Creamy Broccoli Salad
This Broccoli Salad recipe is a fresh, crunchy salad with broccoli, bacon, raisins, sunflower seeds, walnuts in a delicious, creamy dressing!
A DELICIOUSLY FRESH SUMMER SALAD
Broccoli salad is such a fresh and delicious salad. The sweet and sour style dressing that coats all the ingredients really pulls it altogether. The salad is chock full of broccoli, bacon, raisins, cheese and sunflower seeds yet manages to still taste so light! If you like my Creamy Bacon Broccoli Pasta Salad recipe then you’ll love this one!
I absolutely love this recipe!! It’s quick, easy, and full of fiber. This is a great dish to prepare for your book club of the month meeting or for a ladies brunch. Try it once and you’ll fall in love.
– Cidney
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Yes absolutely! Sometimes it’s best to make a day ahead because it gives time for all the flavors to really meld together. Just make sure to stir it again before serving.
Yes! It is safe to eat whether it is raw or cooked. As with all vegetables, make sure to rinse them very well before eating.
If you are trying to estimate how much broccoli salad you’ll need for your guests, the rule of thumb is about one cup per person.
Generally I serve this with just about anything (usually a protein). I think grilled chicken, grilled ribs or pulled pork are all perfect to serve with this salad. It also pairs really well with seafood!
You can purchase bags of fresh chopped broccoli florets near where the bagged lettuces are located in your grocery store. . If you can’t find the florets, just purchase a couple of bunches of broccoli and remove the thick stalks from the bottom then chop up the top parts to make florets. Do not use frozen broccoli florets.
As long as it is stored in a covered container, broccoli salad will last in the fridge for 3-4 days. Keep in mind, the broccoli will continue to lose it’s crispness the longer it is in the refrigerator.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- fresh broccoli florets – do not use frozen broccoli florets here – they will add too much moisture and will not stay crisp.
- bacon – you can fry it up yourself or use microwave bacon or even purchase the bacon pieces.
- raisins – dried cranberries (like Craisins) work great here too!
- chopped walnuts – if you don’t like nuts just leave them out or you can substitute for pecans or even almonds.
- red onion – if you think red onions have too pungent of a flavor, try soaking the slices in some ice water for about 10 minutes. It really helps!
- sunflower kernels – you are going to look for the sunflower seeds that are already removed from the shells. You will generally find them near where the other nuts are located in your grocery store.
- shredded cheese – I use cheddar cheese but you really could go with any cheese you enjoy here.
- mayonnaise – I only use real mayonnaise here, not Miracle Whip. I like Dukes or Hellmans the best.
- sugar – this might seem weird to add but this dressing is like a sweet and sour dressing and it’s not a large amount.
- vinegar – I like apple cider vinegar but white vinegar works just fine too.
HOW TO MAKE BROCCOLI SALAD:
In a medium bowl or lidded jar, make the dressing. Whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar and black pepper until thoroughly combined.
Or if using a jar, just pop the lid on and shake vigorously.
In a large bowl, add broccoli, bacon, raisins, walnuts, chopped onions, sunflower kernels and shredded cheese.
Pour dressing over salad ingredients.
Give it all a really good stir to combine.
CRAVING MORE SALADS?
Creamy Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons vinegar (white vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon fresh black pepper
For the salad:
- 5 cups fresh broccoli florets
- ½ pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
- ½ cup raisins (or dried cranberries)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (or almonds)
- ½ cup finely chopped red onion
- ½ cup sunflower kernels
- 1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Instructions
- In a separate medium bowl, make the dressing. Whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar and black pepper until thoroughly combined.
- In a large serving bowl, add chopped broccoli, bacon, raisins, walnuts, chopped onions, sunflower kernel and shredded cheese.
- Pour dressing over salad ingredients. Give it all a really good stir to combine. Then serve or allow it to soften in the refrigerator (covered) for about an hour before serving.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- You could use chopped green onion for a milder onion flavor if you prefer but I love the look of the red onion in this salad. It adds color and flavor.
- This salad can be made a day ahead of time and should be kept stored in a bowl with an airtight lid in the refrigerator. Just remember to stir well again before serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published April 2012
Updated & Republished: January 2023
I absolutely love this recipe!! It’s quick, easy, and full of fiber. This is a great dish to prepare for your book club of the month meeting or for a ladies brunch. Try it once and you’ll fall in love.
Thanks so very much Cidney! That really means a lot and I thank you so much for taking the time to come back and comment!
This Broccoli salad is Delicious ,my family could eat this every week ,I will definitely bring this to a gathering.
Thank You
Jan
Thanks so very much Jan!! I am so happy to hear that!
