Healthy No-Mayo Apple Broccoli Salad with Walnuts and Cheddar

4.8 from 4 votes

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Apple Broccoli Salad is a healthy no-mayo vegetarian version of the classic picnic side dish. Made with Greek yogurt plus walnuts and cheddar cheese, you get an extra burst of flavors, protein, and crunch. Bring this easy recipe to your next party or serve it with a weeknight dinner!

Healthy Apple Broccoli Salad Recipe with title

Healthy Broccoli Salad – No Mayo!

When you are looking for salad recipes to serve with dinner or even to add to a gluten free barbecue menu, broccoli salad is a perfect choice. With all the tasty additions, it might even get the kids eating their veggies. And that crisp texture coated with a creamy dressing makes it one of everyone’s favorites.

But traditionally it is made with mayonnaise. If you don’t like mayo or just want to cut some extra calories without losing any of the creaminess, this is the recipe for you.

Instead, it’s made with a healthy Greek yogurt dressing to lighten it up and even add a little boost of protein. Plus with plenty of chopped apples, dried cranberries, walnuts, and cheddar cheese, it is definitely not short on flavor and crunch. Makes a yummy side dish for any potluck!

Closeup of Healthy Apple Broccoli Salad overflowing from a red bowl

Ingredients

Instead of mayonnaise, this healthy broccoli salad dressing is made with Greek yogurt. Here are the ingredients:

  • Plain Greek yogurt
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Honey
  • Olive oil
  • Dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper
  • Fresh broccoli florets
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Peeled and chopped apple
  • Walnuts
  • Dried cranberries
  • Red onion or shallot

How do you make Apple Broccoli Salad?

  1. Stir together the ingredients for the dressing until smooth.
  2. Add the broccoli, cheese, apple, walnuts, dried cranberries, and red onion.
  3. Mix together until everything is combined.
  4. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator.
Closeup of No Mayo Broccoli Salad with apples, walnuts, dried cranberries, and cheddar cheese

Do you cook broccoli for broccoli salad?

This is technically a raw broccoli salad. It is fresh and crisp. However, if you make it the night before, the dressing will tenderize the broccoli a bit and allow the flavors to fully develop. This makes it even more delicious.

However, if you do not like the bitterness of raw broccoli and want to eat the salad right away, you can blanch it for about 2 minutes in simmering water. Then immediately shock it in cold ice water to stop the cooking process. Dry it thoroughly before adding to the dressing.

How long does broccoli salad last?

Kept in an airtight container, you can keep this dish in the refrigerator for three to four days.

A small red bowl of Apple Walnut Broccoli Salad with Greek Yogurt

How many calories are in healthy broccoli salad?

In this recipe, there are approximately 100-125 calories per 3/4 cup serving. This will vary slightly depending on the exact ingredients you use, your choice of low fat versus nonfat Greek yogurt, and other slight variations.

Overall, compared to classic picnic salads like coleslaw, potato salad, and pasta salad made with mayonnaise, this is quite a low calorie option. In fact, Greek yogurt is a great choice to lower the calories and add protein to dishes like Tropical Pineapple No-Mayo Coleslaw or Bacon Blue Cheese Greek Yogurt Potato Salad. You can even make Greek Yogurt Deviled Eggs!

Is broccoli salad gluten free? Is it low carb?

This is a gluten free side dish. None of the ingredients contain gluten, and none are typically hidden sources of gluten. Though, as always, I definitely recommend reading labels, especially for any products you might not have used before.

While lower in carbs than things like macaroni salad, this would not be considered a low carb or keto recipe. However, it is a great way to get in a serving of veggies.

You could swap out the honey for a low carb sweetener and be sure to find sugar free dried cranberries. Most low carb broccoli salad recipes call for mayonnaise, but if you don’t like it, try this Low Carb Greek Yogurt Broccoli Salad that gets its hint of sweetness from Stevia.

A white serving bowl of Healthy Apple Broccoli Salad with Walnuts and Cheddar

More savory apple recipes:

What are other favorite salads without mayo?

A white serving bowl of Healthy Apple Broccoli Salad with Walnuts and Cheddar
4.8 from 4 votes

Healthy No-Mayo Apple Broccoli Salad

A healthy no-mayo version of the classic picnic side dish recipe made with Greek yogurt, plus apples, walnuts, dried cranberries, and cheddar cheese for tons of flavor and crunch. Bring this gluten free side dish to your next picnic or potluck!
Prep: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plain nonfat or low-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 8 cups fresh broccoli cut into florets
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup peeled and chopped apple
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 Tablespoon finely minced red onion or shallot

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, honey, olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir until smooth.
  • Add the broccoli florets, cheddar cheese, apple, walnuts, dried cranberries, and red onion. Stir until everything is combined and coated.
  • Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator up to three or four days.
Nutrition Facts
Healthy No-Mayo Apple Broccoli Salad
Amount Per Serving (0.75 cup (approximately))
Calories 112 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 2g10%
Cholesterol 8mg3%
Sodium 221mg9%
Potassium 178mg5%
Carbohydrates 11g4%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 365IU7%
Vitamin C 40.9mg50%
Calcium 92mg9%
Iron 0.5mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Disclaimers: Please discuss your individual dietary needs (i.e. gluten free) with a physician. Even when not specified, be sure to verify all ingredients are gluten free, if needed, by reading labels on all packaging and/or confirming with the manufacturer this varies by brand and can change at any time. Nutrition information shown is an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.

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Enjoy!

2 Comments
  1. Deb

    5 stars
    Delicious recipe, Brianne. Thank you!! I used dried cherries because that’s what I had in the pantry and added crumbled turkey bacon because I was eating it as a main salad rather than a side.

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