I have been craving broccoli something fierce lately. Yes, broccoli as in helloooo, need iron much? Because I am apparently that predictable of a pregnant woman. Not that this bothers me, I’m actually relieved to be craving something, anything but grapes for five minutes. Why I can’t be a normal pregnant woman, mainlining ice cream sundaes and pickles and peanut butter simultaneously, I don’t know, but if grapes and broccoli must be my (terrifically boring) torch to bear, so be it.
Alex has a cousin that sometimes graces family gatherings a slaw-style broccoli salad I adore, with chunks of raw broccoli and dried cranberries and some toasted pine nuts or almonds, in a mayo-based dressing. Alex and I don’t agree on this — he of the oh so very difficult vegetables and sweet things cannot be paired persuasion and me of the can’t hear you, too busy cronch-cronch-cronching — thus I’d yet to give it a spin at home. Yet last week I saw a link from Apartment Therapy’s Kitchen in which they’d made a broccoli slaw very close to the one I like where a commenter suggested people try it with my favorite Buttermilk Dressing instead. I love it when other people give me better ideas of what to do with my own favorite recipes.* Almost as much as I love that dressing.
Thus the combination of a fierce broccoli craving, an overdue broccoli slaw and the notion of having any excuse to make an extra batch of that dressing was all too much for me to bear, and you’ve never seen someone so eagerly lunge at the raw broccoli before noon on a Monday. Seriously, there was a gaggle of kids standing in the way and I was practically tapping my feet waiting for them to move on, gah, why must kids be so slow? Mama needs her broccoli! And now you can’t say you weren’t warned about what a weirdo pregnancy turns you into.
NEW: Watch me make this slaw on YouTube!
* I should totally do a series of posts about recipes I’ve updated with reader suggestions that made them so much better. Remind me! I’m forgetful these days. For example, yesterday morning, I tore apart the bed and my nightstand looking for my iPhone and still couldn’t find it. Small issue: I was speaking to my mother on it while I was digging around. I fear this might be a sign of things to come.
Slaw, previously: As I am sure a couple people have picked up, I’m a little slaw-crazy, thus if broccoli slaw isn’t your bag (and heh, when has broccoli ever won a popularity contest?) here are a few other places you might want to start: Not Your Mama’s Coleslaw, Dead Simple Slaw, Green Onion Slaw, Tangy Indian Cabbage Salad and then, as if this wasn’t enough, four more slaw recipes (Blue Cheese Slaw, Napa Cabbage Slaw, Radicchio Slaw and Pickled Coleslaw) in an article I did for NPR a couple years ago. Happy crunching!
Two years ago: Raspberry Topped Lemon Muffin
Broccoli Slaw
Adapted a little bit from family, a little bit from Apartment Therapy
If you have a raw onion aversion, you might enjoy using these pickled red onions instead, then chopped small. You can also pickle shallots with the same method.
Makes about six cups of slaw
2 heads of broccoli
1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
Buttermilk Dressing (Adapted from this salad.)
1/2 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
1/3 cup mayonnaise (this is more than is in the original, to thicken the dressing further)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (or, you could just use a little extra red onion to simplify it)
Trim broccoli and cut it into large chunks. From here, you can either feed it through your food processor’s slicing blade, use a mandoline to cut it into thin slices, or simply had chop it into smaller pieces. I used the stem and the flowerets, but if you have a broccoli stem aversion you can just use the tops. (P.S. My favorite way to prep the stems is to peel them — the tough skin is why most people think they don’t like broccoli stems; the broccoli underneath is juicy and crisp — then use the mandoline or a knife to cut them into thin slices.)
Toss the sliced broccoli with the almonds, cranberries and red onion in a large bowl. Meanwhile, whisk the dressing ingredients in a smaller one, with a good pinch of salt and black pepper. Pour the dressing over the broccoli (if you’ve skipped the stems, you might not want it all; I otherwise found this to be the perfect amount) and toss it well. Season well with salt and pepper to taste.
Should keep up to a week in the fridge, if you don’t have any pregnant women nearby.
Variation: I bet this slaw would be equally good with cauliflower. I might use dried currants instead of cranberries, walnuts instead of almonds and maybe even some celery slices thrown in. Have fun with it.
I laughed out loud, at work, when I read the part about the iPhone!
This looks daaaaaaamn good. I’ve had something similar, but with bacon…and isn’t everything made better with bacon anyway?
The grocery store in my hometown had something like this with bacon and shredded cheddar cheese…it was my favorite. I’ve only ever seen it done with Miracle Whip, so I’m excited to try this dressing, as I can’t buy Miracle Whip where I live!
Do you have any suggestions for a replacement of the buttermilk? Severe dairy allergies in my house !
Do you have any soy yogurt or the like? That would work. Mostly you want a little tang.
I make soy milk ‘buttermilk’ – 1 tsp of lemon juice to 1/2 c. of soy milk. Let it sit for 15 minutes before you use it.
Thanks, will try that as well!
I make a vegan version with coconut yogurt instead of buttermilk and vegan mayo. (Not a vegan but my bestie is.) I can eat a whole bowl of this as well.
I didn’t have cranberries so I used a pomegranate instead. Great salad!
I made a vegan version and added grated Brussel sprouts, hemp seeds, green peas and a vegan caesar dressing (vegan mayo, lemon juice, mustard, nutritional hearts, sea salt, garlic and black pepper) It made a lot…but I ate the whole bowl.
I think you might have just induced a new pregnancy craving in me. That looks fabulous.
As a mother of two small weird people (who I still look at and wonder about), I will testify to the bizarre nature of being pregnant. And I can just say pray very hard that you are never on bedrest. Yeck.
And a very small sidenote – does it ever strike you as funny/odd/interesting that YOUR kids might use some of your recipes marked “Not your mama’s” and that it WILL be their mama’s? Hey – this is something that will hit you as funny, either now or some sleepless am.
I love this salad and would humbly suggest adding a little crumbled bacon, perhaps even sliced shallots cooked with the bacon. Hey, you get a higher caloric allowance when you’re pregnant.
This sounds AMAZING! I’m not a fan of cabbage, so slaw is usually out for me, but I LOVE broccoli! Thanks Deb! Can’t wait to try!
Ohhh I’ve also done the whole ‘looking for my phone’ while talking on it. I also had the unfortunate luck of complaining to the person I was on the phone with about not being able to find it. There was a shocked silence followed by a “you’re kidding, right?”
And I can’t even blame it on pregnancy.
Fate, thy name is Deb… I have broccoli AND about a half-cup of buttermilk aging less-than-gracefully in my fridge even as I type. Dinner is served!
It’s interesting to see what your “early morning broccoli craving” on twitter turned into! Looks good, too!
I love this salad, I use cashews instead of almonds and its great too.
And please, don’t underrate broccoli – it’s the best (and no I’m not pregnant!)
btw….this is my first post and I just love the site :-)
Love the onomatapoetic (oh good lord there’s no way I spelled that right) nature of the “cronch-cronch-cronching.” Hilarious. I usually use mayo thinned with lemon juice for broccoli slaw, but the buttermilk dressing sounds great!
I’m a bit averse to slaw – I think it is the typical abundance of mayo that gets me, but this looks great. I will have to try working my way through your slaw recipes and see if I can overcome my aversion! (Your iPhone story totally made me laugh!)
Is broccoli ever not good? Mmmm.
Looks delish! I love slaws and I like broccoli. If only my boys weren’t so anti-veggie. I’ll just have to make a quarter batch and eat it all myself!
always happy to hear about pregnant women’s cravings. fascinating.
looking for a phone you’re talking into is like looking for glasses your wearing. i’m surprised i haven’t done either… yet.
the broccoli salad looks delicious.
I love this salad…my variation uses sunflower seeds instead of almonds and raisins instead of cranberries. Also, I add crumbled bacon. Mmmmm….dang it. Now I want it and I can’t have it since I just started taking a blood thinner and broccoli is a no-no. Dang it!
What a clever salad idea! And I think I have almost all of these things in my fridge, needing use. Thanks for posting this one!
so excited for slaw season! Broccoli shoots are also great for these things. very tender. They have them at my fm. yum!
I’m not totally sold on raw broccoli, but I feel like that dressing might be good enough for me to forget that small fact.
I love broccoli slaw. I use a very similar recipe minus the cranberries and substituting pine nuts for almonds. I can’t wait to try this with the cranberries and almonds. I’m suddenly feeling as though I’ve been missing something all these years.
Deb,
Um, I’m feeling a little bit honored and down right proud right now…
I’m the aforementioned commenter from the Kitchn who laps up your buttermilk dressing by the spoonful. Your blog is one of the first I ever read and one of the blogs I swear has turned me in to a pretty darn good food-maker. Thank you for the nod and yes, I will be making this tonight.
Shayna
Good for you being all healthy and such!! I love the looks of this dish. Don’t get me wrong, a good cobbler is never turned away, but having a healthy, green dish is nice too!
Your craving broccoli made me smile–pregnancy is such a funny thing. During my second pregnancy I craved caesar salad for months on end and must have eaten a hundred of them. I’d be nauseous and a caesar salad would be the only thing that would settle my stomach. No peanut butter & pickles for me either!
I hate raw broccoli (adore it cooked) and I hate mayonnaise. Yet for some reason, every holiday, when my mother sets the dish if this out (hers with sunflower seeds), I cannot keep my paws out of it. Literally. I walk by the table throughout the day and grab florets, furtively sneaking them in my mouth, trying to be inconspicuous about crunching on a humongo mini tree. You know, because I’m sanitary and all. (Hey, we’re all family. It’s all the same DNA walking around the house….)
Did I miss the announcement? Congratulations to you and your hubby!
Pregnancy cravings are really unpredictables, and totally weird. Broccoli are so healthy to crave!
Keep on cooking!
I love this salad too. I only ever eat the salad mix in a bag one from Costco…which makes 10,000 pounds of salad that nobody but me wants to eat. My fear of terrible tasting dressing has prevented me from making it myself. I am soooooo happy that yours works well for this. Now I can make more manageable quantities of salad, and use up the random buttermilk I have in my fridge! Thank you. Love love love your site.
I cannot get enough of the Costco salad either, but this salad looks great!!
Sounds delicious – as for forgetful, I have had similar episodes and I am not pregnant. LOL.
I was just looking for an easy vegetable side dish to make for a dinner party this weekend… this looks perfect!
I can one-up your iPhone story… several years ago, my family getting ready to leave a church event when my great-aunt (whose son is about 10 years younger than me) started panicking because she couldn’t find her two-year-old son. We started running up and down the hall, looking in the Sunday school classrooms to see if he was in there.
It took us all (5 of us) about a full minute to realize that she was holding him, asleep, in her arms.
mmm, I love broccoli in any form! This looks great. I love the idea of updating, very cool.
That i phone thing is something I would do…but sadly I can’t blaim pregnancy! I’m totally excited for this buttermilk dressing.
I love this recipe!!!! Can’t wait to make it!
I love to keep broccoli salad on hand, just for something relatively healthy to snack on. I use the really sweet slaw dressing, that’s why it’s only relatively healthy compared to the cookie I might otherwise grab!
I add julienned carrots to mine for additonal color and crunch, and use toasted pecans and crumbled bacon or pancetta. I don’t use the bacon grease though. I would probably add some halved sweet tiny tomatos to it with your dressing. I LOVE ranch style dressing with tomatoes..I could eat bowls of them that way!
Toasted almond slivers! Yes. They are the best way to fancy up a salad, pasta or rice. I also use them as a frugal substitution for pine nuts in a recipe- when toasted their flavors are quite similar.
(P.S. As a gal with a similar mission in the kitchen who’s also cooking in a tiny nyc kitchen… you truly inspire my creativity!) xogaby
Enjoyed following your adventure with PW. The broccoli slaw sounds wonderful. Congrats on the coming baby.
I, too, have a raw broccoli aversion. When I worked in catering, we would always lightly steam (and then chill) the broccoli for vegetable dipping stations. A quick steam gets rid of that dry texture and makes the color really pop, but doesn’t sacrifice too much crunch. I have a giant bag of florets in my fridge right now – will give it a try steam-style and report how it goes!
No WONDER you’ve only gained 2 lbs! I mainlined mint chocolate chip ice cream while pregnant. I love the idea of the toasted almonds — think it would also be good with toasted pine nuts.
Debra,
The oddest thing! and I swear….I just made a broccoli slaw, with Trader Joe’s broccoli slaw mix, grapes, walnuts and mayo vinegar dressing.
Then I opened your post and there you are!
Now, how strange is that?
Don’t worry about those cravings – my mother told me she craved ice cold iceberg lettuce! She’d wash it, wrap it in a towel and refrigerate until icy cold and crisp. She’d then drive my dad nuts while she crunched away on an entire head of plain old lettuce! This lasted the entire pregnancy! Obviously she probably needed iron!
this salad looks delicious, but i’m with alex on the “vegetables and sweet things cannot be paired” thing (cranberries). i had a bad experience with a beef stew-like dish where i bit into a nice hunk of potato (i love potatoes) and it turned out to be a nice hunk of pear… yech.
next time you lose your phone, you can yell “marco” and hopefully mom can help you out ;}
I watched Alton Brown make a broc salad the other night and have been thinking about it ever since. Yours looks even better. Will be dreaming of all that creamy, crunchy goodness until I try it.(Yes, I’m pregnant too.)
Dang, we must be on the same wavelength or something! Just yesterday I made the biggest batch of a similar broccoli salad, which is sitting happily in my fridge at this very moment. I also add bacon because… well… bacon. Broccoli is one of my favorite veggies, I gotta say. Raw or cooked, I just love it. As for the pregnancy-brain and looking for the phone while on it… uh… I do stuff like that all the time and am in no way pregnant, so don’t feel too bad. ;-)
This is an excellent “mom” dish — I have several in my arsenal. I’ll tell you why. This looks and sounds right up my alley, but my husband would never touch it. I have 3 kids and hardly the time for lunch. This looks as if it would make a big bowl. I’d make it on Monday and have it for lunch for several of the following weekdays. I’d alternate it with PB&J (or my new favorite — graham crackers smeared with crunchy peanut butter).
Yum! Thanks, I’ll be making it this week.
This is a wonderful salad…. I absolutely love it.
When I was preggers I craved eggs any way shape or form. I don’t even like eggs. Weird.
I am pregnant as well and I’ve been craving broccoli all weekend. I just can’t seem to get enough. I’m going to have to try it this way tonight.
Thanks!
Have you read about how broccoli & other cruciferous veggies, when eaten raw, can affect your thyroid? Might check this out since you’re preggers.
did you hear the old wives tale about cravings? if you dont give in and eat what you crave, the baby will be born with a birthmark shaped like that food. the lady that told me this story swore her sister had a birthmark shaped like a slice of country ham.
thankfully you arent craving baby ruths like i did. slaw with chocolate covered peanuts and nougat really would break the sweet/veggie combo rule.
