Meal Prep Broccoli Apple Salad with Chickpeas and Maple Tahini Dressing
A crunchy broccoli apple salad with chickpeas, toasted sunflower seeds and cranberries in a creamy maple tahini dressing. No mayo, and it keeps 4 days.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 4 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4
Meal Prep Broccoli Apple Salad with Chickpeas and Maple Tahini Dressing is a vegan lunch recipe made with tahini, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup. It takes 24 minutes of hands-on time, plus 30 minutes resting, serves 4, and each serving has 443 calories, 15 g of protein and 14 g of fiber.
Chopping raw broccoli small lets the tangy maple tahini dressing get into every piece, and after an hour in the fridge the broccoli softens just enough while staying crunchy. Tossing the apple in vinegar first stops it from browning, and a quick soak takes the harsh edge off the red onion. Keep a little dressing aside to stir in on day three or four, when the broccoli has absorbed most of the first batch.
Ingredients
Dressing
- ⅓ cup79 gtahini, well stirred
- 3 tbsp45 gapple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp40 gmaple syrup
- 1 tsp5 gDijon mustard
- 1 clove3 ggarlic, finely grated
- ¾ tsp4.5 gfine sea salt
- ¼ tsp0.6 gblack pepper
- 4 tbsp60 gcold water, plus more as needed
Salad
- 6 cups546 gbroccoli florets and peeled tender stems, chopped into ½-inch pieces
- 2 medium364 gcrisp apples (such as Honeycrisp or Pink Lady), cored and diced
- 1 tbsp15 gapple cider vinegar, for the apples
- 1 can240 gchickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry, one 15-oz can
- ½ small35 gred onion, finely diced
- ⅓ cup46 graw hulled sunflower seeds
- ⅓ cup40 gdried cranberries
- 2 tbsp7.6 gfresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Kit: large mixing bowl, small skillet, whisk, 4 airtight containers
Tips
- Peel the tough outer layer off the broccoli stems and dice the tender core. It's as crisp as the florets and nothing goes to waste.
- Pat the chickpeas and broccoli dry after rinsing. Extra water thins the dressing and makes the salad soggy by day three.
- Tahini brands vary a lot in thickness, so add water gradually and stop when the dressing coats a spoon but still drips off easily.
- Keep the seeds in a separate small container during the week so they stay crunchy.
Swap ideas
- Pumpkin seeds or chopped toasted pecans instead of sunflower seeds
- Bigger crunch; pecans add a richer, buttery flavor.
- Raisins or chopped dates instead of dried cranberries
- Sweeter and less tart; dates make it richer.
- Lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar in the dressing
- A brighter, more citrusy dressing with less of the fruity tang.
- Diced pear instead of one of the apples
- Softer, juicier bites and a milder sweetness. Eat within 3 days, since pear softens faster.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
443kcal per serving
Everything else · 4 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 2.4 g 12%
- Sugars
- 28.7 g
- Sodium
- 527 mg 23%
- Potassium
- 917 mg 20%
- Calcium
- 210 mg 16%
- Iron
- 5.4 mg 30%
- Vitamin C
- 128 mg 142%
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg 0%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Seeds, sesame butter, tahini, from roasted and toasted kernels (most common type), Vinegar, cider, Syrups, maple, Mustard, prepared, yellow, Garlic, raw, Salt, table, Spices, pepper, black, Beverages, water, tap, drinking, Broccoli, raw, Apples, raw, with skin (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt, Onions, raw, Seeds, sunflower seed kernels, dried, Cranberries, dried, sweetened (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)
Method
Put the diced red onion in a small bowl, cover with cold water and leave for 10 minutes to mellow its bite while you prep everything else. Drain well.
Toast the sunflower seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat, shaking often, until lightly golden and fragrant, 3–4 minutes. Tip onto a plate to cool so they don't keep cooking.
Whisk the tahini, 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon, garlic, salt and pepper. It will seize and thicken at first; whisk in the cold water 1 tablespoon at a time until smooth and pourable, about the consistency of heavy cream. Set aside ¼ cup of the dressing in a small jar for later.
In a large bowl, toss the diced apples with the remaining 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar so every piece is coated. This keeps them from browning.
Add the chopped broccoli, chickpeas, drained red onion and cranberries to the apples. Pour over the rest of the dressing and toss well, pressing the broccoli against the side of the bowl so it takes on the dressing.
Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes so the broccoli softens slightly and absorbs the flavor. Taste and add more salt or a splash of vinegar if it needs brightening.
Divide among 4 containers and scatter the toasted sunflower seeds (and parsley, if using) on top just before eating so they stay crunchy. Stir in a spoonful of the reserved dressing if the salad looks dry.
Storage: Refrigerate the dressed salad in airtight containers for up to 4 days. Store the toasted sunflower seeds separately at room temperature and the reserved dressing in the fridge. Loosen the reserved dressing with a few drops of water if it thickens. Don't freeze.
Questions
- How much protein is in meal prep broccoli apple salad with chickpeas and maple tahini dressing?
- Each of the 4 servings has 15 g of protein, 14 g of fiber and 443 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is meal prep broccoli apple salad with chickpeas and maple tahini dressing vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does meal prep broccoli apple salad with chickpeas and maple tahini dressing take to make?
- 20 minutes of prep and 4 minutes of cooking, so 24 minutes of hands-on time, plus 30 minutes of unattended resting.
- Can you make meal prep broccoli apple salad with chickpeas and maple tahini dressing ahead?
- Refrigerate the dressed salad in airtight containers for up to 4 days. Store the toasted sunflower seeds separately at room temperature and the reserved dressing in the fridge. Loosen the reserved dressing with a few drops of water if it thickens. Don't freeze.
- What can I substitute in meal prep broccoli apple salad with chickpeas and maple tahini dressing?
- Pumpkin seeds or chopped toasted pecans instead of sunflower seeds — bigger crunch; pecans add a richer, buttery flavor.. Raisins or chopped dates instead of dried cranberries — sweeter and less tart; dates make it richer.. Lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar in the dressing — a brighter, more citrusy dressing with less of the fruity tang.. Diced pear instead of one of the apples — softer, juicier bites and a milder sweetness. eat within 3 days, since pear softens faster..
- Does meal prep broccoli apple salad with chickpeas and maple tahini dressing contain gluten or nuts?
- None of the ingredients are a source of gluten, tree nuts or peanuts. That is a statement about the ingredient list, not a guarantee about the brands you buy — always read the labels if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published September 26, 2026 ·American