Broccoli Pomegranate Salad is a delicious and antioxidant packed vegetarian side dish! All you need is ten minutes and a handful of simple ingredients.
Juicy pomegranate seeds, nutty walnuts, and spicy red onion are tossed with raw (or try roasted) broccoli and a vinegary and creamy honey mustard dressing. The dressing can be made vegan with agave instead of honey, and vegan mayonnaise.
This salad recipe is perfect for picnics, parties, barbecues, and holiday get togethers! π₯¦
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Shop my favorite equipment for this recipe (not all items are required – see notes below):
Everyone brings hot sides during the holidays. Well, this year we’re going to be the sunflower in a field of roses. We’re bringing a unique balance to the table this Thanksgiving, Christmas (or whichever holiday you’ll be celebrating) with this super flavorful broccoli salad recipe. It’s served cold, and there is no cooking involved, which makes it the perfect make ahead side dish to save you some time on a busy day full of cooking.
Jon and I absolutely love it and have made it many times. We were just having a conversation about my broccoli salad recipe, and I was thinking…didn’t he come up with the idea to add pomegranate seeds? Neither of us fully remember; however, I did want to give credit where credit is due (if applicable). ππ€
Easy Broccoli Pomegranate Salad Recipe
Juicy pomegranate seeds, nutty walnuts, and spicy red onion are tossed with raw raw (or roasted) broccoli and a vinegary and creamy honey mustard dressing. The dressing can be made vegan with agave instead of honey, and vegan mayonnaise!
A lot of broccoli salad recipes call for bacon, but this one doesn’t even need it. Many also call for dried cranberries; however, I’m not a huge fan of dried fruit (I love the taste but hate it getting stuck in my teeth – same with candy). In this recipe, the fresh pomegranate seeds replace the dried cranberries, adding a nice crunch and a pop of delicious sweet and sour juice!
In Season Fruits and Vegetables
It’s the perfect time of year for this recipe because it is smack-dab in the middle of harvesting season for pomegranates, which is important if you want fresher, tastier and more nutritious produce.
Although broccoli and walnuts are available year-round in the grocery store, they do have a period when they are at their peak freshness (broccoli October-April, and walnuts: September-November). Not only are these ingredients tastier during their peak season, but it’s also an impactful way to eat more sustainably!
Best Ever Simple Broccoli Salad Dressing
This healthy broccoli salad dressing is the best ever because it’s so flavorful (sweet, tangy, creamy, a little spicy) and made with ingredients you may already have in your pantry. Those ingredients are:
- Mayonnaise
- Sour Cream
- Mustard
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Honey
- Salt & Pepper
- Garlic Powder
In a small food processor (or by whisking), mix the dressing ingredients until well combined.
Place the broccoli, pomegranate seeds, chopped walnuts, and red onion in a mixing bowl. Pour the dressing over and give it a good toss. It’s the perfect amount of dressing because nobody likes an overdressed salad!
And there you have it! I hope you and your family enjoy this Broccoli Pomegranate Salad Recipe as much as we do!
As always, I’d love to hear from you all! About your experience with this dish, any alterations you may have made and loved (or didn’t love), or just life and cooking in general. Please leave a review/comment/question below, reach out via email, and/or stay connected with me on social media, which I have linked below. Take care! – Jenna π€
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Broccoli Pomegranate Salad Recipe.
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Juicy pomegranates seeds, nutty walnuts, spicy red onion, vinegary and creamy homemade honey mustard dressing (which can be made vegan with vegan mayo), and of course, broccoli, make for the perfect easy, healthy, vegetarian side dish!
Ingredients
- 18 ounces broccoli florets
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced
- 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise (vegan mayo works too – I use avocado oil Mayo)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mustard (such as stone ground, deli, or Dijon)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- PREPARE THE SALAD INGREDIENTS. Cut broccoli into bite-size pieces, dice the red onion, chop the walnuts, and gather the pomegranate seeds. Place it all in a mixing bowl.
- MAKE THE HONEY MUSTARD BROCCOLI SALAD DRESSING. In a food processor (or by whisking), fully combine the remaining ingredients to make the honey mustard dressing.
- COMBINE AND SERVE OR REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT. Toss the broccoli salad dressing with the other ingredients. You can serve the broccoli salad immediately, chill it in the fridge until dinner, or chill it overnight to bring to your gathering the next day! I hope you and your friends/family enjoy this recipe and Happy Holidays to you!
Notes
- If you’re serving a crowd, you may want to double or triple the recipe depending on the party size and/or the number of dishes being served. You can easily scale the recipe up and down (1x, 2x, 3x) using the tool above!
- If you’re using a whole pomegranate, see my video above, and/or check out this article: How to Cut a Pomegranate.
- If pomegranates are not in season, you may not be able to find them in the grocery store. In this case, you could try replacing them with dried cranberries. Fresh blueberries have been recommended to me, but I havenβt tried that yet. You could also leave the fruit out all together and add a tablespoon of pomegranate juice to the dressing, or an extra tablespoon of honey for added sweetness!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: 30 Minutes or Less, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegetarian
- Method: No Cooking
- Cuisine: American
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I just woke up to find this beautiful new recipe on my favorite blog! It looks and sounds amazing!! I canβt wait to make it! Keep these delicious recipes coming!!
