Fresh Broccoli and Apple Salad with Walnuts
This broccoli salad with apples and creamy lemon dressing has been a family favorite for years. All of the flavors work really well together. It’s sweet, and tart and crisp. It also refrigerates really well overnight even after stirring in the dressing.
This is my Mama-in-laws recipe. My hubby made this after getting instructions over the phone. We knew it was a keeper the first time we tried it. Love at first bite!
Watch How to Make Broccoli Apple Salad:
OUR LATEST VIDEOSBroccoli Salad Ingredients:
2 medium heads of broccoli, chopped into small pieces
1 large carrot, grated
1 apple, cored and finely chopped
1/4 medium onion (1/4 cup), finely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted on a skillet and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
Broccoli Salad Dressing Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp sugar, or add to taste
1/4 tsp sea salt
Pinch of black pepper
How to Make Fresh Broccoli Salad with Apple and Walnuts:
1. Toast walnuts over medium/ high heat on a dry skillet, tossing them occasionally so they don’t burn. Toast about 4-5 minutes. Chop walnuts coarsely.
2. Combine chopped broccoli, grated carrot, chopped apple, chopped onion, chopped walnut and cranberries.
3. To make the dressing, combine: 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, 1/2 cup of sour cream, 2 Tbsp of lemon juice, 1/2 Tbsp sugar (or add to taste), 1/4 tsp of sea salt and a pinch of black pepper. Mix well.
4. Mix as much of the dressing as you want into the salad, then serve. MMMMMM!!
Fresh Broccoli and Apple Salad with Walnuts
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients:
- 2 medium heads of broccoli chopped into small pieces
- 1 large carrot grated
- 1 apple cored and finely chopped
- 1/4 medium onion 1/4 cup, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup walnuts toasted on a skillet and coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup raisins or cranberries
Dressing Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 Tbsp sugar or add to taste
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- Pinch of pepper
Instructions
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Toast walnuts over medium/ high heat, tossing them occasionally so they don't burn. Heat about 4-5 minutes. Chop walnuts coarsely.
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Combine chopped broccoli, grated carrot, chopped apple, chopped onion, chopped walnut and cranberries.
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To make the dressing, combine: mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, sugar (to taste), salt and pepper. Mix well.
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Mix as much of the dressing as you want into the salad, then serve.
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Hello, I fell in love with your salads when I saw the first one, it looks super delicious, I wanted to ask if the broccoli is raw, or it should be cooked, because I had never eaten it raw.
Hi Monica, I always use raw, well rinsed broccoli.I have had a couple readers report good results with blanching the broccoli before adding but we love the crisp texture of raw broccoli.
We liked everything about the salad…..except the raw broccoli. If using it raw, imo, it should be chopped into very small pieces. Next time I will blanch the broccoli.
Great flavors.
Hi Barry, it does help to cut it into very small florets. We love the crunch in raw broccoli but I thin it would still work if you blanched it.
Out of my several broccoli salad recipes this is my new favorite. The apple is a great addition. I made it for my sewing group pot luck and it was enjoyed by all. Thanks.
My pleasure Pat! I’m so glad to hear that everyone enjoys the recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Sounds delish…hope to make soon, but for a group think I will delete the nuts or just add a note saying contains nute.
That is always a very thoughtful idea, especially if there might be an allergy! 🙂
Couldn’t find good broccoli so bought cauliflower. Do you think this would be a good substitute in this salad?
Hi Deb, yes that should work fine. You might be interested to see how it worked in my other very popular cauliflower salad. We do love cauliflower in our salads! 🙂
Used cauliflower and I also added some finely chopped kale – also used lots of chives from my garden instead of onion. So good and so forgiving. Beautiful dressing.
That sounds delicious Deb! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review 😀
I love this salad! I am also dairy free so I just added a little more mayo.
Thank you for sharing your great review Laurie! 😀
I love how crunchy this recipe is. It is yummy and packed full of easy to find ingredients.
I just found another way to incorporate broccoli into my diet!
I’m happy to hear you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review!
What is the nutrients review?
Due to time constraints, I don’t typically include nutritional info, but check out this nutrition analyzer – you can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you Terrie!
there is a new yogurt made of almonds at whole foods in the yogurt section
non dairy taste so good
Thank you so much for sharing that! 🙂
hi natasha I really like your recipe, but I have a doubt Can I boil broccoli?
