Healthy Broccoli Slaw Recipe

This Healthy Broccoli Slaw Recipe is full of sesame, vinegar, and crunch and ready in under 10 minutes. It’s mayo-free, flavorful meal prep gold!

Healthy broccoli slaw is fresh, vinegary, and holds up for days, which means I can pile it into a grain bowl with salmon burgers and quinoa pilaf or use it to balance rich dishes like baked mac and cheese. If you’re looking for more fresh sides, try my chopped kale salad, or serve this slaw with grilled rosemary chicken, roast beef melts, or my go-to spicy peach pork chops for a satisfying combo.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Scallions: I use the dark green parts for the slaw! You can omit the green onion if you don’t have it, but it really does add a little something. You could also finely dice some yellow onions or chives.
• Red Wine Vinegar: If you’re not a fan of red wine vinegar, you could also mix apple cider vinegar with dijon mustard in a small bowl. It’ll be a little zippier!
• Neutral Oil
• Kosher Salt
• White Sesame Seeds: A mix of black and white sesame seeds vary the flavor and appearance of this slaw recipe. You could omit one or the other.
  Black Sesame Seeds: You can substitute nigella seeds, which have the appearance of black sesame seeds and add a nice oniony flavor.
• Slaw mix: The recipe does make a lot of slaw. You could just use half of each bag and a half recipe of the dressing ingredients. I like to have it for leftovers! If you’re opting to make your own broccoli slaw mix, remember that most store-bought varieties are made from shredded broccoli stems (not the broccoli florets), carrots, and cabbage. If you’re shredding broccoli stalks at home, do yourself a favor and use a food processor or sharp knife.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

• Add more onions and peppers. My current pregnancy craving is this salad with pickled banana peppers and beets. I just can’t get enough! I also like adding thinly sliced red onion with some cracked black pepper.
• Mix in some extra fruit. Fruits add brightness and texture! For this slaw, I’d go with sliced or diced honeycrisp apples, thinly sliced shallots, raisins, or low-sugar dried cranberries.
• Include the chopped nuts. Crunch and salt are always welcome; you could switch in chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, roasted and salted pistachios, or sunflower seeds! You could even use cashews.
• Make it creamy. This broccoli slaw dressing is written to be dairy free with no mayonnaise. But, your kitchen means your rules! You could use greek yogurt, mayo, or vegan mayo in this slaw if that’s more your style.

Professional Tips

• Let the vinegar base work its magic in the slaw. I like to assemble this slaw about 2 hours before serving to allow time for the vinegar to interact with the vegetable enzymes and draw out the best flavor.
• Use two forks instead of tongs to mix. Forks help separate strands gently without crushing the mix. You can also use your hands to work in the dressing, but make sure you don’t have any cuts.
• Bonus points for toasting the sesame seeds. Toss your sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat to get some extra nutty flavor.

How to Make Healthy Broccoli Slaw

Use these instructions to make the perfect healthy broccoli slaw every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Combine all the ingredients for the slaw in a large bowl (photo 1).

I usually season with about half the salt, then taste and season again.

Step 2: Mix well with 2 forks, tasting for salt as you go (photo 2). 

Step 3: Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes but ideally 2 hours.

Letting the slaw rest allows the cabbage to soften slightly and the flavors to meld.

Recipe FAQs

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this broccoli slaw salad recipe. Check out our other delicious, easy side dish recipes!