Creamy Broccoli Apple Salad Recipe with Walnuts (2024)

Yesterday I whipped up a huge batch of this creamy broccoli apple salad recipe and I plan on eating it for lunch every day this week. The last few weeks have been rather chaotic and I need a serious break for a while. We had a series of unplanned home repairs that created a huge mess as well as a giant expense. Sometimes, when the stress level is high, you need a healthy salad recipe to keep you balanced. Even better if it is an easy make ahead recipe that can be stored for a while in the fridge. Thankfully,this broccoli apple salad recipe was a huge hit with the family…even the ones who aren’t thrilled with broccoli!

Posts feature partner companies & may be sponsored. Post contains affiliate links & I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Creamy Broccoli Apple Salad Recipe with Walnuts (1)

Table of Contents

Broccoli Carrot Apple Salad to the rescue!

Know what my life is like this week? Torn up wood floors, leaky dishwasher, leaky washing machine, and water dripping out of ceilings. Seriously…I am ready to just ditch this house for a new one if things don’t stop breaking. Then, the day after we got everything ALMOST fixed we left for a 2-week long road trip to see family up north.

Creamy Broccoli Apple Salad Recipe with Walnuts (2)

✯Don’t want to miss the next post?✯

Follow Turning the Clock Back on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Or join the private Facebook group for simple tips on going green!

Needless to say, there hasn’t been a lot of ‘me time’ this month. Not to mention the fact that I have eaten more fast food and packaged foods than is probably good for me. But, now that life is kind of settling back to normal, I am back to cooking from scratch and feasting on fresh fruits and vegetables. This broccoli carrot apple salad recipe was easy to make and delicious!

Creamy Broccoli Apple Salad Recipe with Walnuts (3)

Go Meatless with Broccoli Salad Recipes Without Bacon

I have seen a lot of broccoli salad recipes but most of them use bacon which my daughter doesn’t like. Weird, huh? Who doesn’t like BACON? But, to accommodate her food aversions I made this one without the beloved bacon added into it. To give it a bit of protein, I added chopped walnuts instead of bacon (check out my post on the health benefits of walnuts to learn why this is my favorite nut!).

Other Healthy Salad Recipes You May Like

  • Healthy Quinoa Salad Recipe with Spinach and Apricots
  • Shrimp Avocado Salad Recipe with Cajun Lime Dressing
  • German Cucumber Salad Recipe – Gurkensalat

Creamy Broccoli Apple Salad Recipe with Walnuts (4)

Everything in this salad recipe is really fairly healthy which I’m happy about since we gorged ourselves on vacation. One night I ate a huge platter of batter fried whole belly clams and I am not sorry one tiny bit! I only have them when I go up north so when I finally get them in front of me, I am not sharing with anyone! But, now that I’m home, I am back to healthy recipes for a while or I won’t be able to button up my pants.

Creamy Broccoli Apple Salad Recipe with Walnuts (5)

Make a Healthier Broccoli Salad with Yogurt

If you are concerned about the calories in this salad, you could make a broccoli salad with no mayo but I really love the flavor of it in this dish. I tried to find a happy medium.

The dressing for this broccoli apple salad recipe is half mayonnaiseand half Greek yogurt. Replacing half the mayo amount is a great way to cut the fat and make it even healthier without sacrificing flavor or using some weird ‘low fat’ version of mayonnaise.

Creamy Broccoli Apple Salad Recipe with Walnuts (6)

Just whisk some salt, pepper, sugar and lemon juice into the mayo and yogurt and you have a simple dressing for your broccoli salad that takes only a few minutes to make. Yogurt is seriously my go to healthy ingredient when it comes to sauces and glazes. Check out my fruit salad recipe with homemade yogurt glaze. Totally delicious!

You can store the broccoli salad in the fridge for several days once you add the dressing. Nothing gets soggy or limp and it will be a quick and healthy lunch for me this week as I try to finish digging out from vacation laundry and the mess of home repairs. I think I need a vacation from my vacation!

Creamy Broccoli Apple Salad Recipe with Walnuts (7)

Creamy Broccoli Apple Salad Recipe

Yield: 12 servings

Creamy Broccoli Apple Salad Recipe

Creamy Broccoli Apple Salad Recipe with Walnuts (8)

This creamy broccoli apple salad recipe is healthy and easy to make. An easy summer salad for your next outdoor get together!

Prep Time20 minutes

Total Time20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 cups fresh broccoli florets (about 2 medium heads)
  • 2 large apples, chopped
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 2 tbsp Lemon juice (about half a lemon)
  • 1/2 cup Mayonnaise,
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/8 tsp Pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 tbsp Sugar

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, place the broccoli, apples, cranberries, pecans, onion and shredded carrot
  2. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, yogurt, salt, pepper, sugar and lemon juice.
  3. Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and mix until everything is coated.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1 to 2 cups

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 166Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 136mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 4gSugar: 11gProtein: 3g

Nutrition info is not always accurate.