When I was pregnant, I forgot how to use the microwave… it can get bad!
Goshgoshgosh why does this sound so good to me? Dried cranberries are pretty much my favourite thing in the world. Broccoli is something I told my mother I would Loathe, Forever, and now kind of love, as much as you can love a green vegetable (-oh wait, I do love green vegetables. Hm). I think I have to eat this. Kind of now.
You are saving me from my own morning sickness, (which I think has been named rather misleadingly. It should be called all day sickness!) with all your tempting recipes.
Thank you from the bottom of my rather picky tummy.
That salad looks great! Someone on CHOW.com asked about pregnancy cravings and it was really fun to read! I had all day sickness with both my kids for the entire first trimester and could only keep mostly dry toast down. At about 14 weeks my appetite came roaring back. I craved Mexican food with my first, and would get upset and tearful if I didn’t get it EVERY day. My second pregnancy was the Thai food and mashed potato diet. My husband made vats, I kid you not, vats of mashed potatoes for me with regular visits to the local Thai place and I was a happy girl!
yum! i love broccoli stalks.
fact: you loose 10% of your braincells while pregnant. fortunately, they are supposed to come back once you are done nursing. i washed 3 cell phones in 9 months. it’s awful!
your salad looks wonderful! thanks.
I’m pregnant, too (due in October) and can’t get enough broccoli. Avocado, too, but that’s a whole different topic. Have you tried Ina’s broccoli with bowties? I could eat it by the gallon, even when I’m not pregnant. Steamed broccoli, toasted pine nuts, lemon juice, garlic. All over pasta. So, so good!!!
If I hadn’t just returned from the grocery store, this would get made *tonight*.
I adore your buttermilk dressing recipe so much that I make a double batch almost weekly. A friend gave me a garlic chives plant and I’ve been using those – the only change to your recipe. I have to restrain myself from chopping up the whole poor little plant…
Love it! I do a broccoli salad thing that is very similar, but it has bacon and pine nuts.
I make a broccoli slaw recipe and it uses poppyseed dressing. Yum
I love broccolis so you’ve convinced me presto, I love the photos!!!
That looks amazing! It sounds refreshing. Perfect for a hot day.
I make Brocolli Salad with a package of brocolli that is already processed like a cabbage slaw. And I will try to find the recipe as I have no idea where it is at the moment. It is made with ramen noodles (uncooked) and toasted almonds and it is additive it is so wonderful. The dressing is made from the seasoning packet in the ramen noodles. Promise will find it and post it. Not that yours doesn’t sound good.
Dorothy
My Mom makes something very similar but with sunflower seeds instead of the almonds and crispy crumbled bacon! Now THAT is a winning broccoli slaw ;)
MMM. sounds yummy. Maybe I will be invited to a cookout and will take this. Too lazy to have my own cookout right now.
Have done a broccoli salad with bacon as mentioned by others above. Maybe when I make this I will have some bacon on standby in case I feel the urge. Savory is more my thing than sweet…
thanks and btw-
loved your appearance on PW’s blog. Wish I would have won the honor to be there.
Make the most of it while you’re pregnant. I’m breastfeeding now, and can’t eat broccoli, cauliflower and several other iterations, because it gives the baby wind. So I still have the cravings.
Yum! I’ve been making something like this for awhile and I totally crave it, too! And I’m not even pregnant! I like to use golden raisins and bacon in mine.
GRAPES. Hope this doesn’t rock your world buuuuut, when I make this salad, I use halved green grapes and dark raisins. Just think – you can have your grapes and your brocolli too! (oh, and think sunflower seeds…)
We make this sort of salad at home except for we include bacon and sunflower seeds, and we use fresh grapes. If we have it in the pantry, we also put in half cauliflower. BTW, I have a 2 and 4 year old and I still do the cell phone thing. I was coming home from a restaurant the other day and I called my husband. He asked me how dinner went and I said, “fine, but I let Thomas play with my cell phone. I hope I didn’t leave it there.” There was total silence, until he had the nerve to point out that we were talking on it! Moral: it doesn’t go away after pregnancy!
Don’t feel too bad about looking for your phone. I once tore the house apart looking for my glasses, which were actually on my nose and in front of my eyes.
Couldn’t even blame it on pregnancy, I was just being a space cadet.
I make a similar broccoli salad, but I add supremed orange segments from 1 large navel orange. I suppose you could use canned mandarin oranges instead.
I love (as do my girls) any kind of slaw and can’t wait to try this one!
We all have those “mommy moments” – enjoy being able to call them that. In a few years they turn into “senior moments” (which my ungrateful oldest told me! lol)
Just think – you’ll be the skinniest post-pregnancy woman around. If craving broccoli and grapes makes for a svelte bod after baby, I could get behind that!
I have a recipe for a Southern style broccolli slaw that graces many an Alabama table. It is made with the prepackaged “broccoli slaw”, sunflower seeds and a dressing with red-wine vinegar and toasted ramen noodles- not the healthiest, but oh so yummy if you need a bit more tang!
Looks yummy! I think I’d go for it with a vinaigrette though. Maybe balsamic based. I buy the bagged broccoli slaw all the time for my lunch – it’s such a yummy vegetable.
Mmmm, I love broccoli slaws. A friend of the family used to make it with raisins, bacon and a honey dressing, deliciousness.
even though i’m not pregnant, i’ve been craving pickles. i guess our cravings just got switched around…
This looks fabulous! I really enjoy broccoli slaw, but hate that they’re usually more of a mayo soup with a little bit of broccoli. This looks perfect, though, and I love the addition of cranberries!
Interesting, a relative of mine always brings this to holiday dinners and puts sliced red grapes in it! It’s delicious, and you’ll curb both cravings in one!
I love broccoli salad — and as has been suggested, having bacon in it ups the deliciousness even more!
I’m pregnant too, and have also been disappointed by my boring cravings! Mexican food… and ice cream. Hold the pickles.
This slaw is one of my favorite foods. My family gets a little peeved that I make it all the time. There are times when I make an entire batch just for myself…I justify it by saying that it is broccoli based (and lightening up the dressing a bit).
I just want you to know that I SAW that AT post and I bookmarked it AND your dressing recipe.
Excellent.
If it makes you feel better, my mother mostly craved grapes while she was pregnant with me =) grapes and bread.
BTW, try spaghetti bolognese with broccoli, it’s delicious!
I must have missed the post when you announced you were pregnant… Congrats!!!
I love broccoli slaw!!! I have to try your recipe, it looks amazing.
Sounds wonderful. Re – the dressing: I recently discovered freeze dried shallots – I get mine from spicehouse.com – they are perfect for dressings etc (since I don’t always have shallots around) – and with 2 kids the less chopping the better.
I have to make this soon. It sounds sooo yummy. And I will definitely be adding bacon!
i did the same exact thing with my phone when i was pregnant! i was looking for my phone for a full 5 minutes before i realized it was on my ear. i feel much better about that now.
i didn’t crave junk when i was pregnant, either. i craved water and white rice. (is white rice junk?) also, i couldn’t eat chicken… it tasted like dirty dishwater to me.
Right after I had my first baby, a friend brought over a broccoli slaw made with pre-packaged slaw, peanuts and poppyseed dressing. The family loves it – tho I think I’ll introduce your more sophisticated version soon. Sounds yummy.
The pregnancy stupids are quite common. I got stupid and clumsy – not a good combo!
Yum! This was simply scrumptious with some bbq chicken! We made it with cashews and golden raisins, and I’m wondering if some crispy crumbled bacon might not be a delicious addition…
I’m kicking myself for not making your buttermilk dressing earlier… thankfully I oops-ed and doubled the recipe… I feel very smug, though, knowing I’ve got a big old jar of it in the fridge. I’m ready for any crudite that comes my way!
Next up… that rugalach-sticky-bun-ness. Mouth is watering just thinking about the post about them…
Have you tried the Broccoli Slaw salad made with Ramen Noodles? It’s delish!
I’d be glad to send you the recipe… it’s other name would be Chinese Noodle Slaw.
People..it isn’t the pregnancy that makes you lose your marbles..it’s the kid! I should say kids, as a single newborn is easy. The distractions that more than one child provide, are enough to make anyone forget where they put their head! (kidding..not really)
That’s alright. I can’t tell you how many times your mother has frantically searched for her phone … and where she’d find it when we called the number.
Nice shout out in Entertainment Weekly this week!
I love the colours of this salad! Beautiful. Slaws can be so incredibly satisfying. Mmmmm!
misswendy — That was the funniest thing I’ve read all day. I just, like, convulsed with laughter.
It is also good with bacon in it! I just had some for lunch on Mother’s Day at a buffet we went to. It is so yummy. I’m the only one in my family who likes broccoli, so I eat it when I can get it.
Oh, and the iphone thing… been there, done that… and wasn’t even pregnant at the time. Those babies do suck out some of your brain cells though! BUT, they are so totally worth it.
Congrats on your baby but don’t blink because it goes by SO fast. Enjoy and cherish every moment. My baby girl is now 13 years old and it seems like yesterday I was craving peaches while I was pregnant with her!
I was so excited to see that you featured this! My hubs and I love this, but we call it “Church Picnic Salad” due to its tendency to make an appearance at every covered-dish church function. I make mine a bit different…
I second, third, fourth, however many the comments that suggest adding bacon. Everything is better with salty, fried fat.
I also use golden raisins rather than cranberries, salted sunflower kernels rather than almonds. And my dressing is just mayo, apple cider vinegar, and sugar. I am such a southern cook, as I have no actual proportions written down, but I just mix it with a fork in a measuring cup, adding one thing or another until it tastes right.
We have also discovered that mixing it all together (minus the sunflower kernels) a couple of hours before we want to eat it makes the flavors meld together perfectly. Then we toss the sunflower seeds in right before we eat, so they won’t be soggy. Heavenly! Thanks for inspiring me – I’ve decided that I’m making this on Saturday for a family meal! :o)
The i-Phone story is good, but my friend Natasha has you beat. She looked up in a panic and gasped, “Where’s Ezra?” “Um, you’re nursing him.”
Mmm..this is just in time for summer BBQs. Thanks bunches!
I totally used your buttermilk dressing when I made this salad earlier this spring! I used bacon, and plain old raisins rather than the cranberries, but next time I’m doing the cranberries, how yummy! This is the only way my husband will go anywhere near broccoli (I’m usually not too fond of it myself), and he loved this stuff!
Broccoli is my favourite food – but for the first 20 weeks of my current pregnancy I couldn’t stand to be anywhere near it – or any other normally-yummy-green-leafies for that matter. Such a relief that things have returned to normal – reckon I’ll try your slaw. My due date was yesterday (waiting, waiting) – in the last week I’ve cunningly hidden the tea canister in the crockery cupboard, bought three litres of apple & strawberry juice instead of plain apple (I have a food sensitivity to strawberries…), and made an egg & ricotta pie sans eggs – even though I had the egg carton sitting in front of me on the kitchen bench from get-go. Baby-brain, hey.
I want to make this right now! I think this is going to be my lunch tomorrow (and no, I’m not pregnant).
I cannot wait to make this!! (tomorrow)
All I craved while pregnant was lemonade.
THIS. Oh man. I have been reading this site for a couple of years, but am finally commenting! As soon as the page loaded and I saw that picture I already knew what to make for lunch tomorrow. I am so excited to try this! I love broccoli salads and have been determined to try a good one. I bought one at the grocery store once and was so disappointed. Mmm, this looks delicious!
I absolutely adore this type of slaw. Thanks for telling me what I’m hungry for. I have a big head of broccoli in the fridge with this recipe’s name on it! BTW, if I was a betting gal I’d say you’re cooking up a boy. Fruit cravings = baby boy. I had 2 girls and all I wanted was SUGAR!! The refined white kind.
Hehe. I’ve always loved broccoli. Like, LOVED. Cooked, raw, whatever. It’s delicious. I think I may have some broccoli in the fridge and if I pick up some buttermilk…this is my lunch tomorrow!
I am beyond loving this recipe!!!!
Yum! I sure love your recipes. But you know what? Your writing is best. This suspiciously feels like one of these typical “oh, love love love it!” comments that everyone seems to hate, but I just had to tell you. So yeah, I love it!
healthy food, I’ll try this one :)
Dear Deb, I have to say this salad looks excellent and just what i’ve been missing. However, I was wondering if you could give a recommendation for substituting something for the buttermilk. I’m an expat living in the middle east and buttermilk is nowhere to be found – believe me i’ve search high and low for buttermilk and sour cream. Sadly, they just aren’t available. If you have any suggestions for the buttermilk i would be grateful and immediately make this delicious salad.
thanks!
Ooooh. I love broccoli and I love broccoli salad like this. My favorite Italian market (now sadly out of business) made theirs with chunks of sharp cheddar and bacon in with the raisins or craisins, sunflower seeds and red onion.
So lucky to be able to eat broccoli while pregnant. Broccoli was the very first food in a long string of foods that my body would reject on a regular basis all through my first pregnancy. If I tried to persist after I started getting the feeling that something was not quite right about what I was eating, my body would…er…take matters into it’s own gag reflex, LOL! All it had to be was the way something tasted, looked, or smelled, but the texture was usually the thing that triggered it.
i actually love broccoli, but i’ve never seen it in a slaw, and the photos are so pretty, i’d be a fan now if I wasn’t before
I’m not pregnant, but I want this now!
My sister calls that mind-set ‘placenta head’. Have fun!
alix — Buttermilk can be made at home.
This looks so good…I am going to make it for an upcoming Graduation party.
About the pregnancy “forgetfulness”- I had it bad with first pregnancy. It was so bad that I would forget if I fed the dog or not, so just to be sure I would feed her again. Well, as a result she gained 10 lbs. during my pregnancy! :-)
Thanks for sharing your story and the great recipe, Deb!
I do need more veggies in my diet…may have to try this.
BTW, friend of mine took a good bit of Omega 3 when she was carrying her little bit to help fend off the memory issues. Worked pretty well overall.
Ah, my grandma makes a salad like this, with bacon, and a mayo dressing, as some other posters have noted, and I love it! I loooove broccoli. I’ll be making this for with dinner when my boyfriend’s parents come round this weekend, but I’ll try the buttermilk dressing, which looks delish. Thanks Deb!
PS: Hope you haven’t had any more run-ins with ‘baby brain’; that iPhone story cracked me up.
Great recipe–I’ve made a similar one for a long time. And yes, sometimes I add cauliflower and broccoli together. Husband loves it too. I took a batch to the office and it was gobbled up immediately!
I’ve had similar – but with raisins or chopped dates, pecans, and it was mixed broccoli and cauliflower. It was wonderful!