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Thank you so much! ππ€
Oh my gosshhhhβ¦try this, itβs so good!! Jenna is the best cook ever!
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Looks both delicious and healthy. I like it!:)
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Thank you so much, Dominique! βΊοΈ
Yummm delicious!! I love a good broccoli salad and THIS has got to be one of the best I’ve come across!
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Thank you for the kind words, Catia! π€π₯¦π
Yum! I love salads with pomegranates! So delicious! Looks like you have perfected this salad!
Thank you so, so much! I agree, pomegranates are the best in salads. π
I cannot tell you how much I love broccoli…and this salad is bomb!
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Same!!! Iβm so glad you loved it, Vaishali!
Your recipes are quite exciting even for a non-vegan. Great job!
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Thank you so much, Samuel! Yes, Iβm far from vegan/vegetarian, but love and appreciate a good meatless recipe! βΊοΈ
I’ve seen my friend eating it but never tried it. It looks so yummy although I don’t eat a salad a lot. I would love to try this one. And it’s easy to prepare and make it.
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Thank you so much, Fransic! Like you said, it is very easy to prepare, making it a great place to start if youβd like try more salads. π
This looks delicious, will try for Thanksgiving!
I hope you and your family enjoy this side dish on Thanksgiving, Gail! Thank you so much.
Looks delicious!
I appreciate that, Kirsten!
Love how colorful this dish is, and of course anything with broccoli is an instant win in my book!
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Thank you so much, Jenn! The colors remind me of Christmas time. π And, I totally agree! I love broccoli. Especially in its raw form. π₯¦
I might have to try this recipe
I hope you do, Jimmy! I think you’ll enjoy it. π
What a fantastic recipe. It looks delicious. Thank you for sharing. π€
Pastor Natalie (ExamineThisMoment)
Letstakeamoment.com
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I appreciate that, Natalie! You are so welcome, thank you for stopping by. π€
That would go nicely with my venison dinner! Thanks for sharing, I may try it!
That sounds like an amazing combination! I love venison. I hope you enjoy the recipe! π
Looks delicious! I love the addition of the pomegranate seeds!
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Thank you, Karen! The pomegranate seeds are so delicious in this broccoli salad recipe! π
This looks so good. I love broccoli and salads.
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Thank you so much! Yes, me too! π
This is a unique salad, Jenna. Never would have thought to pair broccoli and pomegranate. I do not eat mayonnaise, so would have to use yogurt instead. love the videos you add to your blogs, they’re super cool and creative.
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Itβs a really tasty combination! So much crunch! Yes, some Greek yogurt would be a great substitute for someone like you who does not eat mayonnaise. Thank you so much regarding the videos, I really appreciate it! Iβm trying! Lol ππ½π
This salad looks great! Can’t wait to try it out for Christmas.
Thank you so much, Dotti! I hope you and your family enjoy the recipe.
Another great recipe
Thank you so much, Eva!
This looks so healthy and delicious with just the right amount of crunch! Everything you need for a perfect salad!
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You are so right, Susan! Crunchy, creamy. So delicious. Thanks for stopping by! π
Great recipe. Broccoli and purple onions are such super healthy foods. I like that you are making them raw. But I would definitely skip the mayo. Tahini would be my first choice for fat.
Thank you, Pedja! Yes I love eating veggies in raw form whenever possible. You can use tahini if you wish, but it does have a very strong flavor that may overpower the other flavors in the dish. Itβs your choice though, of course! I like to use avocado oil Mayo occasionally, which is also a great source of healthy fats. Thank you for stopping by. π
I need to make this!
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Yes you should! So yummy π
i love broccoli salad love the addition of honey and pomegranate seeds
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Thank you, Tianna! Yes I love it too. So yummy! π
yum! love the variety of flavors and crunch!
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Thanks so much, Carol! π
Broccoli is one of my favorite food, but it’s the first time I see a combination with pomegranate. Your recipe is very detailed and helpful, I would love to try it and taste it. It definitely looks delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
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I appreciate your kind words, Nelly! If you love broccoli, I bet youβll love this broccoli salad with pomegranate. I hope you enjoy!
This is a perfect recipe for fall especially because I can buy fresh pomegranates at the store! I love it and thank you so much!
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Yes! I love making this recipe with fresh pomegranates in the Fall. Other seasons, I used pomegranate juice in the dressing. This way we can enjoy it year-round (because it is so delicious!!). I hope you enjoy the recipe. π
Another amazing recipe Jenna! Thanks!
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Iβm glad you think so, Eva! Enjoy. βΊοΈ
You can’t go wrong with broccoli salad. This is one of my favourite side dishes!
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I completely agree! I love a traditional broccoli salad, but I also love this version with the pomegranate seeds. I hope you enjoyed my recipe! π
That is a healthy salad. i love salad and will have to try broccoli salad.
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