The fresh broccoli works best in this recipe. It’s crisp and flavorful and I don’t think the salad would be as good if it were boiled.
Hi Natasha,
This recipe looks great I plan to make it tonight. In the photos of the unmixed salad it looks like there is rice in it as well.. would you recommend adding in rice?
Hi Sarah, I don’t think rice would meld well with the other textures in this salad. I haven’t tried it though, so I guess I could be wrong ;). What you’re seeing in the photos is onion, but it does kind of look like rice, doesn’t it? 🙂
Wonderful salad, I sub. Plain yogurt for sour crm .
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoy it! I love the healthy substitution 🙂
Can this be made ahead of time? If so, how long do you think?
Hi Nancy, I think it tastes and looks best the same day it’s made (within 3-4 hours after stirring), especially with the apples in it. Leftovers are tasty the next day after refrigeration but the salad looks best on day 1.
This recipe looks yummy, would love to try it. My diet restricts me from having any type of dairy products. Can the sour cream be substituted with anything else?
Hi Mary, I honestly haven’t tried anything else besides sour cream. Several readers have reported good results with using Greek yogurt but again – dairy. I can’t think of anything off the top. Anyone else have any good dairy-free substitutes?
Hi Natasha, I plan to make this salad for Thanksgiving, and I, too, fall in a category to keep dishes dairy free. I do not know of non dairy substitutes for sour cream, however, I am wondering if using 1 full cup of Mayo instead of half Mayo/half Sour Cream. Thoughts? Should be okay? Thanks!
Anna, you might use 3/4 cups of mayo since full cup my overwhelm the taste in the salad or add it to taste.
Coconut Cream
Mary, try nondairy cream cheese-like Go Veggie plain with vegan mayo-like Just Mayo. I just made some yesterday and my husband and kids love it!!!
Thank you for sharing and I’m so glad your family enjoyed it!! 🙂
Just made this… I used broccoli slaw, brought in produce isle. It was great, we loved it
Susan, thank you for the nice review, I’m glad you loved it 😁
This salad was a treat! So tasty and unique! I never used fresh broccoli before, was a little bit doubtful, even cooked in the micro for 1.5 min:):)
Thank you so much!
Ana, thank you for the nice review, I’m so glad you liked it and you are welcome 😄.
I never buy heads of broccoli but only florets. What weight approximately is for 2 medium heads of broccoli?
Also, do you use stalks too or just florets?
Thank You!
Hi Liya, without being at the grocery store and weighing them, I can’t say how much they weigh but it was about 6 cups of florets and stems. I peel the stems if they are very fibrous (organic usually are) and I do chop the stems into the salad also.
Wow this looks good. I am making it tomorrow for sure. I have been looking for a nice change to lettuce salads and pasta salads and this is it!! Can’t wait. I am going to sub the sour cream for plain greek yogurt and the walnuts for sliced almonds. nom nom 😀
Let me know how it turns out 😀.
i have frozen broccoli, how should I use it?
Hi Mariam, unfortunately, you really need fresh broccoli for it to work well in this recipe.
Made this for dinner today. My family loved it.
That’s fantastic! Thanks for sharing your great review 🙂
This salad looks positively delicious! Perfect for a summertime get together. I featured it this week in my Saturday Morning Coffee Cafe post. Has a great weekend!
That’s so nice! Thank you for the feature 🙂
Hi there – really loved this salad. Was searching for work lunch ideas when I found it. So delicious! Was just wondering if you knew roughly how many calories are in it?
Thanks for the recipe!
I don’t know about the calorie count. I’ve used caloriecount.com when I need to find out though; you copy and past the ingredients and it gives you the numbers. I hope that’s helpful!
Sorry one more question. Is it best to dress the salad right before eating or dress right away and let the flavors marry?
Cinthia, I usually dress it 30 min to an hour before the event. It also works right before 😃.
Could this recipe be made without the onion? My grandma is allergic and will be eating with us.