BBAACCOONN!! This is our family favorite but we add tons o’ bacon, some grated cheddar, and sunflower seed kernels. Once a non-cooking friend asked for the recipe to serve some out-of-towners. I should have made a batch and taken it over, but she wanted to do it herself. She called later that night saying that she must have gotten some rotten sunflower seeds because they were so big and chewy and weird; they had all spent half the dinner time picking them out of the salad. My fault for not being explicit re sunflower seeds and sunflower seed kernels.
This looks great but we have nut allergies in our family. Any good substitute for the almonds, or is it worth making without them?
Add some bacon to your recipe and you have a full meal. Looks yummy!!
I’m pregnant also, but no cravings (other than milk) yet…….scratch that, I think this recipe has made me Need. Broccoli. Now.
ps. I’ve also seen Broccoli slaw with halved grapes, in case you need the grapes too.
I’m always looking for my sunglasses while they’re on top of my head….
Yum! Tasty slaw, and tasty blog :-)
What an interesting spin on slaw! Looks delicious!
I made this last night for a quick dinner – SO delicious and easy! I’m not pregnant, but I am very eagerly counting down until my lunch hour so I can devour some more!
When I tasted some left over from a DH Safety BBQ at his work, I immediately went to the computer and looked up recipes for this. Of course, I had to modify it to suit my own tastes and what is habitually in my kitchen, which turned out to be sunflower seeds instead of almonds and zante currents instead of cranberries or raisins.
The buttermilk dressing is a whole new idea and now I will have to try that! BTW, I have also eaten Broccoli Slaw for Breakfast…and I have never been pregnant. It’s just GOOD STUFF:P
I love broccoli slaw! This looks delicious!
I love the idea of a buttermilk dressing with this. Broccoli Salad is a picnic/cookout/funeral lunch (seriously) staple down here in the South. Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without lots of bacon. And we tend to use raisins down here lest we seem too “fancy.” Thanks for the new twist!
Congrats on craving broccoli. I was the same way with my first—my now 13-yr old daugher—and she loves all the dark bitter greens that I ate when I was pregnant with her!
Hola Deb!!!
I love love love ur site..
So i made this sometime last summer
‘cept without the almonds..
and with bacon and cheddar cheese mmmm..
and the dressing was homemade ranch, with extra sugar..
delicious.. =]
I adorrrrrrrrrrrrre this salad. I think it’s something about the raisin-red onion interface. Chewy and crunchy, sweet and hot together. Mmmmm.
Yummmm…. The cook at the school I teach at makes something like this for the kids sometimes (and yes, they do eat it!) and I LOVE when she makes it. I think I’ll have to make some myself soon. Maybe for that potluck I have to go to Sunday? Actually I was thinking about making the rhubarb coffee cake for that one–my rhubarb is just big enough to harvest some.
This is very similar to a blue-cheese dressing broccoli slaw that my fiance devours! I’ll have to share this with him :)
Would be yummy with raw butternut squash in place of the broccoli.
When I was pregnant, I had a daily need for broccoli and green salad. I’m glad to hear I wasn’t alone in that! I had broccoli, polenta, and marinara for breakfast every day. But I never was that much of a breakfast food / cereal kind of person.
I went to the store after reading this and bought what I didn’t already have on hand. Fabulous salad! I’m in my 28th week and this was a perfectly satisfying pregnancy dish!
Wow. I’ve been making broccoli slaw for years, but it’s nothing like this one. Mine has almonds, sesame seeds, crushed uncooked noodles, green onions, uses broccoli slaw and cole slaw and has a dressing, believe it or not, seasoned with Ramen Chicken Soup mix. I’m going to try yours now- looks even better!
Thanks for another mouth-watering salad. Pregnancy does weird things. I craved nectarines and made my husband take me to Golden Corral. I also was very clumsy and broke almost all of our drinking glasses. We switched to plastic and never looked back.
This looks so good! I’m totally making it for our Memorial Day camping trip.
Oh my goodness- I just love broccoli! I can’t wait to make this salad- it’s going to be DELISH! Thank you so much for sharing it- hope it satiated your cravings for a little bit! :)
HA! Your note made me laugh out loud. I can’t TELL you how many times I have done similarly insane things, and I haven’t had the excuse of pregnancy brain.
oh and the slaw looks delicious. I am a total broccoli cheerleader, so yay!
When I was pregnant I kept finding things like my car keys in the fridge… good thing I was generally in there after something or I wouldn’t ever found them!
I LOVE broccoli slaw and this one sounds sooo good. I plan on making my favorite one this weekend, keep an eye out on my blog…. It has grapes and broccoli, you may like it. :)
That’s terrific that you are craving foods that are healthy for you! You won’t gain the..oh…65lbs or so that have to be somehow lost between feeding, sleeping, and changing poo after the baby is born! I wonder if a creamy vinaigrette would be good with this? That’s my current favorite salad dressing.
I make this all the time, usually I add some red pepper for color. It is one of my favorite pot luck dishes! When I fist started making it I just thinned out ranch dressing with a little vinegar and sugar, but now I make my own dressing, pretty similar to your buttermilk one here.
Oh please do try it with some crumbled bacon! With sunflower seeds we call it Sunshine Salad. makes me smile.
I love broccoli salad! I make it with bacon which is oh so good. Haven’t tried red onions in it, and I love them so I guess I’m making some for dinner tonight to try it out. Oh man, my mouth is watering already.
Made this last night. My men (DH & 19yo DS) really liked it.
Seemed a tad sweet to me. Gonna try 1/2-ing the sugar in the dressing next time.
And wow, great for potlucks when one’s supposed to bring a side.
Adding bluecheese……….or bacon. Oh boy!
LOL. Love the recipe – sounds delicious. Can’t wait to give it a whirl.
Hilarous about the iPhone – I dropped at least 50 IQ points while pregnant… Looking for something with my right hand, all the while it was in my left. Luckily, you’ll get it back post birth (most anyway). :)
Well, I’m not pregnant :-( but this looks delicious though. And i was kind of in lack of inspiration for my tupperware lunchs for work, so at least I know what to look for at the farmers market next saturday! Thanks…
I don’t know. Call me weird. But I am kind of hot for grapes and broccoli..and I am not even pregnant. Love the sweetner of dried cranberries. Makes me think it would match well with a light, fruity red wine like young Sangiovese.
Unrelated, but wondering if you saw this http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/ since your love of artichokes possibly rivals mine.
OOPs wrong link. http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/2009/04/pietro-gangemis-torta-di-carciofi.html.
PS I had artichoke fritters for the first time last weekend, and they were divine. However I think a touch of crab meat would have been a nice addition.
I’ve fallen head-over-heels for you! I stumbled across you while doing a hopeful Google search for al di la’s pear cake recipe. Heaven! This broccoli slaw sent my own pregnancy cravings for green vegetables into high gear and I needed it immediately. When my store was out of buttermilk I nearly cried, but substituted milk/lemon juice to decent results. Absolutely delicious! Even my broccoli-phobic husband liked it :)
Oooh, this looks really good! And I’m laughing about the iphone – I still have placenta brain, too. (I’m 6 weeks post-partum… can someone please tell me when my brain will return??) Oh, and my pregnancy craving was beets. You’re not the only wierdo. ;)
I’m a sugar girl, but I craved broccoli when I was pregnant….This looks fantastic.
Broccoli slaw . . . yum. Much better than regular cabbage slaw, I must say. Our family has our own version (sorta) of this; actually the only similarities are really that it has broccoli and the same name . . . . Anyway, our invention: a bag of shredded broccoli stems from the store (or process it at home with carrots and some red cabbage) and dump it in a bowl. Add crumpled bacon, preferably crispy bacon. Add ranch dressing. Stir. Whallah, it’s done. It tastes awesome, too. I may have to try your version of “broccoli slaw” too, now, though. Along with Edamame it is one of the more easy side dishes we often fix for cooked meals because it fixes in minutes.
This looks so good, especially with the addition of the dried cranberries. I must try this!
Well, I am certainly not pregnant, but this broccoli slaw sounds absolutely AMAZING!
This looks brilliant, I have to complement you on your photography, food is notoriously hard to capture :)
I love broccoli slaw! I’ve never made it with buttermilk dressing so I will definitely try that next time. This dressing looks like it could be a “go to” creamy dressing for every kind of salad!
I’m going to give this a try.
Think I might use baby broccoli instead, just a personal preference.
This was so good.
I made it to go with pork chops on the grill last night.
It got 8 thumbs up from my family of 4.
A definite keeper.
Denise
Like so many of your recipes, I printed this one out right away, made a trip to our tiny general store to get two heads of broccoli after work, and whipped it right up, not really connecting the fact that two heads of broccoli might make enough to feed an entire church supper crowd! Fortunately it’s so good that I think I’ll be able to finish it off myself, with a little help from my broccoli-loving daughter. Thanks! (And the dressing is great!)
Do you have to be pregnant to crave broccoli?
This looks perfect… I’ve been looking for a great broccoli slaw/salad to make for our first summer barbecue!
We love broccoli at our house- and none of us are preggers! :-) Sounds good.
Great recipe, for me summer is grilled steak, corn on the cob, tomato/mozz salad and broccoli slaw.
PS – nice mention of your website in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. I believe they called your pictures “food porn”!
This looks delish! I’m definitely going to make this, hopefully this weekend. :)
Don’t worry about your cravings..they evidently are normal. My first son I craved Beans & Cornbread (it’s a southern thing) and my youngest I craved grapes too. Couldn’t get enough of either..
As soon as I saw this I knew I had to make it. So I used tonight’s Lost finale as an excuse and Oh My God. I premade it to save some time and it’s amazing! It might not even make it to dinner time.
ps. I look for my keys while I’m holding them all the time and I’m neither pregnant or a mother, so don’t feel bad.
Yes! That is one of my all-time favorite recipes. I actually almost made it last night, but for the pitiful broccoli at the market.
I’ve been craving broccoli, too, and have been making something similar. Occasionally, I’ll add carrots and/or sweet bell peppers and/or apples, too. For the dressing I blend a bunch of lemon juice, a little mayo, a little salt and sugar, and a bunch of chives. It’s so nice and light with the sparse mayo and tangy from the lemon juice.
This looks delicious, do you think I can use pine nuts too?
Everyone loved this. Esp the guys (dh & 19yo ds).
Today, I added mandarin oranges…..which really kicked it up a notch. (& I usually don’t use canned food)
Compelled to comment on this again now that I made it…
Your dressing works perfectly with this salad. It is so light and delicate with just the right amount of sweetness and acidity. Loved it.
Ha ha!! I’m pregnant too and I’ve craved grapes, celery and grapefruit. What happened to the junk food we’ve always heard about?
Just made this tonite (served it with simple roasted chicken), and *loved* it! The husband didn’t even mention the absence of bacon, which he loves in the fat-laden version he likes from the deli.
Your broccoli craving cracks me up. With my first pregnancy I couldn’t stomach even the *thought* of broccoli or shrimp, two foods I usually love!
I love crunch and your broccoli slaw definitely has it.
It’s amazing what pregnant women crave! I craved kale, grapefruits, and corn muffins when I was pregnant. I’m lactose intolerant and later found out that kale is high in calcium!
I love a good broccoli salad..may I share my dressing? I use this as my base and I for a lot of things…pasta..coleslaw..potatoe salad..(add mustard) ect..it is very flexible..1 cup wjite vinegar..1 cup white sugar..1 can sweetened condensed milk..2 cups mayonaise..salt and pepper..blend well..keeps in refrigerator a long time..I always have it on hand..
I caved and made it yesterday. So much better with the dressing than with the mayo-heavy version I used to make. And I have some dressing left to use at will…Delish!!!! And flexible. I had no dried anything, not even raisens, except a nearly empty packet of dates. DATES. And you know, it was absolutely fine. I looked forward to those little pieces of dates. Thanks for a great salad, just in time for summer, pregnant or not!
Just made this – absolutely delicious! Looking at the recipe I thought it was going to be tart, but it isn’t. The dressing is just right and the toasted almond flavor really comes through. Thanks so much!
I made this last night, but omitted the almonds (didn’t have any!) and added celery, chickpeas, and a handful of shredded cabbage…had some things that needed to be used. It was delightful. Thank you. However, I ate so much of it, I don’t think I’ll be able to touch the rest…off to my parents it goes!!
I love your iphone story and I especially love the sound of this recipe. I can’t wait to try it.
This sounded like the best thing ever (and I am usually not a broccoli slaw person)… until I got to your last note about making it with cauliflower and your suggested modifications. I heart cauliflower!!
With my son, all I craved was cherry pie! so that’s what he’s made out of. Your cravings are much more healthy. My mother says I’m made out of dried beef sandwiches!
I love broccoli and I’m always searching or new ways to eat it! I’ll put this to the test this long weekend since I’m hosting a BBQ party and was searching your site for ideas for side dishes!
Thanks Deb!
Made this last night and LOVED it! I liked broccoli salad before but this was so much better than the stuff from the local deli counter.
I LOVE that you are also craving grapes. How strange. I’m 29 weeks pregnant now and for a while all I wanted to eat was grapes. Why do you think that is? I thought I was the only one!
Great way to have everyone at home eating broccoli…love the combination of flavors. You have very nice pictures…
Dried cranberries are always in my kitchen, I just love them! I will try this recipe, it sounds pretty good. Anything with cranberries! I always find excuses to eat them ;-)
I get a brocolli slaw with similar ingredients, but it has a lovely curry flavor in the dressing. Do you think you could add curry to the buttermilk dressing?
I just recently discovered kohlrabi, which I’d never eaten before, and which tastes a heck of a lot like a broccoli stem to me. I wonder how that’d be, shredded and tossed into this slaw? I’ll try it and let you know! I like the idea of adding curry…and I like the cauliflower variation too! Looks like I’ll have a bunch of slaws in the near future :)
I’m 11 weeks pregnant and have also lost my marbles. Problem is though – I’m craving nothing! Absolutely nothing! I will definitely try the recipe though, if I ever get my appetite back :)
GIANT boffo socko hit! Big thumbs up all around!
Did I mention I never enjoyed food more than when I was pregnant? So go with it, girl! Enjoy the ride. Like you need my advice.
Just gonna say one more thing: when breastfeeding I had the sweet tooth of the Devil himself. That See’s Candy catalog that landed in our mailbox was XXXX PORN to me. So I await those recipes from you, dear.
1) iphone incident? totally a warning, get used to it.
2) buttermilk dressing? add liquor and I’d pretty much do shots of it. I suggest roasting seasoned green pumkin seeds and adding them too…well, whatever has the buttermilk dressing in it. In a word: awesome.
3)mean but true: ex bebedaddy new wife? chose to eat sonic while on bedrest bringing forth the christmas miracle. Neither one of them could be bothered to cook. Now she is gifreakinormus. Love the broccoli. Love it.
Mmmm. A grown-up broccoli salad. I think I like your version … a lot.
