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.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Excellent taste. And, that’s before the Broccoli Salad is fully chilled.
I followed your recipe, exactly.
It’s 100 degree CA day, and we just bought beautiful fresh organic brocoli. No way would today be a steamed broccoli day with dinner! This broccoli salad will be perfect along side our cold roasted chicken pieces n potato salad tonight. Thank you for inspiring me to make this Summer Delight.
I hope your family loves it! Stay cool Joy!
cant wait to try this!
I hope you love it Lacey!
All the recipes look great…
Thanks Richard!
Absolutely love this salad – I change it up using cashews instead of sunflower seeds for slightly different crunch!
Great idea Valerie! That would be delicious too!
Gonna make this tonight for a BBQ tomorrow (Father’s Day). How much broccoli is 8 cups? 1 head or 2 (approximately)? Also is it just the head or do you use some of the stalk/stem? I am gonna add some matchstick carrots as well for color. Thanks in advance!
A medium head will give you 3-4 cups. You can use just the head or you can include the stalk. If you’re using the stalk, I’d suggest peeling it first until you reach the light green area (the outer parts can be tough and woody). Once peeled, slice it and add to the salad.
Hi Pennies i like all the recipe you post on that site
Thanks so much Felicidad!
I didn’t have sunflower seeds or dried cranberries, so I made this using pecan halves and dried berries and it was delicious.
Great additions Patricia! That sounds delicious.
My mom makes this for every bbq and it is amazing! She adds chopped tomatoes and shredded cheddar, which we love!
Those sound like delicious additions to this salad Pammy!
This is the most delicious Broccoli Salad I’ve ever had! The only change I made was I replaced the cranberries with red grapes. I even had some leftovers for breakfast this morning. I am definitely sharing this with my friend who likes Broccoli salad even more than I do. Love this site, love your recipes.
Thank you so much Janet, I’m glad you’ve loved it and thank you for sharing with your friends! :)
I like your broccoli salad recipe so want to try out some of your others.
I’m really happy to hear that Zsuzsanna! You’ll be able to find lots of great recipes here at Spend With Pennies. I hope you enjoy them!
Great salad recipe.
Thanks Donna!
For how long can you store it in the fridge?
This stores well for about 3 days Keila.
Sorry to say no matter what I did I could not print out this Broccoli Salad recipe. could you help me, my hand writing is very bad anymore.
Thank you,
Dianna
Hi Dianna, there is a print button located just above the ingredients list. If you press it, it should bring up a print window.
I didn’t have sunflower seeds so I substituted toasted, chopped almonds. Yummy, and a great way to get my fiber and veggies in. Did I mention how easy and fast it was to make? Since I live alone I only made half a recipe and it was enough as a side for two meals
I think that sounds like a delicious addition to this salad Kaye! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This salad is delicious. My daughter loves it. I’m the mom that encourages kids to eat more vegetables than starches to help with weight control. Excellent, and will be making it regularly
Glad your family loves this recipe Katherine!
A love this salad. Easy, quick and delicious.
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Wanda!
Can I substitute the sugar with honey?
That will work just fine in this recipe Katey. Enjoy!
This an easy, filling, have-everything-on-hand, and delicious salad! I asked my Google app for a Broccoli Salad recipe and this is the recipe that was selected for me. So glad to come across it and also, very glad to come across your site. Loving it and the easy to get together delicious recipes! Thanks!
Well I’m so glad you found Spend With Pennies too Chey! Enjoy the salad and the other recipes :)
An interesting variation that I tried tonight was to add crushed dehydrated strawberries (available at Aldi) instead of the dried cranberries. I also added 1/4 c. of milk to the dressing to cut down on dryness. The results were very good.
Thank you for sharing your substitutions!
how many cups is a serving and how many calories is in 1 serving. trying to add to my fitness pal. love this salad it was so good, my hubby really enjoyed it as well.
The recipe makes 8 servings, each serving will be approximately one cup. You’ll find the nutritional information after the recipe. Enjoy Jessica!