into large florets
- 4 ounces
red onion (1/2 small onion), finely chopped
- 3/4 cup
sliced almonds, toasted
Instructions
Place the currants in a small heatproof bowl. Pour the boiling water over the currants and set aside for 5 minutes. Drain off the water. Meanwhile, place the mayonnaise, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, salt, and a generous amount of pepper in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Using the shredding disk on a food processor, shred the broccoli stalks and florets. Add to the bowl of dressing. Add the currants, red onion, and almonds and toss to combine. Taste and season with more salt or pepper as needed. Let sit 30 minutes at room temperature or 1 hour in the refrigerator so the flavors can mingle before serving.
Recipe Notes
Quicker slaw: If you do want to skip the broccoli shredding, substitute about 6 cups of pre-shredded broccoli slaw mix for the whole broccoli.
Currant substitution: If you can’t find currants, dried cranberries, cherries (chopped if large), or raisins (regular or golden) can be substituted.
Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.