Creamy, crunchy vegan broccoli slaw couldn't be simpler to make and is such a crowd-pleaser! It only takes about 15 minutes.
Recipe notes
The trick to making this broccoli slaw awesome is in prepping the veggies. It's not hard to prep them properly, but you do need to take your time.
This recipe is all about texture, and the veggies are a big part of that.
You don't want huge chunks of broccoli or cabbage in this slaw. You're going to mince up that broccoli into pieces that average the size of a pea. And you want to shred the cabbage and chop the green onion into bite-sized pieces.
This is fastest if you use a food processor, but you can absolutely do it by hand, if you prefer.
Speaking of texture! The next thing you add to the bowl is a healthy helping of sunflower seeds.
Sunflower seeds bring a lovely crunch to this salad that even holds up the next day.
I kept the dressing super simple: a creamy mix of vegan mayo and yellow mustard. This is the dressing that my mother-in-law uses for her potato salad, and it's deliciously simple. You are going to love it.
Toss everything into your bowl, and chill until you're ready to eat!
Substitutions
This recipe is flexible, which is one of the things I love about it!
If you don't have red cabbage, you can use green. In a pinch, you can even use shredded kale instead.
In place of sunflower seeds, feel free to use chopped nuts or seeds of your choice. Sliced almonds or cashew pieces are great in this broccoli slaw! You can also omit the seeds/nuts, if you prefer.
The yellow mustard brings a nice tang to this slaw's dressing, and you can feel free to mix up your mustards. I've made this with Dijon mustard, for example, and it's delicious that way! Deli mustard -- the kind with big mustard seeds in it -- will also work well.
Green onion is there for that umami punch and zesty, oniony flavor. You can use minced red onion or minced sweet onion instead, if you don't have green onions handy.
Serving and storage directions
This broccoli slaw works great anywhere that you'd use a traditional cabbage slaw, such as:
- with sandwiches (I love how it adds creaminess and texture to a buffalo tofu taco!)
- stuffed into wraps
- at cookouts
- at picnics
It's seriously versatile and delicious!
This slaw will keep for three to four days in an airtight container the fridge, though the sunflower seeds will soften as time passes.
If you're prepping this ahead, I'd add the seeds just before serving for maximum crunch.
More vegan cookout favorites
📖 Recipe
Vegan broccoli slaw recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup minced broccoli
- ½ cup shredded purple cabbage - You can use green cabbage, if you can't find purple
- 1 green onion - chopped
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds - optional. You can also use other nuts or seeds, like sliced almonds
- ⅓ cup vegan mayo
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
Instructions
- Toss everything together in a large bowl. Chill until you're ready to serve.
Equipment
- food processor optional
Karen B
This recipe looks delicious. I just wanted to give you a heads up that the link to your vegan mayo is going to Amazon.
Becky Striepe
Oh weird! It should have gone to Amazon, but to the listing for Vegenaise, my favorite vegan mayo. For some reason, it was going to some random Amazon page instead. I have fixed it now. Thank you for letting me know, Karen!