I remember absolutely despising broccoli salad when I was growing up; every time it appeared on a party table or at a potluck it involved a lot of weird textures and a mayo-drenched salad. Yet ever since I created my tahini curry broccoli salad there’s nothing I love more than REALLY, REALLY GOOD crunchy salad that doesn’t involve lettuce.
Today I’m back to reinvent the classic broccoli salad and get the party table a little bit healthier with my fall-inspired apple broccoli salad: it’s packed with chickpeas, crunchy sweet Honeycrisp apples (or whatever apples you’d like), dried cherries, pecans for some crunch and fresh herbs.
The honey dijon dressing involved brings it all together and damnnnnnn it is GOOD. No, there’s no mayonnaise or even greek yogurt involved.
The best part of this salad is that it’s no cook and only takes about 20 minutes to whip up. Chop all your veggies and throw everything in a big bowl, toss with the dressing and you’re good to go!
Everything you’ll need to make this healthy broccoli apple salad
This beautiful dairy free broccoli apple salad recipe is loaded with crunchy veggies for plenty of fiber, protein from chickpeas, and a sweet & tangy honey dijon dressing. Here’s everything you’ll need to make it:
- Produce: we’re packing this salad with broccoli, carrots, green onion, and juicy Honeycrisp apples.
- Chickpeas: this apple broccoli salad gets plenty of protein from chickpeas!
- Mix-ins: you’ll also mix in sweet dried cherries, crunchy pecans, and fresh parsley.
- For the dressing: give this salad delicious flavor with a tangy dressing made from olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper. You could also use lemon juice in place of the apple cider vinegar if you’d like.
Do I need to cook the broccoli?
Nope! This salad uses fresh, raw broccoli, which I think is perfect as is. If you’re sensitive to raw veggies like broccoli you can feel free to give it a quick blanch to make it a little bit easier to digest.
Customize your apple broccoli salad
Looking to mix it up a bit? Here’s what I can recommend in terms of ingredient swaps:
- Go vegan. Simply swap the honey in the dressing for maple syrup.
- Choose your protein. If you’re not eating plant-based, you could swap the chickpeas for cooked, cubed honey mustard chicken, shrimp, or even salmon.
- Swap the produce. Feel free to use what you have on hand! I think bell pepper, red onion, and/or shredded cabbage would be great additions, and you could even swap the broccoli for shredded brussels sprouts. Fuji, gala apples, braeburn, or tart granny smith apples would also be great — it’s just up to your taste preference!
- Try a new dressing. This sesame ginger dressing and this Thai-inspired peanut dressing would also be delicious.
- Have fun with mix-ins. I love the crunch of pecans, but cashews, sliced almonds, walnuts, or even sunflower seeds make a great swap. Feel free to omit nuts if need be! You could also add chopped dates, dried cranberries, or raisins in place of the dried cherries.
Don’t forget these broccoli salad tips
- Chop your broccoli very finely. The trick to this salad is to make sure your fresh broccoli florets are VERY finely chopped so that you get delicious bites with a little bit of everything.
- Meal prep or feed a crowd. This salad is perfect to make during the week because it keeps well in the fridge, but it’s also great for parties & gatherings! Feel free to double it for a crowd to make a yummy side dish that everyone will love. I suggest leaving out the pecans until you are ready to serve.
- Make it ahead of time. If you’re looking to save some time, I’d recommend chopping up all of your veggies 1-2 days ahead of serving or eating the salad so that you can easily throw it together! You could also make the dressing 1-2 days ahead of time as well and store it separately in the fridge.
Add a little heartiness
If you’re looking for a heartier meal, feel free to add this crunchy salad to your favorite tortilla to make a wrap!
Storing tips
Store this healthy apple broccoli salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The apple cider vinegar prevents the apples from browning! I recommend adding the pecans to your individual portion before serving.
More salad recipes you’ll love
- Sesame Chicken Cabbage Crunch Salad
- Vegan Curried Broccoli Chickpea Salad
- The Easiest Chopped Greek Chickpea Salad
- Italian Chopped Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Brussels Sprouts Kale Honeycrisp Apple Salad with Maple Cider Dressing
Get all of my salad recipes here!