Hi Cinthia, yes it will still work without the onion 🙂
Made this for dinner and both my husband and 2 year old daughter loved it. I’m a happy mommy seeing my picky eater eating broccoli and carrots like she’s eating her favorite cookies! Thank you 🙂
My sister gets her little girl to eat salad by telling her it’s “princess salad.” You do what you have to do! ;). I’m so happy your family loved it! That’s so sweet 🙂
I made this for Thanksgiving. I hesitated about serving not cooked broccoli, but my husband eats it, so I decided to try. Like, in the worst case, he’ll eat it next day. But this salad turned out just great and not only my husband but also other guests and myself loved it. I divided the broccoli to very tiny pieces, so it wouldn’t overwhelm. Thank you, Natasha!! It’s a keeper for sure
Maria, thank you for the nice review and you are welcome 😀 .
Did you use a yellow or white onion?
Amber, I used yellow onion.
Making this again tonight for some family. It is so delicious and easy to make! Hope it’s ok to link to your site on my blog?
That is absolutely OK and you can share the recipe if you wish but make sure to reword it in your own words. Also, it is OK if you share my final photo with a link back to the original post, but I prefer if you didn’t share my step by step pictures. I’m so glad you enjoyed the salad! 🙂
What can I use to replace the lemon juice? (I’m allergic)
Hi Kim, I’ve been rattling my brain and even googling possible substitutes and without testing I’m not sure what to suggest. Are you allergic to all citrus? You could just try to omit it but it will not have quiet the same taste.
Unfortunately yes, do you think replacing it with some vinegar would work?
You could try that, just go easy on it and add it to taste. 🙂
Rice vinegar would be mild and a good option.
This was delicious. I don’t like mayonnaise, so I put more sour cream inside and everybody really liked it. Good picnic choice.
I’m so happy you liked it! I’ll have to give it a try with only sour cream. Thanks for sharing!
will try this recipe thanks .
I would love to hear your feedback and hope you’ll love it as much as we did :).
I’ll be having geests for lunch tomorow so I’ll try this one! Thank you for sharing it with us!
I would love to hear your feedback, have a great 4th of July!
Just made this salad and it is a keeper. I made it exactly as listed
Quick and easy and it is very good. Thanks for the recipe,
Thank you for the great review Eve and you are welcome :).
This salad is absolutely delicious. I finally got my 10 year old to eat broccoli and she loves it! Thank you so much!
Don’t you just love it when your kids eat vegetables :D. You are welcome Ellen.
I am eating this right now as I type this! It is so delicious! I can’t wait to share it with everyone tomorrow at the beach!
This sounds wonderful for a picnic on the beach. I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Can’t wait to make this salad. Is there a different nut that could be substituted in place of walnuts?
You can use pecans or if you want a nut-free option, shelled pumpkin seeds would work well.
This salad is so delicious and fresh! Definitely a favourite now! Thank you for sharing the recipe 🙂
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing that with me.
I made this without the onion and used regular salt instead! It’s delicious!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Excellent! I substituted salted sunflower seed kernels rather than walnuts, and I used purple carrots. Easy weeknight dinner 🙂
Jamie, thank you for the great review Jamie and great job on improvising :).
Great recipe, but I substatuted with yogurt( European style from trader joes) whole milk. Delish!
It’s great to know that works well! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Made this salad tonight and it’s already a favorite in my family. Thank you for such amazing recipes!!!! Love your website!!!
Thank you Tanya for the great review and you are welcome :).
This is really good! In case anyone else is following weight watchers I made this almost exactly like the recipe and it came out as 2 points per serving (8 servings total). I added half a cucumber, a rib of celery and I used low fat mayo and light sour cream. I also added some lemon zest which added a nice zing! Thanks for the recipe! It’s a keeper!
Thank you for a great review Naomi, great job on improvising :).
This looks wonderful. Both healthy and delicious. Just what I need to add to my Christmas Dinner menu. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Karin :). I hope you love it! It really is a great choice for a Christmas menu 🙂
Omg!!! This was the best thing I have ever made that was healthy! I did make a few changes, I slightly steamed the broccoli, no onions or nuts. For the dressing I subbed mayo for plain Greek yogurt. I actually had the idea for a Cane’s or comeback sauce so I added some ketchup a splash of worcestire with some garlic and black pepper. So delicious and not overpowering. Also since I wanted this to be a meal I added sliced grilled chicken breast to it.
