A simple, classic broccoli salad recipe that makes a quick side dish for any party or potluck. Made with bacon, cranberries, sunflower seeds, cheddar cheese and a homemade dressing, this salad is one of my favorite side dishes and can be made in under fifteen minutes!
Broccoli Salad is a quick summer salad filled with fresh, crisp broccoli, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and bacon bits. It’s tossed with a creamy homemade dressing.
Since it’s best made ahead of time (and everyone raves about this recipe), it’s the perfect potluck dish for any gathering or barbecue.
My family loves vegetables, so I always serve fresh salads and this broccoli salad is one of our favorites!
It’s incredibly easy to make.
It’s best made ahead of time so it’s perfect for potlucks and barbecues.
It’s always a hit and there are never any leftovers!
This cold, crunchy broccoli salad, topped with red onions and sprinkled with bacon, is the way all your summer party fantasies should come true.
As a cold comfort food, broccoli salad is just begging to be taken to the next summer party. Yes, it’s topped with a mayonnaise-based dressing; what other salad isn’t? This dish can be eaten with a number of different toppings.
Broccoli salad can also be called broccoli salad because it is a very similar dish to coleslaw that features a raw vegetable in a creamy mayonnaise-based salad dressing. Our easy broccoli salad recipe is basic, elegant and easy to prepare.
Ingredients:
- 2 12-ounce sachets of raw broccoli
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon (bacon bites can be used)
Instructions:
Can you make a broccoli salad with frozen broccoli?
You can use frozen broccoli to make a broccoli salad. However, this requires more steps and the broccoli will have a different consistency than if you use fresh broccoli.
In most broccoli salads, you don’t cook your broccoli so that it stays raw and crunchy. If you use frozen broccoli, however, you will need to boil it slightly.
To use frozen broccoli, place the frozen florets in a pot of water and bring the water to a boil. As soon as it starts to boil, remove the broccoli and transfer it to a bowl of ice water to shock. Let your broccoli drain and dry before adding other ingredients.
How to Store Broccoli Salad
Broccoli salad should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The dressing will continue to mix in the refrigerator and the salad will become more flavorful after an hour.
How long can broccoli salad be stored?
Broccoli salad will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days.
Here are some simple tips:
- Cut your broccoli into small pieces. Since the broccoli is still raw for this dish, you want to make sure the pieces are small enough to be fully coated and softened by the dressing. Also, when the broccoli pieces are the same size as the other salad ingredients, you can get a little bit of everything in each bite.
- Let it marinate. This salad is good right after you make it, but it’s even better after a few hours (or even days) in the refrigerator. The broccoli softens and absorbs the flavours of the dressing – my family loved it on the third day!
- Save a few nuts for the last minute. Of course, I like to make this salad ahead of time so the flavors can develop, but the key to its success is the super crispy, smoky nuts and seeds that cover it. If you add them too soon, they’ll lose their crunch, so save some to sprinkle on just before serving!
Broccoli Salad Presentation Tips
If you’re making this recipe for a barbecue, it would be perfect with veggie burgers, black bean burgers, portobello “dogs” or jackfruit sandwiches. As I said above, this is a perfect recipe to make ahead of time – I think it gets better with time, as the broccoli softens in the sauce and the flavors develop as it sits.