Classic Broccoli Coleslaw
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This classic (and healthy!) broccoli coleslaw recipe uses fresh chopped broccoli, cranberries, slivered almonds, and red onions. The lightly sweet and tangy lemon buttermilk dressing is easy to make and crazy delicious. You definitely want to make this!
Oh, crunchy broccoli, sweet cranberries, and creamy lemony dressing … you are the salad that dreams are made of. This broccoli coleslaw is leaps and bounds ahead of that bagged broccoli slaw stuff you buy from the store. It's all about real BROCCOLI here. Cause isn't that what you want when you're craving broccoli coleslaw?
And the dressing. Truth → it's all about the dressing. Sorry, broccoli. We love you—we really do—but this lemony buttermilk dressing makes the salad.
Little broccoli florets are the perfect veggie to capture the maximum amount of dressing. Give it a minute to work its way into all the broccoli nooks and crannies, and your broccoli coleslaw will be even more stellar.
Why you need this broccoli coleslaw in your life
- Crunchy broccoli. It's like being that person who eats all the broccoli from the veggie tray (dipped in ranch dressing, of course) before anyone even gets to the party. You do that, too, right?
- Eating your daily veggies is SUPER EASY when they taste this good.
- It's a keeper! If, for some weird reason, you don't eat it all for dinner, put the leftovers in your fridge and call it lunch.
- BBQ season is upon us, and this salad deserves to be brought to all your outdoor events.
- Lemons! Gawd, I love those lip-puckering beauties. Don't worry, this salad is definitely not lip-puckering. I tone that down with buttermilk and a little honey. But it does have a light and bright lemony kick. Yum!
- Sweet cranberries, crunchy almonds, and crisp red onions = yum all around.
How to cut broccoli for coleslaw
Whatever you do, don't throw away the broccoli stems! They are wonderfully sweet and deserve to be part of your coleslaw. Here's how I prep broccoli for coleslaw:
- Cut the stem off (save it!), then cut the florets into small, bite-sized pieces.
- Use your knife to peel the stem.
- Then, cut the stem into matchsticks, much like you would do with a carrot.
That's it! You now have all of the broccoli's good parts to add to your slaw.
What to serve with this easy broccoli coleslaw recipe:
Can you meal prep broccoli slaw?
Yes! It's not often that you can eat leftover salad and actually enjoy it. While it is better fresh, it's also tasty eaten for lunch the next day. The broccoli is a little soft, which isn't a bad thing at all.
If you want to make this for lunches this week, divide the dressing between a couple of mason jars and top with the broccoli slaw. When you're ready to eat, give the jar a good shake to mix the buttermilk dressing with the coleslaw. Delicious and healthy!
More reasons to make this healthy broccoli coleslaw …
Kids. If you have them, there'll be no more begging them to eat their veggies. If you don't have them … bonus! You don't have to share.
My daughter goes seriously nuts over this salad. I have to make compromises that go something like, “If you eat three more bites of chicken, you can have more salad.” This is a miracle salad.
More broccoli salad recipes
Broccoli Coleslaw Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 heads of broccoli (cut into small florets and stems julienned)
- ½ cup slivered almonds (toasted)
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup red onions
Instructions
- Place the broccoli, almonds, cranberries, and red onions in a large salad bowl.2 heads of broccoli, ½ cup slivered almonds, ½ cup dried cranberries, ¼ cup red onions
- Add the lemon buttermilk dressing ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and whisk together.¾ cup buttermilk, Zest and juice from 2 lemons, 1 ½ tablespoons honey, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 1 clove garlic, Optional: 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- Pour the dressing over the broccoli coleslaw and toss to coat.
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
This recipe is part of our Best Spring Side Dishes series. For more inspiration, check out all of our salad recipes!
I made this tonight. The flavour was wonderful but found the dressing way to runny. So I added more mayonnaise hoping it would make it thicker. Unfortunately, it did not.
Do you have any suggestions?
We use full-fat buttermilk, which is thicker than light buttermilk. Perhaps that was the difference?
Is the Broccoli cooked at all?
thanks
Nope! It’s eaten raw. 🙂
Until I found your recipe I’ve only ever made packaged broccoli slaw before. I’m not going back! Everything about it was perfect. Even my kids ate it!
So happy it was a hit with the whole family!!