Thank you so much for this! I will continue to make this as the basic recipe is amazing and really lends itself well to be changed to your desires at the moment. 🙂
I love how you changed it up and made a meal out of it. Thank you so much for sharing healthy modifications. Now I want to try your version! 🙂
Yum! Turned out amazing! Huge fan of broccoli and absolutely loved the overall salad texture. Didn’t have sour-cream so used greek yoghurt instead and chucked in a couple of hard-boiled eggs – just quartered them. Thanks yet again Natasha!
Those are both great ideas; the Greek yogurt would make it even healthier and I sure do love hard boiled eggs in salad. Thanks for the tip! 🙂
I love this salad! It’s such a good way to combine those veggies and get em nutrients. Definitely one of my favorites. and my husband’s too. =)
So true! Raw broccoli is so good for you! 🙂
yum
We just made this salad for lunch today. It was amazing!! We didn’t have any sour cream, but we used plain greek yogurt instead and it was very tasty! Love it!!
The Greek yogurt sounds like a great substitute! I’m so glad you enjoyed the salad 🙂
Thank you. I hope I can make this salad today.
Gracie
Hi Gracie! You’re so welcome 🙂 and I hope you love it!
Instead of the mayo I use Greek yogurt and or sour cream to make it even healthier
That’s a great tip Renee, thank you for sharing it 🙂
Hello! This looks lovely. Do you think it would be tasty if I blanched the broccoli just a little? I don’t love totally raw broccoli but don’t want to risk ruining it! Thanks!
I don’t think it would be good blanched. Try using a food chopper like the Vidalia and dice the broccoli smaller so it’s not too noticeable. It’s very crunchy and adds great texture to the salad.
Hey Natasha! This salad looks so healthful and colorful! Do you think greek yogurt can be substituted in place of sour cream/mayonnaise or will it really alter the taste? Bolshoyo spacibo 🙂
I haven’t tried that substitution so I can’t say if it would taste as good. The sour cream and mayo work really well together, but I guess it’s worth a shot if you are going for a healthier dressing.
One question, what kinda onion r u using for this salad? is it sweet onion or just a regular yellow onion?
I used a regular yellow onion, but you can use a sweet one if you like. It doesn’t make a huge difference since there aren’t tons of onions in it. 🙂
Natasha, thank you so much for this recipe. Made it for my husbands birthday and it was definitely a hit!
That is fantastic! I’m so happy you all liked it. Happy birthday to your husband!
This looks delicious! Question, what do you use to chop the walnuts?
I just coarsely chop them with a knife over a cutting board. Quick and easy, and nothing fancy 🙂
Just ran across this recipe courtesy of Pinterest and all I can say is “YUM!” Everyone in my family loved it and I will be making it again today to satisfy my family’s request. Thank you for such a luscious salad recipe.
Trudy
That’s fantastic! I’m so happy your family loved it 🙂
This salad is delicious! I just LOVE your website and now got my mom hooked on it too! 🙂 Even my little 12 year old sister is in love with your website and tries out every new recipe.
Thank you so much for sharing my website with your family. It means so much to me. You’re awesome! Have a fantastic week(end)! 🙂
My mom made a similar broccoli salad that we loved growing up, but I love your clever addition of apples and walnuts!
Thank you Danielle! 🙂 I love broccoli salads; you can change them up so many ways. Did your mom add anything different?
What kind of apple do you suggest?
Any kind will work well to be honest. Everything from red delicious to the green ones. It depends on your preference. I usually opt for a Gala or Jazz apple because I like their balance of sweetness and tartness 🙂
So delicious! Tried it at my moms and couldn’t stop eating it! Planning to make it for lunch with the in-laws this weekend 🙂
I’m so glad you all liked it and I hope you impress the in-laws 😉
Mmmm, so good, im actually eating it right now. I did alter was the ratio of mayo and sour cream, i like the lighter taste to it and its a little more healthier:) Thanks Natasha for the wonderful recipies! Praise God for your diligence!:)
Angelina, thank you so much 🙂 Your comment made me smile. It’s a labor of love 🙂 I’m so glad you liked the salad.
Natasha,
I absolutely love your website. Keep up the great work!
For this salad, does it matter what kind of apples I use? Do they have to be sour apples or not necessarily?
