This quick and easy healthy broccoli salad is a crowd favorite, perfect for gatherings! Crisp, fresh broccoli, salty bacon, sweet golden raisins, crunchy sunflower seeds, and a simple creamy dressing – you’ll bring home an empty bowl every time!
Classic broccoli salad is hands down my favorite side dish to bring to a potluck.
Anytime I bring this light and easy salad to a gathering, I always come home with an empty bowl.
Which makes me sad because I want to eat the leftovers!
Family and friends always compliment this simple salad. And I can’t blame them. I really think this is the best broccoli salad recipe ever!
THE BEST BROCCOLI SALAD WITH BACON
Look no further for a healthy broccoli salad recipe. I’ve tried several salad recipes with broccoli, and this one is still my favorite.
- Super easy to put together. With a short prep time, you can still pull this together if you’re running behind!
- Uses fresh, healthy ingredients that I typically have on hand
- A real crowd pleaser!
- A perfect combination. The vibrant crunch of the broccoli, the sweet notes from golden raisins, and the tangy, creamy dressing brings so many delicious flavors together.
- And to top it off, this is a broccoli salad WITH BACON! The salty, smoky flavor of bacon takes this to another level.
EASY BROCCOLI SALAD RECIPE FOR ALL OCCASIONS
Instead of bringing the picnic classics like potato salad, pasta salad, and baked beans to your next big gathering, bring a creamy broccoli salad!
Perfect for potlucks, summer BBQs, holiday meals, and easy no-cook dinners. The beauty of this classic salad recipe is its flexibility.
You can easily adjust the quantities to serve a smaller family dinner or scale it up to feed a large crowd. Plus, it requires chilling for at least two hours, or even up to 24, making it a fantastic make-ahead dish that saves you from the last-minute rush.
INGREDIENTS FOR SALAD RECIPES WITH BROCCOLI
You’ll see typical ingredients you’d expect in salad recipes with broccoli as the main components of this dish. Where this recipe shines is the broccoli salad salad dressing. With just 3 simple ingredients, you have a creamy, tangy sauce perfect for coating all of that goodness!
Broccoli & Bacon Salad Ingredients:
- Fresh Broccoli. You can use both the chopped broccoli florets and broccoli stalks. No need to blanch the broccoli first – raw broccoli is just fine! If the broccoli stems are a little much for your tastes, reserve them for broccoli slaw!
- Red Onion. Diced red onion gives the salad just a bit of a bite without overpowering the other flavors.
- Golden Raisins. This is my dried fruit preference for broccoli salad, but you can substitute dried cranberries or regular raisins, if desired.
- Sunflower Seeds. These give a bit of a crunch. Chopped nuts like pecans or almonds would work here, too.
- Bacon. Of course! Since we end up with small pieces here, you can save some money by buying a package of bacon ends and pieces rather than nicely sliced bacon, or use kitchen scissors to cut up the slices yourself.
You can also add some chopped celery or diced bell peppers if you’d like to up the veggies.
Broccoli Salad Dressing Ingredients:
Optional: Add a touch of Dijon mustard or lemon juice for a tasty flavor variation!
HOW TO MAKE BROCCOLI SALAD SALAD
Step 1: Cook the bacon until crispy, crumble, and set aside.
Step 2: Using a large bowl, combine the small broccoli florets, diced red onion, and raisins.
Step 3: In a small bowl, whisk vinegar, sugar, and yogurt or mayonnaise.
Step 4: Add the dressing mix to the broccoli and stir well. Refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.
Step 5: Add the sunflower seeds and bacon just before serving for a crisper texture. You can add them right away, but they will soften as the broccoli salad sits.
Store leftover homemade broccoli salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. (But honestly, it rarely lasts that long in my house!)
SALAD RECIPES BROCCOLI TIPS
Follow these instructions to make your salad recipes broccoli turn out delicious every time!
- Use fresh broccoli. You’ll want to use crisp, fresh broccoli for this recipe. You don’t want to use frozen broccoli since it is already cooked and will turn mushy. Chop the broccoli into small, bite-sized pieces.
