Coleslaw is a must at every BBQ, but why not give it a green veggie boost by adding some broccoli to it? This Broccoli Slaw has a nice crunch to it and all the creaminess that you know and love in a coleslaw, but with a healthier twist. An easy side dish that goes great with chicken and fish.
I am making it my mission this summer to find as many different ways to make coleslaw as I possibly can. Mexican Coleslaw might just be my favourite, but make sure you try our Crunchy Asian Slaw too! You can never have too much coleslaw at a BBQ, right?
If you haven't tried broccoli slaw before, then you are missing out! This is one of our favourite ways to make sure that a BBQ or picnic has plenty of colour in it, and it balances out all those burgers and sausages. It's crunchy, with a lovely tangy dressing. Delicious!
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Why should you try it?
- Ready in just 5 minutes
- A delicious way to use broccoli
- A colourful side dish
- Can be made in advance
What you will need
- Broccoli - The star of this dish. To make this the best it possible can be, then try to choose the perfect broccoli. Choose a broccoli head with tight, green florets and firm stalks. Your broccoli should feel heavy for its size. Avoid broccoli with dried out or browning stem ends or yellowing florets.
- Shallots - These add some extra crunch to the slaw. You could always swap them for chopped spring onions (scallions).
- Red cabbage - We used red cabbage in this recipe for a pop of colour, but there is no reason why you couldn't use white cabbage, or use a mixture of the two.
- Carrots - We used standard orange carrots, which makes this a budget friendly side dish. However, you could use purple or yellow carrots to mix things up a little.
- Garlic - Fresh is always best, however you can save yourself some time by using a teaspoon of ready chopped lazy garlic.
- Yogurt - We used fat free Greek yoghurt. You could use full fat if you wanted something a bit creamier.
- Vinegar - We used apple cider vinegar, but you could use a red wine vinegar instead. We love coleslaw that has a vinegar bite to it. If you don't you can always leave it out.
- Mustard - A tablespoon of wholegrain mustard gives it a nice punch of flavour. You can leave this out if you prefer, or even swap it to Dijon mustard.
- Honey - This adds a touch of sweetness and helps to balance out the tartness from the Greek yogurt.
Step by step
One: Put a grater blade in your food processor and put in the broccoli, red cabbage, shallots and carrots. If you don't have a food processor, then you can just use a box grater.
Two: Add everything to a bowl with the garlic, Greek yogurt, salt and pepper, mustard, honey and cider vinegar and mix well.
What is broccoli slaw?
In the US, you can buy broccoli coleslaw in ready-made bags, like you can buy coleslaw mix in bags here in the UK. But, it is so quick and simple to make yourself, especially if you have a food processor with a grater attachment, and it works out much cheaper. This is a pretty budget friendly healthy BBQ side and really easy to make for a crowd.
It has everything you love about coleslaw, but with some extra crunch and colour from the broccoli. If you want to make it a little more indulgent, and I mean why wouldn't you, then add some chopped up bacon to it. So good!
Usually it is made from shredded broccoli stalk, however we have used bite sized chunks of broccoli for some extra goodness.
Health benefits of broccoli
Superfood is a bit of a buzz food that is thrown around, but there is no denying that broccoli is nutrient dense. It's a great source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6 and K, as well as iron, zinc and fibre, which can support digestive health. Did you know that broccoli is also a good source of protein, although an incomplete one.
This coleslaw is also carrot heavy. Carrots are a good source of beta carotene, which is a compound your body changes into vitamin A, which helps keep your eyes healthy. Beta-carotene helps protect your eyes from the sun and lowers your chances of cataracts and other eye problems.
They are also a good source of fibre, which will help to keep you fuller for longer, as well as vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants
Slaw dressing
A salad is all about the dressing, right? This creamy dressing is made with Greek yogurt to keep it light (although you could swap that for mayo or sour cream if you want something a little more indulgent), and some apple cider vinegar, mustard and honey. You could swap the honey for maple syrup and use a plant based yogurt if you wanted to make this vegan.
How to adapt
These kinds of salads are really easy to adapt, so feel free to use it as a fridge raid salad add a few different veggies. You could add bell peppers, or shredded courgette for some extra greens. We also like to mix shredded apple in too.
Add some extra crunch with some flaked almonds just before serving, and dried cranberries add a nice sweetness to it too.
What To Serve It With
This is such a great BBQ side, so it goes with all your BBQ favourites. Here are some things that is goes really well with:
- Marinated Chicken Skewers
- Peri Peri Chicken
- Vegetable and Halloumi Kebabs
- Cajun Chicken Burgers.
- Greek Chicken Skewers
- Honey and Lime Chicken
- Hidden Vegetable Beef Burgers
- Oven Baked Chicken Wings
FAQs
You can easily make this vegan by using a plant based yogurt alternative, or leaving it out completely and adding a little more vinegar. You will need to swap the honey for maple syrup, or leave it out completely.
