Need an easy side dish? Make this Creamy Broccoli Salad! It’s full of fresh broccoli, red onion, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and bacon mixed in a creamy, delicious dressing. This classic is always a hit!
Hooray for summertime! My kids finished their last day of school last Thursday and today was the first day in the last week that I woke up to sunshine instead of foggy weather!
Here I am, acting like I’m excited for summer when I’m really not too thrilled. Summer means the crazy schedule is over (until football in August) but it also means my kids are home with me alllllllll day long.
Nope. I’m not one of those moms that sticks her kids in summer camps and all that jazz. I’d like to say I plan all these fun activities and that’s why I don’t do summer camp but the truth is, I’m too cheap! Those camps are like, $240 a week per kid! And I have FOUR! Yeah, no. That’s not happening.
But this is also a good thing because they’ll be able to help me in the kitchen more and maybe I’ll teach my oldest to take my food pictures for me. Or edit them. Or both! Ooh. I like the sound of that! That’s making me even more excited for the next couple of months!
But what also gets me excited for summer, is the food. I L-O-V-E barbecuing. I love anything grilled and I love summer side dishes and desserts. Today I’m sharing a family favorite recipe my mom used to make (and I’m betting you’ve made it or eaten it a time or two before too!) – Creamy Broccoli Salad.
My husband is a crazy fan of this salad and I’ve ofttimes had to hide it while it’s marinating in the fridge or else I’ll find the entire thing is gone when dinner time comes around. 😉 It’s such a creamy, crunchy, flavorful broccoli salad – you won’t be able to stop eating it. Honestly. It’s just that good!
Don’t take my word for it, try it out today! It may sound odd, broccoli with dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and bacon but do not be fooled. It’s the best flavor combo ever. I’ve tried lightening the recipe up a bit by using Truvia in place of sugar and using light mayo instead of regular. But I figure since it’s a BROCCOLI salad, it’s okay to have a little extra calories since it’s full of veggies, right?! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. fresh broccoli cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 lb. bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1 small red onion diced finely
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup sunflower seed kernels
- 1 cup light mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Truvia Baking Blend or 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. white vinegar
Instructions
- Toss broccoli with bacon, onion, cranberries and sunflower kernels.
- Whisk together mayo, sugar and vinegar. Toss dressing in with broccoli salad an hour or two before serving. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Stir before serving. Enjoy!
Ooh, this is such a pretty salad, Jen! Your photos are so bright and crisp! I hear you on summer. How are we going to make it?? At least I have my boys in camp for a lot of it. I feel sorry for you to have no help and still need to work! xo
I’m already going nuts, Andi! lol! I just keep reminding myself that “I’m making memories” or whatever it is people say…haha! Thanks friend! <3
Sounds like the perfect salad for summer!!! 🙂
It definitely is! Thank you so much!!
Der Jen, Your broccoli salad looks delicious. I love this…perfect for summer cookouts and gatherings. I must try this. xo, Catherine
Thanks Catherine! It is seriously the best ever!
It would be very nice to eat.
Thanks for the recipe…………………….. Jen
The broccoli salad looks delicious, but how can it be healthy with a pound of bacon in it? How much less could I get away with in the. Recipe?
You’re definitely right! Not the healthiest of my recipes. You can definitely tone down the bacon, even to just a few slices, and also use low fat mayo.
I’ve made this before, (yummo and thank you!) I will be making this for our family get together this weekend. How much does the posted recipe yield (wondering if I should double or triple the recipe). Thanks again!
Hi Jennifer! I’m thrilled you like the salad! I would say the recipe makes 4-6 servings. And it’s really yummy…so I would say triple the recipe. 🙂
Good base recipe. But the dressing needed some milk. Thanks for a great one!
This salad is delicious. I’ve had a few requests for the recipe. Thanks for sharing. This is definitely my go to from now on.
I loved this salad. I used the Stevia instead of sugar. I need to eliminate sugar anywhere I can for my hubby who has diabetes. I left out the onions and didn’t miss them. Great way to get more veggies to my family, surrounded by bacon!
This is delicious, my family loved it. This will be my salad for the Summer.
I would like to make the broccoli salad for a party and will need a double batch so do I just double up on everything
Yep! Just double up all the ingredients and you should be good to go!
I’m new to the idea of making a salad with broccoli, but your pics look sooo inviting I wish I’m having it right now.
However, your recipe didn’t mention cooking the broccoli first. Does that mean I toss fresh RAW broccoli?
Kindly enlighten me on this.
Thanks very much!
Hi! Yep, the broccoli is raw. But trust me, it’s sooooo good!
This recipe was popular with kids and the adults in the house, which rarely happens, right? I used plain Greek yogurt to bring down the fat content and used just enough to coat everything. So Yummy – thanks for the idea for a salad without lettuce!
Yay!! So glad you liked it!