This was exactly what we were looking for. My husband said it was “On point”! I used both raisins and dried cranberries.
YAS! Absolutely love hearing that!!!
Made the Best Broccoli Salad an hour ago to take to a friend’s for Labor Day. Ha! It was delicious. We’ve eaten half of it! Time to make more and hide it in the fridge. Thanks Brandie!
I like to use red wine vinegar ,grapes and peanuts, sometimes for a change or what ever I have on hand, all are delish,
I had 22 people for dinner – silly me, I should have doubled the recipe! The bowl was empty before everyone got to it. I followed the recipe to the letter, but next time I won’t go out of my way to get the chopped walnuts, I’ll just chop whatever nuts I have on hand. I feel like almonds or cashews would work just as well.
My only question, regarding the nutritional information is regarding the serving size. Are those numbers for a half cup serving, or more?
Hi Janet! Woo hoo! Yay! An empty bowl is always a sign of success – ha! So happy everyone loved it. So, as for serving sizes, I always tell folks to go with their trusted nutritional calculators in regards to nutritional values and serving sizes. However, as a general rule of thumb, I try my best with the calculators to get it to the nearest cup-size serving. So, in this case, one serving would be about one cup. 🙂
Looks great and will definitely be making it. By the way, if you aren’t using the stalks, you are missing out on the best part of broccoli!! Take a knife or a peeler to get rid of the stringy, hard outer part and what you are left with is just simply delish. I either chop it up when using broccoli in a dish & add it….or eat it as I’m chopping!!!
Thanks for posting this recipe (and so many others!), I look forward to trying this out.
This is an amazing salad. They have served this at a local deli for years and I have always been meaning to figure out a recipe for it and here it is. Delicious!
Thanks so much Cherise!!
IN mine I use an Apple, craisins, honey rioasted pecans, no onion. Only the flourettes. Use a good mayonnaise, hellmans or Kraft. Good mayo is the key to a good dressing
Sounds delicious Betty!!
This is slightly different than the version I make but it still sounds yummy. I use the same dressing but put broccoli, cauliflower, craisins, sharp cheddar cheese, and bacon in my salad. ????
Hey! This looks wonderful! Is it kid friendly? Like, has anyone had their kids just love this? My kids can be picky when it comes to vinegar, so I was wondering how strong that was?
My kids and my 3 nieces love this salad. You don’t taste the vinegar at all.
I love this salad. Perfect to take to a potluck!
Just saying – I came home with an empty bowl. People kept going back for seconds and thirds. Ha!
I substituted halved, red seedless grapes for the raisins. Very good.
oh my goodness… the deli in my local grocery store sells this salad and I love it… i think it is the same recipe…. I am so happy I will be able to make my own now instead of having to purchase from the kind of pricey deli!
thank you so much for posting this recipe!
Brandie,
Your broccoli salad looks so good. I have made this before, but it's been awhile. Thanks for jogging my memory.
Believe it or not at 50 years of age I don't think I have ever had anything like this.Other than boiling brocolli or dipping it in sour cream /'finger foods' didn't know what else to do with it. This was absolutely wonderful. Thank you for sharing!!
Made this exactly to your recipe. I think this is the best version I have ever made. Love the dressing!!
This recipe definitely reminds me of summer! It's a staple at just about any picnic or bbq you go to and one of my favorites!
Bran, Broccoli is my all-time favorite veggie! This salad sounds delish! 🙂
This is one of my favorite salads. Your recipe looks terrific.
Looks intriguing! I haven't had broccoli this way before.
I have a version of this recipe too. With mine I use cranraisins instead of raisins, sliced almonds instead of walnuts and I totally leave out the onions. Thanks so much for reminding me to make this again. Everyone loves it.
I have a version of this recipe too. With mine I use cranraisins instead of raisins, sliced almonds instead of walnuts and I totally leave out the onions. Thanks so much for reminding me to make this again. Everyone loves it.
Hi Elizabeth, thanks for catching that. It goes in with the dressing. 🙂
I want to make this recipe because it looks so good but am confused to where I should place the freshly ground pepper, in the chopped ingredients or the dressing? Can't wait to make this one — but again all your recipes are winners!
Elizabeth
I have made a variation of this broccoli salad that is very similar to your recipe, and it is so good. Thanks for sharing.
I was just given a recipe for broccoli salad and then seeing your photo, I'm going to try yours. It looks really good.
This is probably my favorite salad. My version is just broccoli, bacon, red onion and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. For the dressing I use cider vinegar, sugar and Kraft Olive Oil Mayo which seems to keep the dressing thicker. Yum! Your version looks delicious!
Dressing: 1/2 cup mayo,1/2 cup plain yogurt,add honey to taste,add black pepper to taste