Best broccoli salad
Confession: I tend to hibernate in the winter. I’m not sure how Canadian this is for me to say, but I’m 100% not a fan of winter. I’m going to pin that to my Oklahoma roots. There’s not much of a winter season in Oklahoma. I tend to make like a bear and hibernate all winter here in Canada. So, when summer finally comes here in Canada, I make up for lost time spent hibernating and go to every little gathering I can. Going to so many BBQ’s and picnics means that I have to have a lot of really quick and tasty side dish recipes to bring with me. This easy broccoli salad is perfect for that.
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This crunchy broccoli salad is not only easy to throw together, but it’s also got bacon. Like, a lot of bacon. I mean it’s also got onions, raisins, and sunflower seeds. But I probably sold you on bacon. The dressing is a light mayo-based dressing. It’s made from scratch, but don’t let that scare you. The broccoli salad dressing is 3 simple ingredients mixed together.
My favourite thing about this salad is that you can make it ahead of time. Prep the broccoli, onion, raisins, bacon, and sunflower seeds in one airtight container, and the simple broccoli salad dressing in another. Then, when you are ready to eat it, simply mix the two together. This makes it such a quick healthy lunch option too.
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I can’t take credit for this recipe though. I want to be honest with you and say this is 100% my mother-in-law’s recipe. I should really add her to the blog before someone convinces her to start her own food blog. But anyways, this bacon broccoli salad (might just call it that for now on) is a family favourite. It’s served at almost every family functions. It’s probably safe to say that this broccoli salad has become the Monster family function dish.
Tips for Making Cold Broccoli Salad:
While this is a simple broccoli salad recipe, there are a couple of things you can do to make sure that you make the best broccoli salad every time.
- Use fresh broccoli
- Use real bacon
- Use red onion for a more subtle onion flavour)
- Keep everything cold
- Don’t dress the salad until you’re ready to eat it
- Don’t keep the broccoli salad dressed for more than 24 hours
- Keep in an airtight container
For this recipe, you might need:
Best Broccoli Salad Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 3 heads of fresh broccoli
- 1 cup of raisins
- 1/4 cup of diced red onion
- 1 cup of sunflower seeds (salted or unsalted is fine)
- 10 strips of bacon cooked crispy and diced small
- 4 TBS of sugar
- 1/2 cup of light mayo
- 1 TBSP of vinegar
How To Make The Broccoli Salad:
First, cut the broccoli into small bite-size pieces.
Add the raisins, diced onion, sunflower seeds, and bacon pieces to the bowl of broccoli. Mix well and set aside.
In a separate bowl whisk together the mayo, sugar, and vinegar until it is well combined and smooth.
Add the dressing to the broccoli salad and mix until it’s well combined.
Store covered in the fridge until your ready to eat. Like I said above, you can make the salad and dressing up to 24-hours ahead of time. Add the dressing to the broccoli salad when you’re ready to serve. You can store it mixed together for 24-hours in the fridge.
Let me know if you’re going to give the summer salad a try in the comments below.
You can also pin this for later:
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| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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- 3 heads of fresh broccoli
- 1 cup of raisins
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1 cup of sunflower seeds
- 10 strips of cooked bacon, diced
- 4 TBSP of sugar
- 1/2 cup of light mayo
- 1 TBSP of vinagar
Ingredients
Main Salad
Dressing
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- Cut the broccoli into small bite-size pieces.
- Add the raisins, diced onion, sunflower seeds, and bacon pieces to the bowl of broccoli. Mix well and set aside.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the mayo, sugar, and vinegar until it is well combined and smooth.
- Add the dressing to the broccoli salad and mix until it's well combined. Serve cold.
Dominique Brooks says
This looks good except for those pesky raisins LOL! Thanks for the recipe!
Ginny says
My family makes this recipe but we use red grapes halved in it. Nice refreshing salad.
Tara says
This sounds like the perfect addition to any bbq or side dish for any dinner. Will have to try this! Thanks for sharing.
Gibbs says
Not a huge fan of broccoli, but open to trying this. Looks like a good recipe.
Akamatra says
This salad would be amazing for our next cook out. I bet even the kids will love it!
Natalie Allen says
Looks like a great side to bring to a BBQ. We just had a picnic and my husband made pulled pork, this would have gone well with that!
Reesa Lewandowski says
I LOVE Broccoli salad! But I never made it before. Thank you, going to try this!
Laurie says
Mmm…this salad sounds absolutely delightful. One of my favorite food textures is crunchy. I might actually be a certifiable “crunchaholic.” Is there a group therapy session for someone like me?
LiveLoveAndAdventure says
This recipe looks so good. I love summer salads and this looks perfect for this time of year!
Wander With Ola says
Wow what an interesting recipe! I’ve never put raisins to salad but it does sounds like a great idea. I can’t wait to try this at home!
Laura Dove says
Oh this looks great! My children ADORE broccoli, way more than I do, and ask for it all the time! I run out of ways to include it so will try this!
Nina says
this looks so healthy, im not a fan of broccoli but I do enjoy experimenting with food, I will try to make this at home
Kamapala Chukwuka says
My son will love this! I’m definitely going to try it. Thanks for sharing x
Sara Drone says
I adore fresh broccoli! I can not eat it cooked. This recipe should completely delish my kids would love it and I even think my husband would enjoy it
Di Hickman says
Sounds perfect for BBQ season and easily veganized. I love broccoli so this is gonna be a favorite in our picnics too!
Marie Kait says
Yum! Broccoli salad is my favourite dish at any potluck. But I’ve never actually made it! I guess it’s my turn. 😉
Kareen Liez Datoy says
My daughter loves broccoli! For sure she will love this recipe. I will give this a try! Thanks for sharing this!
tia mckinzie says
I am totally making this! I need to make this! I know this would be the perfect for the family reunion ill be attending in august!
David Allen Elliott says
This is definitely something i could use to my rotation of things to make. I wouldn’t have thought to use broccoli for a salad. But it sounds and looks delicious.
Polly Amora says
I have very few recipe for broccoli but never used it for a sad. Would love to try this one day!
blair villanueva says
I love eating broccoli because its juicy and with lots of fibers. Even sometimes its quite expensive, its still good.
Khushboo says
lovely recipe. Not a fan of broccoli will try this salad sometime
Toughcookiemommy says
This broccoli salad looks so good and easy to make. It is the perfect dish to enjoy in the summertime.