It’s about this time every year that I start craving fresh vegetables. Between all the holiday food, football food, and generally heavy, slow cooked winter dishes, I need something light and fresh! Unfortunately a lot of fresh produce is out of season in February, so it’s hard to get that fresh flavor I crave affordably. So, I turned to my “hardy vegetables” this week and made a colorful, super crunchy chopped salad with a sweet and savory tahini based dressing. This Sweet Crunch Winter Salad is half salad, half slaw, and 100% deeelish!
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
Maple Tahini Dressing
If you like my Lemon Tahini Dressing from my Roasted Cauliflower Salad, you’ll probably like the Maple Tahini Dressing I made for this salad. It has the same base flavors, but I made it a little sweeter with the addition of a touch of maple syrup and I toned down the garlic by using garlic powder instead of fresh garlic cloves. If real maple syrup is out of your budget, you can substitute honey or agave syrup in its place, although maple has a wonderfully deep flavor that I love as a compliment to the tahini. I use maple syrup very sparingly and it lasts pretty much forever, so this is one of those ingredients where a high price tag can be justified.
Mix it Up!
I suggest mixing up the vegetables for this salad and keeping them undressed in your refrigerator all week, adding the dressing just before serving each day. All of these vegetables are super hardy and have a low water content, which makes them great for storage in the refrigerator. You can switch things up and add to this salad to make it more meal-worthy by adding something like fried tofu cubes, chopped grilled chicken, or maybe even some crumbled goat cheese. It’s pretty flexible! :)
How to Store Sweet Crunch Winter Salad
If you like your vegetables to stay extra crunchy, store the dressing separately from the vegetable, nut, and fruit mixture. I kind of like how the vegetables soften a bit, so I prefer to store mine already dressed. If you store the salad dressed, make sure to stir the salad well before serving the leftovers to redistribute the dressing and all the flavors. The refrigerated salad will stay good in the refrigerator for about 4-5 days undressed and about 3-4 days dressed.
Sweet Crunch Winter Salad
Servings 4 2 cups eachIngredients
Maple Tahini Dressing
- 1/4 cup tahini ($0.85)
- 1/4 cup water ($0.00)
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice ($0.09)
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup ($0.30)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- pinch cayenne pepper ($0.02)
Salad
- 3 cups chopped purple cabbage (1/2 lb) ($0.97)
- 3 cups finely chopped broccoli (1 large crown, .75 lbs) ($1.13)
- 1 large carrot, shredded ($0.36)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.25)
- 1/3 cup sunflower seeds (unsalted) ($0.20)
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries ($0.38)
Instructions
- To prepare the dressing, combine the tahini, water, lemon juice, maple syrup, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne in a bowl or jar. Whisk the ingredients together, or place a lid on your jar and shake until incorporated. Set the dressing aside.
- Finely chop the cabbage and broccoli, then place them in a bowl. Peel and shred the carrot and slice the green onions. Add the carrots, green onion, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries to the bowl with the cabbage and broccoli. Stir until everything is evenly combined. This mixture can be refrigerated for 4-5 days, undressed.
- To serve, drizzle the dressing over the salad mixture and then stir until everything is well coated. You want to use a generous amount of dressing, making sure everything is liberally coated, similar to a coleslaw.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Sweet Crunch Winter Salad – Step by Step Photos
Begin by preparing the Maple Tahini Dressing. In a bowl or jar combine 1/4 cup tahini, 1/4 cup water, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp maple syrup, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Shake or whisk until the ingredients are incorporated, then set the dressing aside.
These are the vegetables I used for the salad. Because all of these vegetables have a fairly low water content, they hold up really well in the fridge (and have a great CRUNCH factor!). I only used half of that cabbage.
FINELY chop the cabbage and broccoli. That is key. They need to be chopped into very small pieces! You should have about 3 cups of each once chopped. Peel and shred the carrot, and slice two green onions. Add all of those to a large bowl along with 1/3 cup unsalted sunflower seeds and 1/3 cup dried cranberries.
Stir all of those ingredients together. This mixture can be refrigerated and kept for about 4-5 days, which makes this a great meal prep salad!
