Broccoli Salad is a quick salad full of fresh crisp broccoli, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and bacon bits. It’s all tossed in a really easy creamy homemade dressing.
Since it’s best made ahead of time (and everyone raves about this recipe), it’s a great potluck dish and a favorite addition to a holiday table.
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What Makes This The Best Broccoli Salad
Simple. Delicious. Easy. The best broccoli salad recipe doesn’t need a lot of fancy ingredients.
- It’s so incredibly easy to make!
- The 3 ingredient dressing is super simple and extra creamy with a little tang. We love that it doesn’t have tons of sugar!
- Since it’s best made ahead of time, it’s perfect for potlucks and bbq’s or even lunches throughout the week.
- It is always a hit, we almost never have leftovers but if you do have leftovers, they last for about 5 days!
If you have extra veggies you need to use up, you can easily add them to this dish. Zucchini, cauliflower, celery, or peppers can make great additions!
Ingredients in Broccoli Salad
Fresh broccoli florets are the star of this dish. The broccoli doesn’t need to be cooked first. Just wash and drain well (a salad spinner can help ensure it’s dry).
Crispy bacon adds a salty smoky flavor. I use real bacon bits in this recipe to keep is simple but you can cut and crumble your own if you’d like.
Add ins include:
- onions (red or green work well)
- dried cranberries (add raisins if you’d like)
- sunflower seeds. Swap out the seeds for any kind of chopped nuts like almonds or pecans.
How to Make Broccoli Salad
This is probably one of the easiest salads you will throw together, which is why it has become a favorite (plus it’s so yummy)!
- Wash the broccoli and dry it very well. Cut the florets (and the stem) into bite-sized pieces, this can be done up to 4 days ahead of time. If you’d like you can also add some broccoli slaw to the salad.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set aside per the recipe below.
- Place the ingredients into a large mixing bowl, and toss with dressing. Remember to allow time for the recipe to chill in the fridge. This gives the broccoli a chance to soak in some of the dressing making it even better!
Broccoli Salad Dressing
We love this creamy broccoli salad dressing and it’s super simple to make in just 3 minutes.
- Mayonnaise can be swapped for dressing (like Miracle Whip).
- A sugar substitute of your choice will work well in this recipe.
- If you’re looking for a premade dressing, try coleslaw dressing or creamy poppyseed dressing.
- To make this broccoli salad recipe healthier, substitute half of the mayonnaise for plain Greek yogurt and skip the bacon bits.
Tips for the Best Creamy Broccoli Salad
- Wash your broccoli ahead of time if possible, this helps to ensure it drains well.
- This gives the broccoli a chance to soak in some of the dressing, resulting in an even more flavorful salad!
- Allow time for the recipe to chill in the fridge. This gives the broccoli a chance to soak in some of the dressing, resulting in an even more flavorful salad!
Make Ahead & Leftovers
Broccoli Salad can be made in advance and kept in the fridge (at least an hour but up to 24 hours) until you’re ready to serve. If you’d like to make further ahead, keep the dressing separate and toss a few hours before serving.
Leftovers will last about 4-5 days in the fridge.
More Easy Salads We Love
Did you enjoy this Broccoli Salad? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Ingredients
- 8 cups broccoli florets cut into bite-sized pieces
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup bacon bits
Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Whisk together dressing ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine broccoli, onion, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and bacon bits. Pour the prepared dressing over and mix well.
- Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Salad
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I love this salad. Sometimes I add a can of chopped water chestnuts to mix in and mandarin oranges as garnish on top.
exactly what I was looking for and came out perfect. I did add more craisins, bacon, and seeds becuase I like the extra goodies. The simple dressing was just right.
I found this last month and am making it for the 3rd time in as many weeks. So easy and super-yummy. Can be made ahead! Perfect potluck dish for all seasons.
Worked great! I had to serve a large crowd at church, so I added wild rice. Easy to overdo the dressing, so start light and add as needed. The cranberries add sweetness, so less dressing is more.
Love it!!!
Glad I double checked the pictures – this needs sunflower kernals, not seeds. Looks like it will be a hit for our holiday dinner!
Devine! replaced the mayo with low fat greek yoghurt for a healthy alternative and it was heavenly good!
Important! Dry that broccoli! I failed to read this note and my sauce wanted to travel to the bottom of the bowl. :-( It was amazing though. Loved the slight punch of the Apple Cider Vinager and the softening on the pallette of the sugar. Will be revisiting this recipe often! Thanks!
I made this salad for my holiday dinner, and it was a huge success! This will be my go-to broccoli salad recipe from now on. The dressing was delicious! I used raisins and pecans. Will not disappoint!
This recipe has been used in a grocery store in Minnesota for over 20 years.
Always a hit. I use coleslaw dressing and add cut up apples.
I add cauliflower, apples, mandarin oranges, and pineapple!! So good!!
5 Stars for this recipe. My mother and I made this and it is delicious. We used raisins instead of the cranberries and reduced the sugar by 1 teaspoon. I will make this again! Thank you for sharing.
love how simple it is, it’s taste is light and bright and no yucky cheese.
Is one cup of broccoli per person correct?
Hi Lynda, yes a serving is approximately one cup.
For me, this is very addictive. I love it. I do however sometimes add Gouda cheese in tiny cubes and chopped apple. I cook the bacon myself because I do not care for packaged real bacon bits. Actually, you can just make this salad your own by adding whatever sounds yummy.
Amazing recipe – a real crowd pleaser. However, I did reduce the sugar by about a teaspoon in the dressing and it was perfect!
An absolute favorite for many years. I use chopped dried apricots instead of raisins or cranberries.
Easy n delish., didn’t have cider vinegar so add 1-1/2 tablespoon s to white vinegar
it tasty