Raisin Broccoli Salad

Broccoli salad with raisins and walnuts is a sweet and salty salad that is fantastic as picnic, potluck or lunch side dish that holds up for days. Al dente salad with bright and gorgeous broccoli florets with a combined tangy dressing isn’t your mamas traditional broccoli salad recipe.

Instead, skip the same old, same old for new bold flavors and give this side salad recipe a try – you will love it!

Broccoli Raisin Salad Prep 

This delicious side dish salad recipe will require a handful of fresh ingredients you may need to pick up. Check the ingredient list prior to proceeding to recipe instructions.

• broccoli crowns – 2 large crowns that can be broken into bite sized florets
• raisins
• mayonnaise – My preference is Duke’s or Hellmann’s
• balsamic vinegar
• salt
• pepper
• chopped walnuts
• green onions

Prep Raisins

Why do raisins need to be washed?

It is easy to forget that raisins are a FRUIT and all fruits should be washed before eating. Additionally, raisins often have excess sugar you may not want in your salad, therefore soaking them gives the added benefit of removing the extra ingredient from the broccoli salad.

• Add 1/2 cup boiling water to a small bowl of raisins.
• Let stand for 10 minutes. Drain water and save raisins.

Prep Broccoli Al Dente

• Bring a large stock pot of water to a boil.
• Add broccoli and heat for 3-5 minutes or until broccoli is bright green but still crunchy.
• The water will most likely not continue to boil after you add the broccoli and that’s fine.
• Drain and rinse with cold water.
• Shake well to remove excess water. 

How to Remove Broccoli of Excess Moisture

The best way to remove broccoli of excess moisture after boiling is a salad spinner, like this one here. However, if you do not have one, after draining as much water as possible, lay broccoli on paper towels for a few minutes

Prep Dressing

In a large mixing bowl (large enough to dump salad ingredients in next step), add mayonnaise, Balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and mix well.

Combining Broccoli Salad + Dressing

• Add broccoli, raisins, walnut pieces and green onions to dressing bowl and mix well to evenly coat. Typically using a spatula works well for this in order to get all the dressing from the bottom and sides of bowl on those veggies.
• Serve Raisin Broccoli Salad immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.
• IF SERVING LATER: Mix well before serving to ensure no settling of dressing and ingredients. 

What is the best Mayonnaise for Broccoli Salad?

Mayo is one of those ingredients that my whole family will throw down over. My daughter is a Duke’s through and through, my son is Hellmann’s but we can all agree on Chick-Fil-A. The mayo really has the most impact on the final flavor so choose something that you personally love and enjoy!

Can Broccoli Salad with Raisins & Walnuts be made ahead?

Yes, this salad can be made ahead HOWEVER, do not add nuts until right before serving. The dressing can slightly soften the walnuts overnight , therefore in order to keep this salad the best, add right before serving, mix to coat and then serve.

What other ingredients are a good variation?

Side salads like this broccoli salad go so well with other ingredients and its easy to add the ones you like the most.

I personally think square chunks of cheddar cheese, substituting golden raisins instead of regular raisins and of course crunchy bacon all make great additions.

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Yield: serves 4-6

Raisin Broccoli Salad

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Fresh broccoli florets, homemade dressing and a combination of sweet raising and salty nuts make this al dente salad a new look at an old favorite - the perfect broccoli salad recipe!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 large broccoli crowns, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 green onions, sliced

Instructions

1. Add 1/2 cup boiling water to a small bowl of raisins. Let stand for 10 minutes. Drain water and set raisins aside.
2. Bring a large stock pot of water to a boil.
3. Add broccoli florets and heat for 3-5 minutes or until broccoli is bright green but still Al Dente crunchy. The water will most likely not continue to boil after you add the broccoli and that's fine.
4. Drain and rinse broccoli with cold water. Shake well to remove excess water. A salad spinner may help with this process.
5. In a large mixing bowl, add mayonnaise, Balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and mix dressing well.
6. Add broccoli, raisins, walnuts and green onions to bowl and mix well to evenly coat all ingredients.
7. Serve Raisin broccoli salad immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.
8. Prior to serving, mix well to prevent dressing settling.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 239Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 304mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 2gSugar: 9gProtein: 3g

Nutritional information is automatically calculated with ingredients and serving size and may not be accurate. Please always double check with your own nutritional apps as well.

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