Fall Broccoli Salad
Classic broccoli salad with a fall twist. Everything you love about a broccoli salad plus sweet potatoes, pumpkin seeds, granny smith apples and a hint of pumpkin pie spice!
Just because September is here doesn’t mean we have to forget about broccoli salad until next summer. Though it is commonly served as a summertime side dish, this Fall Broccoli Salad is a perfect transition food from summer into fall.
What goes into Fall Broccoli Salad?
As the name suggests broccoli is the feature ingredient in this salad. Aside from a veggie platter, you don’t often eat broccoli raw, but in a broccoli salad you let it sit in the dressing overnight before serving. This flavors and softens the broccoli, but still leaves it with a little crunch!
The dressing is a sweet poppy seed dressing with a pinch of zest made with mayo, honey, apple cider vinegar poppy seeds, salt and a hint of pumpkin pie spice!
All the delicious add-ins include:
sweet potato
granny smith apple
cheddar cheese
bacon
pecans
pumpkin seeds
dried cranberries
red onion
Should I blanch the broccoli?
I don’t think blanching is necessary, but some people like to. As long as you let the salad sit long enough (12-24 hours) you should not have an issue with the broccoli being too tough. If you want to make the salad and don’t have time to let it sit and marinate, or just prefer the broccoli a little softer you can blanch it. To do so, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and then add in the broccoli for about 30 seconds. Drain the broccoli Immediately and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Made sure your broccoli is cool and dry before you add it to the salad.
Looking for some healthier swaps?
- You can swap the mayo for plain, full fat greek yogurt in the dressing
- Use turkey bacon in place of regular
- Leave out the cheese
Fall Broccoli Salad (with apples, sweet potato and dried cranberries)
Description
Classic broccoli salad with a fall twist. Everything you love about a broccoli salad plus sweet potatoes, dried cranberries, granny smith apples and a hint of pumpkin pie spice!
Ingredients
Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp poppy seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Salad
8 cups raw broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup sweet potato*
1 cup green apple, cut into small chunks with skin on
1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese, cut into small pieces
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
Dressing
In a small bowl whisk together all of the dressing ingredients
Salad
Add the broccoli to a large bowl
Add all the other ingredients, toss
Pour the dressing over the broccoli salad, use a large spoon to mix to evenly coat
Refrigerate overnight before serving cold
Notes
* Peel the sweet potato and slice it into bite sized pieces. Bake in the oven at 400°F for about 20 minutes or in the air fryer for 10-12 minutes.
- Category: side dish
Keywords: #sidedish, #broccolisalad, #fallbroccolisalad, #fallsalads, #fallrecipes
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If you make this Fall Broccoli Salad, let me know how you like it! Leave a comment here and/or give it a star rating! If you snap a photo I’d love to see it – share it over on Instagram and tag me @sprinklesandseasalt!