Melissa Clark has a great raw broccoli salad with garlic, cumin and chili. The recipe I have from her cookbook “The Instant Gourmet” is similar to this one in the Times minus the sesame oil.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/20/dining/201arex.html?ref=dining
My MIL makes this slaw (but with the mayo lemon juice dressing). I love it and love love love this site! I just found it so I have a lot of reading to do!
Lasted 2 days in my house…yum yum!!! I added some finely sliced red cabbage as well. I also had a similar recipe that called for crispy bacon so may give that a whirl next time…Congrats on pregnancy.
P.S I am making Chocolate Caramel Crackers onight for the 3rd time since you posted. HUGE hit with family and friends
Not to make this crazy, but I love broccoli salad with green grapes. Seriously delicious. Oh, and bacon. Duh.
This was so damn good. Seriously, make this. MMMMMMMM
funny. with baby #4, i craved broccoli and salmon.
Ok…I just made this, and it was really good! I meant to use bacon and forgot, but I actually don’t think it would have made it any better, and I love bacon. I think the cranberries and the vinegar in the buttermilk made it awesome.
I made this last night for a potluck that’s tonight. I can’t wait to see what my slaw-phobic boyfriend thinks of it. I loved the taste I had last night.
After salivating over your photos and recipes for some time, I finally took the plunge and made this slaw. It was fantastic. Served it with a t-bone and I was way more interested in the slaw than the beef! I used pine nuts and swapped out the buttermilk in the dressing in favor of sour cream which I had on hand. Dee.li.cious. Thank you.
This looks amazing and mildly healthy.
I was getting ready to walk into the hospital to visit my sister, who had just gone through knee replacement surgery. I was panicking, because I couldn’t find my phone and I always take it with me when I leave my car. I told my sister how concerned I was and she said, ‘you’re talking to me on it right now’. Been there, done that.
this might actually make me eat brocolli!
Hi, Deb. Just wanted to let you know that I brought this to a dinner party last night and it was a big hit. I swapped in raisins for the dried cranberries, and whole toasted almonds (lightly chopped) for the slivered almonds. Everyone loved it. Thank you!
I just made this for a dinner party tonight and it’s so fantastic there might not be any left by the time my guests get here. I have stayed away from the buttermilk dressing in the past because I thought “eww…buttermilk?” but I am a complete convert. I do would do shots of it it we added some alcohol. The only modification I made to the recipe was to blanch the broccoli. I just needed that beautiful green color. Great job!
I craved spinach when I was pregnant. I ate it at least twice a day, three if I could find a way to sneak it into dinner. It was crazy!
Congrats on the bun in the oven! I just finished a big bowl of this. Yum. I used prepackaged broccoli slaw because I was feeling lazy, celery and raisins. I also added raw ramen noodles on top before eating. Yummy! That dressing is amazing too. Thanks!
Hi Deb, I made this slaw with golden raisins and walnuts and left the sugar out of the dressing. Too fabulous for words. Served it with fried chicken and strawberry rhubarb crumble. Perfect Sunday dinner. Thanks for all of your food love! Oh yes, please do tell me that Ess A Bagel is still open. It was always worth the walk from 10th Avenue and 24th Street….
mmm, we made this this weekend for a BBQ … SO GOOD! We used dried cherries since we didn’t have dried cranberries. It was delicious! I usually don’t like cabbage slaw, so this was a good alternative for me! Thank you!
It looks so yummy! I have made broccoli slaw for years with raw broccoli, red grapes, pecans and ranch dressing. It’s one of my favorites!
I just made this for dinner tonight, and it was excellent! I think the words “best slaw ever” may have come out of the boyfriend’s mouth. I made a double batch of the dressing so I can make the cauliflower version. Review to come!
Thanks for the recipe!
Delicious. I’ve made two batches in the past week, and the slaw disappears in minutes.
I made this last night. I wanted an Asian twist so I added sriracha and sesame oil to the dressing and used scallions instead of onions. It was great. Thanks.
I decided at 9pm last night that I needed to make this slaw…so I ran to the market, got what I needed, came home, chopped like mad, and it’s AWESOME!
I made this last week, after discovering your blog. DELISH! Thank you! I look forward to trying many more of your recipes.
I have been making a similar salad for years (except with raisins instead of currants, and no onion), and my husband and daughter keep nagging me to blog about it. Now I don’t have to. Thank you!!!
I would never have made that photo look as appealing as you just did.
Nice job, as usual! :)
Cheers,
~ Paula
So I made the cauliflower version (with currants and walnuts), and I can’t decide which one was better. Both awesome! I love the buttermilk dressing.
I love broccoli salad and my husband doesn’t, so when I make it, I get to eat it all by myself! I add a little cooked, crumbled bacon to mine, and I’ve tried cashews, sunflower seeds, soy nuts, and peanuts, all with equally tasty results. And as for dressing, I love homemade, but if I’m in a pinch, I use Brianna’s Rich Poppy Seed dressing OR Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigrette OR a combination of the two! All delicious!
I had to giggle…first pregnancy I wanted red grapes, avocados and tuna. Second pregnancy I wanted hard boiled eggs and watermelon. I feel your pain.
This is so, so good. I admit I used the original dressing in the Apartment Therapy recipe–only because I’m allergic to dairy, so buttermilk is out for me. I think this is my new favorite salad, since i couldn’t stop, as you say, cronch-cronch-cronching the whole dang bowl. Luckily I’m the only one in the house crazy enough to love raw broccoli and cabbage in salad. Nom.
Oh, and during my first pregnancy I craved Taco Bell salads: Extra beans and tomatoes, no beef, no cheese. It got so that the manager would see me waddling up and make up my order before I even got there…we lived in a small town, only one Taco Bell.
Second pregnancy it was fried eggs. Seriously. Fried eggs. And Indian food. Third pregnancy, I honestly can’t remember what I was craving.
Absolutely delicious! It barely made it into the fridge at all because I couldn’t stop eating it! Thanks for sharing…
The slaw looks so good! Looks like it can easily be made vegan too! Awesome :)
I just made this salad for a family gathering and I added poppy seeds to the dressing… so good.
You have the BEST slaw recipes. Now I’ll have to switch between your blue cheese slaw and this broccoli one. I made it this weekend and it was quite the hit. I love getting to use the stalks and not just the pretty ends :)
We have made this type of “Broccoli Salad” for years. If you really want to take it over the top…our recipe calls for crisp bacon broken up in it! Amazing, there is never any left!
I made this recipe for the get together at my dad’s house today…I haven’t had those kind of complements in a long time…everyone LOVED IT. I think I turned at least 2 more people on to this blog. Only one problem… the person who brought the potato salad was bummed…hardly anyone ate it! (whoops)
This is amazing. I made it for a BBQ at a friend’s house and it was a HUGE hit. Thanks!
So made a practice run of this, before I make it for a BBQ in 2 weeks, for some friends I had for dinner tonight. BIG HIT. It was so good,like really enjoyed all around. Thanks for a new classic recipe in my house.
Fabulous recipe! And easily amended for endless flavor-themes! I used plain yogurt instead of buttermilk, and only 1-2 Tbsp mayo. I tried toasted walnuts and finely chopped dates. I tried grapefruit segments (not so good). But all of it makes raw broccoli a treat which is great for my my picky summer palette! As the heat/humidity prevail, all I want to eat is broccoli and icecream. Ha! Thank you!
Made this for our Memorial Day cookout. It was yummy! My husband liked it with extra cranberries. Linked to you – thanks so much for the recipe!
made this recipe memorial day weekend! was great! will make over and over again! love your website!
THANK YOU!
Thanks for this amazing site and this fantastic recipe — I’ve been dreaming of recreating this type of salad but I was stumped on what to put in the dressing. This was absolutely perfect. I made it three times last week. Not even joking.
Some delicious variations that I tried adding:
Pecans & Hazelnuts
Trader Joe’s mixed dried berries (blueberries, cherries & strawberries)
Crispy bacon
Yum. Next up, I’m going to work my way through all your slaws. . .
Quick question for you — can a high-end food processor do the job of a mandoline or does the mandoline have more finesse? I’m about to take the plunge and buy myself a good food processor — wondering if I should get a mandoline while I’m at it or if that would be redundant.
Thanks again!
I didn’t realize there was such a range in food processors. I am sure an inexpensive one isn’t a bad place to start. Mandolines work differently; a lot more elbow work but a lot more precision in the shapes you can get. I spent $25 on my plastic mandoline; absolutely worth it. You can find them even cheaper, if you’re just trying to see if you’ll get use out of it.
I made this the day you posted it and it was AMAZING! Even the hubby liked it. Took to work for lunch the next day and now half the people in my office have made it multiple times. Now my husband is asking for it again! I plan to make this for our week long stay at the lake in June. Now you just need to come up with a breakfast slaw!
I have two good broccoli salads like this, one of which I is on my blog, from Mollie Katzen, and another one that my mom always makes for buffets. I always blanch the broccoli a little, just because raw broccoli weirds me out. Will definitely have to give this one a try.
I made this for a dinner party and everyone loved it – a great combination of healthy and tasty, plus it’s beautiful. For those among us who don’t know how to toast almonds (I had to look it up), just put them on a cookie sheet in a 250F oven for a few minutes. I started off using my mandoline for the broccoli but ended up having to chop some of the stems into smaller pieces anyway, so I just switched to a knife for the rest and found it easier. Maybe it’s time to buy a food processor. I also threw in another handful of cranberries at the end for more color, but since I had used 3 smallish heads of broccoli maybe my proportions had been a little off.
I just made some to send to my Mother-in-Law (she adores broccoli slaw) – I’m sending her thanks to you in advance. It is fantastic.
DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!! Thank you.
this was delicious – thanks for a great recipe.
i noticed that another commenter said she replaced the buttermilk with yogurt. well, i strongly dislike mayo, so i replaced the mayo with Fage 2% plain yogurt, then added a little dab of canola oil to approximate some of the richness of mayo. it worked out really well. i ate a gigantic portion for dinner last night and am looking forward to having the rest for lunch at work today….
DeLISH! Even my broccoli-hating husband loved it and said he’d like to have it again (that’s HUGE). I usually find raw broccoli a bit strong so I blanched the raw broccoli for 10 seconds. Still crunchy and delicious =). THANK YOU!
Ooh, add me to the “bacon makes it better” group – my mother-in-law (great Southern woman that she is) makes a similar salad with broccoli, red onions, raisins and bacon. And what doesn’t go with bacon??
“Should keep up to a week in the fridge, if you don’t have any pregnant women nearby.”
Or any other fiendish people. I made this tonight And I highly doubt it will last anywhere near a week. The *cronch cronch cronch* is amazing, and tasty! Thanks to NYC for finally getting summery so that this felt appropriate. While mine is a tad more rustic – how did my brain ever think I could maneuver broccoli stalks on the mandolin – it’s still delish!
Your broccoli slaw puts to shame the crap bagged, shredded broccoli out there. My mom used to try to feed us ‘brocoslaw’ with the bagged mix and it was just…gross. This? Divine!
I just made this for dinner tonight and it is soo good! Now I just need to keep my hands off of it until dinner!
Hmm, are males even allowed to comment here?
Love broccoli and this looks fantasticl. Can’t wait to try. Thanks.
mmm, made this today. substituted cashews for almonds and added bacon, it’s fantastic. thanks for sharing.
I have made this several times since you posted it, and I have to say it is the best slaw I have ever had. It is a huge hit at our house. I just can’t get enough of it!
I’ve already made this twice this weekend. It’s even better, I have to say, with dried cherries than with cranberries, and I used plain yogurt instead of buttermilk. Already looking forward to lunch tomorrow…
Planned out dinner around this salad, arrived home from supermarket to discover I’d forgotten buttermilk and our mayo was past it’s use-by date. A few googles later and I had whipped up my first ever batches of homemade mayonnaise and buttermilk (soy buttermilk no less – which worked out better as we don’t handle lactose well). So I’m not sure how closely my version tastes to the recipe (esp as I only had olive oil for the mayo which made it very olive-y), but my partner wolfed it and he dislikes mayo. It is delicious and having recently found out I am pre-diabetic it is sure to be one of my staples. What I love most is that a serving goes a long way to the daily 2 cups of vegetables quota compared to a plate of flimsy leaves. And it so filling – with the sweet potato & white bean soup we made to go with it, we are stuffed! Thanks SK.
Made this this weekend for a bbq and it was a huge hit. Followed the recipe exactly. My sister and brother-in-law kept the left overs and apparently ate them for breakfast. Who knew coleslaw was breakfast fare? We all loved it. I cheated and used bag broccoli slaw mix. Worked perfectly! Thanks for a great recipe!
I want to thank you, for posting the ONLY recipe in which I like broccoli. I am so happy I can finally eat some! I feel healthier already. :)
Just made this with toasted chopped pecans (I was out of sliced almond) and it was fantastic.
This was a huge favorite at a barbecue this past weekend. I’m fighting off the boyfriend for leftovers. :)
I substituted sunflower for nuts, used no fat mayo and skipped the buttermilk (allergic) and it’s delish, perfect alongside ribs. I wasn’t a broccoli fan until I tried this recipe.
Made this recipe exactly as you wrote it and it was delicious. Unlike many other commenters, though, I didn’t love the dressing on it’s own, so would probably try another version next time.
I’m gonna take this to broccoli, currants, roasted chestnuts sliced thin and a slightly garlicky buttermilk dressing. Is it tomorrow yet?
i have been craving broccoli so bad lately! i love this recipe, definitely going to be a regular at my house. i substituted skim milk for buttermilk, fat-free greek yogurt for mayo, and sherry vinegar for cider vinegar because that’s what we had in the house. it turned out great!
I tried this salad last night because I was trying to make some kind of salad out of things I already had; to pair with your baked Mac & Cheese (which is amazing by the way!) I had the broccoli, some red cabbage, 1/2 a carrot, red onion, toasted almonds and grapes instead of cranberries. I mixed up the buttermilk dressing and thought it didn’t look like enough for my giant mound of veggies so…….. I had some leftover dressing from your green onion slaw recipe and decided to add a couple tablespoons of that to the dressing. I didn’t know how it would taste, but it was actually really good! It added a fresh brightness to the dressing that worked really well. My boyfriend ate two bowls full and he doesn’t even like veggies. Thank you so much for all the amazing recipes.
Well THIS was a definite hit at our family’s Easter lunch – I served it along with a potato salad, a couscous salad, warm crusty bread, and smoked salmon and it was the runaway winner (recipe-wise, I mean – not much beats smoked salmon, if we’re gonna be all technical about it). I already can’t wait to have this for lunches this week.
I made the recipe exactly as written, except for the fact that someone had eaten the dried cranberries I’d bought in specially (GRRRR) so I subbed in golden sultanas (I’m sure there’s an American/English difference between sultanas/raisins that I should be able to translate for you, but I don’t know what it is. I suspect that sultanas are me are different from sultanas to you. Regardless). Anyway, they worked perfectly too, though I still want to try with cranberries as I love ’em.
