Quinoa Broccoli Slaw with Honey-Mustard Dressing
Healthy broccoli slaw recipe with quinoa, toasted almonds and basil tossed in a tangy honey-mustard dressing (no mayo)! This slaw will be a hit at potlucks.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
Confession: I wanted to include this tangy broccoli slaw recipe in my epic salads roundup (it deserves to be in it), but the photos were so green and unappetizing that I couldn’t do it. All I could think when I looked at the post was, “Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit!”
Today, I’m re-sharing it with better photos and pushing it to the top of the blog in case you have overlooked it the past couple of years. Ribbit!
Even with a pop of complementary color (the coral napkin), the slaw is undeniably very green as written. I’ve heard from some commenters who have added some color with dried cranberries or chopped apple, which sound like delicious additions to me.
This broccoli slaw was roughly inspired by an awesome mayo-free broccoli and potato salad that my friend Sarah brought to a spring potluck two years ago. It’s not too far off from my Greek broccoli salad and colorful beet and quinoa salad, but it was just too good to keep to myself.
Shredded broccoli florets form the foundation for this slaw, which you can easily make yourself in a food processor (or you can skip a step and buy pre-shredded broccoli slaw).
Cooked quinoa blends right in, thanks to its similar texture and complementary flavor. Add toasty almonds, a tangy honey-mustard dressing and chopped basil for little bursts of freshness flavor, and you have one fantastic mayo-free broccoli slaw.
Watch How to Make Perfectly Fluffy Quinoa
Quinoa Broccoli Slaw with Honey-Mustard Dressing
Mayo-free, healthy broccoli slaw recipe with quinoa, toasted almonds and basil tossed in a tangy honey-mustard dressing! This gluten-free slaw will be a hit at potlucks and packs well for lunch, too. For best flavor, plan on letting the slaw rest for 20 minutes or more before serving. Recipe yields about 4 servings.
Ingredients
Slaw
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 ½ cups water
- ½ cup slivered or sliced almonds
- 1 ½ pounds broccoli (about 2 large or 3 medium heads) or 16 ounces shredded broccoli slaw
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil
Honey-mustard dressing
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons smooth Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or more lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Red pepper flakes, optional (for heat)
Instructions
- To cook the quinoa: First, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander under running water. In a medium-sized pot, combine the rinsed quinoa and 1 ½ cups water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer the quinoa until it has absorbed all of the water. Remove the quinoa from heat, cover the pot and let it rest for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set it aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, toast the almonds: In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds, stirring frequently, until they are fragrant and starting to turn golden on the edges, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a large serving bowl to cool.
- To prepare the broccoli (if you’re not using prepared broccoli slaw), trim off any brown bits from the florets and stems, then slice the florets off the stems into manageable pieces. Use a paring knife to peel off the tough, woody perimeter of the broccoli stems and then discard those pieces. Now you can feed the broccoli florets through your food processor using the slicing blade, then switch to the grating blade to shred the stems. Alternatively, you can shred the broccoli with a mandoline or by hand with a sharp knife.
- Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a liquid measuring cup and whisk until emulsified. The dressing should be pleasantly tangy and pack a punch. If it’s overwhelmingly acidic, add a little more honey to balance out the flavors. If it needs more kick, add a bit more mustard or lemon juice.
- Add the shredded broccoli slaw, cooked quinoa and chopped basil to your large serving bowl. Pour the dressing over the mixture and toss until well mixed. Let the slaw rest for about 20 minutes to let the flavors meld.
Notes
Make it vegan: Substitute maple syrup for the honey.
Make it nut free: I bet sunflower seeds would be a great alternative to the almonds.
Storage suggestions: This salad keeps well overnight. Brighten up leftovers with a squeeze of lemon juice and maybe an extra drizzle of olive oil and dash of salt, too.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Used broccoli slaw and added pumpkin seeds. Added a handful of spinach chiffonade. Lovely and filling.
This is now in heavy menu rotation during our heat spell, along with our favorite black bean-quinoa-corn salad. We love to add chopped up vidalia onion, red pepper, English cucumbers, etc, & top with cherry tomatoes, & serve on bed of romaine or arugula . . . so adaptable!
Such an amazing vegan tasty recipe ,everyone loves it and wants to have this recipe. Thanks so much! I even added a crispy apple and grated carrots the next day to serve to friends . Its my summer go to salad from now on :)
Thank you, Kay! So glad you all enjoyed it.