I hope you love this vegetarian apple broccoli salad recipe. If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know you liked it!
Chickpea Apple Broccoli Salad with Honey Dijon Dressing
Ingredients
- For the salad:
- 1 head broccoli, very finely chopped
- 1 (15 ounce) can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups diced honeycrisp apples (from about 2 medium honeycrisp apples)
- 1 cup shredded carrots (or 1 cup matchstick cut carrots)
- ⅓ cup diced green onion
- ⅓ cup dried cherries
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- For the dressing:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ½ tablespoon honey
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste
- To garnish:
- Extra cherries and pecans
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add finely chopped broccoli, chickpeas, apples, carrots, green onion, dried cherries, pecans, and parsley. Set aside.
- Make the dressing by whisking together the following ingredients in a small bowl: olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, garlic, salt and pepper. Immediately drizzle over salad and toss to combine.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper, if necessary. Garnish with extra cherries and pecans and serve immediately or place in the fridge for later. Salad will keep well up to 5 days. Serves 4.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on September 27th, 2018, and republished on August 30th, 2023.
94 comments
I was just trying to think of ideas to meal prep next week for lunches, and thought I haven’t made broccoli salad in awhile! Love this fall version; will definitely be trying this! 🙂
Broccoli salad is the best! Hope you love this one 🙂
I was just trying to think of ideas to meal prep next week for lunches, and thought I haven’t made broccoli salad in awhile! Love this fall version; will definitely be trying this! 🙂
Broccoli salad is the best! Hope you love this one 🙂
Hi! This salad looks SO good and I cannot wait to make for lunches this fall! Question – any recos for a chickpea replacement for someone who can’t tolerate them?
Hi Kelly! It’s perfect for fall lunches. Feel free to leave them out or use chicken if you’re not vegetarian. Otherwise I would suggest white beans or even adding in some cooked quinoa!
Hi! This salad looks SO good and I cannot wait to make for lunches this fall! Question – any recos for a chickpea replacement for someone who can’t tolerate them?
Hi Kelly! It’s perfect for fall lunches. Feel free to leave them out or use chicken if you’re not vegetarian. Otherwise I would suggest white beans or even adding in some cooked quinoa!
This is right up my alley! Perfect for making a few lunches for the week.
This is right up my alley! Perfect for making a few lunches for the week.
Absolutely. Enjoy!
This salad is so addicting, crunchy, tangy, sweet, and filling…I’ve decided IT IS my new diet plan! Something healthy in the fridge to munch on! Don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it!
I’m glad you love it! Such a great lunch + even an easy afternoon snack to munch on 🙂
Monique, this is great! I made it as written Tuesday night, and I’m making it again tomorrow night. Thanks for another delicious recipe!
Amazing! So happy to hear that, Connie.
This is seriously the best broccoli salad. Stayed fresh and delicious for days. Will be in the regular rotation!
Glad you loved it! Try this one, too, so good.
This is seriously the best broccoli salad. Stayed fresh and delicious for days. Will be in the regular rotation!
Glad you loved it! Try this one, too, so good.
This is a keeper. I’m a use what I have in the fridge, cupboards kinda cook and this salad didn’t disappoint. I used the broccoli carrot base but as I was running short on broccoli added some green and red cabbage, Used red onion as a sub for the green, Did not have dried cherries so used dried cranberries as well as almonds to replace pecans. I also used mayocoba beans ,they are similar to garbanzo beans. I also had cilantro to sub for the parsley. The dressing is superb.. One question, can the dressing be added ahead or when served ?
Perfect! This one is great for customizing to what you have on hand. Feel free to add the dressing ahead of time (it marinates the veggies in a delicious way).
Very tasty and colorfull😀 thanks from Lithuania😉
Glad you liked it!! 🙂
Very tasty and colorfull😀 thanks from Lithuania😉
Glad you liked it!! 🙂
Can you tell is it easy to double
This broccoli salad is SO GOOD. So easy. Can’t wait to make it all the time. Thank you for all of your amazing recipes!