Best way to eat broccoli, I think!
Hey! This recipe was just featured in my local farmer’s market newsletter! I just thought that was so nifty.
Deb – I was craving broccoli and slaw today and I knew you’d have JUST the thing and of course you did! I’m so excited to try this tonight. I wanted to tell you I am a total cole slaw convert, thanks in no small part to the free stuff they dish out when you sit down at Lanskys on the Upper West Side. If you haven’t tried it yet you really should. Preferably slathered on their knish-wich.
I am loving this blog. I am a typical Italian girl that loves food. It is a good thing that I am a runner and can keep some of these calories off. But I am obsessed with being in the kitchen. My only requirement for when I one day have my own home is a nice big kitchen!! I love to take original recipes and alter them to make them low-fat. I love this recipe and I am going to make it low-fat with fat-free buttermilk and light mayo. We will see how it comes out! Thanks Deb. . . I am new on here and you are incredible! Maybe I will run into you on the streets on NYC sometime!! Happy Cooking and Baking!!
This was amazingly tasty with the grill – it also held up for about 4 days really well…until my continuing “tastes” finished it off. Yum.
This is one of my favorite salads! In fact, I was pregnant with baby #3 when I first had it. We were in Monterey, CA on a little “Babymoon” and stopped in at the cutest little deli. There it was… broccoli salad, to die for broccoli salad. Even my hubby was hooked! We came home and I made it asap so I wouldn’t forget the ingredients. I browsed SK for a dressing and low and behold you had a broccoli salad too and with a killer buttermilk dressing! So, here is our version…
Broccoli florets
broccoli stems, sliced in food processor
red onion, small dice
green onion, bias cut because it’s pretty!
seedless red grapes, cut in half
raisins, golden or classic
sunflower seeds
bacon, because everything is better with bacon!
Enjoy! And thanks for the buttermilk dressing recipe, it’s perfect!
Just made this for a family reunion! Your site has been so great for those…totally bummed because this AND the strawberry rhubarb crumble got gobbled up before I had a chance to get my share!!
Anway, my add-ins were candied pecans and these amazing dried razzcherries…it was so good it hardly needed any dressing at all. Considered bacon, but had none on hand…
I made this salad tonight and it had the EXACT flavors and texture I was craving. My family & friends enjoyed it too. I served it on the side of grilled hot wings, coffee-cardamon brisket and baked spuds, oh and fresh sangrias.
Yeah, we stuffed ourselves, but had so much fun doing it.
Thank you for the delicious recipe!
I may have to write a song in honour of this salad.
made this last night. wishing i brought it to work today.
counting down the hours till we are reunited.
it’s gonna be a straight-out-of-the-container affair.
thank you!
OMG soooo good! I made it with a mix of veggies from my CSA – broccoli, cauliflower, purple carrots and fennel. The toasted almonds and cranberries are delish with the creamy dressing. Thank you, Deb!! I just found my new go-to summer potluck dish.
I just made this for a cookout over the weekend. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all! Thanks for the recipe- you can see the results over at my blog!
Just made this tonight! So delish — but made the addition of some sliced (slaw-style) fennel bulb and mandarin oranges. YUM!!!
Just made the dressing for a simple salad. Added a tsp of dijon mustard and some salt however…. Thank you….
I didn’t make the salad, because we just bought some pre-made broccoli slaw at the store, but the buttermilk dressing was delicious mixed with it! Maybe someday I’ll make the salad, too. That also sounds good.
This is SO close to my mom’s recipe. Hers is a yogurt/vinegar dressing, raisins instead of cranberries, and a pile of crumbled feta. Because everything is better with some cheese.
I just tried this tonight and it is so-so-so-so yummy!! Thank you for the recipe!!
I checked this post out since to see if there’s a difference between what I’ve read on eatmedelicious.com. Well, I’m too glad to have clicked the link because you made my day in mentioning about the iPhone incident. I tried this and it’s certainly good!Maybe next week I’ll try the your suggested variation.
This is the best broccoli slaw I’ve ever had. Thanks!!
cranberries > raisins
I just love the tartness! And also the red onions AND shallots–sadly though, this dish renders you unkissable. Not for Valentine’s Day I spose.
THIS IS THE BEST BROCCOLI EVER! I hate the stuff, but this has converted me. I even by accident got “cherry infused” cranberres (ugh!) and it was still unbelievable. It’s great with the buttermilk. Thanks!
Just made this tonight and loved it. Thanks for sharing!
HUGE fan of yours Deb, however, I have to agree with Alex on the fruit/veggie combo thing. This recipe is very similar to a broccoli slaw that I make ~ I take the easy way though and get the broccoli slaw in a bag at Trader Joe’s..add some slivered red bell pepper, thinly sliced purple onion and sprinkle on some sunflower seeds. I just use regular, out of the bottle Ranch dressing, but I’m sure your buttermilk dressing would make it even better. .YUM!
Great buttermilk dressing! Try this add-in, red grapes halved are great added into any broccoli salad!
Just happened to have leftover buttermilk (waffles this morning, yum!) and brocolli in the fridge. This was a delicious salad. I added an appel for a little more zing. Thanks!
Hi Deb- did you ever get around to posting on the recipes you’ve gone back and improved on the back of reader suggestions as per your opening paragraph above? I’d love to read it if you have!
Miriam — I do go back to recipes from time to time and update them, sometimes from reader tips, other times from retesting them myself. I always note that they’re “Updated” and what specifically has been updated in the recipe headnotes…
I have never told you that this is one of our favourite salads. It has already impressed … let’s see … my boyfriend, my mum, many friends, my colleagues (I prepared it for a Christmas party at the office) and – most of all – my French mother in law. After chasing for something similar to buttermilk in a French supermarket, we finally ended up with “lait Ribot”. When my mother in law saw us preparing it, she look at us a little puzzled and asked “So this is the kind of salad you eat in Germany?”. When she heard that, in fact, it was an American recipe, she was even more puzzled. Obviously, she had to update her prejudices about American cooking. The entire family liked it and her husband finished the bowl.
Just made this Deb, what a glorious recipe! I added some grapes because I had very little cranberries. They went along great and added some more moisture. I think this is going to be a staple of my summer BBQ season!
The flavors are great…but my dressing slides off the veggies…what gives?
I made this salad tonight and it had the EXACT flavors and texture I was craving. My family & friends enjoyed it too. I served it on the side of grilled hot wings, coffee-cardamon brisket and baked spuds, oh and fresh sangrias.
Yeah, we stuffed ourselves, but had so much fun doing it.
Thank you for the delicious recipe!
This recipe is awesome. I have been making this for a couple of years now. Delicious and super good for you. Thanks for sharing it!
Hi Deb- LOVE your blog and web site AND, I can hardly wait for your book (but I will)! Your writing style is informative and fun – you not only bring information but joy to your readers. Thank you!
The weather here in Oregon is just now starting to get nice and it has been an age since I made broccoli salad. Couldn’t remember what I put in it so of course came to your website and did a search and BINGO! VERY yummy and of course, I’ll be using your buttermilk dressing recipe on other dishes too!
This took me about three minutes to throw together but is insanely good. I am allergic to mayonnaise and raw buttermilk is never gentle to me, so I tossed the broccoli in some goddess dressing. Divine :)
This is SO good. Just made it after realizing that I had about 4 bunches of Broccoli in my fridge. The dressing especially is awesome. I am liking the sound of bacon as an addition…maybe next time!
Oh YUM. I too had a ton of broccoli from my CSA. Made this and ate 3/4 of it myself tonight. So good – like everything I try from your site! Thank you!!
This sounds and LOOK delicious. cannot wait to try it!
i have to say, I just made this tonight for a tacos potluck,
and I was definitely the hit of the party, thanks!
I am addicted to this salad! Like someone else on the comments, I added 1 tsp of dijon mustard (the one with a lot of seeds), and an extra tsp of sugar and not salt. So yummy! Thanks for this recipe and introducing me to simple uses for buttermilk.
Is there anything i can replace the buttermilk with to make it parve?
Broccoli is a staple in our house, which means I’ve been cooking it for 20+ years and am always looking for ways to make it new again. This slaw is perfect! I made it tonight & it was a hit all-around. Thanks for another great recipe.
I was wondering if there was any possible substitute for the cider vinegar in this recipe? We don’t usually use cider vinegar in our food here at home so we don’t usually have it lying around. Being a student, I have kind of a tight budget so buying a new bottle may be a little difficult for me. I’ve read that white wine vinegar may be an option but we don’t have that either.
I’m planning to make a special dinner for someone special soon and when I came across this recipe it sounded so good I was hoping to give it a try.
Hope to hear back and thank you in advance :)
Hi Jessica — Try half as much of another vinegar to start. You can always add more. Hope that helps!
This salad is fantastic. I am in love.
Love, love, love! So simple and delicious–the broccoli, almond, cranberry combo is perfect!
Absolutely delicious! Made this last night to use up the broccoli in my fridge. Substituted raisins for the dried cranberries, greek yogurt for the mayo and red wine vinegar for the cider vinegar. Another perfect salad Deb, thank you!
Deb. Why is this the only broccoli recipe you have?? I am truly shocked.
Oh my god. You are right. That is insane, right? And I cook broccoli all of the time. I made a creamy broccoli linguine the other day. And I make these freaking amazing broccoli parmesan fritters (that my son wouldn’t take one bite of; I nearly wept). I also love roasting it with a ton of lemon zest and garlic and red pepper flakes and finishing it with more lemon. Broccoli is in season now. I promise to try to populate the section more soon.
the idea is great, i tend to pour boiling water on the broccoli florets and then cool them…the color is brighter and somehow I think that raw broccoli might have a lot of undigestible cellulose at it’s surface…but I’m not a specialist…thank you for sharing this recipe…this website is very inspiring
Ok, so I made this and screwed it up in all sorts of ways, not even bothering to measure ingredients for the dressing, just throwing together some greek yoghurt, red wine vinegar, dab of mayo, dab of addictive garlic chili aioli from costco (ohnosheusedastoreboughtsauce!), way too much salt, spenda to compensate for salt, and tears of shame for thinking I could improvise with 2.75yr old hanging onto leg and 7mo old crying from highchair. Used prebought broccoli florets, chopped dried figs, chopped walnuts, diced cucumber. I expected it to be inedible.
Even with all of that, it’s still delicious. Finishing off the last of it now, <24 hrs later. Next time, will follow directions and probably eat it faster.
… I mean, I got out of bed where I was watching the season finale of grey’s (I’m a little behind), to get a second bowl. Paused grey’s. For another bowl.
I have made this twice and it was a HUGE hit! I’m always concerned that people won’t like what I make, but this and the boozey french toast have been SO good. I cant’ wait to try more of your recipes, thank you!
Wow, so good! I used up the leftover broccoli we had, and then threw in along with some julienned carrots, handful of toasted sesame seeds, some yellow onion (no red in the fridge), and craisins. I couldn’t find buttermilk at my little corner grocery store (we’re in Japan), so I improvised with sesame dressing. So delish! It was sweet and savory; perfect for a summer night. I’m taking to heart what someone said above about slaw for breakfast and plan to having it in the morning with salted salmon on the side. Once we’re back in the land of dairy (aka, the States), I’ll give your buttermilk dressing a whirl. Thanks for the recipe.
Huh… i should proofread my comments before posting. Oy…
This looks just like a salad my husband’s aunt made recently, although hers was also loaded with chopped bacon. Yum!
i made this and your roasted garlic mushrooms tonight. no main course needed!
i substituted mayonnaise with glutenfreegirl’s “crack sauce” and tossed in some sliced tricolor radishes. will be making again very soon ;)
Made this for our 4th of July BBQ and it turned out perfectly!! It’s a very different slaw and I was able to prep everything ahead of time and combined the day of. My broccoli got obliterated in the food processor, so i might chop the florets into small pieces next time and shred the stems. Overall though, super fabulous!!
I looooove this! Have been in a ‘salad rut’ for a while & this was a revelation! Raw broccoli thinly sliced in salads, where have you been all my life?? Thanks :)
Just to say I have often looked at your blog but never actually got round to making anything!!! So today, after craving an iron fix (5 months pregnant), i’ve just made this slaw.. lovely! I’m in the UK and know that getting hold of Buttermilk is not easy (would usually make it) but just wanted to let other readers know that I found it in my small local Waitrose (and no i’m not in cosmopolitan london).. so it’s worth keeping an eye out for :-)
After the birth of my 2nd 9.5lb baby, a friend brought me a brocolli slaw over along with a casserole. Unfortunately for the rest of my family, but lovely for me, I ate the ENTIRE bowl myself, before dinner. Finally clueing in that was my body reminding me I needed to restock my iron levels.
Making this tomorrow! Merci from Canada!
Did this with Kohlrabi (jullienned with a bit of carrot) and it was yummy!
I heard you today on NPR talking about this recipe. I’ve adapted the one from Paula Deen, but this sounds so much better. I’m going to make for a gathering on Saturday. Thanks. I’ve been reading your blog for some time now and do enjoy your talent. Thanks
Hello! I have NEVER commented on a blog or a website or anything in my life but I just had to tell you how amazing this broccoli slaw is. I heard you talking on NPR and I did not grow up a veggie fiend, but I found myself craving this before even trying it. I was just given a cookbook- At Blanchard’s Table, by a couple who had been to Anguilla, and I combined their Spicy Vegetable Slaw with your recipe. I added carrots, thinly sliced red peppers, and red cabbage, plus a tiny bit of mustard and celery seed to the dressing. My life is CHANGED by this salad, and none of my friends seem to understand on instagram, and my dad responded with…ugh…so I thought i would tell you how delicious it is. Your recipes are my go-to for any event and while I’m here, the creamed mushrooms on buttered toast are crazy delicious. Thanks!!
Well, I just tried this recipe from your cookbook and it’s AMAZING. and so simple. I was a bit sceptic (raw broccoli always scares me), but now I want to eat the whole bowl… This is definitely in my recipe collection.
I just finished making this recipe with few modifications (dried currents and toasted pine nuts) and am thrilled!! I can’t get enough of it!
What to do for lunch with a nice stalk of broccoli? Remembered you’d talked about a broccoli slaw. Had to substitute raisins for the cranberries and yogurt for the buttermilk; left out the onion. The almonds were toasted by the time the broccoli was julienned, dressing came together in a flash. Ate it out of a big bowl with a soup spoon. Delicious!
Editing to add that this slaw, now made with its proper ingredients, has become a summertime staple in my refrigerator. When broccoli is abundant at the farmers’ market I enjoy making up a “vat” to have on hand for easy, ready-made lunches. I mix the broccoli and red onion with the dressing and keep the toasted almonds and the dried fruit separate (so that they maintain their crunch and chew), to add to individual servings. Still eating it out of a bowl with a soup spooon :)
I made this recipe–finally!–from your cookbook (which I love love love!) for a New Year’s Eve party. It was divinely perfect, despite the fact that I forgot to toast the almonds–oops. So, I made it again with the toasted almonds the next day and it was even better!
