Broccoli Salad

This cold Broccoli Salad with Tarragon Dressing has lots of fresh broccoli, golden raisins, marinated red onion and roasted pumpkin seeds all tossed in an amazingly tangy and delicious salad dressing. It’s even better the next day!

Broccoli Salad

I was first introduced to this salad from my mother-in-law several years ago and have since embellished upon it with a couple ingredients, but the initial salad of cold, uncooked broccoli was what I loved surprisingly. I had never had it before and the tangy dressing was fantastic.

Broccoli is great steamed with grated lemon zest, or with sharp cheddar cheese melted over the top, but there came a time when a cold, uncooked broccoli salad opened my eyes to another way to enjoy broccoli.

What’s in a Broccoli Salad?

Broccoli florets, marinated red onions, pumpkin seeds and golden raisins, The salad dressing is easy, too.

How to Make Tarragon Salad Dressing

In a mixing bowl add the mayonnaise, rice wine vinegar, honey, mustard, tarragon, salt and pepper, whisk thoroughly.

How to Make a Cold Broccoli Salad

Chop the broccoli into florets, trim and chop the stalks as well if you like into bite size pieces. Place in a mixing bowl and add the marinated red onions, pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and golden raisins. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix to completely coat the vegetables and chill for 20 minutes prior to serving.

I thought dried tarragon would be a nice herbal note and have used dried cranberries, but prefer the golden raisins. For a little other crunch I added roasted pumpkin seeds, a house favorite in salads.

One of this salad’s ingredients, the sliced red onion in rice wine vinegar, is treated to a quick pickle prior for the salad. I like to keep this mixture on hand in my refrigerator for different salads and as a garnish on Mexican dishes.

Thinly slice a red onion, cover it with rice wine vinegar and keep in your refrigerator. Allow the onions to marinate at least 30 minutes if you don’t have any on hand.

This broccoli salad is perfect as a side dish for outdoor parties, BBQs and potlucks.

It would be fantastic served with my Pineapple Five Spice Pork Ribs or a Perfect Rib Eye Steak seasoned with my Copycat Montreal Seasoning. Enjoy!

This cold broccoli salad recipe first appeared on Kevin Is Cooking in August 2015 and has been updated with new photos and video.

Cold Broccoli Salad

This Cold Broccoli Salad with Tarragon Dressing has golden raisins, marinated red onion and roasted pumpkin seeds is an amazing, tangy, crunchy, delicious salad. It’s even better the next day!

4.78 from 18 votes

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Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Western

Keyword: broccoli salad, pumpkin seed salad, tarragon dressing

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 208kcal

Author: Kevin Is Cooking

Ingredients

• For the dressing:
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp dry tarragon
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• For the Salad:
• 4 cups crowns and stalks of broccoli
• 1/2 medium red onion , sliced thin
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup pepitas (toasted, salted pumpkin seeds)
• 1/4 cup golden raisins

Instructions

• In a bowl add the sliced red onions and 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar or enough to cover. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes or overnight.
• In a mixing bowl add the mayonnaise, rice wine vinegar, honey, mustard, tarragon, salt and pepper, whisk thoroughly.
• Chop the broccoli into florets and trim and chop the stalks as well if you like into bite size pieces. Place in a mixing bowl and add the marinated red onions, pepitas and golden raisins.
• Pour the dressing over the salad and mix to completely coat the vegetables and chill for 20 minutes prior to serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 206mg | Potassium: 417mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 43% | Vitamin C: 100% | Calcium: 5.5% | Iron: 7.5%

Have you made this recipe? Let me know on InstagramTag @KevinIsCooking and hashtag me #keviniscooking!