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.
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!
The Best Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
- 8 cups broccoli cut into bite-sized pieces
- ⅓ cup red onion diced
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup bacon bits
Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
-
Whisk together dressing ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, combine broccoli, onion, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and bacon bits. Pour the prepared dressing over and mix well.
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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
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This is a big hit!!!
I made this for a family barbecue and it was the hit of the party. This was a hit with kids too! I was about 1 cup shy on the broccoli, but I still made all the dressing and it was a little saucy, but I think that helped. I don’t like onions, but I still added diced purple onion, and while it did impart that oniony flavor, it actually added another layer of flavor to this and I think it enhanced it, so I would not leave them out. This was so fast and easy to put together. I cut the broccoli florets off the stems leaving very little stem and they fell apart into bite sized bits. Bacon bits from a bag worked great and all I had was red wine vinegar, so that’s what I used. This sat overnight in the refrigerator and was perfect for our meal the next day. The broccoli had absorbed some of the dressing and softened a little so it wasn’t so hard and crunchy like straight raw broccoli is. This was so good, it’s going to every barbecue now right along with potato salad and coleslaw. I even loved it and went back for seconds.
So glad you enjoyed it, Cindi! It is one of my favorites to bring to a BBQ.
I’ve been making this for years as it is a favorite way of mine to use broccoli up!
Yummy yummy yummy. My favourite salad now
On repeat all summer! I love the cranberries in this recipe. SWP Employee
Fantastic. I substitute vidalia or spring onions for red, and use 1 teaspoon sugar in dressing.
Bangarang. Absolutely will be making again.
Everyone loves this.
It is so delicious,my kids dont like vegetables.but this one they like it.keep it up,helps to try cooking differently.
I just shared this at a family gathering! I used raisins vice dried cranberries, as that’s what I’m used to. It sat in the fridge overnight and was a huge success! Thank you!
I just made this again, so good. This time I did half broccoli and half cauliflower and half cup cheddar cheese. It’s so good!
I tried the recipe and used what I had – broccoli, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries. I changed the sauce to a use a garlic aioli spread , agave and apple cider vinegar..Poportions were different – half of suggested ingredients for the dressing and it came out delicious.
SIMPLE AND AWESOME!!
what can I use if I dont have cider vinegar? I was thinking a red or white wine vinegar?
Either would work, I think white wine vinegar would be great in this! Let us know how it goes!
So good and easy. Thank you!
I had to use self control here or I would have eaten the whole bowl of this salad. WOW! so delicious! (I used only one measurement of cider vinegar, and 2 of plain vinegar.)
Thanks for this recipe!! I’m going to make it for Thanksgiving too…and Christmas…
I made this 4th of July – crowd pleaser
Love this recipe. Very creamy. Got rave reviews from my family!