One of my favs! So happy you’re loving them Jenna 🙂
Another winner! Your salads come out perfectly every time, and I trust you completely. 🙂 Thank you SO MUCH for making my lunches so incredibly easy. I just make one of your salads on Monday, then nosh on it all week! xo
So happy to hear that, Autumn! I’m all about easy, but super delicious salads during the week 🙂 More to come!
Kind I double this with out any trouble
Sure!
This salad is amazing! Made it tonight, but left out the pecans because of someone with an allergy. Will make this again.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Hi, Monique! This looks so good and I am 8 months pregnant so easy, flavorful meals are my jam right now. Would you make this as a main or a side? If a main how would you serve it?
Hi Jessica! Loving easy, flavorful meals here too 🙂 This work well as a main or side – I suggest dividing into 4 servings as a main and 6 as a side!
I loved this. I was little skeptical of adding the chickpeas but they were a really good part of the salad. I felt very satisfied and full with a single portion which for me was about 2 cups. I used dried cranberries instead of dries cherries. Lots of flavours in this salad that make you taste buds sing! Thanks for sharing it.
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
Love the crispy and juicy use of apples and cherries and pecans always on the hunt for a new recipe. Battling boredom a beautiful salad and calorie friendly and protein rich
Absolutely! Glad you found this one 🙂
This is sooo tasty! One quick question – what is the serving size for this?
So glad you like it! About 1 1/2-2 cups — we always just divide ours evenly 🙂
This is delicious! Makes an amazing work lunch , coworkers really envious too! I made it using vegan suggestions and I love it. Cranberries are really good in it too if you can’t find / have cherries on hand.
Made this for lunch today and it was delicious, light but flavorful! I used cranberries instead of cherries since I already had those and thought that sun worked well. Looking forward to eating it as leftovers for the next 3 days!
Perfect for meal prep! Glad you liked it!
Great filling veggie dish for lunches at work!
Absolutely! Perfect for meal prep.
Love this salad! It is pretty easy to make, but looks more complicated. It is a favorite of mine to bring to potlucks or family gatherings. It is different enough from a normal salad to get people interested, and makes me look like a much better cook than I am. 10/10 recommend!
Love that! Perfect lunch or side 🙂
Awesome recipe, got my 10 year old to actually eat broccoli since the dressing was so good!
Love it! So happy to hear that 🙂
This salad is so good! The dressing is delicious, and my husband who is a big honey mustard fan loved it. We just needed to double up the dressing because once we poured it on we couldn’t really taste it.
Glad it was a hit! And yes feel free to add some more of that dressing to fit your taste preferences. Yum!
I’ve made this recipe a bunch of times and it’s always great. I’m actually not a huge fan of raw broccoli, so I roast it (and let it cool) before combining with the other ingredients.
Great idea to roast it! Happy you’re enjoying this one 🙂
1 head of broccoli. What does that mean? Seriously. It could mean anything from 2 – 6 cups. Please give a more accurate measurement.
Hi, there! Just responded to your FB comment, but I think 2-3 cups should work well 🙂
Delicious. I did use what I had – and what was similar to your recipe – on hand. Dried cranberries instead of cherries. Dried parsley instead of fresh. Diced baby carrots instead of shreds. Didn’t matter, it was delicious. Kudos to the dressing! Loved it. Super salad AND very healthy. Thanks for sharing!
So yummy! Love all the fresh healthies is this one. All the flavors really compliment eachother!
I also blanched the broccoli before adding it to the salad because of personal pref and it turned out really well 🙂
Nice! That’s a great idea. Happy you enjoyed it!
THIS SALAD IS AMAZING! IT’S MY FAVORITE SALAD EVER. DECIDED TO TOAST THE WALNUTS IN OLIVE OIL FIRST, ROAST THE CHICKPEAS IN THE OVEN, AND USE RAISINS INSTEAD OF DRIED CHERRIES AS THAT’S WHAT I HAD. WILL BE REMAKING FOR SURE
Yay!! So happy you loved it, Sarah. Thanks for leaving a review 🙂
The dressing is so good- I doubled it. I added cooked quinoa and instead of pecans, I used sunflower seeds coz my son has nuts allergy. Will definitely include this in my menu rotation. Thank you.
