Broccoli and Bean Salad with Creamy Lime Dressing

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This Broccoli and Bean Salad packs approximately 33 grams of protein, 20 grams of fiber, and 70% of the Daily Value for iron per serving.

Plus, it's light, crunchy, and satisfying, with tender kidney beans and chickpeas, crisp cucumber and celery, plenty of fresh herbs, and a creamy lime dressing. Raw broccoli add a fresh, peppery bite. Pack it into jars for a ready-to-eat lunch, or toss everything together in a bowl and serve right away.

Creamy lime miso dressing and broccoli bean salad.

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🔍 Quick Look: Broccoli and Bean Salad
👩🏽‍⚕️ Dietitian's Note
👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients
🌱 Substitutions
📝 How to Make Broccoli and Bean Salad
✔️ Storage & Meal Prep
🥦 More Broccoli Recipes
🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs
🍽️ More Salad Recipes
👩🏽‍🍳 Made this recipe?
⚖️ Convert the Recipe to Metric (g & mL)
Broccoli and Bean Salad Recipe
🛍️ Shop Recipe Cookware and Ingredients
💬 Comments

🔍 Quick Look: Broccoli and Bean Salad

⏱️ Prep Time: 20 minutes
🎛️ Cook Time: 0 minutes
👥 Servings: Makes 4 generous salads
📊 Calories: ~530 kcal
👩🏽‍🍳 Flavor Profile: Tangy, herby, savory, and lightly peppery
💪🏼 Nutrition: 33 grams of protein, 19 grams of fiber, ~70% of the Daily Value for iron.
⭐ Difficulty: Easy-blend the dressing, chop the vegetables, and combine; there's no cooking.

👩🏽‍⚕️ Dietitian's Note

This Broccoli and Bean Salad is bright, crunchy, and creamy, with kidney beans, chickpeas, and hemp hearts making each jar a satisfying source of plant protein, fiber, and iron. I especially love the raw broccoli pieces: when you chew them, an enzyme helps produce sulforaphane, a compound being studied for how it supports the body's normal detoxification enzymes. The lime dressing also brings vitamin C to a meal rich in plant-based iron.

Why You'll Love This Recipe:

This Broccoli and Bean Salad is delicious and easy to make. Plus,:

It has texture in every bite. Creamy beans meet crunchy broccoli and crisp vegetables.
The dressing tastes rich without oil. Hemp hearts and white miso blend into a creamy, savory lime sauce.
It works for meal prep. Layer the ingredients in jars and keep them chilled for lunches throughout the week.

👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients

Below, I share ingredient notes from both a nutrition expert's and trained chef's perspective.

Parsley, cilantro, red onion, cucumber, chickpeas, kidney beans, celery, and broccoli.

Kidney beans and chickpeas make the salad hearty and give it two distinct textures. Rinse and drain canned beans well, or use the equivalent amount of home-cooked beans.
Raw broccoli bring a delicate crunch and a peppery finish. For a different texture, use very thinly shaved raw broccoli instead.
Persian cucumbers and celery keep the salad cool and crisp. Cut them into small pieces so every forkful gets some crunch.
Red onion, parsley, and cilantro add sharpness and freshness that balance the creamy dressing.

See the printable recipe card below for quantities.

For the Creamy Lime Miso Dressing:

Medjool date, rice vinegar, hemp hearts, crushed red pepper, lime, ground cumin, miso, garlic, and rice vinegar.

Hemp hearts make the lime dressing smooth and rich. A high-speed blender gives the creamiest result.
Lime juice and zest give the dressing its bright flavor; rice vinegar adds another tangy note.
White miso, a date, garlic, cumin, and red pepper flakes round out the dressing with savory depth, a touch of sweetness, and gentle heat.

See the printable recipe card below for quantities.

🌱 Substitutions

This recipe is versatile and easy to adapt. Below are some simple ingredient substitutions.

Broccoli: Use 2 cups of broccoli sprouts instead.
Chickpeas: Use cannellini beans instead. They have a soft, creamy texture that works especially well with the lime dressing. Cooked black beans also work if you want a firmer bite.
Kidney beans: Swap in an equal amount of cooked black beans or white beans. The flavor and nutrition will vary.
Cilantro: Replace it with more parsley, fresh dill, mint, basil, or chives.
Red pepper flakes: Reduce or omit them for a milder dressing.

📝 How to Make Broccoli and Bean Salad

The complete recipe with exact amounts is below. These additional tips will help you get the best results.

Make the dressing. For a milder garlic flavor, briefly sauté the garlic and let it cool before blending. Zest only the green outer layer of the lime; the white pith can taste bitter. Blend all the dressing ingredients until smooth, adding a little more water if needed to make it pourable. Taste before adding salt, since the miso is already salty.

Chopped raw broccoli on a cutting board.

Broccoli tip: Finely chop or thinly shave the florets so they blend into every bite. Cutting raw broccoli breaks open its cells, allowing the enzyme myrosinase to help turn a natural compound called glucoraphanin into sulforaphane. Chewing raw broccoli also starts this process, so you can toss the salad together as soon as it's ready.

Chopped broccoli, red onion, cucumber, chickpeas, red kidney beans, parsley, coriander, and creamy lime miso dressing.

Rinse and drain the beans and chickpeas. Drain the beans thoroughly before adding them to the salad. For a milder onion flavor, soak the diced red onion in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry.

Raw broccoli beans salad in a wooden bowl.

Toss everything with the blended dressing until evenly coated.

Creamy broccoli bean salad in a meal prep container.

Make-ahead tip: You can toss the entire salad with the dressing ahead of time and refrigerate it in an airtight container. Use firm Persian cucumbers, cut into larger pieces rather than a fine dice, and drain the beans well to keep the salad from getting watery. Give it a good toss before serving.

Creamy broccoli and bean salad in a bowl.

For a change, swap the chopped broccoli florets for broccoli sprouts to make this a broccoli sprout salad.

✔️ Storage & Meal Prep

Storage

Whole salad: Toss the salad with the dressing and refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Firm Persian cucumbers cut into larger pieces hold their crunch better than finely diced cucumber. Drain the beans well before mixing, and toss the salad again before serving.

Salad jars for grab-and-go lunches: Divide the dressing among four large jars. Add the kidney beans and chickpeas, followed by the celery, red onion, cucumber, herbs, and finely chopped or shaved broccoli on top. Leave room to shake, seal the jars, and refrigerate upright for up to 3 to 4 days. Shake well or tip into a bowl before eating.

🥦 More Broccoli Recipes

Try this High-Protein Broccoli Salad with roasted broccoli, chickpeas and tofu, all tossed in a tangy lemon vinaigrette.

This Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup is built for flavor and function. It uses the whole broccoli (yes, stems too)!

Sheet Pan Tofu and Broccoli packs flavor with minimal effort.

🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

Can you eat raw broccoli in a salad?

Yes. Finely chopping or shaving the florets makes them easier to eat and helps them catch the creamy dressing. Raw broccoli gives this salad its crunch.

Can I use cooked broccoli instead of raw broccoli?

Yes, but let it cool completely and drain it well before adding it. Raw broccoli gives this salad the best crunch and retains the enzyme myrosinase, which helps form sulforaphane when the broccoli is chopped or chewed.

Can I use canned beans?

Yes-both home-cooked and canned beans work well. Rinse and drain them thoroughly so the dressing stays creamy.