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.
Recipe Tips
- One or two large heads of broccoli make up the base of this salad. I like to cut my broccoli florets extra small so that they're easy to chew.
- Pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds add extra crunch. You can use raw or roasted, just with shells removed. Walnuts will also work.
- Save time and buy a bag of pre-cut broccoli florets, no chopping necessary! Cooked and crumbled bacon can also be purchased too if you're in a time pinch.
- If you're cooking the bacon yourself (and not buying a pack of pre-crumbled bacon) then cook and crumble the strips the night before. Store them in the fridge until ready to assemble the salad.
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.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links) - Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- NeverDull Premium Knife Set - This knife set has premium sharp blades and a built-in sharpener. Perfect for chopping and slicing.
- Magnetic Measuring Spoons - I love these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized together when storing them
- Light Grey Frying Pan - A nonstick frying pan with soft touch handle like the one I used in the photos to cook my bacon.
- Wood Salad Serving Spoons - Beautiful wood spoons to serve your salad with.
Free Workshop: Dinner Made Easy
End the 5PM dinner panic once and for all.
Join me in this free online workshop where I’ll show you my simple 3-step system to make dinner stress-free (and actually get your family to eat it).
Broccoli Crunch Salad
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
Instructions
- Cook the 6 strips of bacon until it's crispy. Add to paper towel to absorb excess grease. Crumble into small pieces.
- 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.
- In a small bowl, make the dressing. Mix together the ¾ cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper.
- Pour the dressing on top of the broccoli mixture. Toss everything together until all vegetables are evenly coated.
- You can serve immediately at room temperature, or refrigerate the salad for 1-2 hours and then serve chilled.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Info
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.
Freda says
Thank you for sharing and for suggesting the chickpeas. I had no bacon, so I rinsed and drained a can and this broccoli salad was to-die-for!