Everyone loves this easy Broccoli Salad made with bacon, almonds, raisins or craisins and onion in a delicious creamy and tangy dressing.
When it comes to quick and easy sides to bring to a BBQ, this easy broccoli salad is very high on my list (along with traditional potato salad and Italian pasta salad). Enjoy!
Your kids may just want to eat their broccoli first, if it’s in the form of this Broccoli Salad! It’s a CROWD PLEASER! The flavor combination is absolutely delicious, from the crunch of the broccoli and almonds, paired with salty bacon, onions, sweet Craisins and creamy dressing. It doesn’t matter the time of year, the occasion or the entree, this broccoli salad goes well with everything, anytime!
What You’ll Need:
- Broccoli florets: fresh broccoli will taste best in broccoli salad.
- Mayonnaise
- Sugar
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Red Onion
- Almonds: or you favorite nuts.
- Onion: chopped red or sweet onion.
- Bacon: cooked and chopped.
How to make Broccoli Salad:
1. Prep ingredients: chop and quickly blanch the broccoli , cook the bacon bits, chop the onion and almonds. You can prepare all of these ingredients in advance (or even make the entire salad up to 1 day in advance).
2. Whisk the dressing. Mix salad dressing ingredients including mayonnaise, sugar and apple cider vinegar. (I like to substitute half plain Greek yogurt for the mayo in the dressing because I like the flavor and creaminess it adds).
3. Toss and refrigerate! Toss the dressing and all of the ingredients in a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Recipe Variations:
One of my favorite things about broccoli salad is that it’s so customizable. Make some adjustments based on your diet, mood, or what kind of ad-ins you have available. Some of my favorite things to add include:
- Vegan Broccoli Salad: sub vegan mayonnaise and leave out the bacon or use an alternative like coconut bacon.
- Add nuts or seeds: sunflower seeds, pine nuts, pecans.
- Add cheese: I like to add a handful of chopped cheddar cheese.
- Sub raisins for craisins.
More Healthy Side Dishes we LOVE:
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Broccoli Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 2 heads fresh broccoli , cut into florets
- 1 cup mayonnaise (I often use half plain Greek yogurt)
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 8 slices bacon , cooked and crumbled
- 1/4 cup red onion , chopped
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (or raisins)
- 1/2 cup almonds , chopped (*see note below)
Instructions
- Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- In a large bowl mix together mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar. Stir well.
- Add broccoli, bacon, onion, cranberries or raisins and almonds to a large bowl. Drizzle with desired amount of sauce.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Toss again to coat before serving.
- Store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Notes
Recipe Variations:
- Vegan Broccoli Salad: sub vegan mayonnaise and leave out the bacon or use an alternative like coconut bacon.
- Add nuts or seeds: sunflower seeds, pine nuts, pecans.
- Add cheese: I like to add a handful of chopped cheddar cheese.
- Craisins: Substitute raisins or dried cherries.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
*I first shared this recipe in March 2015. Updated December 2020.
Naomi says
Made this for a Thanksgiving side. Turned out great! I used finely chopped green onions & sliced almonds but followed the recipe otherwise. All of the different flavors go together really well. Thanks! =]
Teri Buathier Gormley says
We also toasted sliced almonds, sliced green onions.
Jennifer says
Love the ease of this recipe and that it can be made ahead of time. So delicious!
Jean says
I love the salad make it for special occasions
tara e fonteyn says
I made the recipe this morning and the dressing tasted well, but too sugary for my taste. Next time I will reduce the sugar to 2 Tab. I don’t eat bacon, but I could make it for others with the protein. Also I used 3 crowns of broccoli instead of two because I had so much dressing by changing the mayo to half mayo, half yogurt. All in all a great salad for anytime.
Leanne says
This is delicious! We omit the sugar all together and it’s still wonderful. Just wondering, is the nutritional info per serve or for the whole amount?
Margaret says
I’ve made this salad before used honey instead of sugar and it was less sweet. I really enjoyed this salad, it pairs well with many dishes.
Greta says
Could red wine vinegar be used instead of apple cider vinegar?
Lauren Allen says
Sure!
Cathy from Maine says
Took a little less than 30 minutes to make and it was super easy and it tastes delicious. I loved the dressing – perfect blend of sweet and sour and the bacon adds great savory flavors. Thanks for sharing a great recipe. I’m looking forward to making your artichoke dip this afternoon!
Sandra says
THANK YOU for posting such a detailed recipe with the tantalizing photos; I could hardly wait to make it! I added green onions but other than that I stuck to the recipe and it was simply Marvellous! Thanks again! Looking forward to trying your other ones!
Lori Putnam says
This was very tasty, and a good way to get more dark green vegs into us. For us – and we normally are the family of “bland” – it needs just a bit more flavor. Might add some shredded sharp cheddar tomorrow to a portion to see if that helps. But for the ease of making, you can’t beat this. 🙂