Tonight I used my intimidating KitchenAid food processor for the very first time (after looking at it for several months) and made the Quinoa Broccoli Slaw. Success! Excellent recipe. So, when will we be seeing a recipe for kale dog treats? Maybe there are cookbook plans for a chapter in honor of Cookie? Thanks for the wonderful slaw recipe. I’m looking forward to baking the pumpkin bread. Happy fall.
Hey Jeannie, so glad that attachment and this slaw worked out well for you. Cookie will be making quite a few appearances in the book! I didn’t make a treat recipe for her, since she’s so content with kale stems. :)
That dressing is so amazing! I made this with red cabbage and brocolli
Delicious recipe! Big hit at our dinner the other night. Calorie count?
Hey, Alli! Unfortunately, I don’t have nutritional info available for my recipes just yet. I’m looking for a solution, and will update about it once I find one. Thanks!
Kate, my suggestion would be to find a nutrition student in your area who might be interested in doing the nutrition info for some volunteer work? Or you could just direct people to my fitness pal – all they have to do is copy the URL into the recipe builder. It’s very easy but maybe not reliable enough for you to publish.
Orrrrrr you could simply stick with what you’re doing, your food is always healthy, so theres no need to complicate things :)
Kate, the Broccoli slaw was a HUGE hit at our latest family gathering.
I had faith and just put it all together on the day of our BBQ, without tasting it myself and when everyone was coming up to me and asking about the incredible salad they just ate, I was excited.
Wasn’t until I tasted it that I was impressed. Some guests took ‘doggy bags’ home and I had to share the recipe with all.
I’m excited to see what else I can find in your recipe menu.
That’s an all-around success if I’ve ever heard of one! Awesome. And thank you so much for sharing it with your friends, too!
This looks delicious Kate! Perfect for a weekend full of bbqs ahead!
Awesome! I hope everyone enjoys it, Maggie.
And you just keep slaying! Your creativity knows no bounds girl, this sounds incredible. <3
Thanks, Jessie!
Hey! Thanks for sharing my review! So much appreciated! Excited to try your slaw (those pics are super yum looking!)
Thank you for the great review, Kris! I hope you try the slaw. :)
Honey mustard dressing will always be one of my absolute favorites. I love salads that are potato-salad style but not. This is so perfect for summer!!! Love it!
Thanks, Maria! I love that dressing, too. Liquid gold!
Honey mustard is my all-time favorite dressing! This slaw will be making its way to my Memorial Day weekend BBQ!!
Hooray!
I LOVE all of these ingredients. This is my kind of slaw. Can’t wait to make this for my friends here in Italy!
Wonderful! I hope everyone loves it, Cindy.
I would never have thought of this Kate, but I am now craving it. It was usually hot here in Scotland today, so I am craving salads again.
I hope you try it, Jacqueline!
Really good, I really appreciate the use of ordinary, easily available ingredients in a fresh way.
Thank you, Natalie! That’s one of the guiding principles of my blog, so I’m happy you appreciate it.
Made this for lunch yesterday, both my wife and I loved it.
Perfect!
This recipe makes broccoli so tasty and fun to eat! I’m following up on your & Cookie’s adventures since last september, and once I found this blog, I immediately fell in love with the colorful, whole food recipes you publish (it has made vegetarianism so easy!). Cooking and finding the right food for myself, as a teenager, is a journey, so thanks for keeping the recipes interesting! By the way, cookbook shipped really fast (to Latvia, where everything is always late) and I love it!!!
This comment is full of so much goodness, Signija! I’m so glad the book came quickly (hello from KC!) and that you found my blog in the first place. Being vegetarian is difficult enough– and as a teenager? Yeesh. I’m glad I could make things a bit easier for you! Thank you so much for reading.
My husband does not like Dijon mustard. Is there a suitable substitute?
Does he enjoy any other varieties of mustard? You could omit it, but the dressing won’t have as much zip.
I tried it with inglehoffer’s honey mustard and it tasted great. Thanks so much.
This was so good my 6 year old had 3 servings…and so did I. The dressing is amazing. I cut the broccoli into small florets and added a little purple cabbage for color.
the Thai-style Mango Slaw in your cookbook was FANTASTIC, too.
Thank you, Amy! Happy to hear that you loved them both.