Nice! So happy you tried and loved it, Caryn 🙂
I had all the ingredients and was craving something healthy and crunchy!
I did, however, switch the dressing to my GF ranch.
Delicious! Great crunch, and a wonderful combo of salty (just a touch) and sweet. The dressing was my favorite part – planning on making a big batch to keep in the fridge. Thanks for another great recipe!
I’m so happy you love this one, Michelle — thank you!
Delicious, easy, and stored well as you said cant wait to make again. I didn’t read the whole post maybe you mentioned this this tip is helpful. I put lemon juice on the apples right after chopping to keep them from browning. Especially it was a good idea as we didn’t eat or dress it till the next day. I didn’t have time with my crazy kids that day to dress it. My kids loved it to. I left out the green onions and parsley as my kids don’t like it. And subbed maple syrup for the honey. As well as chopped dates instead of cherries and chopped Walnuts for the pecans as I dint have these ingredients. It was still so good I couldn’t stop eating it!
I have recently gone vegetarian and it has been hard to find recipes that Are tasty and easy to prepare. This hit all the marks!! Sweet, sour, salty, crunchy and delicious!! This recipe has been added to my rotating meal schedule. Thank you for this recipe!!
Aw thanks so much, I’m SO glad you loved it! Lots more vegetarian recipes here if you need some inspiration 🙂
So.delicious. We had extra broccoli so we doubled the dressing and tossed extra cherries. My spouse isn’t a pecan fan so substituted other chopped nuts.
We’re planning to take it for lunch throughout the week and I’m so looking forward to it!
I’m so happy you both loved it!!
This is delicious! I was a little unsure about the dressing with the raw garlic being too strong but it’s not. I also subbed dried cranberries for cherries since it was easier for me to find. Such a great meal prep lunch option and so healthy!
WOO! This is the best, Tricia. So glad you’re loving this recipe and it turned out great for you!
Literally made this again this week (2 weeks in a row) – it’s THAT good. Thanks again, love your blog!
You have very nice recipes, I like them very much.
This salad is ridiculously good. I added bbq chicken breast for some extra protein and I ate half of it just shovelling in spoonfuls as I waited for the chicken to cook. Definitely will be making this again and again! Yet another killer recipe from Ambitious Kitchen ❤️
Aww this means so much to me! I am so glad you’re loving this salad and it turned out amazing for you, Leslie ❤️
Very flavorful. Love that you can make it and eat it over a couple days
Amazing! Glad you’re loving this recipe, Steph 🙂
Great healthy lunch option! I love all of the different flavors and textures. Next time I may sub out half of the broccoli for Brusell sprouts!
Oh love this! Glad this recipe is a hit for you, Stephanie. Lmk how it turns out with the Brussels sprouts!
I was so excited to find your site & the possibility of tasty easy recipes & this salad in particular. How disappointing to find your recipe contained a whopping 19!!g of sugar! I don’t see how you can advertise this as a healthy recipe.
I imagine it is a conundrum because the majority of readers are not really interested in recipes that are truly healthy. But there is a market for recipes that foster health of body & mind, vs this recipe for brain inflammation. Hope you will consider this shift – it is a market niche in need of filling.Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts w/ you.
Hi, Mary Jo. Ambitious Kitchen is all about balance, and I’m personally fine with the amount of sugar in here! Much of it comes from apples (natural sugars) and there’s just a tiny bit of honey in the dressing which you can definitely leave out if you’d like.
Very good salad
Delicious! Added more honey to the dressing, and more dressing to the salad.
YUM! Sounds delish, glad it was a hit
I love this recipe. Made it once and now I go to make it again and the video just keeps playing in the middle of tbe recipe and I can’t get it to go away. 🙃 frustration on its highest
Hmm what video?
What a yummy salad. So so easy to chop and throw together. A winner!
It looks so yummy. All those textures will be wonderful. Can I use Macintosh apples? Also, I’m assuming the apples will NOT go brown since there is vinegar in the recipe. Can’t wait to try it today.
Yes, Macintosh are great in here! And I don’t think they’ll brown after being tossed with the dressing. Enjoy!