This kosher recipe for Quick and Easy Broccoli Salad with Cranberries is a cool compliment to a delicious Shabbat or Rosh Hashanah meal. The best part is you can make this salad in under 10 minutes! The sweet onions and dried cranberries go perfectly with the crisp flavor of fresh broccoli. This recipe is kosher, non-dairy, gluten free, and pareve. Read on to learn how to make the best Quick and Easy Broccoli Salad with Cranberries recipe.
Why This Recipe Works
- Simple to make. There is no cooking or baking involved, just great fresh ingredients.
- Quick to prepare. Put this salad together in under 10 minutes.
- Make it in advance. The longer the salad sits before you serve it, the better it gets.
- Goes well with lots of different foods. Eat the salad as a meal by itself or serve it as a side to any number of dishes such as homemade smoked salmon or whole roast chicken.
6 Ingredient Recipe
One of the great things about this recipe is just how quick and easy it is to put together. The combination of 6 fresh ingredients makes this salad sing with flavor. All you need to make this salad is:
Broccoli: there are a number of different opinions about how to properly clean broccoli so that it is kosher. We will not comment on any of those here, you should consult your Rabbi for instructions.
Dried cranberries: adds sweetness and tartness to the salad.
Red onion: adds some sweetness and a little bit of bite.
Cashews: used for a crunchy and nutty flavor. You can use plain roasted cashews or try chili lime seasoned cashews for a surprise burst of flavor.
Mayonnaise: the base of the dressing
Water: to thin out the mayonnaise and let it soak into the tops of the broccoli.
Salt and black pepper: to taste.
A Step by step guide to making this recipe
Time needed: 9 minutes.
The best Quick and Easy Broccoli Salad with Cranberries step by step.
- Cut the broccoli
Cut the broccoli to into pieces that are approximately 1 ½ inches long. If you are using frozen broccoli for this salad then it has probably already been cut to this size.
- Add cashews, dried cranberries, and red onions
Add chopped red onions and the dried cranberries and cashews. There is so much flavor here the bowl can hardly contain it!
- Prepare the dressing
The dressing is so simple to prepare. Just add the water to the mayo to thin it out. Then add salt and pepper to taste. The dressing will look thinner than you might be used to. This is because it has to be thin to get into the tightly packed broccoli tops.
- Mix the dressing into the salad
Pour the dressing onto the salad and mix until it has been absorbed into the broccoli. Do not panic if you are not seeing a lot of evidence of the dressing on the tops of the broccoli, it has been absorbed and is still there. You can eat the salad right away and it will be delicious, but let it sit for at least an hour if you are able.
Recipe FAQ
While some broccoli salad dressings call for using sugar, this one does not. The sweetness in the salad comes from the red onion and dried cranberries. This recipe is much healthier without all of the sugar and tastes just as yummy.
We love dried cranberries in this salad but you can always try dried cherries or raisins. Both of these should still add the sweetness to the salad without making it too sweet. Let us know if you try either of these substitutions.
No. This is not a cooked broccoli and it does not require steaming.
You can do this. If you use broccoli slaw, you will most likely be able to skip the process of cleaning the broccoli to make it kosher and just give it a normal wash before using. Cut the water down to ⅛ cup as the dressing will stick to the slaw and not need to be as thin.
The salad is ready to eat right away. That being said, the longer you let the broccoli marinate in the dressing before you serve it, the better it is. If you can, you should let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour before serving. Just make sure to give it a stir first as some of the dressing will have settled at the bottom of the bowl.
Tips and Suggestions
- Add sunflower seeds, cheese (dairy), or beef fry (meat)
- This salad can be a meal in itself, grab a big bowl for lunch.
- Serve alongside slow cooker bbq chicken or bbq beef for a complete Shabbat meal.
- Serve before Rosh Hashanah Apple Cake for a light kiddush or snack.
- Great for vegetarians.
- Substitute in vegan mayonnaise to make the recipe vegan.
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Quick and Easy Broccoli Salad
Equipment
- Large bowl
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups broccoli chopped and cleaned
- ½ cup cashews
- ¼ cup red onion chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the chopped broccoli into a bowl and add the dried cranberries, cashews, and red onions.
- In a separate bowl, prepare the dressing by mixing the mayonnaise, water, salt and pepper.
- Dress the salad and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
- Add sunflower seeds, cheese (dairy), or beef fry (meat)
- This salad can be a meal in itself, grab a big bowl for lunch.
- Serve alongside slow cooker bbq chicken or bbq beef for a complete Shabbat meal.
- Great for vegetarians
- Can be eaten right away but gets better after chilled.