This broccoli and pea salad is fresh, flavorful, and easy to make. A perfect side for potlucks, holidays, or barbecues, ready in no time!
Today's broccoli and pea salad features crunchy broccoli, sweet peas, and a simple dressing. Great for making ahead and serving chilled!
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve brought this bright, fresh broccoli salad to a party - and every time, the bowl was empty by the end.
The broccoli salad with peas looks so colorful and inviting that you’ll want to dig in right away. And once you start, it’s hard to stop!
Check out more colorful summer salads like the Shopska Salad, Watermelon Feta Balsamic Salad, and Grilled Peach Chicken Salad.
This is a repost from many years ago. I added roasted sunflower seeds for extra crunch and flavor and dressed the salad with a mustard and lemon vinaigrette.
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Recipe ingredients
Broccoli: Use both the florets and the chopped stem. Cook the stem for a couple of minutes first, as it takes a bit longer than the florets.
Sugar snap peas: Crunchy and delicious, but not always available, at least where I live. If you can’t find them, use frozen peas instead – the broccoli pea salad will be a bit different but still just as delicious.
Other vegetables you will need are ripe and flavorful tomatoes or cherry tomatoes and green onions.
Sunflower seeds: Use roasted sunflower seeds for more flavor and crunch, or roast them yourself. You can also swap them for roasted pine nuts or pepitas.
Extra virgin olive oil - taste it before you add it to the dressing; it should not be too bitter. If it is, mix it with a neutral-tasting vegetable oil.
Other ingredients for the dressing: Freshly squeezed lemon juice, Dijon or yellow mustard, a bit of granulated sugar, fine sea salt, and ground black pepper. Sometimes, I replace the lemon juice with white balsamic vinegar.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make broccoli and pea salad?
Step #1: Peel and chop the stem, cut the broccoli head into florets. Keep them separated.
Step #2: Blanch the stem for 2 minutes, add the florets, and cook for 1 minute; add the peas and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse.
Step #3: Place all the prepared vegetables in a large bowl.
Step #4: Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Toss with the broccoli pea salad.
Good to know!
To prevent the broccoli from losing its vibrant color, blanch it for a few minutes, then quickly cool it under cold water. This process helps maintain the broccoli’s crisp texture and bright green color. It also stops the cooking process immediately, so the florets don’t become overcooked.
Drain the vegetables well, then pat them dry with paper towels before transferring them to a large bowl. It's important to dry the blanched veggies, especially the broccoli, to prevent the salad from becoming watery.
Additions
Toppings: Any kind of roasted seeds or nuts you like,
Cheese: Add crumbled feta to the salad or top it with goat cheese, freshly grated Parmesan, or Pecorino just before serving.
More colorful and crunchy vegetables like radishes, kohlrabi, cucumber, or carrots. All should be diced very finely or julienned.
Add fresh herbs like parsley or chives.
Make in advance and store
You can assemble the broccoli pea salad several hours in advance and chill it until ready to serve. Toss it again and adjust the taste if necessary.
You can blanch the broccoli and snow peas the day before and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Add the dressing and the tomatoes shortly before serving.
I prefer the broccoli salad with peas when it's freshly made, so I usually prepare it 2 to 3 hours in advance. However, any leftovers stored in the refrigerator still taste great the next day.
How to serve?
You can enjoy the salad with just a slice or two of crusty bread, or you can have it alongside some grilled chicken breast or fish. Try it with Cast-Iron Chicken Breast, Salmon Risotto, or a slice of Oat Bread without Yeast.
Broccoli and Pea Salad
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 head of broccoli about 1 lb/ 450 g
- 5.5 oz sugar snap peas Note 1
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 6 thin green onions
- 1 small bunch of parsley
- 2 tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds
Salad dressing:
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed, Note 2
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Note 3
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or yellow mustard
- ¼-½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½-¾ teaspoon fine sea salt or Kosher, more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper pepper
Instructions
Broccoli pea salad:
- Blanch the broccoli and the peas: Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, clean and cut the broccoli stem into bite-sized pieces and divide the broccoli head into florets. Once the water is boiling, add the broccoli stem and cook for 2 minutes. Then, add the florets and cook for another minute before adding the snow peas. Blanch for 2 more minutes, then drain and cool the vegetables under cold water. 1 head of broccoli + 5.5 oz sugar snap peas
- Drain well, pat dry with paper towels, and transfer to a large bowl. Be sure to pat the blanched veggies dry, especially the broccoli, to avoid a watery salad.
- Chop vegetables: Deseed and finely chop the tomatoes. Slice the green onions thinly. Add them to the bowl along with the chopped parsley and mix gently.2 medium tomatoes + 6 thin green onions + 1 small bunch of parsley
Salad dressing:
- Make the dressing: Mix the lemon juice and olive oil with mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper and pour over the salad. Adjust the taste to your liking with more salt, pepper, and lemon juice.2 tablespoons lemon juice + 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard + ¼-½ teaspoon granulated sugar + ½-¾ teaspoon fine sea salt + ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper pepper
- Top the salad with the roasted sunflower seeds just before serving. 2 tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds
Notes
- Peas: You can also use regular peas for the salad. Just blanch them as well. The salad will have a slightly different taste, but it will still be delicious.
- Replace lemon juice with white balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar if you like.
- Olive oil: Taste it before adding to the dressing; it should have a mild flavor, not too bitter. If it's too bitter, mix it with a neutral vegetable oil.
Priya says
Adina, This salad looks so vibrant. Love it totally. Came here after a long time as i was busy in moving. How are you guys? Take care.
Adina says
Hi Priya, thank you. We are fine, I hope you are enjoying your new place. 🙂
Adina says
Thank you, evi. I love the dish as well. I have many of the sort, they used to belong to my husband's grandmother. She will turn 95 in summer, and she had these things most of her married life. I was really happy when she said that I can have them now. I find they are so much prettier than any new things I could buy now. And the fact that they have been in this family for so long makes them even more special.
Evi @ greenevi says
This looks super delicious, I love such simple salads! And that dish is just gorgeous too!