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Capture your favorite Asian flavors in this fresh and crunchy Asian Broccoli Salad. This delicious salad has crisp broccoli, mandarin oranges, fresh vegetables, and almond slivers dressed in a soy-free Asian-style marinade.
This Asian-style broccoli salad is the perfect side dish for a potluck or party with friends due to its unique flavor. Everyone will love the Asian flavors, plus it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan, so it’s great for a variety of dietary needs. You can also make it at home to go with any of your favorite takeout-inspired dinners!
If you like Asian salad recipes, you will love my best Asian salad recipe and chicken cashew salad too!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Vegan, Gluten-Free, & Dairy-Free: This sesame broccoli salad is vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free, which is perfect for individuals with a variety of food sensitivities and dietary needs.
- Fresh and Crunchy: This salad is made with fresh broccoli, bell pepper, and red onions which give it a fresh flavor and make it deliciously crunchy.
- Perfect for a Side Dish, Appetizer, or Meal: This Asian broccoli salad recipe is perfect for a side dish or appetizer, or you can add some protein to make it a full meal.
Ingredients
- Broccoli: This leafy green vegetable is an excellent source of fiber and vitamin C, which helps with digestive health and boosts your immune system. It gives the salad a flavorful crunch. You can also blanch or roast broccoli if you prefer not to eat it raw.
- Red Bell Pepper: Add another crunch and a bit of sweetness to this broccoli sesame salad with fresh red bell pepper. You can also use orange or yellow bell peppers.
- Red Onion: These zesty and pungent onions give the salad more flavor and another pop of color.
- Mandarin Oranges: Drain the excess juices from canned mandarin oranges to sweeten this salad. You can also use freshly peeled mandarin oranges or clementines.
- Almonds: Give your Asian style broccoli salad an added bit of crunch with almond slivers. You can also use peanuts instead.
- Coconut Aminos: This soy and gluten-free sauce is a substitute for soy sauce made from the fermented sap of coconut blossoms.
- Rice Wine Vinegar: A vinegar made from fermented rice that is popular in many Asian dishes.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Make It a Meal: This Asian side salad doesn’t have enough calories or protein to be a meal on it’s own, but if you add some chicken, tofu, or beans it can become a delicious and nutritious lunch.
- Remove the Nuts: For those with nut allergies, you can remove the almonds and sesame to make this a nut-free dish.
- Deepen the Flavor: Enrich the Asian flavors of the salad marinade and add ginger, sesame oil, coconut sugar, and green onion to it. These are flavors often found in Asian recipes, like my healthy egg roll in a bowl and healthy chicken stir-fry.
How to Make Asian Broccoli Salad
This oriental broccoli salad is a flavorful and fresh salad that pairs well with Asian meals like healthy kung pao chicken. It’s great for picnics, barbecues, or dinner parties with friends, especially since you can make it in advance.
Step 1: Prep the Salad. Combine the broccoli, red onion, red bell pepper, mandarin oranges, and slivered almonds in a large bowl. Whisk together the coconut aminos, rice wine vinegar, and olive oil in a separate bowl.
Step 2: Toss and Serve. About 20 minutes before serving, pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat all of the vegetables with the sauce. Top the broccoli salad with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Expert Tips
- Marinate for 20 Minutes: Let the salad marinate for about 20 minutes before serving it. This gives the broccoli and other ingredients time to soak up the dressing for optimum flavor.
- Cut the Broccoli for Easy Eating: Chop the broccoli florets into small bite-sized pieces to make them easier to eat. Don’t waste the stalks either! Peel them and then cut them into thin matchsticks.
Serving Suggestions
This crunchy Asian-style broccoli salad is the perfect dish to take to a potluck or barbecue with friends. The tangy flavor and fresh crunch of the vegetables are irresistible, and everyone will beg you for the recipe! You can also make it at home to go with an Asian-inspired dinner.
- Prepare a healthy and delicious dinner with some of your takeout favorites like chicken lettuce wraps, healthy fried rice, and low-calorie orange chicken.
- Add protein to this salad and enjoy it for lunch or dinner. It’s great with Instant Pot shredded chicken, shrimp, or tempeh.
Asian Broccoli Salad Recipe FAQs
Place any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The firm veggies won’t get overly soggy in the refrigerator.
You can enjoy this salad with raw broccoli, blanched broccoli, or even roasted broccoli. It just depends on your personal preferences.
Since this Asian broccoli salad recipe tastes best the longer the marinade rests, the better it tastes! That makes it great for making in advance.
More Delicious Salad Recipes
If you tried this Asian-style broccoli salad or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
Healthy Asian Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 11 oz mandarin oranges, (canned) drained
- 2 tablespoons almonds, slivered
- 1.5 teaspoon sesame seeds
For the Marinade
- 1/3 cup coconut aminos, or low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the ingredients for the marinade then set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the broccoli, red onion, red bell pepper, mandarin oranges and slivered almonds. Add the marinade and stir to combine well. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Chill in the refrigerator 20 minutes then serve!
- Keep salad in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
Notes
- Let the salad marinate for at least 20 minutes before serving it so the vegetables can soak up the flavor.
- Chop the broccoli florets into small bite-size pieces for easy eating.
- Eliminate some of the raw flavor of the broccoli by blanching it first. Boil the florets for 1-2 minutes, then strain them and quickly stop the cooking process by putting the broccoli in a bowl of ice water. You can also roast broccoli for a slightly different texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
