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My Crunchy Broccoli Slaw is one of the best potluck side dish recipes, and requires just 5 minutes of prep time. It’s a little sweet, delightfully tangy, and remarkably crunchy; the ideal pairing for a glass of lemonade and a warm day.
Raw vegetables get a serious glow-up in this crowd-pleasing Crunchy Broccoli Slaw. Seriously, my kids can’t get enough.
And I am swooning over how little effort is required to make it possible. A bag of broccoli slaw, a package of ramen noodles from the pantry, and a handful of a few pantry staples bring it to life, and 20 minutes (including zero cooking time) later, you have a phenomenal classic Midwestern side dish that is a signature on most of my summer party menus.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Broccoli slaw: You can usually find this near the bagged salad kits in the produce section of your grocery store. Or, you can julienne broccoli stalks yourself.
- Ramen noodles: Be sure to break these up as much as possible. Large clusters of dry ramen won’t be appetizing in this salad.
- Almonds: To save time, seek out toasted, sliced almonds. Or, you can toast the almonds yourself on the stove or in the oven.
- Sunflower seeds: Look for dry roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds without shells. Or, roast raw sunflower seeds yourself.
Step-by-step instructions
- To make the vinaigrette, in a small bowl, add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sugar, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl, add coleslaw, ramen noodles, scallions, almonds, and sunflower seeds.
- Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss to combine. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes to blend flavors.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Crunchy Broccoli Slaw about 6 cups of salad total, enough for 6 (1-cup) servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The noodles may continue to get soggy, but I don’t mind if you don’t.
- Make ahead: The dressing can be mixed up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
Recipe FAQs
I find broccoli slaw to taste quite mild and different from the florets, so I recommend you give this a try once! But if you don’t want to or still don’t enjoy it, you can use all the other elements with regular cabbage coleslaw blend.
Give me a double serving in a big bowl, a fork, and a quiet corner and I’ll be all set. Seriously, though, a scoop of this slaw is sensational as part of a menu built around my Best Bacon Cheeseburgers, Wisconsin Beer Brats, or Grilled Pork Chops. Don’t forget some Oreo Brownie Trifle or Fresh Fruit Tart for dessert!
I’m glad you asked! If you want to speed up the prep of this easy vinaigrette recipe, pour all of the ingredients into a mason jar, screw on the lid, and shake until combined. Then just drizzle over the slaw, stir, and allow that to marinate for 20 minutes.
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Crunchy Broccoli Slaw
Ingredients
To make the apple cider vinaigrette:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To make the broccoli slaw:
- 12 ounces broccoli slaw (see note 1)
- 1 package ramen noodles crushed, seasoning packet discarded (see note 2)
- 1 bunch scallions sliced
- 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds (see note 3)
- 1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds shelled
Instructions
- To make the vinaigrette, in a small bowl, add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sugar, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl, add coleslaw, ramen noodles, scallions, almonds, and sunflower seeds. Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss to combine. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes to blend flavors.
Notes
- Broccoli slaw: You can usually find this near the bagged salad kits in the produce section of your grocery store. Or, you can julienne broccoli stalks yourself.
- Ramen noodles: Be sure to break these up as much as possible. Large clusters of dry ramen won’t be appetizing in this salad.
- Almonds: To save time, seek out toasted, sliced almonds. Or, you can toast the almonds yourself on the stove or in the oven.
- Sunflower seeds: Look for dry roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds without shells. Or, roast raw sunflower seeds yourself.
- Yield: This Crunchy Broccoli Slaw about 6 cups of salad total, enough for 6 (1-cup) servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The noodles may continue to get soggy, but I don’t mind if you don’t.
- Make ahead: The dressing can be mixed up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
You can add craisins, raisins, mandarin oranges. I’ve done all versions, and it really just depends on what’s in the cabinet or what you desire. I always make the salad dressing the night before, per instructions from the woman who gave me her recipe, and let that sit in the fridge until I’m ready to serve it. You can throw the salad together in a big bowl with a great-sealing lid, toss, and about 30 minutes before you serve it, toss in the dressing, seal lid, and shake it all around to coat. That way the noodles are just soft enough but still crunchy to impress! Went over so well at a Thanksgiving potluck with everyone from Public Works department to the City Manager’s wife. Have copies of the recipe to give out ready, because it will be a hit! Only note-sometimes the broccoli slaw is difficult to find, so shop for that first. Also, my recipe calls for 2 bags of broccoli slaw and 2 pkgs ramen, so it makes enough to feed 20+ people.
Hi Megan! How many servings does this recipe yield?
Oops just found it! I completely overlooked it, so sorry. Thank you for posting this recipe. It looks very similar to the one my mom’s friend used to make!
Thanks Meggan!Â
I will let you know how the raisins are in it
I’m sure it’s going to be awesome, I’ve had broccoli salads with raisins and sunflower seeds (same crunch value/flavor profile as this salad) and it’s THE BEST! Please keep me posted if you have a chance, thanks. 🙂
Is it best to make this salad 20 mins before serving or can it be put together ahead of time? Have you ever added raisins?
Sounds really goodÂ
Hi Laurie, You can make it ahead of time. More than 20 minutes. The broccoli slaw/veggie part will never get soggy. The noodles might lose some crunch but that’s it. I haven’t added raisins but that sounds PERFECT. Thanks so much for you question!
I would love to know how many fat grams are in this.  I am on  low fat diet. Thanks
Hi Karen, right now I’m not computing nutritional info and I’m sorry about that. I hope to add it in the future. You should be able to find a nutritional calculator online though such as MyFitnessPal which will have foods listed in it and you can just figure it out. I’m so sorry about that!