Broccoli Slaw

Anonymous May 19, 2020

This creamy broccoli slaw is irresistibly tasty! It’s easy to make using fresh broccoli or the packaged mix you can find in most grocery stores.

Broccoli slaw

Here’s a fresh spin on the classic broccoli slaw! And who knew it could be so irresistibly tasty? Alex and I nearly polished off the entire bowl on our own. This recipe you can make with store-bought broccoli slaw bags or fresh broccoli and carrots. It’s got a creamy dressing that’s equal parts savory, tangy, and a little sweet. It works as a summer side dish for a cookout, or an anytime side dish that works with…well, anything! Try this stunner of a broccoli recipe…you won’t be disappointed!

First: what’s broccoli slaw?

Broccoli slaw is a spin on the traditional coleslaw using thinly sliced broccoli stems instead of cabbage. Often you’ll find carrots in the mix, and it’s coated in a mayo-based coleslaw dressing. Broccoli slaw has become so popular that the mix is sold pre-packaged in grocery stores in the US. But you can also make it with fresh veggies! 

Other things you’ll find in broccoli slaw recipes: a sweet element like sliced apple, dried cranberries or raisins, and a crunchy element like sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, or even dried ramen noodles. Jump right to our recipe to see what we used. 

Broccoli slaw

Make slaw with packaged mix or fresh broccoli!

A nice feature of this broccoli slaw recipe is that it’s customizable based on your preferences and the ingredients you have access to! You can use either storebought mix, or use fresh broccoli and carrots. Here’s a little breakdown of the pros and cons of both:

  • Fresh broccoli and carrots: Highly recommend using fresh veggies here! The flavor is out-of-this-world fresh. It’s fastest and easiest with a food processor: you’d need a slicing blade and a grating blade. Or, you can use a knife to thinly slice the florets and then a box grater to grate the broccoli stems and carrots. It’s worth it for the flavor: we promise!
  • Bagged broccoli slaw mix: It’s usually easy to find broccoli slaw mix at the grocery store, sold in 12 ounce bags. You’ll just need 24 ounces of slaw, which makes this method very quick and easy. The tradeoff? You lose some of that fresh, beautiful veggie flavor; store bought mix can be a little dry.
Broccoli slaw

Ingredients for broccoli slaw dressing

Aside from chopping those veggies, there’s really not a lot to do in this broccoli slaw! Simply mix up the dressing, then toss it with the vegetables. The dressing in this recipe is mayo-based, but it contains less mayo than the standard recipe. It’s based on our popular Creamy Coleslaw Dressing. Here are the ingredients you’ll need for broccoli slaw dressing:

  • Mayonnaise (use vegan mayo for a plant-based slaw)
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Sugar (or maple syrup for naturally sweet)
  • Dried dill
  • Celery seed
  • Salt & pepper

Broccoli slaw add-ins!

This broccoli slaw is incredibly good with just veggies and dressing. But you can also add sweet or crunchy elements to make it even better. Here are some options:

  • Sunflower seeds: we added these for a crunchy topping
  • Sliced almonds: this would also add a crunch
  • Dried cranberries or currants: for savory + sweet fans! Alex is not, so we left them out in our version
  • Julienned green apple: for another sweet element
Broccoli slaw

More slaw recipes

Are you a slaw fan? Alex and I have realized we’re huge fans of the stuff: we have a hard time not loading up on it when we serve it! Here are a few more slaw recipes to try:

This broccoli slaw recipe is…

Vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free. For vegan and plant-based, use vegan mayo (should be relatively easy to find at your grocery or online).

Print
Broccoli slaw

Classic Broccoli Slaw

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 8 modest servings
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

This creamy broccoli slaw is irresistibly tasty! It’s easy to make using fresh broccoli or the packaged mix you can find in most grocery stores.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds broccoli on the stem* (or 24 ounces packaged broccoli slaw and skip carrots)
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise (or vegan mayo)
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar or maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh black ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds (optional)
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)

Instructions

  1. For fresh broccoli & carrots: Fit a food processor with the slicing blade. Cut the florets off of the broccoli, then feed them into the food processor to thinly slice them. Peel the stems of the broccoli and the carrots, then cut them into pieces to fit into the food processor. Change the blade to the grating blade and feed them through the food processor. Alternate method: Thinly slice the florets with a knife. Then use a box grater to large grate the peeled broccoli stems and carrots. 
  2. Place the sliced vegetables (or bags of broccoli slaw) into a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, dill, celery seed, kosher salt, and several grinds fresh ground pepper.
  3. Add the dressing to the vegetables and stir until coated. If desired, stir in sunflower seeds or dried cranberries. Eat immediately or refrigerate up to 2 days. 

Notes

*For a potluck or cookout, we’d recommend multiplying this recipe by 1.5 to make 12 servings. 

  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Raw
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: Broccoli slaw

More broccoli recipes

Around here, we’re big broccoli fans! If you are too, here are some top broccoli recipes to try:

  • Roasted Broccoli (Best Ever!) Oven roasted broccoli makes this green veggie taste SO GOOD you can’t stop sneaking bites!
  • Creamy Broccoli Potato Soup Intensely creamy, satisfying, and 100% plant based! It’s an easy healthy soup that everyone loves.
  • Broccoli Stir Fry Makes this green vegetable taste irresistible! Serve it as a tasty side dish, or add a protein and you’ve got dinner.

A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes