Creamy Broccoli Crunch Salad

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Broccoli crunch salad is made using broccoli florets, red onion, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Everything is mixed with a creamy dressing made from mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. You can also swap with coleslaw dressing too!

Crunchy Creamy Broccoli Salad

This creamy broccoli salad is such a handy recipe that can be prepared in 10 minutes! A bit of chopping veggies and then tossing everything together, that’s it!

Between the salty bacon, creamy dressing, tangy red onion, and crunchy seeds, there’s a variety of textures and flavors that make this salad totally delicious! Broccoli is an easy alternative to to lettuce in salad recipes. I just recommend chopping the broccoli florets really small so that they are easy to chew.

Recipe Ingredients

• 17 oz broccoli florets – approx 7 cups or 1 large head of broccoli
• 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled – or ½ cup cooked crumbled bacon
• ½ cup chopped red onion
• ½ cup dried cranberries – or raisins
• ½ cup pumpkin seeds
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds

Salad Dressing:

• ¾ cup mayonnaise – or coleslaw dressing
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar – or white vinegar or lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

How To Make Broccoli Crunch Salad

Full ingredients and instructions are also in the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.

STEP 1: Cook the 6 strips of bacon until it’s crispy. Add to paper towel to absorb excess grease. Crumble into small pieces.

STEP 2: In a small bowl, mix together the ¾ cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper to a small bowl.

STEP 3: Add the 17 oz broccoli florets, ½ cup crumbled bacon, ½ cup chopped red onion, ½ cup dried cranberries, ½ cup pumpkin seeds, and ¼ cup sunflower seeds to a large serving bowl. Mix everything together.

STEP 4: Pour the dressing on top of the broccoli salad. Toss everything together until the broccoli is evenly coated.

You can serve immediately at room temperature, or refrigerate it for 1-2 hours and serve cold.

How To Store Leftovers

Unlike many other salad where the lettuce leaves become wilted the next day, this broccoli salad stores well in the fridge for a few days! It’s perfect to meal prep for lunches. Store the salad in an airtight container, or tightly wrapped in plastic for up to 3-4 days.

Variations

This salad is easy to adapt. You can add more vegetables, seeds and even beans. Here’s some ideas:

• CHOPPED NUTS – Add chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds.
• MORE SEEDS – Sprinkle in hemp seeds, they taste great in salads.
• CAULIFLOWER – Swap half of the broccoli with cauliflower florets.
• CARROTS – Chopped carrots would be easy to add in.
• CHICKPEAS – Add a cup of chickpeas for more protein!

Do You have to use regular mayonnaise?

Nope, this recipe will work with any style of mayonnaise – full-fat, low-fat, miracle whip or a plant-based alternative. You can also swap it for coleslaw dressing which many people have chosen to do with this recipe.

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