Simple Broccoli Salad Recipe with Bacon! (2024)

This super simple broccoli salad is a crowd favorite! Crisp, creamy, salty, and sweet, it’s perfect for any potluck or summer gathering. It’s naturally gluten-free and low-carb, adaptable for keto or vegan diets, and easily doubles up or down depending on the crowd! Serve it up with Slow Cooker Brisket and Homemade Hawaiian Rolls!

Broccoli salad is hands down my favorite side dish to bring to a potluck.

Anytime I bring this light and easy salad to a gathering, I always come home with an empty bowl. Which makes me sad because I want to eat the leftovers!

Family and friends always complement this simple salad. And I can’t blame them. I really think this is the best broccoli salad recipe ever!

The Best Broccoli Salad Recipe with Bacon

Look no further for a healthy salad recipe. I’ve tried several salads with broccoli and this one is still my favorite. It’s so easy to put together, uses fresh healthy ingredients that I typically have on hand, and makes everyone in the crowd ooo and ahh.

The vibrant crunch of the broccoli, the sweet notes from golden raisins, and the tangy, creamy dressing brings so many delicious flavors together, I just can’t get enough. And to top it off the salty smoky flavor of BACON!

The Best Broccoli Bacon Salad Recipe for All Occasions

Instead of bringing the picnic classics like potato salad, pasta salad, and baked beans to your next big gathering, bring a creamy broccoli salad!

Perfect for potlucks, Summer BBQs, holiday meals, and easy no-cook dinners. The beauty of this classic salad recipe is its flexibility.

You can easily adjust the quantities to serve a smaller family dinner or scale it up to feed a large crowd. Plus, it requires chilling for at least two hours, or even up to 24, making it a fantastic make-ahead dish that saves you from the last-minute rush.

What goes in a broccoli salad?

Broccoli & Bacon Salad Ingredients:

• fresh broccoli
• red onion
• golden raisins (substitute dried cranberries or regular raisins, if desired)
• sunflower seeds
• bacon

Dressing Ingredients:

• apple cider vinegar
• sugar (maple syrup or honey work in a pinch as well.)
• yogurt or mayonnaise

How to Make Broccoli Salad

Step 1: Cook the bacon, crumble, and set aside.

Step 2: Using a large mixing bowl combine small broccoli florets, diced red onion, and raisins.

Step 3: At this time in a smaller bowl, whisk vinegar, sugar, and yogurt/mayonnaise.

Step 4: Add the dressing mix to the broccoli and stir well. Refrigerate for 2-24 hours.

Step 5: Add sunflower seeds and bacon before serving.

Recipe Tips for the Best Broccoli Salad with Bacon

You’ll want to use crisp fresh broccoli for this recipe. You don’t want to use frozen broccoli since it is already cooked and will turn mushy.

I love to make bacon in the oven. (Follow this tutorial!) It makes less mess and is hands-off so you can keep preparing the rest of this delicious dish while it cooks.

When you dice up the onion, cut up some extra to put in the freezer. This will save you time later on when you need diced onion!

If you don’t have sunflower seeds on hand, use another nut like chopped pecans, walnuts, or sliced almonds. You could even go extra fancy with these Maple-Glazed Pecans or Honey-Roasted Almonds!

You can use either Homemade Mayo or plain Greek Yogurt for this recipe. I found regular yogurt to be a bit too thin. Vanilla Greek yogurt works if you want to skip the sugar!

Unlike other salad recipes, I don’t add cheese to mine. However, if you prefer the taste of cheese with broccoli, toss in some sharp cheddar cheese or crumbled goat cheese. Feta cheese would be delicious too!

Variations for Cold Broccoli Salad

• Keto broccoli salad: Use a low-carb yogurt or olive oil mayo and skip the sugar.
• Vegan broccoli salad: Use a vegan mayo (egg-free) and skip the bacon.
• Broccoli Cranberry Salad: Use dried cranberries instead of raisins. Omit the sugar if it is too sweet.
• Raw Broccoli Salad: No changes needed! This salad calls for raw broccoli already.

Frequently Asked Questions About Broccoli Salad Recipe

Broccoli Salad

This delightful recipe has all the elements of a crowd-pleaser – it’s easy to make, adaptable in quantity, delicious to the last bite, and perfect for making ahead. Whether it’s a potluck, a family dinner, or a picnic, it’s guaranteed to steal the show every time. Happy cooking, and enjoy your parties (and this salad)!

Recipes To Go With Broccoli Salad

• Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
• Slow Cooker Brisket
• Easy Jerk Chicken
• Best Burger Recipe
• Sheet Pan Lemon Salmon

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WATCH HOW TO MAKE BROCCOLI SALAD

Healthy Broccoli Salad Recipe

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★★★★★5 from 1 review

This super simple broccoli salad is a crowd favorite! Crisp, creamy, salty, and sweet, it’s perfect for any potluck or summer gathering. It’s naturally gluten-free and low-carb, adaptable for keto or vegan diets, and easily doubles up or down depending on the crowd! Serve it up with Slow Cooker Brisket and Homemade Hawaiian Rolls!

• Author: Tiffany
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 8 minutes
• Total Time: 23 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Sides
• Method: Bowl
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

• 6 cups fresh broccoli florets (chop larger florets into smaller pieces)
• ¼ cup red onion, chopped finely
• ½ cup golden raisins
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup yogurt or mayonnaise (homemade version here)
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 10 slices bacon (you decide on the nitrates, approx ½ lb pre-cooking weight)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Cook bacon, crumble, and set aside.
2. Combine broccoli, onion, and raisins in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk vinegar, sugar, and yogurt/mayonnaise. Add dressing to broccoli and combine well. Refrigerate 2-24 hours.
3. Add sunflower seeds and bacon before serving.

Notes

• You could scale this back and make it for your own dinner tonight, or leave it as is to feed a large crowd.
• It does need to be refrigerated for at least two hours and could go for up to 24.

Nutrition

• Calories: 331

Keywords: broccoli salad