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Creative Recipes » Recipe Attributes » 30-Minutes-or-Less » Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad

Nov 9, 2020 48 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
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Broccoli Salad is a perfect cold summer salad when trying to beat the summer heat by chillin’ at a backyard barbecue, picnic, or potluck, or as a favorite holiday side dish at Thanksgiving dinner.

Photo of glass bowl with broccoli salad with cranberries, bacon and cheddar cheese on white marble countertop

Broccoli Salad with dried cranberries, or Craisins, bacon, cheddar, and gouda tastes amazing! Add in red onions and walnuts and cover in a creamy poppyseed broccoli salad dressing, and it becomes one of my favorite Vegetable Side Dishes or Salads! It is perfect for a lot luck or Thanksgiving Side Dish! Like my Bacon Broccoli Tortellini Salad and Chicken Broccoli Cheese Quinoa Casserole, it uses fresh broccoli florets.

Like my Crack Slaw Recipe, this recipe is low carb and delicious.

I have made this recipe probably hundreds of times over the years, taking it to picnics, potlucks, and holiday dinners. It is definitely a tried and true recipe. We think this is the Best Broccoli Salad recipe!

My nephew calls it Broccoli Crunch Salad because of the crunchy texture with the broccoli, bacon and walnuts. While my friend swears this tastes like her Mom’s Amish Broccoli Salad. No matter what you call it, it is delicious! Every time I take it to a potluck there are no leftovers and people ask me for the recipe.

How To Make Broccoli Salad

Below I discuss the ingredients and possible substitutions in case you don’t have a specific ingredient on hand. However, if you are looking for the specific measurements of each ingredient, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this article, just above the comments, for the printable recipe card, which includes all the ingredients and the specific amounts of each one.

Broccoli Salad Ingredients

  • Broccoli florets
  • Crumbled Bacon
  • Cheddar Cheese
  • Gouda Cheese
  • Dried cranberries
  • Chopped Walnuts
  • Red Onion
  • Salt and Pepper

Broccoli Salad Dressing Ingredients

  • Mayonnaise
  • Sugar
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Poppy seeds

Overhead view of individual bowls with ingredients for Broccoli Salad on white marble background.

Directions

  • In a large bowl, combine the Broccoli salad ingredients into a bowl, including the broccoli florets, cubed cheddar and gouda cheeses, chopped walnuts, dried cranberries, chopped bacon, sliced red onions, and salt and pepper.

Large yellowish gold bowl containing ingredients for broccoli salad with each ingredient grouped together in the bowl.

  • Make The Broccoli Salad Dressing by stirring together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and poppyseeds and pouring then over the broccoli salad. Stir until all ingredients are covered in the dressing.

One large yellowish-gold bowl with ingredients of the broccoli salad mixed together except for the mayonnaise and poppyseeds.

  • Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to overnight to allow the flavors to develop.

Overhead view of finished Broccoli Salad with Dried Cranberries, Bacon, Cheddar, and Gouda surrounded by a partial red onion, broccoli florets, red and white striped napkin, and red-topped salt and pepper shakers.

  • Serve cold and enjoy!

Single Bite of Broccoli Salad with Dried Cranberries, Bacon, Cheddar, Gouda, and Walnuts

Every bite of this salad is delicious with the crispy broccoli, bacon, walnuts, and dried cranberries.

Individual serving of broccoli salad on small white plate sitting on top of stack of 3 plates with a large salad bowl of broccoli salad in the background with forks and salt and pepper on the ride side.

Recipe Tips

  • Use Cubed Cheese instead of shredded cheese. The cubed cheese stands up to the other ingredients and will keep its shape while refrigerated until ready to serve. If you use shredded, it can lose its shape and kind of melt into the dressing and not provide as nice an appearance or provide that extra level of texture. If you want to use shredded cheese, then I recommend waiting to add the cheese to the salad shortly before serving.
  • Refrigerate Before Serving. To allow the flavors to fully develop, refrigerate the salad before serving for 3 to 4 hours before serving, or refrigerate overnight.

Overhead view of multiple small plates with individual servings of broccoli salad with a partial view on the right of the large bowl of broccoli salad.

What To Serve With Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad goes with just about everything. It may depend on the occasion. If you are serving it for a summer picnic, then it will go well with barbecue chicken, baked beans, potato salad, or pasta salad, etc.