Also, this was the very first time EVER I had chopped up broccoli (I usually buy frozen and steam it for sides). Much easier than I had expected! :)
So, so good! Love your blog! You inspire me, truly! Can’t wait to get my hands in your book :-)
Can I substitute greek yogurt for the mayo? My son is allergic to mayo (very seriously allergic).
Thanks & Advise.
MMC — Yes, you may. It will be less tangy. You might want a drop of Dijon or lemon juice added for more zip.
O-M-delicious G, this is crazy good! The vinegar adds just the perfect touch to the dressing. I see now how it is crave-worthy!
As a current pregnant lady, I had to laugh when I read your description of this recipe. I’m in the “nothing sounds good” stage with food right now, so I’ve been clicking through Pinterest hoping to find something, anything, that appealed and this was the first one I saw! I just have to stop and get buttermilk tomorrow and then I’ll be good to go. Thanks Deb!
My sister made this for our Easter family dinner. Everyone loved it. Thanks for a great recipe!
I added shredded carrot and omitted the buttermilk and the shallots (subbed a droplet of whole milk instead)… turned out delicious!
Amazon delivered your cookbook yesterday, and while leafing through it for the first time I discovered your recipe for broccoli salad. Now, my mother brought back a similar recipe from Canada some fifteen years ago which has since become a family favourite. It is with sunflower seeds and raisins and also contains bacon, and the dressing in the original recipe is just mayonnaise, vinegar (white wine vinegar if I remember correctly) and sugar. I usually substitute at least half the mayonnaise with yoghurt and use much less sugar (North American recipes often contain an awful lot of sugar, at least it seems that way to me – I’m German – so I invariably try not to use more than half the amount required in any given recipe). I was going to make this salad for a barbecue yesterday, minus the bacon, but when I read your recipe and realized I had almond slivers (I’d have had slices too but didn’t read properly), dried cranberries and buttermilk in the house I decided I’d try yours instead.
What can I say? Your recipe wins! The dressing is much lighter, the cranberries were really good with the rest, and I love almonds anyway. My husband, who already loved our “family salad”, agrees that yours is by far the better dressing, so now I have to alert my mother and siblings to these new (to us on this side of the pond) variations! Thank you!
P.S.: Since I now have the U.S. edition but am actually in Germany, do you have a list somewhere of the changes you made for the UK edition?
L from G — Glad you’re enjoying the book so far. The recipes are exactly the same, only some language and ingredient suggestions have been made (i.e. Monterey Jack isn’t really a thing in the UK, we made other suggestions). The intros are the same as well. Both editions have metrics/weights but they are more thorough in the UK, and cup measurements have been removed. Hope that helps.
Still enjoying your recipes, both from here and from the book (our current favourite is the sugar snap salad with miso dressing, which I have pushed on just about everyone I know), but I just realized I never followed up on your reply. My question of three years ago was really: Do you have a list that I can download somewhere which shows relevant differences between the two editions, i.e. UK substitutes for US ingredients that are hard to get in Europe?
I live in Germany, and Amazon.de does not offer a choice between the US and the UK edition – you order the book and you get what you get, which is fine most of the time, but occasionally I could do with a “translation”. The question will probably arise again when your next book goes on sale (I am really looking forward to that!) Thanks, Linda
Please??
I’m sorry I didn’t see this sooner. I will send you an email. Thanks for your patience!
This just rocked my world and I had to share it!! Thanks!
I have been mastering (it’s a relative term) salads and this one is a standout. I do like to add some curry powder, but its not necessary, of course. My family and I thank you.
By far the best salad I have ever made! I started making this about four weeks ago, and I have probably made it every week since- including a brunch I hosted this past weekend. I need to cut down on making it because of the mayo!
On that note, is there a substitute for mayo that I can use to cut down on the carolic content (just so I can make this more often?). Im trying to fit back into a dress I bought two years ago :(
HK–I’ve used plain greek yogurt instead of mayo. The dressing doesn’t get quite as thick, but the flavor is still right on.
just made this after years of looking at it. no cranberries (like alex) and added celery. it was better than i expected. very good. husband and 2 year old approved as well.
“I should totally do a series of posts about recipes I’ve updated with reader suggestions that made them so much better. Remind me!”
Don’t know if anyone else has done this yet, but that sounds amazing!!! Your recipes are already fantastic, but would be interesting to hear what other people cook up (pun intended) with them.
I used greek yogurt, plain, low-fat and the taste ended up being very metallic. It concerned me a bit, and I had to throw it out. I may try doing half-half with the yogurt and mayo. Or possibly just stick to my roots and use mayo.
HK–I used all greek yogurt, too, but added some lemon juice (about half a lemon’s-worth) and about 1 tsp of dijon mustard. Except for that greek yogurt tang, it was almost identical to the dressing made with mayo.
Thanks for the dressing recipe. It was exactly what I was looking for in my vegetable slaw. Thanks again!
Found your site via Elise Blaha Cripe’s blog. I’ll be back (in my best terminator voice). mmm, just made the broccoli salad last night. today it’s gone. even my 3 year old devoured it! with the serving spoon.
This is the best buttermilk blue cheese dressing ever:
Blue Cheese Dressing | David Lebovitz
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2011/01/bleu-blue-cheese-dressing-recipe-salad/ – View by Ixquick Proxy – Highlight
Jan 24, 2011 … So I don’t see any reason why not. iceberg salad. Bleu Cheese Dressing. Makes 1 cup (250ml), about four servings. If you can’t get buttermilk, …
Just leave out the blue cheese and add all of the other ingredients in there. Or keep the blue cheese too as it will add a lot to the salad.
Went to America recently and after having eaten unhealthily for a week we came home and made this. I could feel my body regenerating!!
I made this today and it was absolutely delicious. Love your blog and book.
I made this for Christmas brunch and we enjoyed it, but didnt LOVE it. It needed more dressing and more craisins for my taste. So, I added to the leftovers and it’s still just really good. It keeps really well though and I love having an easy side dish in the fridge. Thanks!
Hi Deb, you keep tantilisingly mentioning this slaw and I’ve been skipping over it because of the buttermilk (I’m lactose intolerant)-but broccoli is in season here in Sydney at the moment and I want to give it a whirl! Would you be able to recommend a substitute or point me towards an alternative dressing? Thanks and Happy New Year!
Rani — No sour cream or yogurt either? (I mean, I think I know the answer, but I do have friends who are really just sensitive to straight milk.)
No sadly not :-( No cheese etc either, all dairy products are out.
I am a broccoli freak! Do you have broccolini in US? Also love that. I do a version of this salad but also shread the raw broccoli stalks also so you get a sort of broccoli slaw itself. Does that make sense?
Amazing! your blog is beautiful
I made this (from your wonderful cookbook) for lunch today and it was delicious. As I was combining the ingredients I divided them across two smaller bowls and promptly put one of them in the fridge. This is the *only* reason I didn’t eat the whole thing in one sitting.
This is a revelation. My favorite new recipe. I have to physically stop myself from devouring ridiculous amounts of this. Love it. Thank you.
I Just love it! I do a broccoli salad that is almost very similar, but it has bacon and pine nuts in it.
Okay so I just made a completely vegan and bastardized version of this…and it’s incredible. Let it be known that if I ever get pregnant, I will eat this for every meal. I used a mix of vegan mayo, apple cider vinegar, sugar and olive oil in place of the other dressing ingredients. So so good.
Just made a bowlful of this and had a few tastes before I had to put it in the fridge for dinner tonight OH MY GOODNESS!!!!…this is THE best broccoli salad EVER! I can’t wait for dinner…I think the fettucine alfredo will be ignored tonight. This is definitely a keeper.
This is the second thing I’ve made from the cookbook! Had to come here and post…I don’t even like broccoli salad, but ate half of the bowl!! I think chopping the cranberries is key. No buttermilk in the fridge, so did the milk/yogurt substitution.
My friend Sharon made this slaw for a family of a very ill friend who was coming out of a rough bout of chemo. The friend hadn’t been able to enjoy raw veggies, but was tantalized by the sight of this slaw. She ate a big serving and loved it so much. A seemingly small thing, but this recipe brought a moment of encouragement to a tough situation.
I love this recipe! I use currants and pine nuts instead of cranberries and almonds and I can hardly stop eating it once its made!
Deb, what do you think of the bacon addition? Is that taking this recipe in a direction you don’t think it should go? I’ve enjoyed a broccoli slaw/salad before that had bacon in it but I don’t want to turn this one into that if its simply not improved by bacon…
Meghan — It’s not really my thing. I find that bacon gets soft in salads, and then the fun is gone. I’d rather have my bacon crispy in solo-strips, so I’m probably not the best person to ask. It does sound like, however, among people who enjoy bacon in salads, they like it here too.
Deb, thanks for your lightning fast reply! I just made the slaw and completely agree. It’s so lovely without greasy bacon. I’m saving the bacon in my fridge for corn chowder ;)
I just wanted to mention that this dressing is lovely on chopped romaine salads, as well — I use a smaller amount, and I don’t dry the romaine leaves very thoroughly so the residual water from washing thins the dressing a bit. Also I sub Greek yogurt for the buttermilk because I always have it around. It’s sort of ranch-ish enough for the kids but my husband and I like it, too.
I made this yesterday, since I am thinking about making it for a potluck next week and wanted to do a trial run. I could have stood in the kitchen and eaten the whole batch, and I don’t especially like red onion. It didn’t matter though, it was perfect just the way it was. I think I’m going to go to the store tomorrow for more broccoli.
A modification worth sharing: I was short one head of broccoli – to improvise I used 1 head broccoli + 1/2 head shredded cabbage.
Added two thinly sliced/julienned green apples + bleu cheese crumbles to finish. A little lighter on the dried cranberries than usual, and this combo was divine.
Thanks always for the great recipes, Deb!
I added shredded radish to this, and also raisins instead of cranberries. It turned out fantastic! Thanks Deb :-)
One of my favorite Smitten recipes. Raw broccoli, who would’ve thought it could be so yummy? When I share this with others they invariably ask me for the reoipe…
YAY! Finally someone who understands the wonder of (peeled) broccoli stems! People usually look really weirdly at me when I start to prep it. I think it might even be my favourite part of the broccoli – and I do love the rest too.
We have this salad at numerous family gathering throughout the year. Our version has cooked crumbled bacon in it, plus I believe some shredded cheddar cheese.
I, too, was a broccoli-craver when I was pregnant. The really funny part was that, before I was pregnant? I could only eat broccoli if it was coated in melted cheese or cheese sauce. The medical technologist that came to draw my blood (at 5:00 am–yes, it’s been 34 years and I STILL remember the time!) told me I was “the talk of the lab.” Having never been the popular girl, I wore it like a badge of honor. :-)
i want to add roast chicken… Make a meal out of it
I add cauliflower to mine, cashews instead of almonds and very crispy bacon….keep the buttermilk dressing. It is very delish.
Rani – you could make fake buttermilk by souring non-dairy milk with vinegar. I have done it with coconut milk and almond milk. The almond curdled but the coconut thickened nicely(but the coconut flavor might be odd here. Maybe cashew milk?) Im nursing a baby with a dairy allergy; things have gotten weirdly creative in my kitchen as a result.
I have a serious mayo aversion. Do you think this dressing would work without the mayo, or is there an alternative you could suggest?
meg — You can use yogurt, or more buttermilk. The dressing will be thinner if just all buttermilk, but still very tasty.
Love love love this! Changed the sugar to truvia and added salt and pepper, plus celery seed! Also, I did not have cranberries or almonds, so I used pecans lightly toasted plus dried cherries! Great result! Everything you post is fabulous!
One might ask, “how in the world could a broccoli salad be this unquestioningly good?” Well, it is. And I’m not even pregnant.
I finally made this dish today and it didn’t disappoint. I really liked the contrast of flavors and textures. I did make one addition, however, that was really delicious: chopped kalamata olives. I foresee making this often!
I made this for the 4th, and it was wonderful. FYI, the next day, I made it into meal salad by adding some blue cheese, and it was all kinds of fabulous. Thanks, Deb!
Thank you, Deb! I don’t like raw broccoli but you convinced me to give it a try. It’s absolutely delicious. I used the food processor but half way through, I hand chopped the rest of the florets since the food processor was too powerful. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. I will be making this again and again.
Super super yummy! Great for salad lunch box for work
Deb, you should definitely make a pregnant lady cookbook. I’m 35 weeks and I bookmarked this recipe THREE TIMES before realizing “Ohhh, yeah, I need some iron…” I am stuffing my face full of this deliciousness right this very moment and soooooo happy.
I have made this recipe 100 times and am obsessed with it! This time the grocery store was out of buttermilk so I used only greek yogurt and vinegar as the sauce and it was awesome! I also added pistachios and raw shaved brussels sprouts. First time in years I have deviated from your instructions!
This was yummy! My non broccoli eater had seconds…need I say more?!
I made this last night with diced apple and toasted pecans (because, October) and I thought you should know that it was EVERYTHING.
I’ve made this recipe many times over the years, and it never disappoints! It’s a forgiving recipe as far as substitutions (I’ve subbed yogurt for mayo, different nuts or dried fruit, depending on what I have on hand), and it always turns out great. I tend to use shallots rather than red onion (just a personal preference) for a milder flavor. I love bringing this to potlucks, and am always disappointed when there aren’t any leftovers to bring home :) The leftover buttermilk always goes to good use for pancakes the next day as well. Love this recipe!
YUM! I mixed in some grated carrots for color and skipped the dried fruit.
Yummmmmm! We’ve had this twice in the last week, so good. I just use yoghurt in the dressing as we always have that in the fridge, and I love it with the onions pickled. I also like to rehydrate the dried cranberries a bit. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
I made a double batch of this for a work Christmas lunch back in December. Bulked it out some more with chopped radishes, chopped celery and chilled boiled edamame beans. Took your suggestion of using the pickled onion in the dressing.
My contribution was the only one that didn’t have leftovers and everyone asked for the recipe. I directed them all to your site. :)
I am addicted to this salad. I have made a few changes but it’s the dressing!!! I do add some cauliflower and use raw cashews instead of almonds. I make a big batch and eat from it at breakfast, lunch, and supper. It, along with other fruits and vegs, and some protein has helped me lose 81 pounds so far. Thanks for sharing such a healthy recipe. It’s the only recipe I use buttermilk, so when I buy a liter, I freeze it in 1/2 cup containers and thaw as needed.
I just wanted to weigh in (geddit!) and say congratulations on that weight loss. I had to go away and do the calculation – it’s a weight loss of almost 37kg for the metrically minded. Go you!
