A simple, classic Broccoli salad recipe that serves as a great fast side dish for any party or potluck. Made with bacon, cranberries, sunflower seeds, cheddar cheese and a homemade dressing, this is one of my favorite side dishes and it can be prepped in under fifteen minutes!
The Perfect Side for Your Next Cookout
Please do not be alarmed by the amount of green in today’s post! I know broccoli salad is a little different from what you’re used to seeing here, where sugar and chocolate and chocolate chip cookies and definitely not broccoli are the norm, but bear with me.
Broccoli salad is one of my favorite side dishes (right up there with deviled eggs and macaroni salad). It’s perfect for serving alongside Easter dinner (or any holiday dinner) and is a simple and refreshing side dish for summer parties and pot lucks. It can be thrown together in under fifteen minutes and I guarantee you that at least one person is going to ask for the recipe, wherever you bring it.
In contrast to the broccoli, onion, and savory bacon and cheddar, this recipe has a surprising bit of sweetness thanks to a pinch of sugar and dried cranberries. The contrasting flavors blend perfectly together, and a splash of vinegar gives the dressing a subtle bite. This really is the perfect summer salad, and the best broccoli salad I think you’ll ever try.
Tips for Making the Best Broccoli Salad
Broccoli salad is easy to make, but there are a few tips I want to share to make everything come together perfectly for you.
Notes on Cheese
When buying cheese for your broccoli salad, the thicker the shred the better. Buy sharp or extra sharp cheddar and stay away from the finely shredded variety. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, you can just buy a block and shred it yourself. Another option is to cut the cheese into small cubes instead.
Broccoli: To Blanch or not to Blanch?
I never blanch my broccoli when making broccoli salad, and I’ve never received any complaints (in fact, I always get requests for this recipe!). If you prefer to do so, you can. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and then blanch your broccoli for no longer than 60 seconds. Immediately drain and rinse in cold water to stop the broccoli from over-cooking. Dry your broccoli thoroughly before proceeding.
A Note on Buying the Right Amount of Broccoli:
You can buy pre-cut florets, but for me it was cheaper and not much more difficult to just buy a few heads of broccoli and cut it myself. This recipe required about 2.5 heads of broccoli for me to make it, but your mileage may vary depending on the size of your grocery store’s broccoli! I recommend discarding the stems and only using the florets (with a bit of the stem attached, but discard the thicker, woodier part).
For Best Taste, Let it Sit!
While this easy broccoli salad can be served right away, I prefer to let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to let all of the flavors really meld together. Like any good coleslaw recipe, it benefits from at least a brief resting period. Not only does the flavor develop and deepen, but the broccoli (and the other ingredients) will also begin to absorb the dressing, which improves the flavor and softens the broccoli. Broccoli salad can be prepared up to 3 days in advance of serving.
How to Lighten Up Broccoli Salad
Broccoli salad certainly isn’t health food and is usually served alongside other not-so-light main dishes (think hot dogs and my smash burger recipe). However, there are a few modifications you can make to make it a bit less fattening. I’ve found that when people see broccoli salad they think they’re getting something healthy, so if that’s what you’re looking for, there are a few modifications you can try.
- Lighten up the mayo. Instead of using regular mayo, use one made with olive oil. I’m very picky about the type of mayo that I use and can’t stand the taste of reduced fat (and don’t get me started on Miracle Whip). I’ve found that using olive oil mayo in my broccoli salad recipe gives you all of the same creaminess and flavor while being a better alternative.
- You can replace some or all of the sour cream with plain Greek yogurt.
- Using pre-cooked bacon will save time and fat and calories. Make sure you’re using real bacon pieces and not imitation flavored “bits”. These are usually found in the salad dressing aisle and should say that they’re “real” bacon on the packaging. I’ve also found that this bacon holds up best to the moisture from the broccoli salad.
Keep in mind that ultimately broccoli salad (especially this broccoli salad with bacon and cheese!) is meant to be an indulgent side dish, and not health food!
This recipe has been one of my most popular on the blog for over 7 years and has received hundreds of 5-star reviews. If you try it, I’d truly love to know how much you love it, too!
Enjoy!
Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
- 5-6 cups broccoli florets¹ 1 lb, this was about 2 ½ heads of broccoli for me (450g)
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese thicker, not finely shredded (115g)
- ⅔ cup dried cranberries (85g)
- ½ cup crumbled bacon² (60g)
- ½ cup salted sunflower seeds (60g)
- ⅓ cup red onion diced into small pieces (50g)
Dressing
- ¾ cup mayo I use olive oil mayo (175g)
- ¼ cup sour cream³ (70g)
- 1 ½ Tablespoon white wine vinegar⁴
- 3 Tablespoons sugar (40g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Combine broccoli florets, cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, bacon, sunflower seeds, and onion in a large bowl.
- In a separate, small bowl, whisk together mayo, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until smooth and well-combined.
- Pour dressing over broccoli combination and toss or stir well.
- Broccoli salad may be served immediately, but for best flavor refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Make sure to toss broccoli salad thoroughly again before serving.Keep refrigerated if not consuming right away.
