Everyone needs a classic Broccoli Salad Recipe in their arsenal, and this one is the best! Fresh broccoli, bacon, sunflower seeds and more – all covered in a tangy dressing – this broccoli salad doesn’t disappoint.
I have always been a fan of the good old classic broccoli salad recipe. I know that it is a summer favorite for barbeques and potlucks, but funny enough, the first time I published this recipe on Taste and Tell was back in 2010 because of a pregnancy craving. Now, I didn’t get a lot of pregnancy cravings, but apparently, Broccoli Salad was one of them!
Over the years, my sister has become the resident broccoli salad maker for family dinners, but I was craving it again recently (no – not pregnant!) so I decided to go back to this recipe. And I fell back in love all over again. There is something about the crispness of the broccoli, and the sweetness from the raisins and the apples, the saltiness of the bacon – all combined with the tangy dressing that makes this salad one that I know I’ll hold onto for years and years. You can never go wrong with a classic!
Ingredients in a Broccoli Salad Recipe
The ingredients in broccoli salad are pretty straight forward. You can definitely get creative here, too! Here is what I put in my salad:
- broccoli
- bacon
- raisins
- sunflower seeds
- chopped onion
- diced apple
You can swap out the sunflower seeds for another nut of your choice, and use craisins instead of raisins. The diced apple isn’t as common in broccoli salad, but I love the extra sweetness and crunch that it brings. Many people will also add cheddar cheese. Feel free to add or take away ingredients to make it exactly what you want!
Do you cook the broccoli for Broccoli Salad?
Nope – the broccoli goes in raw! You want to cut the florets small so that you get a bite with all of the different ingredients, though.
If you aren’t a fan of raw broccoli, you can blanch the broccoli first and then put it in ice water to stop the cooking. That will take away some of the crunch and the raw taste.
How to make the Broccoli Salad Dressing
Let’s preface this with saying that I know that this salad is not healthy. And that’s why I usually only make it if I’m taking it somewhere, otherwise, I’d be tempted to eat the whole salad myself!!
This Broccoli Salad Dressing consists of only 3 ingredients:
- mayonnaise
- sugar
- white vinegar
All you do is whisk the three ingredients together – easy peasy! I haven’t tried reducing the amount of sugar, but if you want less sweetness, you could definitely try cutting back on the sugar.
What to serve Broccoli Salad With:
Triple Pork Burgers
Open Face Caprese Steak Sandwich
Bacon Wrapped Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
Grilled Brown Sugar Mustard Chicken
More Side Dish Salads
Artichoke Pasta Salad
Potato Salad Recipe with Corn and Poblanos
Korean Cucumber Salad
Tomato and Black Bean Quinoa Salad
Tomato and Herb Salad
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Everyone needs a classic Broccoli Salad Recipe in their arsenal, and this one is the best! Fresh broccoli, bacon, sunflower seeds and more – all covered in a tangy dressing – this broccoli salad doesn’t disappoint.
Ingredients
- 4 stalks fresh broccoli, cut into small florets (about 20 oz)
- 1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup diced apple
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, bacon, raisins, sunflower seeds, red onion, and diced apple. Stir to combine.
- In another bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar. Pour the mayonnaise mixture over the salad and stir until combined.
- Refrigerate salad until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should only be used as a general guideline.
Nutrition
- Calories: 487
- Sugar: 24 g
- Sodium: 734 mg
- Fat: 34 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 21 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 41 mg
Keywords: broccoli salad recipe, broccoli salad with bacon
This recipe was originally posted September 23, 2010, and republished in 2018.
newlywed says
September 23, 2010 at 1:11 pmI love broccoli salad! Thanks for sharing.
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
September 23, 2010 at 1:42 pmBroccoli is so flavorful and that salad looks delicious!
Cheers,
Rosa
Kat says
September 23, 2010 at 1:48 pmThis looks delicious! I love broccoli. Thanks for not getting lost in the pumpkin and apple recipes that are popping up right now. ha!
Barbara says
September 23, 2010 at 3:16 pmI've never made this, Deborah. Looks like a super healthy combo too.
I'm not caught up in the fall flavors yet…but it won't be long.
Joanne says
September 23, 2010 at 5:35 pmHaha I made this for Christmas last year and it was a HUGE hit with the family! Pregnancy cravings are so funny 😛
delishliving.com says
September 23, 2010 at 8:30 pmmmm, i use almost that exact same recipe. its a favorite in this house – even my hubby likes it!!!
Vivienne says
September 24, 2010 at 1:11 amhaha i've never had this kind of salad before! didn't know that broccoli and mayo goes together heh…but now i know and can't wait to give it a try next time!
healthy cravings btw 😉
Monet says
September 24, 2010 at 4:28 amWhat a great craving to have! Broccoli is so good for us! And I must say, it is nice to get a break from all of those Fall recipes. I love broccoli, and I know that I would love this salad. Thank you for sharing!
bonnie says
September 24, 2010 at 4:38 amlove broccoli in any salad, congrats on your new baby!!
sweetlife
Debbi Does Dinner Healthy says
September 24, 2010 at 6:59 pmI love, love, love this salad!! I just don't make it much with the sugar and mayo! It's great to bring to picnics though, thanks!
Ashley says
September 27, 2010 at 12:44 amYum, this reminds me of a recipe that we always had at family potlucks. I am not blogging about fall flavors yet either — it's still 85 degrees in Virginia!!
Cherine says
October 14, 2010 at 8:38 amThis salad looks so good!
Julia says
October 14, 2010 at 6:16 pmOk, maybe pregnancy makes us crave pumpkin and apples and fall flavors. Because it is ALL I want. And this salad I could easily start to crave it too…YUM!
eatme_delicious says
October 16, 2010 at 4:42 pmMy mom makes a similar broccoli salad to this and I LOVE it. So addictive. Your version looks amazing!
rosemarried says
January 10, 2011 at 4:27 pmThis is hilarious to me, as I am making broccoli salad tonight for my pregnant sister's birthday party. She had a craving for it! I haven't had it since I was a kid, so I couldn't remember what all was in it and I stumbled across your blog. I wonder what it is about pregnancy and broccoli salad?!