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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So delish! Thanks for a great recipe!
I made this for the first time for our 4th of July gathering. TALK ABOUT A HIT!!! Everyone raved!!! It was so easy. Super important to cut cut the broccoli small. My new go- to
Very easy. Best broccoli salad I have had.
Thank you for this recipe. Had unexpected company and threw this together and received rave reviews.
We made your broccoli salad today. It was exactly as you said it would be. For just a few ingredients, it was delicious and easy. The hard part was keeping family from snacking on it before dinner. Thank you!
Going to make it for 4th of july BBQ !!!
broccoli cranberry salad
Excellent broccoli salad. I use 2/3 cup greek yogurt instead of mayo. Still add sugar and 1T apple cider vinegar. Even great without the bacon.
Used this recipe but swapped in vegan mayo and McCormick’s Bac’n pieces (that are surprisingly vegan) and it turned out great! This will be my new go-to side dish for cookouts!
I added quite a bit more vinegar to make an extra tangy dressing and wound up eating multiple servings by myself (but we’re not gonna talk about that haha). I also used turkey bacon rather than pork bacon, and used a head of cauliflower because my head of broccoli was kinda small.
This is definitely on repeat all summer at my house! I am glad you enjoyed it just as much as we do.
This is the best broccoli salad I’ve tasted! I’ve made it many times and am always asked for the recipe – which I do credit to Spend with Pennies!
I have ate this recipe before. Its one of my favorite all year round salads. delicious
I’ve used this recipe many times it very good, I like mine a little more runny so I double the dressing.
Excellent! I didn’t have any sunflower seeds so I used pepitas and it came out delicious! This one is a keeper!
I have made this several times and it is always a hit at parties.
My local grocery store has a version of this and this recipe is a copycat! It gives you twice as much for half the cost too! Thank you!
Great side
has anyone tried substituting the apple cider vinegar for fresh squeezed lemon juice?
Love this Salad
I love this salad and make it a lot for BBQs and get togethers. People ask me for the recipe often. Sometimes I replace 4 cups of broccoli with 4 cups of cooked pasta. It’s excellent this way as well.
I have been telling people about thie recipe. it certainly the “Best”. Thank you. My sister just called from Manitoba for the recipe.