Healthy Broccoli Apple Salad With Greek Yogurt Recipe
This Healthy Broccoli Apple Salad with Greek Yogurt is a fresh, crunchy, and nutritious dish perfect as a light lunch or a flavorful side. It combines crispy bacon, crisp broccoli florets, juicy Fuji apples, and tangy red onion, all tossed in a creamy, slightly sweet dressing made with Greek yogurt, honey, and mustard. Roasted sunflower seeds add a delightful crunch while the apple cider vinegar brightens the flavors. This salad is easy to prepare, healthy, and can be made ahead to allow the flavors to meld beautifully.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 21 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Low Fat
Ingredients
Scale
Salad Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 1/4 cup roasted salted sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 large Fuji apple, roughly chopped
Dressing Ingredients
- 1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Cook bacon: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Place the bacon strips in the skillet and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove bacon and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain and remove excess fat.
- Prepare salad base: In a large bowl, combine the broccoli florets, roasted salted sunflower seeds, thinly sliced red onion, and roughly chopped Fuji apple.
- Mix bacon: Once the bacon is cool enough to handle, crumble or roughly chop it and add it to the salad mixture in the bowl. Stir gently to combine all the ingredients.
- Whisk dressing: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the nonfat plain Greek yogurt, honey, yellow mustard, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and salt until smooth and well combined.
- Toss salad with dressing: Pour the dressing over the salad mixture and toss thoroughly until everything is evenly coated with the dressing. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
- Refrigerate to meld flavors: Cover the salad and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (up to overnight) to allow the broccoli to absorb the flavors and the salad to develop a delicious taste.
- Serve: Remove from refrigerator, give it a final toss, and serve chilled. Enjoy your healthy, crunchy broccoli apple salad!
Notes
- To reduce prep time, you can cook bacon in the oven by baking at 400°F (204°C) on a lined baking sheet for 15-20 minutes until crispy.
- The salad is best served chilled and can be made a day ahead.
- You can substitute sunflower seeds with chopped walnuts or pecans for a different nutty flavor.
- For a vegetarian version, omit the bacon and add toasted chickpeas or crispy tofu.
- If you prefer a sweeter dressing, add an extra tablespoon of honey.
- Use firm and fresh broccoli for the best crunch and flavor.
Keywords: Broccoli Salad, Healthy Salad, Apple Salad, Greek Yogurt Dressing, Bacon Salad, Crunchy Salad, Summer Salad, Light Lunch
