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A Fast and Flavorful Salad You’ll Love for Lunch or Dinner
Let’s talk about easy, nutritious meals that don’t take up your entire afternoon. That’s exactly why I love this Asian Broccoli Salad. It checks all the boxes for a quick side dish or light lunch that feels fresh, satisfying, and full of flavor.
This one has been on repeat for me lately. The kids are back in school, my schedule is packed, and I still want meals that make me feel good without a lot of effort.
Here’s what I love most. You only need a few simple ingredients, and by the time your water boils, you’ve basically got this salad ready to go. While the broccoli gets a quick blanch, you can chop your veggies and whip up the dressing. Everything comes together fast with hardly any cleanup.
Crunchy broccoli, crisp veggies, a punchy ginger dressing, and a sprinkle of almonds for texture. It’s light, nutrient-dense, and loaded with flavor.
Want to make it even easier?
- Grab a pre-cut veggie mix from the store
- Use bottled ginger dressing if you’re short on time
- Add rotisserie chicken, tofu, or shrimp for extra protein
This salad keeps well, so it’s perfect for meal prep too. I love enjoying it for lunch to help power through that mid-afternoon slump.
Quick, simple, delicious. That’s my kind of meal these days.
Enjoy!
Asian Broccoli Salad (Vegan, Paleo, Whole30)
Ingredients
- For the Salad:
- 1 large head of broccoli
- 1 cup matchstick carrots, or chopped carrots
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup radishes, chopped
- 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- For the Dressing:
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos or Tamari Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated or chopped
- 1 clove garlic
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring several cups of water to a boil.
- Meanwhile, chop your broccoli into medium sized chunks. Look at above picture for more. Once water is boiling, add broccoli for only 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain immediately, and soak in ice water for a few minutes to prevent further cooking.
- Meanwhile, make your dressing. In a food processor or high powered blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.
- Drain broccoli completely. Toss with remaining chopped vegetables and dressing. Serve with slivered almonds on top.
Just made this this morning. I would be sure to buy the sweet rice vinegar. I bought just regular rice vinegar but saw that there is sweet rice vinegar also at the store. Mine didn’t turn out tasting sweet. my sister had made this before and it was sweet tasting and good.
Soooo good! Bf loves aisian flavors and is not big on veggies, but he always asks for this salad! The dressing can be used for many other salads and the veggies can be switched easily.
The first time I made this, I omitted the peppers and green onions since I was out of them. I added lightly cooked zucchini noodles to make up for the bulk of veggies. It was great!
I’ve also used the spiralizer on the carrots at other times for presentation and texture. I’ve also used chopped cabbage and Savoy cabbage.
Does this keep good in the fridge for a couple days?
Yes, it would keep for 2-3 days. Hope that helps!
Question: do you have a good dressing that would go with this salad that is free of ginger? (It would also need to be dairy free). My oldest daughter is allergic to ginger of all things!
You can omit the ginger! Maybe add a tbsp of nut butter for extra flavor ????
This recipe is so delicious! My husband and son asked for seconds which says a lot! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you Shannon! So glad you all love it 🙂