Thanks!
We just use whatever is on hand. If you are not mixing in the dressing right away, I would mix diced apples with little bit of lemon juice to prevent browning :).
Thanks for the quick reply! And Happy New Year! 🙂
Amazing salad! So many different flavors that compliment each other so well! I LOVE it!!!!!
Awesome, I’m glad you loved it :).
Yummy!
Natasha- I figured out where I got that other recipe from! A friend gave it to me. I guess there’s lots of different variations of broccoli salads :)) Sorry for the confusion! :/
I’ve tried all of those (and each one is delicious!), but I thought you had one with just broccoli, shredded carrots and grapes? Just with those three ingredients? Maybe you updated it .. or maybe I’m just mistaking it with something else lol :/ Sorry for the confusion..
The closest I have to that is the broccoli grape salad on that list. Sorry 🙁
Natasha, I thought you used to have a salad on here, broccoli, shredded carrots and grapes mixed with mayo and something else, but I don’t see it on here anymore .. unless I’m mistaking it with another site :/
You came to the right place 🙂
Here are my three favorite (all equally amazing) brocolli salads:
1. https://natashaskitchen.com/2010/05/31/broccoli-grape-cucumber-salad/
2. https://natashaskitchen.com/2010/04/12/fresh-brocolli-and-apple-salad-with-walnuts/
3. https://natashaskitchen.com/2013/01/03/cabbage-and-bell-pepper-salad-recipe/
I loved this salad!! I would endlessly eat veggies in this! Thanks Natasha!
Oh I’m so glad to hear that; it’s one of my absolute favorites! 🙂
The salad is really good!!! Healthy and yummy!!! I actually added half of a cucumber to it. Will make again and again
Cucumber is a great addition, will do that next time :).
This is sooooo good! I fell in love with this salad!
Thank you!
I’m glad you like it Maya :).
I worked there for 2 years and really liked it, but we moved so I found my current job. Looking back now I like my current job better. But I would way rather work on a tele floor than med-surg.
I don’t know how I didn’t discover this recipe sooner since you’ve had it posted since 2010! I’m kicking myself now, because this salad was A-W-E-S-O-M-E!
I wanted to try something different instead of the routine salads I always make, and I’m so glad I did. This will now be a routine salad at my house:-) I actually called my mom and told her she needs to try it (I talk to her about your recipes allll the time, lol). She made it the next day and loved it too. By the way I am an RN too, just curious what kind of unit do you work on?
I’m so happy to hear such an awesome review 🙂 I’m glad you loved it. I work on a Tele floor. How about you?
I work in hematology/oncology, but before that I worked on a tele floor as well 🙂
How long we’re you on tele and how did you like it?
I made this salad this Friday for our tea party. All the girls loved it.. It was such a hit….thanks for sharing…now ill make it all for me:)) yum!
Great, I’m glad you found a new salad :).
Can’t wait to try this.
Thank u so much for ,i love ur web,this is so helpfull
You are welcome LIlly :). I hope you find some new favorites.
Would this salad be OK if I chopped up the broccoli, grated the carrot and onion the night before? And than just adding the apple, walnuts & raisins with the dressing the day of? Planning a party for my son in a couple weeks and trying to see how I can save myself some time the day of the party 🙂
That’s totally fine Luba. I like to prep my ingredients the night before as well, work smart not hard :).
Try it with Trader Joe’s Broccoli slaw instead of actual broccoli heads.
We don’t have Trader Joe’s in where I live, but I will try it next time we visit California. Thanks for the tip.
Other companies have it too. Just look for it in the bagged salad section of a super market.
I stumbled onto your website when I was looking for a recipe for pirozhki, and ever since I have been hooks. No other website is as explanative of the steps as yours, and no other website has such reasonable foods. Usually they mix so much stuff that it loses the whole taste of the dish. Today I finally made the broccoli and apple salad, and Oh.My.Goodness. So much flavor, and just the right amount. Thank you very much, and keep up the great work you have done.
Thank you Angela. It’s one of my favorite salads as well. Oh and now I’m craving it!!
tasty!!
Thank you Ana :).
this sounds so goood… i really have to try it now….. Thank you for the recipe!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are very welcome 🙂