And then when you’re ready to serve, just plate it up and drizzle a generous amount of dressing over top! You really want a good amount of dressing on this one. With super crunchy, low moisture vegetables like this you need a liberal amount of dressing to help keep things moist. Plus it’s really yummy. Enjoy!
I made this tonight and loved it! The crunch is fantastic. I had to buy tahini for the first time. Very interesting…in a good way 😋
I added a can of chickpeas to bulk up the protein, but oh my goodness this is yummy.
Here are some high points:
– The dressing is out of this world good! Nutty and sweet with a hint of tang from the lemon.
– Maybe took me 10 minutes to throw together. If you’re looking for a fast meal prep recipe, this is it.
– This recipe is almost all vegan staples so you’re not buying stuff you’ll never use again. Higher ticket items like sunflower seeds, maple syrup, dried cranberries, and tahini are always in my cupboard as I use them for a variety of meals. I only had to buy the fresh veggies.
– Red cabbage, carrot, and broccoli really hold up well in the fridge with dressing on. I put dressing on two days ago and everything is still crunchy.
– You feel good after eating this! I have so much energy!
– Don’t leave out green onion! It really adds flavor.
Thanks for the great recipe. I’m really enjoying it and am adding it to my lunch rotation :)
Great winter slaw and a fresh, crunchy side to our holiday ham
I just made this again. Best half hour I have spent this week. I was short on sunflower seeds so added some pepitas too. Thank you for all your recipes…budget friendly, approachable, flexible, and just plain delicious. Really grateful for your work.
This sounds amazing! Can you please explain to me what kind of tahini do you use? The unprepared kind? And do you mix it up with the oil first and then add the half cup water? Thank you
I’m not sure what you mean by unprepared, but yes, it generally does need to be stirred first (like natural peanut butter) before I measure it out and add it to the recipe. :)
Hi! I want to make this this week for meal prep. would you add the ramen noodles RIGHT before serving each day? or ok to add them with the meal prepping (it might be like 5 days in advance of actually eating it) – how would you go about this? thx!
I’d wait until day of since they’ll keep absorbing and get mushy :)
What ramen noodles? I keep rereading???
Sorry wrong recipe that it was commented on!
Everything I’ve made from this site (and I’ve made a lot) has been delicious and this is no exception! It seems indulgent somehow even though it’s super healthy. Food for days in only 15 minutes. Thanks again!!
I used to hate salads because they tasted so dull, but wow, this one is SO tasty. My partner and I have eaten this for lunch for two weeks so far. Personally, I prefer it without the cranberries, but my partner loves them included. It’s a lot of chopping, but so worth it when you have lunch sorted for a week.
added some spinach and some toasted spiced chickpeas to bulk it up a bit, and I used walnuts instead of sunflower seeds since it’s what I had on hand. I’m looking forward to having this all week for lunch. Thank you!
Delicious!
Such a good idea! I was just thinking of what to do to add a little carbs! I was also thinking maybe of doing some diced sweet potato too…but chickpeas are easier ha ha!
I made this because I had a ton of cabbage leftover from another recipe – it’s delicious – great texture and flavor and so easy to make. I’m definitely making this a go-to salad
WoW this is delicious. I subbed walnuts for the sunflower seeds because at the store they came in a pre-packaged mix with dried cranberries, and it was so yummy
Is this Tahini paste or SAUCE? I have had problems finding either,,, but what to be sure I am asking for the correct ingredient.
Not a sauce made out of tahini, just straight tahini. You might find that different brands label it differently (paste vs. sauce), but when I say tahini just mean straight sesame seed paste with nothing else added. I hope that helps! :)
I’m obsessed with this salad! The dressing is amazing. I’m going to make the dressing again for this week’s lunch and add it to a salad I’m making with hodge podge ingredients.
WoW this is delicious. I subbed walnuts for the sunflower seeds because at the store they came in a pre-packaged mix with dried cranberries, and it was so yummy. I also could only find a tahini and lemon dressing, so I reduced the amount of lemon juice to a teaspoon and followed the rest of the recipe. It was so easy! I will definitely be making this again thank you!
This was the first of your dishes I was skeptical of in ages, especially since I realized at the last minute that my husband had used all the maple syrup, so I had to sub agave.
Will the salad hold up to the dressing over time, or should I wait to add the dressing until I’m ready to eat it?
