Broccoli Apple Salad

Name: Broccoli Apple Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 12 ounces broccoli slaw; 2 apples, Pink Lady or Honeycrisp, (cut into matchsticks); 1/4 cup chopped red onions; 1/4 cup sliced almonds, (toasted); 1/4 cup dried cranberries or golden raisins; 1 tablespoon chopped parsley; 1 garlic clove, (minced); 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard; 2 tablespoons tahini; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 1/4 cup olive oil

By Paige Adams

on Oct 02, 2026

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This crunchy broccoli apple salad has major slaw energy. To save time, I use a packaged broccoli slaw mix with shredded carrots. Then I only need to cut apples into matchsticks and dice red onions. Tossed in a creamy tahini vinaigrette, the salad also has toasted almonds, dried cranberries and fresh herbs.

Why You Love This Recipe
The Ingredients
How To Make This Broccoli Apple Salad
Serving
More Fall No-Lettuce Salads
Broccoli Apple Salad Recipe

Why You Love This Recipe

It’s a salad and a slaw in a single recipe. I like to serve it as a fresh side with a roasted main dish, or I will have it on its own for lunch.

Bagged broccoli slaw is a fantastic shortcut. Also, then you end up with the exact amount you need for the recipe. I’m also a big fan of coleslaw mixes with cabbage, which is what I use in this mandarin orange salad.

This salad is worthy of Thanksgiving or another special dinner. It’s never too early to think ahead to the holidays. Because the base of this salad is shredded broccoli, it keeps its crunch and freshness even if it sits out longer than it would during a normal meal.

The Ingredients

Ingredients including broccoli slaw, apples, red onions, dried cranberries, almonds, olive oil, tahini, apple cider vinegar, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper.

This is what you need:

Broccoli slaw is easy to find at most grocery stores. You can substitute with a coleslaw mix if that’s all that’s available.
Apples: Varieties like Pink Lady and Honeycrisp are my go-tos for salads because they’re crisp, slow to brown and have a good balance of sweet and tart flavor.
Red onions, finely chopped, give the salad a pleasantly sharp accent.
Sliced almonds are better toasted because their nutty flavor is boosted. Whenever I buy a bag, I scatter the nuts across a sheet pan and toast them in a 350-degree F oven for 5-7 minutes. Then I store them in a jar, so I can spontaneously throw them into salads or sprinkle them onto yogurt.
Dried cranberries or golden raisins are a sweet counterpoint to the apples in the salad. I also like that they add more variety bringing in something chewy.
Parsley: Chopped fresh herbs round out the layering in of all the different flavors and ingredients.
Tahini vinaigrette: Made with apple cider vinegar, whole grain mustard and garlic, the dressing is lightly creamy, so it doesn’t overwhelm the broccoli and apples which happens too often with slaw-style salads.

How To Make This Broccoli Apple Salad

1. Combine the salad ingredients. That includes the slaw, apples, onions, almonds, dried fruit and parsley.

2. Make the dressing. It helps to let the tahini sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before stirring it with the minced garlic, mustard, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Salad ingredients assembled in a large bowl. Tahini dressing whisked in a small bowl.

3. Toss the salad with the dressing.

Salad tossed with dressing in a large bowl.

Serving

When I approach this broccoli apple slaw as a side dish, I pair it with this roasted carrot, chickpea and halloumi recipe or these baked chickpea fritters. Because the salad has a tahini-based dressing, it works well with dishes that have Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavors.