Broccoli salad is a super-easy summer salad that is excellent to make ahead — it gets better as it sits! — and always disappears in a flash. It combines crunchy fresh broccoli, smoky bacon, sharp cheddar, dried cranberries, and more, all tossed with a creamy, sweet, and tangy dressing.
This salad is right at home at a family potluck next to pasta salad and potato salad. Plus, it tastes fantastic as a side dish paired with BBQ chicken or an air fryer chicken breast. Leftovers also last for up to 4 days, with the flavors intensifying in the best way with each passing day. Even still, my family-favorite broccoli salad recipe has never lasted that long in my house.
This recipe has been a favorite among readers for years! Mareza commented and said: “This salad was a total winner at our Braai (BBQ) on Saturday. I just replaced half of the broccoli with cauliflower. Absolutely delicious. Thanks once again for great recipes.”
Table of contents
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you need to make the best broccoli salad and my suggestions for any ingredients you can swap out. You can find the complete list of ingredients in the recipe card below.
Broccoli — bite-sized fresh broccoli florets are a must for the best broccoli salad. I prefer to cut my own florets from a head of broccoli instead of buying the precut bags since the bagged ones can often be old, discolored, or turning a bit slimy. Avoid frozen broccoli, as it will become mushy and fall apart when thawed.
Dried cranberries — these add a little pop of tart sweetness to the salad that I really love. Dried cranberries can be swapped for golden raisins, dried cherries, or left out if preferred. But I think they add a welcome texture and flavor that is not overpowering.
Bacon — cooked and crumbled bacon adds an addictive smoky and salty element to the salad. Try my air fryer bacon for an easy option. The crispy bacon cooks up perfectly every time and is never greasy! To make vegetarian broccoli salad, simply omit the bacon.
Cheese — use thickly grated sharp cheddar cheese. I like to grate mine fresh on the large holes of a box grater— I avoid the pre-shredded kind, which is sometimes dry and slightly hard. If you like, you can swap the yellow cheddar for sharp white cheddar, Swiss, pepper jack, or crumbled blue cheese.
Toasted sunflower seeds — look for the small toasted sunflower seeds that are sometimes labeled sunflower kernels. Alternatively, replace them with pumpkin seeds or chopped nuts, such as toasted pecans, toasted walnuts, or roasted almonds.
Onion — finely diced red onion adds extra freshness, crisp texture, and a subtle bite to the easy recipe. Sweet onions or sliced green onions will offer a less pungent onion flavor if preferred.
Dressing — to make the creamy dressing, you need mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and granulated sugar (which you can substitute with honey or maple syrup if you like).
How To Cut Broccoli Florets
Start with 2 whole heads of fresh broccoli, thoroughly cleaned and dried. Cut the crisp broccoli florets from the larger main stem by leaving a little bit of the tender stem attached to the bushy top. Then, chop each one into bite-sized pieces, about ½-inch in size, by cutting into the stem end of each floret with the tip of the knife and then pulling the floret apart. This way, you keep the broccoli tops intact.
Did you know that the large broccoli stems are edible as well? If desired, you can peel the tough outer layer of the stems with a vegetable peeler, then cut the peeled stems into pieces about ½-inch by ¼-inch thick.
Should I Blanch The Broccoli?
I prefer a crunchy broccoli salad that comes from using fresh, raw broccoli, so I don’t like to cook the florets first. The dressing will soften the raw broccoli over time as well. If you use blanched broccoli that’s softer to begin with, the salad can turn too soft and enter mushy territory over time.
However, if you prefer more tender broccoli and plan to make and serve the salad all within a few hours, you can blanch the florets following the first steps of my broccoli casserole recipe. Just don’t prepare the salad far in advance to prevent it from turning soggy.
Broccoli Salad Dressing Alternatives
If you want a different flavor or a lighter dressing for the salad, skip the homemade broccoli salad dressing in this recipe and try one of these:
- Swap some of the mayo for sour cream, Greek yogurt, or Miracle Whip.
- Use a premixed poppy seed dressing or your favorite salad dressing. French dressing, Italian dressing, or even Caesar dressing would all be delicious variations.
- Try my kale salad dressing for a vibrant, lemony broccoli salad that isn’t creamy.
Pro Tips For Making The Best Broccoli Salad
Mix the dressing separately. Instead of adding the dressing ingredients to the salad ingredients and tossing, whisk the dressing together in a separate bowl. This ensures the ingredients are well incorporated before you spoon the dressing over the broccoli, cheese, and other chunky ingredients.
Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces. The small pieces will help you get broccoli and a little bit of everything else in each bite. The dressing will also penetrate smaller pieces of broccoli better than big ones for a more flavorful salad.
How To Make Broccoli Salad
1. Add the broccoli, dried cranberries, real bacon bits, cheese, sunflower seeds, and red onion to a large bowl.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
3. Spoon the creamy dressing onto the salad before tossing it to combine salad ingredients.
4. To adjust the seasoning, you can add the remaining apple cider vinegar or more salt and pepper. Let the broccoli salad chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before enjoying.
Broccoli Salad Recipe
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Medium bowl
- Box grater, optional
Ingredients
Broccoli Salad:
- 8 cups bite-sized broccoli florets and stems (760g)
- ⅔ cup dried cranberries (90g)
- 8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled (80g)
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar (113g)
- ⅔ cup toasted sunflower seeds (85g)
- ⅓ cup finely diced red onion (45g)
Dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise (208g)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar divided
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, dried cranberries, cooked bacon, cheddar, sunflower seeds, and red onion.
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, granulated sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Spoon the dressing onto the salad and toss to mix. Adjust seasoning with the remaining 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, plus more salt, and pepper to taste. For best results, refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
- Let the salad sit for the best flavor. Broccoli salad gets better as it sits because the flavors need time to meld and marry. While the dressed salad can be made up to 24 hours in advance, even giving it 1 hour in the fridge works wonders.
Nutrition
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
Make ahead: You can assemble broccoli salad up to 24 hours before serving. If you want to prep it even more in advance, make the dressing and chop the broccoli florets. Refrigerate both separately, then prepare the other ingredients and assemble the salad at least an hour before serving.
Storing leftovers: Leftover broccoli salad will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if you don’t want to add it to the broccoli salad as I mentioned earlier, try one of these ideas: With a food processor, shred or finely chop leftover broccoli stems and add it to coleslaw for even more crunch. You can also pickle it like relish or stir it into broccoli cheddar soup or vegetable soup.
If you’ve tried this classic broccoli salad recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