When including the stems (waste not/eat well!) we thought using a half cup rather than a third cup of cranberries offered a more optimal sweet/savory balance. I also added roughly a teaspoon of lemon zest, very finely grated, which brought a lovely brightness.
The recipe I’ve had has raisins instead of cranberries and crisp bacon. Bacon makes all the difference…lol
As many have stated above, this recipe is super versatile. I was out of mayo and subbed in Greek yogurt, which was still delicious. I have a really hard time with raw onion and yet this went down just fine. Like, an embarrassingly large bowl in one sitting fine.
I love this slaw, I have made it multiple times. Most of the time, I do as the recipe mentions and just use extra red onion instead of buying shallots (I never have them around). I have made it both ways, and can’t say I notice a difference either way. This is a great item to bring to cook-outs, pot lucks, and the like.
really like your site- find it very interesting
This is my go-to potluck item. Easy + yummy.
I add chopped bacon, use powdered buttermilk mix and skip the shallot.
I am 7 months pregnant but I don’t think that skewed how much I loved this slaw! In my haste for lunch, I didn’t chop the broccoli as small as I should have but that is my only regret. Delicious!
The lost iphone story made me laugh. I once panicked because I couldn’t remember where my car keys were. I was driving at the time!
I love broccoli, and I REALLY love Deb’s corn bread salad, so I was very excited about another iteration of buttermilk dressing. Unfortunately I found this dressing a little bland and unexciting. Luckily, I just used the buttermilk dressing from her corn bread salad and it worked out perfectly (the florets help to soak up the buttermilk, even though the dressing is a bit thinner).
OMG. Made this tonight. YUM. I think it might become an obsession. Thanks Deb!
Amazing. Veganized it with Just Mayo and soy buttermilk (1/2 cup soy milk curdled by a 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice). The pickled red onion was the icing on this broccoli cake. Wow! Thank you for your consistent generosity in sharing such yum with us. I’ve yet to be anything but smitten with your recipes.
I’m so thrilled! When I first saw this recipe I thought it looked very similar to the buttermilk broccoli salad at Mighty Quinn’s BBQ here in NYC – a salad that, as the millennials say, *is life*. I did everything as listed above but added about 5 slices of thick-cut bacon, sliced into roughly half-inch pieces and then cooked until crisp (while I chopped up the broccoli). Oh, and I used sour cream in place of mayo because I realized too late I was almost out of Duke’s. I can’t get over how good this slaw is. It is definitely going into my regular rotation. Thank you!!
Deb! This is all I ever want to eat these days. Genius. I followed the recipe exactly to rave reviews. Love the idea of soaking the red onion in the dressing for a bit before mixing the whole salad together – it makes it’s bite much more pleasant.
This is one of my favorite side dishes of all time – packed with flavor, simple, and beautiful to look at! I definitely recommend making it a day ahead of when you anticipate eating it to allow the juices to come out as it can be a bit dry right after making it. It looks like you don’t have enough dressing initially but after a day or two it is perfection. I have given tons of people this recipe!
Love this recipe. And really enjoy your “notes”. Great mental picture of you waiting for kids to move out of your way. Although not pregnant (am a grand mom of six) I have been eating this for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I take it out of the frig thinking, hmm, just a fork full. Fork goes in the sink (would’nt want to contaminate the bowl) and then another forkful and so it goes- until the utensil drawer looking bare.
Very tasty indeed. I took the liberty of using dried sour cherries rather than dried cranberries, because no one here seems to like cranberries and I think sour cherries have a similar effect. I will make this again.
This was crunchy, refreshing and delicious! I used a bag of broccoli slaw made from the inner stems that I bought at Trader Joe’s. The 1 Tablespoon of sugar in the dressing was a bit sweet. Next time I will use half that amount. Also, the chopped raw onion did rather harsh the overall vibe of the salad. Next time I will take your advice and use pickled shallots. Definitely will make this one again as I prefer it to cabbage-based slaw.
It looks scrumptious
Love broccoli salad. I’ve been making this for many years. Of course, everyone has their own version. Mine uses toasted pine nuts, sliced mushrooms, bacon, and currents. I make my own slaw dressing with mayo vinegar and sugar, balanced for good tartness. The salad is best after after it’s dressed and is chilled for a couple of hours. It softens the broccoli to a better texture. I usually toss the bacon and pine nuts just before serving to keep the crunch.
First things first, I was reading this thinking “wow, I didn’t know she was pregnant!” .. then I realized this was posted back in 2009. Yeah.. don’t mind me.
Second, I love love love this recipe. It is the only way I make broccoli salad now. Which I love to make, a lot. In fact, I’m making it tomorrow. The only (small) change I make is adding bacon. Because, you know, bacon makes everything better.
Thanks for sharing!!
This is my go-to potluck dish. In fact, just today I agreed to bring it to another potluck next week. I’m making double so there will be enough for the party and maybe even some to keep at home. Every time I make it several people ask me for the recipe. It’s great!
This is the perfect broccoli slaw; crunchy, tangy and so refreshing. A perfect accompaniment to our smoked baby back ribs. Thanks so much for sharing.
Hi there! I’ve been wanting to make this broccoli salad for so long and I have the chance to make it for a potluck, but for the potluck it has to be but free? Do you think pepitas would be a good substitute for the almonds? Sunflower seeds?
Thank you!
Michelle
I’m partial to salted sunflower seeds here, but both would work.
Thanks for the great recipe! For a slightly healthier version, I recommend substituting plain Greek yogurt for the buttermilk and mayonnaise. It’s delicious! Thanks again!
I have made this several times and it’s delicious! Broccoli heads vary so much in size…is there an approximate volume of chopped broccoli we should end up with?
And…I just saw the yield and can do the math. Doh! Again, it’s delicious!
I made this for tonight, to go with an otherwise heavy Erev Yom Kippour dinner. I thought it was great! Much to my shock and delight, my raw vegetable-phobic MIL has been sneaking forkfuls out of the fridge–I finally just served her some for lunch. Bless you for saving me from her usual request of overcooked, underseasoned broccoli!
So delicious and addicting. One word of warning though: if you DO eat nearly the whole bowl in one sitting, like I did, you may end up with excruciating gas from all the broccoli fiber. I don’t eat more than a cup per meal now. Lesson learned!
Deb…this feels like a dumb question, but what constitutes a “head” of broccoli? When I buy a “bunch” at the store, it’s usually two smaller stalks wrapped together…is that one head? I don’t want to accidentally use too much or too little broccoli!!
I made this, but had some blue cheese dressing I wanted to use up so I substituted it for the buttermilk dressing. It was scrumdeliumptious! Next time I will use the buttermilk dressing. Thanks!
FYI – can this be tagged Vegetarian, so it will appear in the Recipe->Vegetarian list?
Thanks! Will do.
This is the best broccoli salad I’ve ever had! Thanks Deb!
Since Deb wrote this dish could work with cauliflower, and I had about 1/2 of each broccoli and cauliflower, I combined both in one version of this slaw. It came out great! And it is so pretty with the white and green mixed together in the slaw. I did end up with TONS of slaw — but no problem — I’ll enjoy it tomorrow and maybe the next day, too!
I wanted to say I finally made this tonight after years of knowing about it, and obviously I waited too long. I did not eat the whole bowl at once, but I totally understand how that could happen-this will be added to my summer staples. As always, Thank you Deb!
would plain yogurt work here as a buttermilk substitute?
It should work just fine here.
How long will this keep in the fridge? As a single person, wondering if I could m7x up a batch for an easy way to get my veggies in for the week?,
I made this for a recent family gathering, substituting grapes for the dried cranberries. Sorry, but none of us enjoyed this recipe.
I’ve made this a few times, I tend to substitute sunflower seeds for the almonds since they’re cheaper and I usually have them on hand. I also increase the amount of cranberries, I find I like a little more sweetness in the salad. And I use red onion in the dressing, for the sake of simplicity. Overall this is a crowd pleaser!
Do as Anthony Bourdain says and always have shallots on hand. They made the dressing delish (and this whole slaw)! I like using the bagged florets from Trader Joe’s and giving them a quick chop, and this time I used dried cherries because I had some on hand. Served with grilled chicken thighs and grilled polenta. Thanks for the keeper, Deb!
What is a good sub for mayo in the dressing? Thanks!!
Yogurt won’t have the tang and richness, buttermilk will have the tang but be thin, but maybe a mix would work.
I’ve made the dressing with greek yougurt and lemon juice (instead of buttermilk and mayo). It provides for the thickness that you need and the sour, tangy taste that makes this recipe delicious.
My two elderly aunts were chatting on the phone together years ago, when Lily said, “Oh my gosh, Tommie. I’ve lost my phone”…….to which Tommie replied, “Well, you had it a minute ago!”
Try adding halved grapes to it. 😋
It IS equally good with cauliflower…or chopped raw asparagus, or shaved / shredded Brussels sprouts. =)
I love this slaw! I made a vegan version by letting go of my need to find a non-dairy ranch-style dressing (because (and this is objective truth here) all the vegan ranch dressings are gross.)
Instead I went with an asian-inspired vinaigrette with ginger, garlic, miso, mirin, sesame oil & rice vinegar, plus some olive oil and fresh orange juice (because I am a lucky californian with an orange tree outside my back door and everything I make has fresh orange juice in it.) It worked really well here, and I find it’s easy to throw together a single serving of this for tomorrow’s lunch if I don’t want to make a big bowl of it.
I made this without the cranberries (due to husband’s loathing of fruit in salads, which is very sad to me) and with greek yogurt instead of the buttermilk. I’m sure it would be even better with buttermilk, but it came out absolutely scrumptious this way too! Got lots of compliments.
I needed to bring a salad to a potluck today and wanted something other than the usual lettuce version so I tried this. I am not a raw onion fan so took your suggestion of using pickled onions, using the version you give with the black bean ragout recipe in your first cookbook (red onion + lime juice + salt). Wow! It was delicious and the bowl was cleaned out. I will definitely be making this again.
So delicious, make this all the time. The buttermilk dressing is incredible. Made this for the Superbowl to lighten things up and it complimented the hot wings and Chili beautifully!
This was so simple and so delicious. I love that you get such an amazing result from so few ingredients. I am not usually a huge fan of raw broccoli, but it goes so well with the zing of the dressing and the crunch of the almonds. I will definitely be making this again!
So I make this or something like this that I honestly thought I’d created myself. In addition to these four salad ingredients, I add some chopped celery and cooked wheat berries. The dressing I use is Marie’s Poppyseed – kind of a cheat I know. Now I guess I need to try out this dressing instead.
I made this for dinner tonight and can’t get enough of it!!!! This is my new favorite food. I’m sure I’ll be making it many times this summer.
Deb,
Funny you should post this… I’m 7.5 mos pregnant and broccoli salad has been the defining recipe of my gestation. I have many variations! I wanted to say though that broccoli + buttermilk salad dressing are magical together. Also broccoli that’s combined with toasted seeds and feta is a good way to be inclusive to those who hate raisins (and myself who can barely look at a raw onion).
Third, I recently adapted your white beans with artichoke hearts on toast lunch recipe into a whole other version of broccoli salad with a lemony vinaigrette and it’s great (just sub the toast part for some broccoli). I suggest you venture there :). I added anchovies but that might be a pregnancy thing too. Thanks for your enduring inspiration!
I like to blanch the broccoli first. Tenderizes and brightens the color!
Will it get soggy if you make it hours in advance
Not terribly, but softens a little.
Big chunks of raw broccoli stems are indeed stringy. Cooked, or in small pieces this stringy-ness goes away.
And for what it’s worth, this is fantastic! I had about half of it for dinner last night. Yum!
Deb or fellow cooks, would it work to use “buttermilk” made by lemon-ing some milk? Or is it important to use actual buttermilk here?
You can but it might not have as much body. I’d probably just use additional mayo here, thin it slightly with milk. I’m worried the lemon could discolor the broccoli. Thinned yogurt could work too.
I needed make-ahead vegetable dish for brunch. It was a HIT. Despite loads of warm croissant, fruit, creamy honey yogurt around, the broccoli slaw got the most compliments.
I went lighter on the sugar because I only had sweetened dried cranberries. And followed her ‘extra red onion’ instead of shallot suggestion.
Broccoli marinated in the dressing overnight, and the morning of, I mixed in cranberries and toasted almonds. Perfecto!
Do you have any suggestions if you do not have mayo in the house??
Ideas for dairy free dressing?
Use a vegan mayo and thin it slightly. Might need some lemon or vinegar for extra flavor.
Was a bit short on broccoli, so used half broc and half red cabbage. Also didn’t have the almonds, so toasted cashews as someone suggested. It is so good and beautiful!
I have made this for a second time now in the last six weeks (Covid lockdown times…) This time I added preserved lemon to the dressing. I can’t say enough about this salad, it’s just SO good! Last time I swapped out pepitas for the sliced almonds which was good too.
Our local market adds sunflower seeds instead of almonds, and also chopped bacon. I tried your recipe with those changes, and it was fantastic. I’m sure it was tasty as written, but I’m slightly addicted to the market version, and really glad I can make it at home now.
Thanks!
The broccoli is better if put in a pan of boiling water for 5 seconds – just till it turns bright green then to an ice water bath, drain and refrigerate. Broccoli is actually more nutritious this way as well. I do 1-2 stalks at a time for 5 seconds, then turn over for 5 seconds or so. I only use about 1/2 inch boiling water in a wide pan. I also like to soak the onions in cold water to take the bite out.
Switching to a mostly plant-based diet. AND my husband has spent his life as a meat-eater.
So….what to serve with this that helps him feel like this is DINNER?
I’m partial to veggie burgers (frozen–lots of diff. kinds–keep trying till you find one you like, or make your own!). Possibly, the trick is to give it another name, and not call it a “burger” at all. Maybe “Yummy Patties” or some foreign-sounding name to make it exotic? If all else fails, we saute slabs of firm tofu and serve with brown rice. Good Luck!
OR old-fashioned melted cheese sandwich? Who doesn’t love that??
My friend made this for a fourth of july party and it was delicious! I added some fresh cilantro and it was amazing!
Deb
I have eaten one and a half bowls of this in 36 hours. I would have eaten more but for 8 of those hours I was asleep.
Thank you for this recipe. It is perfection.
This is SO GOOD! After making it today, I made a vow to have a bowl of it in my fridge every week for the foreseeable future (oh yes, and I am pregnant with twins right now :)
This recipe is so amazing! never lets me down!
I was hitting ‘Surprise!’ (Which I love) and this one came up! I’ve made this many times, and is very forgiving with substitutions. Regular coleslaw mix? Check. Onion powder? Check. Will forever be go to slaw recipe.
How do you think this would be with cauliflower instead of broccoli?
It would be great. I also have a cauliflower slaw; different flavors, but those are my favorites with raw cauliflower.
