Roasted Broccoli Salad

I’ve been making this roasted broccoli salad for years. My family loves it, and when I serve it to friends, they always ask for the recipe. What makes this recipe special is that it is made with both roasted and raw broccoli, toasted almonds, sweet cranberries, and tiny pieces of tart lemon. It’s delicious!

This beauty in a bowl is what happens when broccoli salad, broccoli slaw, and crispy roasted broccoli come together for a salad party like no other. You’ll also find some crispy almonds, sweet cranberries, and tart little lemon slices in the mix just for some extra delicious fun times.

With each bite you take, you’ll get a little bit of crunchiness, crispness, sweetness, and tanginess. What more could you possibly ask for?

About the lemon

We need to talk to you about the little lemon slices in here. They’re so tiny that you might not think they would be of much use, but every time one finds its way onto your fork, your mouth will explode with the most beautiful, fresh, lemony taste. They make the salad.

Or, some of us think they make the salad. One of our taste testers asked for fewer lemon slices on his second helping, which didn’t make any sense to the rest of us, who fully believed that they were the best part of this roasted broccoli salad.

So here’s the thing, I want to know your opinion. What do you think of the lemon slices in here?

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4.90 stars (64 ratings)

Roasted Broccoli Salad Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 25 minutes mins

Total: 35 minutes mins

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I'm a big fan of broccoli salad. While I love my broccoli blueberry salad and grilled broccoli caesar salad, this roasted broccoli salad is my favorite.

I use both roasted and raw broccoli, which gives the salad the best texture. But my real secret trick is the tiny pieces of tart lemon. You get them every few bits, and they brighten up the salad – they're my favorite part!

6

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 heads broccoli
• ▢ 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ ½ cup almonds
• ▢ ¼ cup dried cranberries (or raisins)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• ▢ 4 very thin slices of lemon (each cut into 8 tiny triangles – see notes)

The lemony dressing

• ▢ ¼ cup lemon juice (fresh is best!)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon honey (sub maple syrup for vegan)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 1 clove garlic (grated on a Microplane or very finely minced)

Instructions 

• Preheat your oven to broil. Place an oven rack on the second to top shelf.
• Roughly chop the broccoli, making sure to include the sweet broccoli stems. You should have around 9 cups. Place 2 cups of broccoli in a large bowl and the rest on the baking sheet. Drizzle the broccoli on the baking sheet with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Mix it around so that all of the broccoli is coated with oil. Pop it in your oven and let it roast for 15-20 minutes, or until the florets are dark brown. Remove them from the oven and put them in the bowl with the raw broccoli.
  2 heads broccoli, 2 teaspoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon sea salt
• Put the almonds in a small baking dish and roast them in the oven along with the broccoli until they are fragrant and light brown, about 8 minutes. Remove them from the oven and roughly chop them once they are cool enough to handle. Add the chopped almonds, cranberries, dill and lemon slices to the bowl with the broccoli.
  ½ cup almonds, ¼ cup dried cranberries, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, 4 very thin slices of lemon
• In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Pour it over the broccoli and toss to coat.
  ¼ cup lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 clove garlic, 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• Serve immediately, or let it stand for up to 20 minutes.

Notes

Lemon slices: Whatever you change about this recipe, make sure you don’t leave out the lemon slices. They’re the best part! Cut them very thin – as thin as you can – so they are not too tart. 

Make ahead: If you’d like to bring this to a potluck or make it ahead of time, you can! Put the roasted broccoli and all of the other salad ingredients into a large salad bowl. Then, make the dressing and pour it into a mason jar. Store everything in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it – up to a day. Before serving, pour the dressing over the salad and toss it. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving = ⅙ of the recipe, Calories: 221kcal (11%), Carbohydrates: 24g (8%), Protein: 8g (16%), Fat: 13g (20%), Saturated Fat: 1g (6%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Sodium: 271mg (12%), Potassium: 743mg (21%), Fiber: 7g (29%), Sugar: 10g (11%), Vitamin A: 1269IU (25%), Vitamin C: 185mg (224%), Calcium: 130mg (13%), Iron: 2mg (11%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

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