If you want it to stay super crunchy, keep the dressing separate. But if you prefer your cabbage a bit softer, you can definitely pre-dress it.
This is such a delicious salad! All the flavors work together so well, the green onions in particular are an awesome addition. I love the dressing too. I added some spinach and some toasted spiced chickpeas to bulk it up a bit, and I used walnuts instead of sunflower seeds since it’s what I had on hand. I’m looking forward to having this all week for lunch. Thank you!
My tahini dressing turned out super watery! 😩 should I add more tahini to thicken it? It tastes great but the texture is all wrong
This is such a delicious salad! All the flavors work together so well, the green onions in particular are an awesome addition. I love the dressing too. I added some spinach and some toasted spiced chickpeas to bulk it up a bit, and I used walnuts instead of sunflower seeds since it’s what I had on hand. I’m looking forward to having this all week for lunch. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this recipe beth, i want to try this out by using a different veggy :)
Does anyone have ideas on a substitute for the tahini called for in the dressing? My local market had only one option that was very expensive…
This was the first of your dishes I was skeptical of in ages, especially since I realized at the last minute that my husband had used all the maple syrup, so I had to sub agave. I roasted a can of chickpeas in harissa, garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, salt and pepper, threw it in top and my husband is on his second serving as we speak 👍🏽😁
Hi Beth! What’s a good vegetarian dish to have with this salad? Thank you!
I think I would just maybe add some walnuts and maybe baked or fried tofu cubes to this and make it a meal itself. :)
This was really delicious! The dressing had just the right amount of sweetness. I took your suggestion threw some goat cheese in there as well, and the creaminess was a nice contrast to the crunchiness of the salad. I’ve also seen quite a few lemon tofu recipes kicking around, and I’m sure that would be delicious on top as well. I’ve had this idea in my head that I don’t like salad, but Budget Bytes is proving me wrong! Definitely going to make this again.
We loved it! I was so excited to eat my salad the next day.
My boyfriend is allergic to sesame (so no tahini!) and sunflower seeds – help! Do you have any suggestions for substitutes?
You may be able to get away with peanut butter or almond butter, but both will definitely change the flavor of the dressing a lot. Since this is a tahini based dressing you won’t be able to substitute it for anything without it really changing the overall flavor.
I am sad to admit this is my first Budget Bytes fail. My jaw hurts from chewing, and I didn’t like the dressing.
I am so tired of leafy salads in winter. So I was instantly hooked on this recipe, made it tonight and what can I say… it’s awesome! The textures and overall taste was just everything I was craving today. Thank you so much for this recipe!
I have everything but the tahini and this looks fantastic. Any thoughts on using natural creamy peanut butter instead? I had also thought about using the same dressing as your yoghurt honey broccoli salad, which is a definite favorite in our house.
Hi there,
I only had enough tahini for about half the veggies and so I’ve prepared the other half with natural peanut butter, but following the rest of the recipe as normal. It works really well! The tahini dressing is a bit thicker, but in my eyes that doesn’t matter. Personally, I like the tahini version a little better, but both were really yummy! :)
I love this idea! Any suggestions on a meat pairing?
I think just about any grilled meat would be fantastic. :) Slice up some grilled chicken breasts and place them on top.
I made this salad with cut up string beans since I couldn’t find broccoli; delicious!
So in the name of saving prep time on a weeknight, I used the Trader Joes’ Cruciferous Crunch Collection and added pre-shredded carrots. Tastes great! I love the sauce.
That salad mix is exactly what I was thinking about when I created this! :D Haha
This looks/sounds delicious, Beth. I’ll definitely try the recipe. Thanks!
This tastes so refreshing! Thanks!
I got one of those bagged salad mixes on sale recently and in addition to the other hearty veg, it had shredded Brussels sprouts, too! YUM
I am excited for this dressing!
Craving for something like this after flu ! Thank you so much !
This salad is really good thanks! Especially the dressing, which I can’t get enough of. Tahina at my grocery store was pretty expensive at around $8.50 for the jar, but it can be used to make at least 5 of these salads.
I’ve been looking everywhere for a salad recipe that isn’t just lettuce and this looks perfect. Can’t wait to make it tonight!