I have been making this smitten kitchen broccoli slaw as per Deb’s recipe for at least 8 years. It is a favorite and I will continue to wow friends and family with this in the future (when we can all resume house parties). Today I wanted this slaw (and the leftovers) but didn’t have the enough broccoli or the dried cranberries on hand. I omitted the cranberries and added 1 large chopped unpeeled organic granny smith apple to the 1 head of broccoli. Proceeded with the rest of the ingredients, also mellowing the red onion in the buttermilk as per others suggestions. this was fantastic and I will try it again, including with cranberries next time. Love, love, love this recipe and the variations.
Just came from your You Tube video and saw your comment about pregnancy cravings for grapes. Funny, because I was just about to tell you that my recipe for Broccoli Slaw includes 1 1/2 – 2 cups halved grapes (red or green) and a couple of stalks of thinly sliced celery. This is probably my favourite salad – winter or summer, it’s delicious. Congrats on your You Tube channel.
I couldn’t get buttermilk so used Kefir milk instead. It’s a little thinner, so increased the Mayo. It was good! Friends and I decided that next time we’d double the almonds, liking their toast notes, but leave everything else the same. It was so!!! Good. Made it while camping, so good even for the kitchen challenged!
I ate about a quarter of the bowl as soon as it was finished, I couldn’t stop eating it! And I usually don’t like raw broccoli. I used a bag of pre-chopped broccoli slaw mix from TJ’s, I’m excited to try it again with freshly chopped broccoli. So quick and tasty, thank you!!
Hey Deb – my 6 yo son Alexander and I watched the video of you making this yesterday morning and he was *insistent* that we make it as soon as possible. Can you imagine his JOY when we got broccoli as a choice from our CSA basket? We’re pretty excited to make it together with supper tonight.
I LOVE getting to see your personality and work in action on the YouTube channel. It’s going to be a fantastic way to start our Wednesdays!!
Also, I clicked on the link to your NPR article RE the four other slaws and it appears to be a broken link.
I’m a college professor. Managing a few course pages and making sure links aren’t old/expired is hard. I can’t imagine you running this site with 10+ years of awesomeness and how often a link expires. So sorry if this is an annoying comment. :)
Happy Thursday!!
That’s so sweet that he wants to make it! And yes, broken links are the bane of my existence; why can’t everyone get behind link redirects. Here’s the correct one.
Wow this was so good – I feel a little bit naughty! Great to see you demonstrate the thin slicing of the broccoli on Youtube – I don’t have a mandolin but your technique worked perfectly – including using the peeled stalks – all delicious and just as good this morning … can’t wait to make it all summer and share with friends.
Hello there, I want to make this for a family gathering. Will it be okay to put all the ingredients together a day ahead, wrap it in the fridge and just mix with the dressing right before serving? I would like to get as much as possible done beforehand. Hysterical host alert…
I made this after watching your YouTube video and it’s very tasty! I used dried cherries instead of cranberries and pickled the red onion.
Ok so… I watched your YouTube video on this and was intrigued. At first, I was not – because I’ve never been a broccoli salad person. Buuuut the toasted almonds, cranberries & red onion looked like this could be do-able for me. I made it, watched along with your video, and OMG….. it is so delicious!!!!
And thanks for the tip on the broccoli stems. I will no longer throw those out, and what fun flower shapes!
Thanks Deb, so happy you have a YouTube channel now!!!
I have looked at this recipe for years, but after seeing your fabulous YouTube, I finally tried it. You are so right. It is terrific. And I laughed the entire time I was chopping the broccoli. Only you could make that task fun by suggesting I watch for funny broccoli figures and shapes! I have followed your recipes for over 10 years and being able to see your YouTubes is the best! I love them and Smitten Kitchen (my go-to recipe search engine)
Deb, about how much do your two heads of broccoli weigh? (I am only able to get broccoli in chopped/sliced form, not head form, so a weight would be helpful!)
Probably 3/4 pound, sometimes less or more. In the video, I had massive ones, hence needing all of the dressing.
3/4 pound each or total?
Each.
I made this ahead of a dinner party on the deck this weekend, and now I’m worried that I will eat the whole thing before the guests arrive! The one thing I’d change is that I might just blanch the red onion before I add it to the salad. It’s a little too onion-y right now. But hopefully that will mellow a bit over the next two days?
Asked and answered! Yes, the onions did mellow, and also I managed to keep enough for the dinner party.
Made this after watching the video. Love the videos. Love this slaw!
This was great! I made some changes to make it vegan. I used soy yogurt instead of buttermilk, and vegannaise instead of mayonnaise. Also used walnuts instead of almonds because they were what I had. And I did use packaged broccoli slaw instead of chopping my own. This is the first slaw I’ve really liked.
I love this version of broccoli salad! I dip my broccoli in boiling water(30 to 60 seconds) to brighten it and take the raw flavor away. This might help those who have an aversion to totally raw vegetables.
On my second batch in two weeks. This time I mixed broccoli with a bag of shredded cabbage, multi-colored radishes, and thinly sliced fennel. Best way to eat vegetables.
Just made this. It is fabulous. It won’t last a week…and there are no pregnant women here.
Where did you get that whisk? I want one!!! :-)
Thank you!
Where did you get the whisk in the video to make this broccoli slaw?
Thank you!
I have this whisk in small and also large. It’s fantastic for small amounts and also the corners of pots, although the handle is metal.
Thank you so much!!
Made this today for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving meal. Both my husband and I tasted it and thought it was rather blah… I’m hoping that sitting in the dressing overnight might help it.
I’m looking to adapt this slaw so it’s non dairy. Can I use non-dairy soy or oat milk to make this? Would the proportions for the lemon juice (to provide a buttermilk taste and for the cider vinegar be the same?
If soy or oat milk aren’t an appropriate solution, any suggestions for a dairy free dressing that would work? Thanks so much for your help Deb!
I’d actually just swap it with some more mayo, thinned with a tiny bit more vinegar or lemon juice.
Thanks so much Deb! Really appreciate the quick reply too.
Ten out of ten. This is by far the most balanced broccoli slaw recipe out there. Truly the gold standard. It comes out perfectly every time.
I love broccoli slaw! This recipe sounds delicious, I cannot wait to try it. I usually add pomegranate to my slaw, I wonder how that would taste? hmm…
Love this crunchy salad! I have now made it 5+ times, altering the veggies each time. I use cauliflower (purple makes the salad really beautiful), brussel sprouts and broccoli (although broccoli just shreds). I absolutely love this salad, but felt it needed something. I deleted the sugar and added lime. Perfect!!
Here’s a tip for the onion ‘cautious’: When I made the dressing, I used my immersion blender to blitz the red onion (I didn’t have shallots) into oblivion. For the salad, I just micro diced the red onion b/c I don’t have trouble with onion crunch/texture. My sister’s best friend’s delicious red potato salad recipe blitzes the onion into the dressing in this manner. Broccoli slaw looking good chilling in my fridge until dinner.
I’ve made this exactly as is so many times and it is perfect, but I just wanted to drop a note to say that is also super adaptable. Today I had a sad quarter cabbage, even sadder brussel sprouts, a few cauliflower florets, a white onion (no red) and dried cherries instead of cranberries and it was still so good – not really the same recipe (obvs) but a great jumping off point which I think is what makes a good recipe great.
I made this over the weekend and will be making it for years to come. Simple, healthy, delicious. I made the dressing with sour cream instead of mayo, and it worked beautifully. I accidentally got sweetened cranberries, but it turned out fine!
Can you suggest a substitution for almonds and other nuts and seeds in recipes (salads/ pestos/dressings/) for people who are allergic to nuts & seeds or otherwise can’t eat them? I’ve just been leaving them out for years but the crunch really adds something to the texture.
Might seem odd, but using uncooked crushed ramen noodles as a crunch factor in salads/slaws like this is fabulous.
This is super addictive! I loved it. I made it with yogurt instead of buttermilk (our own goat milk yogurt) and used finely diced apples for a sweet crunch. We had it with our Mother’s Day brunch and it was just perfect! Thanks for another great recipe!
Delicious and easy to make (unless you opt for bacon, which it doesn’t need) – thanks for an great recipe! Love your site and YouTube demos!!
I have made this 3 times now and will be making it 30 times that amount in the future. This is delicious: sweet, tart, crunchy and light. I have used dried cranberries and dried cherries. I prefer the dried cherries just because I like them more, but the salad is excellent using cranberries.
I am embarrassed to say how much I can seat at one sitting.
This really is the best broccoli salad/slaw!
I love this slaw and make it often. If I am low on broccoli, e.g. only have one head but want to make the whole recipe, are there other veg you would suggest I supplement it with? I guess cauliflower could work, but what about e.g. Chinese cabbage?
Forgot to tick the notify me of follow-up comments box!
Is that Napa cabbage? I think it would work! I use red cabbage rather than broccoli and it is good.
Love your cooking videos. This salad is a staple for us.
Just a suggestion – you can avoid crying when chopping onions by holding a unburned wooden match stick between your teeth. I don’t know why it works, but it just does.
Another hint – to remove the onion odor from your hands rub your stainless steel sink, or other stainless steel items like a spoon, or bowl. Then rinse with water. It has something to do with removing sulfur molecules from your hands.
Delicious salad! I used a mandolin to slice the broccoli, will probably use a knife next time. The recipe does not list salt and pepper as ingredients. I added about a teaspoon of salt and a generous amount of fresh ground pepper.
I made this tonight exactly as written. Fabulous. I was going to halve the recipe but glad I didn’t. I can’t stop eating it.
I added blue cheese to this and really like it.
I’ve also added a packaged “salad topping “ that has sunflower and pumpkin seeds and glazed pecans .
What does Deb, or anyone, think about adding some thinly-sliced radishes?
Would be delicious!
Really really good…..and really really easy. AND….tastes just as really really good on day 2 as on day 1. That dressing. That DRESSING!!!! I wanted to put it in a bowl and eat it with a soup spoon. The only change I made was to use reduced-fat mayo, and it worked well. I usually dislike raw broccoli, but loved it when prepared this way. Thanks for the video instructions for peeling and chopping the broccoli stalks.
Entire family loved this salad. The only negative is I thought I would have leftovers!!
I watch your videos all the time and actually I think you would be a riot to spend an afternoon or an evening with! Just cooking and drinking and laughing and enjoying each other. I came in to be in a foodie in my 60s and now both of my children are better cook than I am and when we get together it is a food fest and wine fest and I always share your delicious recipes and I can’t wait for your next cookbook as I see Christmas gifts just around the corner!
Hello, I just want to be sure. I have company coming and I prep as much as I can the day before.
Can I make this salad the day before?
Thank you
I know this comment was posted a year ago, but yes, it can be made the day before. In fact, I try to make it the day before because good slaw is better when it has had a chance to sit.
Like so many commenters, this is my go-to potluck staple. Easily scaled up or down, I have the recipe memorized (including a fairly long list of substitutions to take advantage of whatever I have on hand). The only thing I consistently change is swapping out nuts (due to an allergy) with unsalted sunflower seeds, which works beautifully. I’ve subbed buttermilk with coconut milk + lemon juice, swapped in several different dried fruits and added diced bell peppers on occasion.
Anyway, I love this salad and felt like I should comment as it’s on my Christmas Eve menu this year :)
DELISH! I had some purple kale that I didn’t know what to do with and turns out, it was a perfect addition to this salad.
I have a ton of broccoli in my fridge that I need to use up. I can’t wait to try this easy recipe!
This is a tasty mix of ingredients and the dressing is good, although I did add more vinegar. I only wish I had followed my gut (so to speak) and either blanched or microwaved the broccoli briefly to take the raw edge off. I made it a day ahead thinking the dressing would soften the veggies a bit, but so far this hasn’t happened. I’ll make it again with that in mind. Oh, and btw, I used my marinated red onions that I always have in the fridge and which I prefer to raw.
Second time making this and it’s a family favorite. I use kefir instead of buttermilk and powdered allulose for sweetener. Delish!!
I made this for a shabbat dinner and was a huge hit. Its a bit addictive! My husband loved it, and as an Eastern European, did not grow up like me eating broccoli. The first time I made broccoli him he looked at his plate, looked at me, and asked ‘do I have to eat this?’
Yet….even as he is quite reserved in words, the second and third helpings heaped onto his plate communicated to me ‘yum’.
Thanks for another great recipe
I have wanted to make this for years, and finally got around to it this 4th. The problem is, I recently got braces and even the smallest pieces of broccoli were hard for me to eat. In thinking about what to do with the giant bowl of delicious salad, another SK favorite crossed my mind-Crispy Broccoli with Lemon and Garlic. So, I heated my oven to 425, put a few huge scoops on a pan, baked, and 20 minutes later had incredible broccoli slaw in a surprising format. I squeezed a little lemon on the end product just like the Crispy recipe. It was divine. Try it! And thanks, Deb, for inspiring us with your creativity. You definitely helped me out today!
Any suggestions for Mayo sub????
Saw this and had to make it. I really enjoyed the video. The slaw turned out great!
This is outstanding! I now make this most weeks for a quick prep weekday lunch. Halving the recipe serves me for 2 lunches. It keeps brilliantly in the fridge for the second day and is such a gorgeous light meal. So far only made it with broccoli, but I think this week I might try substituting other vegetables and I’m sure it will be just as glorious.
I have made this multiple times with red cabbage instead of broccoli. We really like it! The recipe reads that it makes 6 cups of slaw. I just measure out six cups of shredded cabbage and keep everything else the same, except for doubling the almonds and cranberries, because, well, crunchy and sweet. I also shave some carrots into it for color. Thanks, Deb!
I try to make it the day before because good slaw is better when it has had a chance to sit.
I wanted a quick broccoli recipe before it turned yellow and I came here. Have to admit I don’t like broccoli all that much and I was sceptical about using raw broccoli. I used walnuts and raisins with it. I am taken aback at how good this is. I am going to polish the entire bowl. Will never eat cooked broccoli after eating this recipe.
Made this for the first time for a family Christmas meal. The flavor was nice but consensus was it tasted “too raw”. I sliced the broccoli by hand, and thought the pieces were thin and small enough, but guess not. I will use a mandolin or food processor next time to make the pieces much thinner/smaller and see if that helps.
I’m craving broccoli (and other veg) these days after oh, so many cookies over the holidays. Raw broccoli and I are not friends, I’ll have to pour boiling water over the broccoli first. That, and I really do have to restrain myself not to eat heaps of it at a sitting.
1/11/24 I enjoy the cast iron fable by Eva Victor in The New Yorker-
Congrats !
You are truly in the league of gods when you are cited in a NYr cartoon !
We’ve just served this as a side for Maui Ribs and really enjoyed it. I had to make a few changes:
– Blanched the broccoli and set in an ice water bath as our family does not enjoy
raw broccoli.
– Substituted pomegranate seeds for the dried cranberries as we had some
leftover.
– Substituted pickled red onion, finely diced for the shallots as we also had the
pickled red onion leftover.
Thank you Deb!