It depends on the size of the head of your broccoli. Ours was fairly large, so we cut florets off and then quartered each of them. If you were using a smaller head of broccoli, then you might just need to halve them. It depends on how chunky you want your broccoli in this slaw.
We have used yogurt to keep this broccoli slaw nice and light and save on the calories and fat. However, if you want more of an indulgent broccoli slaw, then you could swap the yoghurt for mayo or even sour cream.
This is a delicious vegetable packed side dish. However, if you wanted to turn it in to more of a filling main meal, then you could add some chicken or salmon to it. Why not try leftovers from out Best Ever Roast Chicken or add our Lemon and Rosemary Salmon to it.
Yes, this is a great salad to make in advance, and it will save you some time if you are prepping it for a BBQ. It will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Store it in the fridge in an air tight container or a covered bowl for maximum freshness. If you are adding bacon, then do that just before serving.
Extra tips
- Make sure you finely dice the shallots so that they are not too overpowering.
- You can swap the Greek yogurt for sour cream or mayo if you want a more indulgent salad.
- Try adding some shredded apple for extra sweetness.
- You can make this salad vegan by swapping honey for maple syrup and using a plant based yoghurt.
- Pecans and sunflower seeds sprinkled on top before serving add a lovely crunch.
- Give this slaw a protein boost by adding some cooked quinoa.
More salad recipes?
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Recipe
Broccoli Slaw
Ingredients
- 1 Small head of broccoli
- 2 Shallots
- 0.25 Small red cabbage
- 3 Medium carrots
- 2 Garlic cloves crushed
- 5 tbsp Fat free Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp Cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Wholegrain mustard
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 1 pinch Sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Put a grater blade in your food processor and put in the broccoli, red cabbage, shallots and carrots. If you don't have a food processor, then you can just use a box grater.
- Add everything to a bowl with the garlic, Greek yogurt, salt and pepper, mustard, honey and cider vinegar and mix well.
Notes
- Make sure you finely dice the shallots so that they are not too overpowering.
- You can swap the Greek yogurt for sour cream or mayo if you want a more indulgent salad.
- Try adding some shredded apple for extra sweetness.
- You can make this salad vegan by swapping honey for maple syrup and using a plant based yogurt.
- Pecans and sunflower seeds sprinkled on top before serving add a lovely crunch.
- Give this slaw a protein boost by adding some cooked quinoa.
krissy
I love brocolli slaw! But the store bought kind is so full of sugar and kind of slimy in the bag. this is crisp and so yummy! great recipe!
Noelle
What a great idea! Can't wait to make :)
Tisha
Perfect side dish for a summer bbq or even a small get together!
Sabrina
This is my new go-to for potlucks or summer picnics. Such a great side dish!
Tara
Love this creamy and colorful broccoli slaw!
Alexandra Phocas
Dannii, Thanks for the recipe. Delicious!
Dannii
So glad you enjoyed it!
Jenni LeBaron
I love a good slaw recipe and you've really made yours special with the Greek yogurt. What a fantastic alternative to mayo!
Emma
This looks and sounds absolutely incredible, I love a good bbq! We’re hopefully having one this weekend if the weather brightens up again x
Kara
I have never seen coleslaw made with brocolli but it looks delicious
Claire Jessiman
Why have I never thought to add Broccoli to my slaw before now? I even made some for lunch today with red cabbage and carrot. Thanks for the inspo - will rectify.
Louise
I'll have to surprise my other half by making this for him as he's ALWAYS talking about the broccoli slaw he had in the US! I don't think I'd be as keen on it though as broccoli is the one veg I can't stand!! Oops
Louise x
Lauretta at Home and Horizon
This is the perfect the recipe for a very good friend. She is just into getting Broccoli in almost everything she's cooking.
Sisley
Love broccoli but I've never but in a slaw before. This will be fixed by the weekend. It looks amazing
Emily Leary
This Broccoli Slaw looks amazing with all of the lovely colours of those flavoursome ingredients and it's perfect for a BBQ now that we have some good weather!
The London Mum
Oh I love broccoli, and it's one of the only vegetables my son likes, so this would make a great dish to get him eating some other vegetables too!
Bella and Dawn at Dear Mummy Blog
We love Broccoli but never thought about preparing it in the way! Looks delicious and perfect for summer eating!
Alison Rost
I think broccoli goes really well in a coleslaw recipe and it's definitely going to be a hit! I can't wait to try and make this during gatherings this season!
Kelly
Yeah, slaws in general aren't as much of a thing here as they are in North America. I love them and would definitely give this a go as it would be super easy to make vegan for me.
Helen at Casa Costello
Oh wow, aren't the natural colours of this so beautiful? We are loving experimenting with various salads and slaws so will definitely put this on the list.