This Broccoli Salad with Yogurt Dressing is a healthy twist on classic broccoli salad!
Is it weird that one of my guilty pleasures is broccoli salad? I crave it almost the way my husband craves Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. The thing is, I never actually make the broccoli salad that I crave. Although I love this super healthy broccoli salad, that’s not the one that calls my name at the most random times.
The broccoli salad I crave is the classic broccoli salad with bacon, raisins, red onion, and a sweet mayo dressing. It’s hard for me to pass by the deli counter at my local grocery store without eyeing it and thinking about how much I love it. I’m the only one in my family who will eat that broccoli salad, but I have no shame in purchasing a big container of it when the craving hits. It was time for me to make my own version. 
So this Broccoli Salad with Yogurt Dressing is a spin off of the classic broccoli salad I love so much. I healthified it just a bit, because, you know, that’s what I do. Yogurt replaces the mayonnaise and I keep it sweetened naturally with maple syrup instead of regular sugar.
I also gave it a fun Christmas-y spin by adding the red bell peppers, dried cranberries, and pecans. This would make a perfect make-ahead holiday side dish! This Broccoli Salad with Yogurt dressing would be great in the summer, too, though. It’s an all-season salad, guys. 
Whenever you make it, this is such an easy dish to throw together. Mix all your ingredients in a big ol’ bowl and drizzle the tangy-yet-still-perfectly sweet dressing on top, mix it all together, and you’re good to go. 
I just love this new version of classic, yet not quite classic, broccoli salad. Once I made all these changes, but I wasn’t sure how my modifications would translate. Would I crave this new version of Broccoli Salad with Yogurt Dressing the same way I crave the classic version? I got my answer last night, at 10:30, when the hunger beast was calling and I had a big bowl of this for my evening snack. You know when I’m craving broccoli at 10:30 at night, the recipe is a winner. I hope you try it soon! If you do, I’d love to see! Take a pic and tag me on Instagram #happyhealthymama!
Broccoli Salad with Yogurt Dressing
This is a healthy twist on traditional broccoli salad! Although the colors make it perfect as a holiday dish, this is a crowd-pleaser all year.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Appetizer
Ingredients
- 1 large head of broccoli, chopped (6 cups florets)
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup pecan halves
- 4–5 pieces cooked bacon (preferably uncured bacon; turkey bacon will work), crumbled
- For the Dressing:
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (or plain non-dairy yogurt)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Mix together the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
- Pour the dressing over the vegetables and mix well.
- Chill until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Calories: 204
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 286.8mg
- Fat: 11.6g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 21.7g
- Fiber: 3.3g
- Protein: 5.6g
- Cholesterol: 13.6mg
anna says
November 17, 2016 at 6:28 amI always prefer to eat vegggie it contains many calories
Edgar says
November 18, 2016 at 1:17 amNice Recipe!!
Thanks for sharing this veggie salad. I love this a lot..
★★★★★
Christina says
November 18, 2016 at 9:40 amDo you think it would taste ok if I replaced the yogurt with avocado mayo? I have a baby with MPSI so I can’t do yogurt. I’m not a big fan of the almond milk variations…just not the same!
Maryea says
November 18, 2016 at 11:19 amYes, I do think the avocado mayo would work perfectly here! My youngest also had MPSI so I feel your pain. 🙁
Patricia says
March 18, 2017 at 10:20 pmI loved this dressing instead of using mayo. Perfect amount of sweet vs tangy and so much better than mayo. I used this recipe just for the dressing. I didn’t add peppers and used sunflower seeds instead of pecans although I think it would taste even better with them in it.
★★★★
Maryea says
March 20, 2017 at 6:21 amThanks for your feedback, Patricia!
Joan says
May 20, 2017 at 5:59 pmI plan to make this salad for an upcoming office function. I see that the recipe indicates that it serves 8, but does not indicate the serving size. Please reply with the serving size info.
Maryea says
May 24, 2017 at 9:43 amHi there! Sorry I missed this comment. Each serving is about 1 cup. If there are a lot of dishes at your function it will serve more people. 🙂
loise says
February 16, 2018 at 2:04 amThe salad is look so healthy and awsome…give me some more tips about healthy diet.?
Thanks
K says
May 27, 2018 at 5:51 pmThis salad is really delicious. I love the dressing!