This strawberry broccoli salad is the perfect healthy salad recipe and easy side dish made with chopped broccoli and fruit mixed together in with a creamy poppy seed dressing. This salad is the perfect dish to bring to a holiday dinner, potluck or summer cookout.
This strawberry broccoli salad is made with a mix of fresh fruit including apples, pears, and strawberries mixed together with broccoli, red onion, feta, pecans and poppy seed dressing.
It is the perfect broccoli salad for a crowd. We especially love serving this healthy broccoli salad at Easter dinner, for a Fourth of July cookout, as an easy summer side dish and for healthy meal prep.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Healthy Side Dish
- Great for Summer Cookouts
- Kid-Friendly Recipe
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Broccoli - Rinse the broccoli and chop into small florets so it mixes well with the other salad ingredients.
- Apple - This recipe calls for one apple cut into small cubes. We recommend using a Honey Crisp, Pink Lady or Gala apple.
- Pear - Cut the pear into small cubes close in size to the apple cubes.
- Strawberries - Rinse the strawberries and chop them into small pieces to mix into the salad.
- Red Onion - Finely dice the red onion to add extra flavor throughout the dish.
- Feta - Crumbled feta pairs perfectly with the flavors of this recipe. You can also use crumbled blue cheese.
- Pecans - Pecans add crunch to the salad. You can substitute pecans with sliced almonds, cashews or walnuts.
- Poppy Seed Dressing - The poppy seed dressing gives the salad a creamy texture and the sweet flavors pair perfectly with the fruits in the dish. You can use homemade dressing or store-bought.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Cutting Board - You need a cutting board to finely dice the ingredients.
- Knife - A high-quality knife is crucial to make chopping all of the ingredients easier to do.
- Salad Bowl - A large salad bowl is necessary for serving the dish.
How to Make the Strawberry Broccoli Salad
Step 1. Add the chopped broccoli and fruit to a large bowl.
Step 2. Use a spoon to mix the broccoli and fruit together.
Step 3. Add the feta and pecans to the bowl.
Step 4. Mix the ingredients together.
Step 5. Pour poppy seed dressing over the salad.
Step 6. Use a spoon to mix the poppy seed dressing into the salad and chill before serving.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
This strawberry broccoli salad recipe makes enough to serve to 8-10 people as a side dish. We love to serve this recipe at summer cookouts and for Easter Sunday dinner.
You can also meal prep this salad to have as a side dish with dinner throughout the week.
If you like this dish, you will love our other easy side dish recipes.
Expert Tips & Variations
- Chop everything small. Be sure to chop the broccoli into very small florets and to dice the fruit into small cubes. It is also important to finely dice the red onion. This ensures all of the flavors spread throughout the salad.
- Make it ahead of time - You can prep this salad ahead of time by chopping the vegetables and fruit, mixing together and storing in the fridge prior to the meal. When it is time to serve, add the feta cheese, pecans and dressing and mix to combine.
How to Store the Broccoli Salad
- Refrigerator - Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
How to Make Homemade Poppy Seed Dressing
Make your own poppy seed dressing by combining the following ingredients in a bowl and whisking together into a creamy dressing.
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayo
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1.5 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
Recipe FAQ
You can use whatever dressing you prefer, but we highly recommend poppy seed dressing because the sweet flavor of the dressing marries well with the sweetness of the fruit.
More Side Dish Recipes
Strawberry Broccoli Salad
This strawberry broccoli salad is the perfect healthy salad recipe and easy side dish made with chopped broccoli and fruit mixed together in with a creamy poppy seed dressing.
Ingredients
- 3 cups broccoli, chopped into small florets
- 1 cup diced strawberries
- 1 cup or 1 large apple, diced
- 1 cup or one pear, diced
- ⅓ cup finely diced red onion
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup poppy seed dressing
Instructions
- Start by washing the produce.
- Chop the broccoli into small florets.
- Cut the strawberries, apple and pear into small pieces.
- Dice about ¼ of a red onion into small pieces.
- Combine the broccoli, strawberries, apple, pear and red onion in a large bowl.
- Add feta cheese and almonds and use a spoon to mix everything together.
- In a small bowl, add Greek yogurt, mayo, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, poppyseeds and salt and mix together into a creamy dressing.
- Pour the dressing over the salad mixture and use the spoon to stir everything together and coat the salad with the dressing.
- Place the bowl in the fridge to chill before serving.
Notes
Homemade Poppy Seed Dressing
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup mayo
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon poppyseeds
1.5 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
pinch of salt
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 240Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 335mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 4gSugar: 11gProtein: 4g
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