Chopped Broccoli Salad is fresh, crunchy, and full of flavor. The crisp bacon, chewy raisins, and sweet dressing make it a delicious side for any meal.
Broccoli Salad
This chopped broccoli salad will make a believer out of even the pickiest of eaters! Sweet craisins, savory bacon, salty sunflower seeds and vibrant broccoli florets are tossed with the yummiest dressing ever! You’ll love the crunchy texture and bursts of flavors in every single bite. This salad is a staple at many of our family summertime suppers. We love making a big batch for a barbecue, potluck or quick evening dinner, then eat on it all week. It just gets better and better as the flavors mix together. My family eats this Broccoli Salad for Easter dinner, Christmas Eve parties, or a summer cook-out. If you’re still skeptical about anything broccoli, try this recipe. I promise you will love it!
Substitutions and Additions
- You can use any kind of nuts you like in this delicious side dish. Sunflower seeds offer a salty crunch, but if you don’t have any on hand, you could use sliced almonds, peanuts, cashews or pecans.
- For a lighter Broccoli Salad, use plain Greek yogurt instead of mayo.
- You could also add cheese cubes, ham, raisins, purple cabbage, shredded carrots, chicken, celery, red onions or cauliflower. This is a deliciously versatile side dish with many options.
- Using precooked bacon saves time in the assembling process, but make sure you use real bacon pieces, not bacon bits. You want that salty, savory flavor to combine with the sweet craisins and creamy, sweet dressing.
What to Serve with Broccoli Salad
Toss some meat on the grill, cook up some corn on the cob and serve this broccoli salad for a perfect summertime dinner. You could also eat it alongside our Sweet Teriyaki Grilled Ham Steaks, our scrumptious New York Steaks or Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken. But it goes well with sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers, just about anything!
More Delicious Salads
This broccoli salad is another favorite side dish that we make every summer, and really any other time of the year too since the ingredients taste good year round. Try a few of these other delicious salads and make a meal out of any of them!
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Creamy Green Pea Salad
- Mom’s Traditional Macaroni Salad
- Waldorf Salad with Crunchy Apples
- Snickers Apple Salad
- Creamy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
How to Make Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
- 2 heads broccoli
- 1/2 cup bacon bits (homemade or purchased)
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup Craisins
Dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Rinse broccoli well. Cut broccoli florets into bite size pieces. Add to a large bowl and mix in bacon bits, sunflower seeds, and craisins.
- Mix dressing ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Toss the dressing with the salad until everything is evenly coated. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
Emily says
I am making this tasty salad but haven’t refrigerated it yet. It seems to have a lot more dressing than your picture. Does it seep into the broccoli a bit or should I use more broccoli? I have added about two pounds, but it was just florets. I don’t see any broccoli cuts in your picture but do you include then when you say two heads? Thx!
Emily says
Yes – you hit the nail on the head. I mostly use close to the ends of the broccoli as well, but the dressing does absorb into the broccoli a bit. I think I took that pic after it had been refrigerating for a while.
carol says
I had this salad where the broccoli was slightly blanched then rinsed with cold water.
Alison says
This was so good! I have to admit I was a little skeptical of the mayo/sugar combo, but it is super tasty. I need to double the recipe next time because it was a huge hit!
Brett says
We do the red onions as well, but we also use red wine vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar. Not sure how much of a difference it would make.
Angie says
I just had this from my grocery store deli and LOVED it. I'm so glad to have run across your recipe! Now I can make my own. Awesome.
Sarah says
Love broccoli salad! We add some crumbled cheddar cheese to ours too and red onions. So yummy!
pamela gosselin says
I add the cheddar cheese and red onion also, i found that using ranch dressing is excellent. also can do the same with cauliflower or a combination of the two. we all love broccoli in our home this is a great easy salad.