This easy broccoli slaw recipe has the best creamy dressing, crunchy broccoli, crunchy sunflower seeds, and sweet raisins. Such an easy side dish!
Think of broccoli slaw as a mix-up between broccoli salad and coleslaw. It’s fresh, crunchy, and our broccoli slaw dressing really takes it to the next level. It coats the raw broccoli, getting stuck in all the nooks and crannies. It’s hard to stop at one bite.
Serve this slaw on the side with richer dishes like ribs or grilled chicken. It’s also excellent added to sandwiches and burgers for extra crunch. It is seriously good!
Key Ingredients
- Broccoli: I use raw broccoli for this slaw and buy broccoli with the stems. Some stores only sell broccoli crowns, but if you are lucky, you can find broccoli with the long stems still attached. I actually prefer broccoli stems to the florets! I love swapping in broccoli for cabbage in coleslaw. Traditional cabbage coleslaw is delicious, but broccoli is extra crisp, and I love how pretty it looks in the bowl. For a shortcut, use bagged shredded broccoli.
- Green Onion and Parsley: These add fresh flavor and more color. I find regular onion too strong in this kind of slaw, but green onion is perfect.
- Raisins and Sunflower Seeds: These add sweetness and texture. When I can find them, I love golden raisins. Any dried fruit will work, though!
- Broccoli Slaw Dressing: Our dressing makes this so delicious. I keep it simple with mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and Dijon mustard. I also add a splash of toasted sesame oil, which adds a toasty, almost crave-worthy flavor to the slaw. For a vinegar based dressing, see my vinegar slaw.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Broccoli Slaw
Tip 1: Prep broccoli for the slaw. You can buy precut broccoli for coleslaw, but it’s easy (and often fresher) to prep it yourself. Here’s how I do it:
- Cut the crown from the stems.
- Cut or pull the crown into very small florets.
- Trim the dry ends of the stems (cut away about 1/2-inch up the stem)
- Use a vegetable peeler to remove the tough outer layer of the stems, then slice them into thin matchsticks or grate them with a hand grater or a food processor with a grating attachment.
Tip 2: Make the creamy dressing. This dressing makes this slaw next-level delicious. You’ll stir together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and a tiny bit of toasted sesame oil. It’s simple and really delicious with the raw broccoli.
Tip 3: Make the slaw. Toss everything into a big bowl (the broccoli, green onions, parsley, raisins, and sunflower seeds). Then, pour over the dressing. Just like when making regular creamy coleslaw, I start with two-thirds of the dressing and add more if needed.
Serving Suggestions
Broccoli slaw pairs well with so many dishes. It’s perfect for summer cookouts and BBQs. Serve it next to burgers, turkey burgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, sausages, pulled pork, and pork ribs. I also love it on the side to meatloaf, roasted chicken, and fried chicken.
You can serve this next to other delicious sides like pasta salad, creamy potato salad, or my favorite corn salad!
More Broccoli Recipes
- Roasted Broccoli
- Broccoli Salad
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Browse all of our broccoli recipes
The Best Broccoli Slaw
- PREP
- TOTAL
Think of this broccoli slaw recipe as a mixup between broccoli salad and coleslaw. Serve this on the side or add it to sandwiches or burgers for some extra crunch.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 pound broccoli with stems, 2 to 3 small heads (450g)
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
½ cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
1 cup golden raisins (150g)
1 cup shelled sunflower seeds (150g)
1 cup mayonnaise, try homemade mayo (170g)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 to 3 dashes toasted sesame oil, optional
Directions
1Prep the broccoli: Remove the florets from the larger stems and cut them into small, bite-sized pieces. Trim away the woodiest part of the stem (about ½ inch from the bottom) and discard. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the thick outer layer of the stems, then grate or slice the peeled stems into thin matchsticks. Place all the broccoli in a very large bowl (you should have about 6 to 8 cups total).
2Make the coleslaw mix: Add the sliced green onions, parsley, raisins, and sunflower seeds to the bowl with the broccoli. Toss to combine.
3Make the dressing: In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning or acidity as needed. For extra flavor, add two or three small dashes of toasted sesame oil (see tips).
4To finish: Pour about two-thirds of the dressing over the broccoli mixture and toss well to coat. If the slaw looks a bit dry, add more dressing to taste. Serve right away or refrigerate for about an hour to let the flavors meld.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Like other coleslaw recipes, this broccoli slaw is perfect for making ahead of time. Make it, and then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Broccoli stems: The end of the stem (about half an inch from the bottom) is probably too woody. Cut that off and discard. However, the rest of the stem is perfectly edible and delicious. To prepare it, you can run a vegetable peeler up and down the stem to remove the outer, sometimes tough, layer. Then, slice the stem into small matchsticks.
