Gordon Ramsay Broccoli Slaw Recipe

Gordon Ramsay’s broccoli slaw is a crunchy raw broccoli salad tossed with toasted almonds, currants and banana shallot in a tangy yoghurt and cider vinegar dressing. It takes about 10 minutes to put together and serves 6 as a side.

This recipe appears as “Broccoli Slaw” in Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Home Cooking, where he designed it specifically to go alongside his slow-cooked pulled pork butt. He calls it “a lovely healthy side salad that provides just the crunch you need with the soft pork butt.”

The key choice here is yoghurt over mayonnaise. Ramsay says yoghurt gives “a hint of creaminess without the cloying richness you sometimes get with mayonnaise,” which keeps the slaw light enough to cut through fatty, slow-cooked meat rather than adding more heaviness to the plate.

FAQs

Why does Ramsay use yoghurt instead of mayonnaise for this slaw?

Most slaws lean on mayonnaise for creaminess, which works but adds richness on top of what’s usually already a heavy main course. Ramsay designed this slaw to sit next to slow-cooked pulled pork, so he needed something that would cut through the fat rather than pile onto it.

Yoghurt delivers that creamy coating without the weight. The natural tang in the yoghurt also works with the cider vinegar to create a sharper, brighter dressing that wakes up the palate between bites of rich meat.

Why does he discard the broccoli stalks?

In this recipe, Ramsay cuts off the stalks and uses only the floret heads. The heads chop down into small, craggy pieces that catch and hold the yoghurt dressing in all their nooks, which is exactly what you want in a slaw.

Stalks have a smoother, denser texture that doesn’t grip dressing the same way. If you don’t want to waste them, they work well peeled and sliced into stir-fries or soups, just not in this particular dish.

Why add currants to a broccoli slaw?

The currants bring a burst of sweetness that balances the sharp vinegar dressing and the slight bitterness of raw broccoli. Without them the slaw would lean too far into sour and bitter territory.

This sweet-sour-bitter balance is something Ramsay builds into a lot of his salads. His beet salad uses a similar approach, pairing naturally earthy ingredients with something sweet to round out the flavour.

How is this different from his Chargrilled Broccoli and Bulgur Salad?

The same chapter in Ultimate Home Cooking includes a completely different broccoli salad. That version chars broccoli florets in a dry pan for 6 to 10 minutes until caramelised, then tosses them with cooked bulgur wheat and a buttermilk and harissa dressing with fresh mint.

Where the slaw is raw, crunchy and tangy, the chargrilled version is warm, smoky and slightly spicy. Ramsay pairs that one with his aromatic lamb chops instead of pork, because the North African spicing matches lamb better than the clean, simple yoghurt dressing does.

What can you serve this with besides pulled pork?

Ramsay built this for pulled pork, but the logic works with anything rich and slow-cooked. It’s a crunchy, acidic side designed to contrast soft, fatty meat, so braised short ribs, roasted chicken thighs or barbecued ribs all follow the same principle.

For a lighter meal, this pairs well with grilled fish or as part of a salad spread. His couscous salad and lentil salad both work alongside it if you’re putting together a bigger table.

Should the dressing be made ahead or right before serving?

The dressing benefits from being mixed a few minutes before you pour it over the broccoli because the sugar needs time to dissolve into the yoghurt and vinegar. But don’t dress the slaw too far ahead.

Raw broccoli starts releasing water once the salt in the dressing hits it, so if you dress it an hour early the bottom of the bowl ends up watery. Toss everything together just before serving for the best texture.