Looking for more salad recipes?

Try thisAsparagus Pasta Salad Recipe with Bacon and Bleu Cheese

Creamy Broccoli Apple Salad Recipe with Walnuts (10)

Diane Hoffmaster

Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician atGood Pill Pharmacy. She earned her BS in Microbiology at theUniversity of New Hampshire and has worked in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging and freelance writing to share this knowledge with others. Learn more about her HERE.

Creamy Broccoli Apple Salad Recipe with Walnuts (2024)

FAQs

Why does my broccoli salad get watery? ›

Extra water on the broccoli can make for a runny mixture. The same goes for rinsing your broccoli! Make sure you give your broccoli adequate time to dry after rinsing. You get enough moisture from the dressing mixture that any extra water will make your salad too watery.

What salad is made of apples celery and walnuts? ›

There's a reason why this Waldorf salad belongs on every holiday dinner table. It's a symphony of crisp apples, celery, grapes, and crunchy walnuts, tossed in a tangy-sweet, creamy dressing that adds the perfect refreshing touch.

Which of the following salad recipe that uses chantilly dressing apples celery stalks and walnuts? ›

We love this original Waldorf Salad recipe made with crisp apples, grapes, celery and walnuts in a creamy dressing on Boston Bib lettuce. It only takes 10 minutes to throw together and is a crowd favorite!

Why do you soak broccoli in water? ›

The natural nooks and crevices in broccoli and cauliflower are the perfect hiding spot for dirt, germs and even little bugs. Get your cruciferous veggies squeaky clean by filling a sink with cold water and then soaking them for a few minutes.

What is the Jennifer Aniston salad? ›

If you haven't tried the viral Jennifer Aniston Salad, you've been missing out! It's a delicious healthy salad with a base of fluffy quinoa, crisp cucumbers, fresh herbs and chickpeas, topped with creamy feta and pistachios for crunch. Every spoon makes you want more!

Why is it called Ambrosia salad? ›

“There's so many different ways to do it,” Pelosi said of ambrosia salad. “I make it the way that my family made it, which doesn't have marshmallows because we didn't like them.” Ambrosia was so named for the food of the Greek and Roman gods. Its region of origin is lost to history.

What is another name for Jennifer Aniston salad? ›

The salad Jen ate on the set of Friends was a Cobb Salad, while this salad is a riff on a tabbouleh. She shared it years ago on Instagram with the caption “My perfect salad”, and was nice enough to also list the ingredients that were inside her bowl.

What is the Bella Hadid salad? ›

How to Make Bella Hadid's Favorite Salad. This recipe is super simple. Grab a large bowl (then put it back and get one that's bigger) and throw in some baby arugula, sliced mini cucumber rounds, thinly sliced red bell pepper, some roughly chopped chunks from a wedge of Parm, and a sliced avocado.

Why is it called Waldorf salad? ›

Waldorf salad is named for the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City, where it was first created for a charity ball given in honor of the St. Mary's Hospital for Children on March 13, 1896.

What are the 4 primary dressing types used on salads? ›

The four main salad dressings are vinaigrette, emulsified vinaigrette, mayonnaise-based, and mayonnaise.

How do you make broccoli not watery? ›

To avoid soggy broccolis try steaming it for 2 minutes and check the texture, if required cook for a minute more but not more than that. After this, you put the boiled broccoli into ice water, the constant shock will make them crispy.

Why does my salad become watery? ›

As mentioned, moisture tends to make salads go soggier even faster. That said, it's even quicker when the dressing is made up of acidic ingredients like vinegar or citrus—which, in most cases, they are. The acid in these ingredients can break down the cell structure of tender greens leading to their demise even faster.

How do you fix a watery salad? ›

If neither more tuna, potatoes, nor eggs solves the problem, it's time to consider mixing in super dry, starchy ingredients. To soak up liquids like a sponge, pantry staples like pasta or even croutons are complete game-changers that will restore a soggy salad.

Why does my salad get wet in the fridge? ›

Keep Them Cool on the Way Home From the Grocery Store

Worobo, professor of food microbiology at Cornell University. Otherwise, the package of greens will be exposed to ambient temperature before it enters the fridge, thereby increasing the risk of condensation (moisture).

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Kelle Weber

Last Updated:

Views: 5316

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (53 voted)

Reviews: 84% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Kelle Weber

Birthday: 2000-08-05

Address: 6796 Juan Square, Markfort, MN 58988

Phone: +8215934114615

Job: Hospitality Director

Hobby: tabletop games, Foreign language learning, Leather crafting, Horseback riding, Swimming, Knapping, Handball

Introduction: My name is Kelle Weber, I am a magnificent, enchanting, fair, joyous, light, determined, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.