I just received my copy of Love Real Food in the mail! There are so many recipes that I can’t wait to try out! I’m a teacher and school just ended, so I think I’ve found my new summer project… cooking my way through this book!
Hooray! I’m so glad you love it, Krystal! Have a fun summer. :)
Not the kind of salad I am used to, good to change. Fresh, flavorful (don’t skip the garlic) and filling! Thank you Kate!
Great! I’m glad this helped you mix things up, Martel.
I haven’t tried your salad yet but I will definitely make it tonight! The reason for this post is I bought your book about 4 days ago at Barnes and Noble. I truly expected it in the New Release area but they had already moved it to the shelves IT DESERVES TO BE OUT FRONT!! This is an exceptional cookbook. It is probably the most thorough, well written cookbook I have ever enjoyed. I am reading it page by page. I haven’t marked a single recipe because I want to try them ALL! Well done Girl and all that time and effort truly paid off. I am telling everyone about your book and will be giving them as gifts in the future. Btw, I love your blog also. I always print out the recipes and have a folder specifically for you. Keep those creative juices flowing! Thanks again.
Nancy, thank you so much for your kind words and support! I’m so glad you found it in B&N. I definitely “rearranged” the books to make mine front and center at my nearest store. Hehe. I worked SO hard on the book and it’s marvelous to hear that you appreciate my hard work. xo!
So good! I made this for a Memorial Day barbecue and already have friends asking for the recipe.
Hooray! Thanks for sharing it, Devon.
I made 1/2 this recipe tonight for a store bought bag of broccoli slaw and omitted the crushed red pepper due to a guest who can’t take any slice at all. It was PERFECT! It will be my go-to slaw recipe from now on. Thank you!
Awesome! I’m glad my time-saving tip worked out so well. :)
Fantastic! I only added half the amount of quinoa, and in my opinion that was enough. Great flavor.
Great! Thanks, John.
Love this salad. Made it tonight and it was delicious. The only change I made was I steamed the broccoli for a few minutes. A winner recipe!
Fantastic. Thanks, Heather!
Hi Kate!
I made this for supper tonight (using a packaged broccoli slaw mix instead of chopping broccoli)and my husband took one bite and said “this is a keeper”!! We both loved it and have leftovers to enjoy tomorrow!Thanks so much for sharing!!
Skip
Awesome! I’m so glad you both enjoyed it, Skip. Thanks!
This was a great way to change up my salads. When I read the recipe I had blanched broccoli in the fridge so used that and was out of quinoa (how’d that happen???) so used some bulgar. Looking forward to doing it as written this weekend. And the dressing is a new favorite. Thanks.
Your version sounds excellent, Jean!
The dressing is a great marinade for shrimp. Just made a new batch of it. Thanks again.
I made this last night for bookclub potluck and it was a hit. I increased the honey and mustard in the dressing bc it was initially too acidic for me. Also added cranberries as other commenters did. A well enjoyed broccoli slaw that was more hearty than others I have made in the past, because of the addition of quinoa. Also to note, I prepped the broccoli and quinoa earlier in the week, as well as the dressing kept separate- so this is a good option for a make ahead meal for those busy weeks!
Awesome! Thanks for the time-saving tips, too, Nicole. That will definitely help out other readers.
I made this salad tonight and honestly it was so delicious I had to share it with friends! I added some green onions to the slaw just because I love green onions. But this is a keeper for sure. Thanks Kate for your commitment to putting out nutritious, delicious recipes that we all benefit from.
I also just bought your new cookbook. While I am not a vegetarian, i really love all the recipes which for the most part can have meat added if necessary.
This is so kind, Maggie! I’m so glad you love my site as a non-vegetarian. I love hearing that I’ve helped people make small changes in their daily routines.
I just made this today and it’s wonderful. I did make one change. I’m trying to cut back on added sugar in my diet so I reduced the honey to 1 tsp. I still loved it.
Great! Thanks, Kathy. I’m glad you could adjust it to your tastes/needs.
Hi Kate,
Love this receipe. I did this, and 3 other salads from your blog, for a party in honor of my youngest son, Christian. I doubled this one up as we had over 30 people come over. The salad was gone in about 10 minutes and I had loads of great comments. Thanks! BTW, just got back from a business trip and I’d ordered your book from Amazon. It really is good. Looking forward to giving it a go!
Awesome! This one is a total favorite for pot-lucks. I hope you enjoy the book, too!
Kate, made this salad for a birthday party pot luck sooo delicious!
