Vegan Broccoli Salad
Make this vegan broccoli salad for your next bbq and enjoy the flavour explosion of onion, veggie bacon and the best dressing!
Vegan Broccoli Salad
BBQ season is here and the best part is grazing over all of the side dishes that everyone brings! I'm excited to share a delicious recipe for a vegan broccoli salad and dare I say it, it’s right up there with my warm potato salad. This broccoli salad is packed with flavour and is sure to impress and even surprise your guests that it’s vegan!
Here are the ingredients you'll need:
- Fresh broccoli
- Red onion
- Pine nuts
- Veggie bacon (vegan-friendly)
- Vegan mayo
- Balsamic vinegar
- Brown sugar
Preparing the Broccoli & Red Onion
To make quick work of preparing the broccoli, I recommend purchasing a bag of pre-washed and cut up florets. This will save you time and allow you to focus on cutting the florets into bite sized pieces.
The key to the best tasting broccoli salad is really small pieces of broccoli so you get a perfect mix of all of the ingredients in one bite!
You’ll also want to chop very small pieces of onion as well- are we feeling the theme here? Haha, trust me, the smaller the pieces the better!!
Crisp the Veggie Bacon
Don’t miss this step! Having crispy bits of smokey goodness all throughout your salad is the absolute best!! I recommend separating each slice of veggie bacon (I like Lightlife or Yves brand) and then cutting them into small pieces. Pop them into your air fryer for 10 mins at 300°F flipping half way or do it the traditional way and pan fry them.
Pine Nuts for a Bougie Touch
Listen, I get it- pine nuts are expensive!! But they really do add a nice taste and mouth feel to this salad. If you can find them, toast them lightly and then allow to cool. You can absolutely swap sunflower seeds instead!
The Secret Sauce
Traditional dressings for broccoli salad is: mayo, vinegar and sugar. But I take it to the next level and swap in BALSAMIC vinegar and brown sugar and let me tell you, it takes this classic salad from good to FANTASTIC!
I hope you try this refreshing vegan broccoli salad that strikes the perfect balance of textures and flavors. It's the ideal companion for a BBQ, offering a delightful crunch, a hint of smokiness, and a tangy-sweet dressing. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out! Enjoy!
Vegan Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
- 6 cups broccoli florets chopped into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 red onion finely chopped
- 1/3 cup pine nuts toasted (can sub sunflower seeds)
- 1 pkg vegan bacon chopped
- 3/4 cup vegan mayo
- 1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the broccoli and red onion by finely chopping both and placing into a medium sized bowl.
- In an air fryer or pan, sauté chopped vegan bacon until crispy, then add to bowl.
- In the same pan lightly toast pine nuts or sunflower seeds and add to bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk together vegan mayo, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar until nice and smooth.
- Pour dressing over broccoli mixture and mix thoroughly until well coated.
- You can serve immediately but it will taste even better after sitting in the fridge for a few hours or overnight so flavors can meld!