Easy Broccoli Salad Recipe (Best Homemade Dressing!)

Tired of the same old salads that leave you feeling uninspired and unfulfilled? This easy Broccoli Salad recipe is a guilt-free perfect side dish crowd pleaser (or main dish option!) with crisp broccoli florets, cranberries, sunflower seeds, & salty bacon in a delicious, creamy dressing!

Say goodbye to boring salads and hello to a new favorite that checks all the boxes: easy, quick, healthy, and bursting with freshness!

Our days are busy, and it is hard to keep up with work, kids activities, errands, etc. On top of all that, you have to find time to plan and prepare healthy meals that don’t keep you in the kitchen for hours.

This dish, with homemade broccoli salad dressing, is a game-changer – and one of our favorites – when it comes to quick and healthy meal options.

And while it’s the perfect summer salad, we also eat it all year long!

Not only is broccoli salad extremely easy to make, but it will save you time on busy days.

So next time you find yourself craving something quick, healthy, and delicious, remember that this easy recipe is here to save the day – one colorful forkful at a time!

If you want to try some of my other favorite salads, check out: 

• Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad With Bacon
• Easy Layered Brunch Salad
• Favorite Easy Creamy Grape Salad Recipe With Pecans

Broccoli Salad Ingredients Needed

You just need to gather a few simple ingredients to make the best broccoli salad recipe:

• Broccoli – raw and chopped, approximately 2 heads of broccoli
• Diced Red Onion – chopped
• Shelled Sunflower Seeds
• Dried Cranberries
• Bacon – cooked to crispy
• Sharp Cheddar Cheese – shredded
• Mayonnaise – any brand
• Sugar – granulated or use maple syrup
• Apple Cider Vinegar – or rice wine vinegar
• Lemon Juice – fresh lemon juice or bottled from the grocery store

How To Make Classic Broccoli Salad Recipe

The key to making your new favorite broccoli salad recipe lies in the simplicity of the preparation – chop the vegetables, toss them together with a light dressing, and voilà! You have a delicious and nutritious salad ready to go.

Step 1 – Chop Up Broccoli

Begin by chopping the broccoli into small florets. Place chopped broccoli in a large bowl.

Step 2 – Add Fixin’s

Add onion, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and cheddar cheese into the bowl with the broccoli.

Crumble the bacon and add to broccoli mixture. Gently stir until thoroughly combined.

Step 3 – Mix Up The Tangy Dressing

In a separate bowl mix together the ingredients for your tangy dressing. Mix together mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar until ingredients are combined.

Step 4 – Combine

Pour dressing over the broccoli salad and gently fold all ingredients together until evenly coated.

Step 5 – Serve Or Refrigerate For Later

Cover the broccoli salad and place in refrigerator to chill or serve immediately.

Fresh Broccoli Salad Recipe Notes And Tips

• Save a little time frying bacon and use real bacon bits instead.

• A time-saving shortcut is to use bagged, and pre-washed fresh broccoli florets. I still cut up some of the larger pieces but it’s still a huge time saver.

• Broccoli salad – a great time-saver!

• Thicker shreds of cheese hold up a better under the dressing.

• Miracle Whip is a really good substitute for mayonnaise. It just depends on which one you prefer the most. Miracle Whip is my go-to!

• If you would prefer a pre-made dressing, poppyseed dressing or coleslaw dressing are delicious substitutes. When I’ve been under a serious time crunch, I’ve used coleslaw dressing, and it tasted terrific!

How To Serve Homemade Broccoli Salad

Broccoli salad is super versatile and works well as a side dish for:

• Burgers – it’s great with ANY burger, but really complements these Easy Fajita Burgers!
• Kabobs – it’ll taste good with any types of kabobs, but try them with my Air Fryer Greek Chicken Kabobs!
• School Lunches – send a little to school with these Easy Pepperoni Pizza Quesadillas.
• Sides – Pair it with Authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad and BBQ Chicken Wings or any other side dish for an easy, yummy BBQ night!

Not only does it make for a refreshing side dish, but it can also serve as a nourishing main course when paired with additions like grilled chicken or salmon.

Variations Of Broccoli Salad To Try

• Nuts – Try something other than crunchy sunflower seeds in your salad such as almonds, pepitas, pecans, or walnuts.

• Shredded Cheese – Change up the flavor of shredded cheese. Some of my favs in this salad are Mexi-Blend, Mozzarella, Colby Jack or Pepper Jack. Or leave it out altogether (I do sometimes and it’s delicious!)

• Cheese cubes – Cheese cubes, goat cheese, or feta cheese are a fun addition to this salad instead of the shredded cheese. 

• Onions – Red onions are my favorite in this salad but yellow or white are just as yummy!

• Fruit – Add diced apple or even blueberries.

• Dried fruit – Swap out the dried cranberries for raisins, golden raisins, or dates!

• Veggies – Other flavorful add-ins could be bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, or shredded carrots.

• Vinegar – Instead of apple cider vinegar, try red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar

• Dressing – If you want to steer clear of a mayonnaise-based dressing, you could use sour cream or Greek yogurt and a teaspoon or so of Dijon mustard.

FAQs

More Easy Salad Recipes To Try

• The Best Homemade Chicken Salad Recipe With Grapes
• Gouda And Grilled Chicken Salad
• Loaded Cowboy Pasta Salad (Cowboy Caviar Recipe)
• Homemade Copycat Panera Fuji Apple Salad
• Cool down with Strawberry Spinach Salad

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