Your blog and cookbook are my go to when I want to try something new that I know will be a hit!
Amy
Hooray! Thanks, Amy.
I made this Quinoa Broccoli Slaw for a potluck and everyone loved it. I just about doubled the mustard and apple cider vinegar so it was good and tangy. It’s quick too! Thanks for a great recipe.
Delicious! Great tip for mustard-lovers, too.
I just finished tasting the finished product, and it’s delicious! I used walnuts instead of slivered almonds, and mixed it all together while the quinoa was still warm, so I’m hoping it tastes just as great cold. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Thanks, Hannah! I think letting it marinate a bit is always a good thing. The flavors should deepen once it cools down!
Scrolling through the blog the pictures for this recipe really caught my eye. I have broccoli in my fridge and had no idea what to do with it. Now, I’m so happy that I have it and can try this out!
Awesome! Let me know how it goes, Lekan!
I tried the recipe, didn’t have enough broccoli, quinoa, or honey but the dressing was tasty. I also used the S blade for my food processor (instead of the slicing and shredding blades ) I didn’t know there were other blades lol. Next time I try this I’ll use the a mandolin. I have high expectations for next time.
This looked so yummy that I HAD to try it! We decided to make it more of the main course for the meal so I added a packet of Trader Joe’s precooked lentils and did 1.5 x the amount of dressing. With the added protein it was a great meal for a hot night. I think next time I make it (because this is so delicious!) I might add some cut up apples and golden raisins, as well.
Great job yet again =)
Great idea adding the lentils–that sounds like a nice, filling meal. Thanks, Kendra!
Great recipe! Added craisins and chicken, and we used it as a main dish. Thanks!
Perfect! I’m glad your version turned out great, Nicole.
Second recipe Ive tried and so happy with the taste! Very simple to put together (I tend to moan and groan if a recipe takes too long to prep). And the flavours are so fresh! Great sauce and great combination of veggies. Thank you!
Yes, this one comes together relatively easily. I’m glad you enjoyed it, Tessa!
This was the first recipe I have made from your site and it is absolutely addicting! A must have for a healthy snack or side dish to any meal. Is it bad that I want to eat the whole dish in one sitting? ;) Can’t wait to try more recipes from you! Nom nom nom…
I’m so glad you loved this, Dee!
Kate! I made this and your Herbed Red Potato Salad for 4th of July. While the potato salad was quickly devoured this was the salad that elicited the most enthusiastic comments! It’s so good – the almonds, the basil – it’s perfect. The recipe is worth dragging out my food processor. Thank you!
Thank you, Lily! That’s so great!
This salad is SO delicious. The basil addition is the perfect finish.
Thank you, Paige!
This was amazing. I figured it would be good, but it was even better than expected. Thanks
Great! Thanks, Jacqueline.
I’ve made this quite a few times now and it is one of my favorites! Yum!
Perfect. Thanks, Bill. :)
I made this last night…so delicious! I added chopped red apple, and I used toasted sunflower seeds since I didn’t have any almonds. We devoured it!! We were supposed to have enough left over for both of us to take some for lunch today, but we both had a few too many extra servings last night! A very good sign ☺ Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe Kate! I’m excited to try your Crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad next!
Hooray! I’m glad you both gobbled this down. I think you’d love the Thai quinoa salad!
Another awesome recipe! I’m convinced you’re the queen of salads!
I made this for some tough critics. Everyone loved it! It officially has a place in my go-to recipe rotation. I did add dried cranberries. Thank you very much. Delicious.
Hooray! Dried cranberries sound delicious. Thank you for giving it a try and for your review, Savta!
I don’t usually comment, but this recipe was so good I just had to! I made this for my husband and I and we were both floored by how wonderful it tasted!
I have 2 holiday parties this week, and I’m bringing this to both! I have to share this with everyone! Thank you for the wonderful recipes and constant inspiration!
Well, I’m happy you did Rachael! You are welcome. It’s a great salad for a holiday dinner for sure. Enjoy! Thanks for your review.
Even my husband liked it. You rock! Delicious!
Awe well, thanks Lily! Thank you for your star review.
This looks so yummy! Looking to make it this weekend for our family. The shredded broccoli slaw I’ve seen at our local store doesn’t seem to have the floret-bits/tree part (haha) included – but more of a classic slaw texture. Do you think it would still be good? Or would cutting our own to include that be beneficial to the recipe?