- Toasted sesame oil: Optional, but Adam has started adding it to dressings. I ask him what he does differently every time he does it because the dressing tastes so good! You don’t need a lot (it’s a strong flavor), but if you are willing, try it.
- Vegetarian & vegan adaptations: I’ve made this with a vegan mayonnaise with great success. You can also toss the slaw ingredients with this tahini sauce.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates using full-fat mayonnaise.
I made this to take to a friends gathering. Everyone loved it. No leftovers. I especially love the fact that it is not sweet. It makes a great alternative to the sweeter broccoli salad with bacon etc. I made it the night before and I think it was even better the next day. I can’t wait to make it again.
We are so happy you tried and loved it!
Thanks
Thankyou this is so tasty. I really liked the nutiness of the sesame oil added to the dressing. Itoasted almond slivers as I had no sunflower seed.
Great recipe. I didnt have sesame seeds so I had about 1/4 cup of honey roasted peanuts. Also substituted craisons for golden raisins. Wow is this great! I can eat this everyday it’s delicious.
Prepped this today for dinner tonight. Blanched the broccoli first and chilled it for easier digestion. Oh, boy, does this taste good!
I made the broccoli slaw and this slaw is so out of this world good … I added top top a sharp shredded cheddar too!! I love the recipes by InspiredTaste!!!! Live Joanne’s big beautiful smile too!!! What a blessing!!!!
Made the broccoli slaw today. It was a hit. Yum
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I absolutely love it! I can’t get enough of it 😋
Fabulous! Made as is and was a hit! Thank you!!
This recipe is 🔥. I substituted the broccoli for organic broccoli slaw, and continue to follow the recipe but using mostly organic ingredients and my husband loves it. It taste like something that you can buy at a deli. That’s how delicious it is. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
This is one of our summer favorites. We have it year round, but love, love, love it during summers. One of our favorites to premake and add to the summer road trip cooler or to take along for quick and easy sides for beach week. Thank you two for your dedication and love of great food. PSS the toasted sesame is a fabulous addition. XO Happy summertime!
I am SO happy you agree with the sesame oil, I love it in this salad dressing! Thank you so much and enjoy your summer!
I found I needed to add about 3 tablespoons of sugar to the dressing to balance the mayo, etc., otherwise I made the recipe as written and was enjoyed by everyone.
I agree that it needed sugar. I wish it didn’t but the flavor is off without it.
Hi Katie, We really love the more savory flavor of this dressing, but you can always add a little sugar or honey. I’d start with a teaspoon and add from there.
So glad you enjoy it Lynn! Thanks for sharing and I am glad you were able to accommodate for a sweeter dressing.
This salad is the bomb!! I thought my sister and husband were going to kill each other over it! I did add a tiny bit of sugar to the dressing because I thought it was a little too tart but great great great! Thank you!
So glad you loved it! I can see why it was a hit. Thanks for the feedback about the dressing, and for sharing your delicious twist!
This was so easy and good. I made some changes, based on what I had, including pistachios instead of sunflower seeds. I used fresh lemon juice and a little honey instead of apple cider vinegar (not a fan). So yummy. Thanks!
The Inspired Taste IG video enticed me to try this broccoli slaw. I loved the variety of ingredients which I would have never thought to combine. The crunchiness and sweetness made for a great combination. I mixed a smaller amount of dressing which I regretted. I added the sesame oil which did provide the subtle smokey flavor–very nice. Delicious salad! I will definitely prepare this again and again.
I have made this very similarly. I use dark raisins, but dried cranberries would be great too. The major ingredient I learned to add was fried, crisp bacon, how ever much your heart desires, but at least 6-8 strips. Men love it. Well, all bacon-lovers love it!!
Anyway to sub something else for the cup of mayo…too high in fat and calorie for me!
Hi Nancy, Some of our readers have had success with plain Greek yogurt. I often find Greek yogurt dressings a little too tart and often drizzle in a little olive oil to cut the tartness of the yogurt, but you can see for yourself.
Omg!!! I LOVE this! Supper yummy and easy to make. Thanks!!
We love when good ones are easy. So happy you loved it 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! It was so yummy! We definitely be making this again:)
This slaw is seriously delicious and easy to make! I cheated and used a bag of pre-cut broccoli and carrots. Next time I’ll make it with your Tahini recipe instead of Mayo. Thank you!
Great idea! Tahini would work really well with all of the flavors. So glad you enjoyed it 🙂