Cherry Pecan Broccoli Salad

This Cherry Pecan Broccoli Salad features tender-crisp broccoli, dried cherries, toasted pecans, and juicy diced apples all tossed with a tart and sweet dressing. It’s a family favorite and for me, it’s the best broccoli salad recipe for backyard barbecues, potlucks, or even as a side dish for Sunday dinner. And if you love a fresh salad that includes both greens and fruit, also try my recipe for Blackberry and Baby Greens Salad.

And although I love this salad just the way it is, you can totally customize it to your liking. If you like a little bacon in your broccoli salad, go ahead and throw in a handful of chopped, cooked bacon pieces. If you want a vegan broccoli salad, just be sure and use vegan mayo. And of course, you will be wanting to share this dish with all of your friends and family, so feel free to double or triple the recipe to bring to your next get-together.

Cook’s Tips:

• I like to blanch my broccoli before preparing the salad because it brings out the green color and makes it a little more tender. But if you don’t have time to blanch, or prefer not to, go ahead and use your broccoli raw.
• You can lighten up the dressing by swapping Greek yogurt for half of the mayonnaise.
• If you can’t find dried cherries, substitute cranberries or raisins.
• Change it up by substituting walnuts, sunflower seeds, or even pepitas for the pecans.
• For a late fall or early winter broccoli salad, try using pears instead of apples.
• I don’t recommend skipping the sweetener in this dressing, but if you are watching your sugar intake, just use your favorite alternative sweetener in place of the sugar.

If you try this recipe, let me know in the comments. I hope you enjoy!

*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will earn a commission at no additional cost to you if you click through and make a purchase.*

Broccoli Salad

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★★★★★

4.7 from 15 reviews

• Author: My Homemade Roots
• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: 4 Servings 1x

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Ingredients

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For the Salad:

• Florets from 1 head of broccoli, blanched and drained (about 12 ounces of florets)
• ½ cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
• ⅓ cup chopped toasted pecans
• 1 apple, diced
• 1 small red onion, finely diced

For the dressing:

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar (I prefer unrefined cane sugar)
• ¼ teaspoon celery seed
• ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

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Instructions

1. Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Whisk dressing ingredients together until thoroughly mixed.
3. Gently toss the salad and dressing. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

• Prep Time: 0 hours
• Inactive Time: 0 hours
• Cook Time: 0 hours