Notes
How to Store Broccoli Salad
Broccoli Salad may be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. If you are making several days in advance, I recommend storing the salad and the dressing separately, then tossing everything together at least an hour before serving.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
This Broccoli Salad Recipe was originally published 07/06/2017, re-published 04/15/2019 and updated 05/12/2025.
Glenda
Tried this recipe and I love it and the fluff😀
Sam
Thank you so much, Glenda! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and that you are enjoying the blog <3
Lois
I always make a recipe as written the first time, and make notes for tweaking the next. This was perfect as far as I was concerned. No changes needed. Thanks for your recipe!
Sam
So glad you enjoyed it!
Octavia
Hi Sam and others, I normally don’t make comments, this is the first. I will say aside from the broccoli salad from Wholefoods and Macys which I love, I never thought to look for a recipe until it popped up and it wasn’t this one. I lost the first one and lucky for me I googled and this is the first one that came up. Excellent! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾I have to subscribe to get emails now. I only changed the salt to Himalayan pink salt, the sugar for monk fruit sweetener, regular miracle whip and a TB SP of MCT oil. Thank you Delicious 😋
Pamela
Great recipe. My now go-to version uses Morningstar fake bacon (crisps up best of all the readily available brands to allow for bacon bits), 2tbls local honey instead of sugar, an extra tbls vinegar, and chopped dried cherries.
Lindsay
Can I make this the night before and serve for a late lunch? Should I wait and pour the dressing on in the morning???
Sam
You can make it the night before! It will be fine if you add the dressing either the night before or the morning of, either way will work 🙂
Jennifer
I never have white or red wine vinegar, but I do have rice vinegar (for sushi rice) which turned out to be very delicious as well. I also used the cherry juice infused Craisins which were yummy.
Sam
Sounds delicious! So glad you enjoyed, Jennifer!
Chris
Hi! Great recipe. Im on paleo/keto diet. I just skip the sugar and cranberries or raisins. So all the ingredients are super healthy to me 🙂 thanks for sharing.
Sam
So glad you enjoyed, Chris! 🙂
Diane
Very nice recipe! Did not have sunflower seeds on hand, and substituted chopped pecans. Tastes great as well!
Sam
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! It is one of my favorites as well. I might have to try out that substitution for myself!
Anne
I’ve made a variation of this recipe for years. Often without bacon, still delicious, but obvi much better with bacon. It’s great with almond slivers or pumpkin seeds as well. And I often use a creamy white wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and a little sugar… no mayo or sour cream. Also quite delicious.
Jillian Conley
This was what came up first when I googled “brocolli salad” and it’s spot on as far as how I usually make it (most recpes I have to tweak to my liking). Sometimes I don’t have white wine vinegar on hand – balsamic is a great substitute and gives it great flavor! Also another tip to lighten this up would be to use turkey bacon. But who wants that vs the good stuff?! Thanks for the recipe it’s perfection.
Sam
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe, Jillian! I do sometimes substitute turkey bacon too but my husband is never really happy when I bring turkey bacon in the house 😂
Doug
I love this recipe and have made it several times. I use apple cider vinegar instead and add some celery as well.
Vickie
I have used Rasberry vinagar ao food !
And no cranberries but added raisins
Vickie
I meant Rasberry instead of white vinegar . And the raisins were the best . And left over night all the flavors work very well together .
Mich
Great recipe, but it should be at the top so we can easily ignore the fluff that surrounds it.
Sam
Great comment, but you should have just clicked the “jump to recipe” button at the top of the page so we could have been spared your rude remarks.
Tracy Gabriele
I love all the “fluff” before the recipes! The humor is what initially brought me to this website. The amazing recipes have keep me hooked. I always check here first for new recipes and ideas
Sam
Thank you so much for your kind comment, Tracy, I really appreciate it <3
Thank you so much for following along with the blog.
Debbie
Love this recipe…also, not trying to be mean but love your response to the first comment!
Sam
Glad you like the recipe (and the response), Debbie! Thanks for commenting 🙂
Melissa
Bring on the FLUFF! I’m brand new to your blog but I love it so far. Thanks a million from those of us who love to make deeelish treats from scratch.
Sam
Thank you so much, Melissa!! I appreciate you following along with the blog <3
trevor
don’t be a dick mitch
Jenna
Can I just say this comment is even funnier bc u spelt his name wrong😂👏
Marian
Making this for the third time everyone loves it.
Sam
So happy to hear this! 🙂
Christine Williamson
I made this salad about a month ago and it was delicious everyone loved it. I making it tonight to take to a Mother’s Day celebration tomorrow and I know it’ll be a big hit!
Thank you for a fabulous recipe !
Sam
I’m so glad to hear everyone enjoyed it, thank you for commenting, Christine!!
John johnson
A delicious salad! And thanks very much for the conversion into grams, I like to use my kitchen scale – less messy than using my measuring cups!
Ronj
Took this for Thanksgiving & people did not stop raving. Glad I had saved to Pinterest for Easter time, really, really great salad!
There are a lot of versions to this salad online, but this is by far the best one!
Thank you Sam for sharing with us.
Ronj