- I love to make bacon in the oven. (Follow this tutorial!) It makes less mess and is hands-off, so you can keep preparing the rest of this delicious dish while it cooks.
- Cut and freeze onions. When you dice up the onion, cut up some extra to put in the freezer. This will save you time later on when you need diced onion!
- Choose other seeds or nuts. If you don’t have sunflower seeds on hand, use another nut like chopped pecans, walnuts, or sliced almonds. You could even go extra fancy with these Maple-Glazed Pecans or Honey-Roasted Almonds!
- Creamy sauce substitutions. You can use either Homemade Mayo or plain Greek Yogurt for this recipe. I found regular yogurt to be a bit too thin. Vanilla Greek yogurt works if you want to skip the sugar when making the dressing!
- Add cheese. Unlike other broccoli salad recipes, I don’t add cheese to mine. However, if you prefer the taste of cheese with broccoli, toss in some cubed sharp cheddar cheese or crumbled goat cheese. Feta cheese would be delicious too!
BROCCOLI SALAD RECIPE VARIATIONS
- Keto Broccoli Salad: Use a low-carb yogurt or olive oil mayo and skip the sugar.
- Vegan Broccoli Salad: Use a vegan mayo (egg-free) and skip the bacon.
- Broccoli Cranberry Salad: Use dried cranberries instead of raisins. Omit the sugar if it is too sweet.
- Broccoli Cauliflower Salad: Use equal amounts of broccoli and cauliflower.
SERVE WITH BROCCOLI SALAD
Broccoli salad is a great summer side dish, perfect for pairing with all of your seasonal favorites!
Don’t forget a pitcher of Homemade Lemonade to drink!
BROCCOLI SALAD RECIPES FAQS
Can I use a different type of vinegar in my broccoli salad?
Sure! While apple cider vinegar gives a great flavor, you can also use white wine vinegar or even red wine vinegar for a different twist.
Can I make salad recipes with broccoli ahead of time?
Absolutely! This salad is perfect for making ahead. After combining the broccoli, onions, raisins, and dressing, let it chill in the fridge for 2 to 24 hours. Just remember to add the sunflower seeds and bacon just before serving to retain their crunch and freshness.
Would a different kind of raisin work in broccoli salad?
Certainly! I personally love broccoli salad with the sweetness of golden raisins, but regular raisins, dried unsweetened cranberries, or even chopped dried apricots would work wonderfully.
Can you add grapes to broccoli & cauliflower salad?
You can if you want to! Halved red seedless grapes can add sweetness to the broccoli salad recipe, along with a burst of fresh flavor.
HOW TO STAY ON TRACK AT FAMILY GATHERINGS
Chances are that if you’re here, your priorities include eating real food, budgeting, and enjoying what you eat. Those are my goals too!
So, how do you stay on track with your food goals and still enjoy all of the yummy food at summer cookouts or potlucks or family events?
The key is to balance your macronutrients – protein, fats, and carbohydrates – to eat without feeling deprived. Focusing especially on protein will help you feel satisfied.
One of the ways you can do that is by bringing a dish to the meal that you know will fit with your nutrition goals. This broccoli salad will give you both healthy fat and protein. You’ll likely want to find another protein to pair it with. At a cookout, that might look like a burger, chicken, or another protein-based main dish.
Track what you eat, but don’t worry about being 100% accurate or rigidly sticking to your macros. By being consistent day after day, you’ll be able to enjoy special events while still eating in line with your food priorities.
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WATCH HOW TO MAKE BROCCOLI SALAD
Broccoli Salad
This quick and easy healthy broccoli salad is a crowd favorite, perfect for gatherings! Crisp, fresh broccoli, salty bacon, sweet golden raisins, crunchy sunflower seeds, and a simple creamy dressing – you’ll bring home an empty bowl every time!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Bowl
- Cuisine: American
Notes
- You could scale this back and make it for your own dinner tonight, or leave it as is to feed a large crowd.
- It does need to be refrigerated for at least two hours and could go for up to 24.
