My
Shop
Wholesome Yum
Free: Healthy 5-Ingredient Meals Ebook
Get It NowI’ve been making broccoli slaw since I can remember in my adult life. Even in college when I didn’t do much cooking (survived on stir fry meals and frozen pizza), I’d buy pre-cut bags and make my own creamy broccoli slaw salad dressing. These days I’m still big on convenience (2 kids and all…), but I also like to make food from scratch when I can. It turns out, making this easy broccoli slaw recipe using fresh broccoli and carrots makes it even better!
What Is Broccoli Slaw?
Broccoli slaw is a lot like cabbage coleslaw, but uses shredded broccoli stems and florets instead of cabbage. It combines crisp broccoli and fresh carrots with an irresistible, lightly sweet creamy broccoli slaw dressing, then finishes with sliced almonds for added crunch.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Broccoli Slaw Recipe
- Fresh, crunchy veggies
- Sweet, tangy, and creamy dressing
- No cooking — just cut and mix
- Ready in 15 minutes
- Naturally gluten-free, low carb, and dairy-free
- Perfect for any picnic, barbecue, or cookout
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best broccoli slaw ingredients, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
Broccoli Slaw:
- Broccoli & Carrots – Use a small bunch of broccoli with stems included and one carrot. Alternatively, you can use about 4 cups of pre-made broccoli slaw mix in a bag from the grocery store.
- Sliced Almonds – Although optional, I recommend adding these for the perfect flavor and crunch. You could also use walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews, or pecans. For a nut free option, use sunflower seeds instead.
Broccoli Slaw Dressing:
- Mayonnaise – I make my own avocado oil mayonnaise for this, but store-bought or even plain Greek yogurt would work as well.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Gives that tangy coleslaw flavor. You could also use lemon juice or white wine vinegar.
- Honey – I usually use sugar-free honey to avoid added sugar, but any kind works.
- Dijon Mustard – Although it adds additional flavor and tang, Dijon mustard is not essential to the dressing. You could use yellow mustard, honey mustard, or brown mustard instead, or omit the mustard altogether.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper – To taste.
How To Make Broccoli Slaw
This section shows how to make broccoli slaw salad, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Cut off the florets. Wash and dry broccoli. Cut broccoli florets away from broccoli stalks.
- Chop finely. Chop florets into small pieces, as this will prevent them from overpowering the shredded stems in the broccoli slaw. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
- Peel the stem. Use a vegetable peeler (recommended) or sharp knife to peel broccoli stem.
- Shred the stem. Julienne broccoli stems into thin matchstick pieces. Add to bowl with the chopped florets.
TIP: Use a food processor for less effort.
You can slice the stems thinly by hand using a knife, but I recommend using a food processor with grating attachment. A box grater would also work.
- Shred the carrots. Wash, dry, and peel carrots. Julienne them the same way as the broccoli stem. Add to bowl with broccoli.
- Mix the broccoli slaw dressing. Whisk together the mayo, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard (if using), salt, and pepper.
- Combine. Pour broccoli slaw dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Adjust salt and pepper to taste if needed.
- Add crunch. Add almonds and toss again.
TIP: Let the flavors develop if you have time.
You can enjoy this salad right away, but if you have time, refrigerate for at least 1 hour (up to 3 days) to let the flavors develop. Stir right before serving.
Recipe Variations
This dish makes the perfect healthy salad as is, but here are some optional additions if you want to change it up:
- Dried fruit – Add 1/2 cup dried cranberries (regular or sugar-free), raisins, or golden raisins to make it sweeter. You can also try my broccoli cranberry salad for a similar twist.
- Apples – Shred 1 red or green apple into the broccoli coleslaw salad for a sweet and crunchy contrast.
- Onion – Adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup of diced or thinly sliced red onion to broccoli slaw provides a hint of spice and sweetness, adding an extra layer of flavor.
- Make a meal – Top with pan seared chicken breast, grilled chicken, or juicy baked chicken breast to make it a meal.