However, if you are serving it as a holiday side salad for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter, then you can serve it with the traditional holiday side dishes like Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad, Green Bean Casserole, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Cornbread Dressing, or Sweet Potato Casserole. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  1. Can I lighten up the Salad?
    1. Yes. Instead of mayonnaise, you could use greek yogurt instead, or use half light mayonnaise and half greek yogurt.
    2. You could use low fat cheese.
  2. Can I Make This Salad Ahead Of Time?
    1. Yes! You can make it the night before you plan to serve it. However, I don’t recommend making it more than 24 hours ahead of time.
  3. How Do I Store Leftover Broccoli Salad?
    1. Cover the bowl of broccoli salad with an airtight lid or cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

More Recipes You’ll Love

  • Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
  • Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Chicken And Rice Casserole
  • Apple Walnut Cranberry Salad
  • Cranberry Fluff Salad
  • Leftover Ham and Broccoli Quiche

If you like this recipe or make this recipe,  be sure to leave a comment, rate the recipe, and follow us on:

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Photo of glass bowl with broccoli salad with cranberries, bacon and cheddar cheese on white marble countertop
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad is a perfect cold summer salad when trying to beat the summer heat by chillin’ at a backyard barbecue, picnic, or potluck.
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword Broccoli Salad
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 222kcal
Author Michele @ Flavor Mosaic

Ingredients

Broccoli Salad

  • 8 slices bacon cooked, drained, and chopped
  • 2 heads broccoli cut into small florets
  • 1/2 red onion sliced
  • 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese cubed
  • 1/2 cup gouda
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1-1/4 cups mayonnaise (can use light mayonnaise or greek yogurt)

Broccoli Salad Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine broccoli, bacon, cheese, dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, and sliced red onion.
  • Make the Broccoli Salad Dressing by stirring together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and poppy seeds. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir until all ingredients are covered in the dressing.
  • Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 276mg | Potassium: 399mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 739IU | Vitamin C: 91mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 1mg

This recipe was originally published on July 6, 2014 and updated on November 9, 2020 with updated photos, text, and clarifications to the recipe. Below are the photos that were originally published with the recipe in 2014.

 
Broccoli Salad
 
Broccoli Salad
 
Broccoli Salad - Flavor Mosaic

Filed Under: 30-Minutes-or-Less, American, Budget-friendly, Comfort Food, Custom 3 Featured Posts, Dinner, Featured Photos, Green Salads, Healthy, July 4th, Low Carb, Low Fat, Lunch, Make Ahead, Memorial Day, Pot Luck, Quick and Easy, Spring, Summer, Summer Recipes, Sunday Supper, Thanksgiving Sides, Vegetables Tagged With: broccoli, potluck salad, summer, Thanksgiving Salad

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Shaina says

    July 7, 2014 at 6:21 am

    I love these kinds of salads. You play around with so many great textures and flavors in this, it sounds awesome.

    Reply
    • Michele says

      July 7, 2014 at 9:22 pm

      Thanks Shaina!

      Reply
  2. Run DMT says

    July 7, 2014 at 6:23 am

    This looks fabulous and so healthy!

    Reply
    • Michele says

      July 7, 2014 at 9:23 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  3. Patty Haxton Anderson says

    July 7, 2014 at 1:45 pm

    This looks so good, really good.

    Reply
    • Michele says

      July 7, 2014 at 9:23 pm

      Thanks Patty!

      Reply
  4. Renee - Kudos Kitchen says

    July 7, 2014 at 6:21 pm

    Yep! Love everything about this salad!!!

    Reply
    • Michele says

      July 7, 2014 at 9:23 pm

      Me too!

      Reply
  5. Serena | Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch says

    July 7, 2014 at 8:04 pm

    What a gorgeous Broccoli Salad! So lovely!

    Reply
    • Michele says

      July 7, 2014 at 9:24 pm

      Thank you Serena!

      Reply
  6. Hezzi-D says

    July 7, 2014 at 9:16 pm

    There’s nothing like a good broccoli salad! I love the addition of cranberries and nuts, yummy!

    Reply
  7. Michele says

    July 7, 2014 at 9:25 pm

    Thanks Hezzi. I agree completely!

    Reply
  8. Linda (Meal Planning Maven) says

    July 8, 2014 at 7:36 am

    Michele…what a beautiful salad! I love the bright colors making it the perfect dish for summer entertaining. Thank you for another wonderful recipe!

    Reply
  9. Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen says

    July 9, 2014 at 3:14 pm

    I would gobble this salad up in a minute!

    Reply
  10. Alice says

    July 9, 2014 at 5:53 pm

    well I know what I’m doing with my next head of broccoli! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  11. megan says

    July 27, 2014 at 9:10 pm

    what can i use to replace yogurt and red wine? also do you cook the broccoli?

    Reply
    • Michele says

      July 28, 2014 at 2:54 am

      Hi Megan,

      You could use mayonnaise and any other type of vinegar. I did not use red wine itself, just used red wine vinegar. However, any other vinegar would work. And no, the broccoli is not cooked. This is a cold salad made with raw broccoli.

      Reply
  12. Angelina says

    November 29, 2020 at 3:04 pm

    This salad is super delicious, & very pretty. I’m making it again tonight. I like to use cubed extra sharp White Cheddar (from a wedge), and I add a rough shredded carrot & a rib of celery. We love veggies (including the kiddoes), so the more the better. The dressing with poppyseeds so is very tasty.

    Reply
    • Michele says

      November 29, 2020 at 9:31 pm

      Hi Angelina,

      I’m so glad you like the recipe! Thanks for sharing.

      Michele

      Reply
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