Storage Instructions
Keep the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
What To Serve With Broccoli Slaw Recipes
This slaw is so versatile that it can be used as a side salad at picnics or potlucks, a side dish at home, or even as a topping! Here are some delicious ideas:
- Chicken – I like to serve this salad with simple fried chicken thighs, but I also serve it with coconut chicken tenders for a sweet and savory combo. It also does a great job of balancing out the heat of buffalo flavors, like baked buffalo wings, zesty buffalo chicken breasts, or for a vegetarian option, buffalo cauliflower.
- Fish – Slaw is a classic combo for crunchy fish recipes like fish sticks, crispy parmesan crusted tilapia, or elegant baked haddock with a toasted almond topping.
- Grilled Mains – Broccoli salad with coleslaw dressing pairs well with barbecue mains like smoky grilled shrimp skewers, BBQ ribs, juicy grilled steak, flaky grilled cod, or even BBQ lobster tails.
- Topping – Add it to your favorite tacos, make supreme nachos (or cauliflower nachos for a lighter option), or add it to hot dogs or juicy burgers for fresh crunch.
More Creamy Salad Recipes
Say bye to bland salads! Try these easy ones instead — perfect for all occasions.
Recommended Tools
- Vegetable Peeler – This 3-in-1 peeler has a julienne peeler blade that would make this recipe a breeze.
- Food Processor – Make meal prep faster with two slicing discs, a grating disc, a chopping/mixing blade, and two pushers.
Broccoli Slaw
This broccoli slaw recipe has a sweet, creamy dressing that coats fresh broccoli, carrots, and almonds. A perfect salad for summer meals!
Remove Ads
Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.
Broccoli Slaw:
Dressing:
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
-
Wash and dry the broccoli.
-
Cut the broccoli florets away from the stem. Chop into very small pieces, about 1/4 inch in size. Place into a large bowl and set aside.
-
Use a knife or vegetable peeler to peel the broccoli stem. (If the bottom inch of the stem is very woody, just cut it off and discard.) Julienne the broccoli stem into thin matchstick pieces. You can do this by hand using a knife, but I recommend using a food processor with grating attachment. A box grater should also work. Add the stems to the bowl with the chopped florets.
-
Wash, dry, and peel the carrots. Julienne them the same way as the broccoli stem, using a knife, food processor with grating attachment, or box grater. Add the carrots to the large bowl with the broccoli.
-
In a small bowl, whisk together the broccoli slaw dressing: mayo, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard (if using), salt, and pepper.
-
Pour the dressing over the broccoli slaw and toss to coat. Adjust salt and pepper to taste if needed.
-
Add the almonds and toss again.
-
Enjoy right away, or if you have time, refrigerate for at least 1 hour (up to 3 days) to let the flavors develop. Stir right before serving.
Did You Make My Recipe?
Leave a rating to help other readers, tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram (I’d love to see!), or save the recipe to your email.
Try More Of My Recipes
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
Nutrition information does not include optional ingredients.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
Add Your Notes Your Notes
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Broccoli Slaw Recipe
6 Comments
Janice
0As a big fan of broccoli, I must say this recipe truly elevated its flavor profile. The dish turned out to be incredibly flavorful, and I’m excited to share it with my family over the weekend.
Glenda
0Love! Love! Love! Broccoli slaw is fantastic. It’s a staple on our summertime table. And it’s stunning on tacos, especially pork or fish.
Sharon
0This slaw was delish! We loved the hint of sweetness from the honey in the dressing and the crunch from the almonds. It was great also to pack up and tote to work for lunch.
Michelle
0I needed a vegetable dish and came across this recipe — really easy to make and full of flavor! Will have this on repeat!
Elizabeth S
0I made this to test for Memorial day and we ate it all in one day. Will definitely be making this again for Memorial day. I did add more black pepper to ours but we like a lot of pepper here.
Lisa
0This broccoli slaw came out so much better than the premade mixture. It’s going to be a staple recipe over the summer.