This broccoli salad recipe is the ultimate make-ahead side dish—fresh, crunchy, and packed with the salty flavor of crispy bacon, sweet cranberries, and savory Cheddar cheese. With just a few simple ingredients and minimal prep, you can toss it together in minutes and let the flavors meld in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
It's the perfect side dish for potlucks, meal prepping, or for busy weeknights! The whole family is going to love it!
If you're a fan of coleslaw, then you're going to love this simple recipe. This salad has a similar creamy and tangy dressing to what you'd find in coleslaw, but it's so much better. It covers all the bases of texture and flavor: sweet, savory, tangy, crispy, crunch...it's got everything to satisfy your taste buds.
And, my version has a twist. A lot of broccoli salad recipes call for raw broccoli. Once you try it my way--with blanched broccoli--I bet you'll be making it like that from now on. Blanching the broccoli removes the "squeakiness" and raw flavor and also makes the broccoli vibrantly green. Talk about the perfect dish that's a showstopper too!
Plus, that means that when the broccoli sits in the dressing until you're ready to serve, it won't become watery. It's a win-win! Take this to your next picnic or get together and watch it disappear.
Looking for other delicious recipes to serve with it? My smoked gouda macaroni and cheese is a must. So is my sweet potato cornbread. And we can't forget about one of my favorite recipes for a cookout: my red, white, and blue cheese potato salad.
And what about a main dish? Serve my Alabama white sauce atop some pulled smoked chicken, and woo-wee, you've got yourself a delicious dinner. We can't forget about dessert--my banana pudding jars are the perfect ending to a bbq meal. Enough about that though, let's make this broccoli salad!
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Ingredients
Before we get started, let's gather the ingredients we need for this recipe:
- broccoli florets
- mayonnaise
- apple cider vinegar
- granulated sugar
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- sweetened dried cranberries
- bacon
- red onion
- pecans
- Cheddar cheese
(See recipe card for quantities.)
Instructions
Now that we've got our ingredients, it's time to get cooking!
- First, cook the broccoli in boiling salted water just until bright green, about 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and plunge in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and let dry.
- Then, cook the bacon in a large skillet until golden brown and crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Once cooled, cut into large bite-sized pieces.
- Next, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
- Finally, combine broccoli, bacon, cranberries, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Pour the broccoli salad dressing over the broccoli mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate before serving.
Hint: Cut the broccoli into small pieces so they cook evenly and are easier to eat.
Substitutions
Need to make some ingredient swaps? Here are some ideas:
- Fresh broccoli - To make things easy, I buy broccoli florets and then trim down larger pieces. Feel free to buy broccoli crowns or whole heads of broccoli and cut into florets. Or, because the broccoli is blanched, you can even use frozen, thawed broccoli florets.
- Apple cider vinegar - Out of apple cider vinegar? Use regular white vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or rice vinegar instead.
- Granulated sugar - Honey and maple syrup are great substitutes for granulated sugar.
- Cheddar cheese - Instead of sharp Cheddar cheese (I use yellow Cheddar), Colby- Jack, Monterey Jack, and Gouda are all great options.
- Red onion - Shallots are a great swap for the red onion. Or use a sweet onion or green onions if you prefer.
- Dried cranberries - Golden raisins or regular raisins are a great choice in place of the cranberries. Dried cherries are too.
- Pecans - Feel free to use your favorite nuts or seeds in place of the pecans. Walnuts, cashews, peanuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, and crunchy sunflower seeds all work great.
Variations
Check out these ways to change up this great recipe:
- Spicy - Stir a little cayenne pepper into the dressing to give this salad a spicy kick.
- Vegetarian - To make this recipe vegetarian, just omit the bacon.
- Cauliflower Salad - Cauliflower is equally delicious. Swap it out for the broccoli.
- Curried Broccoli Salad - Stir a little curry powder into the dressing to give this a unique twist.
Equipment
Here's the equipment you'll need to make this recipe:
- dry measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- paring knife
- large pot
- large bowl
- colander
- tongs
- large skillet
- rimmed baking sheet
- whisk
- medium bowl
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. (The broccoli will turn darker green because of the vinegar in the dressing.)
This recipe doesn't freeze well.
Tasty Tip
This is one of those recipes that gets better the longer it sits in the fridge, so it's the perfect make ahead side dish.
Frequently asked questions
I like to cut the broccoli florets into equal, bite-size pieces so they're easier to eat and so they cook evenly.
Instead of leaving the broccoli raw like most broccoli salad recipes, I like to blanch it for just about 1 minute. The broccoli is still firm but it becomes bright green and has a more pleasant flavor.
Yes! Refrigerated coleslaw dressing is a great option if you have some on hand.
If you didn't blanch the broccoli then the broccoli salad will become watery. (Another reason why I blanch the broccoli.) The sugar and salt in the dressing will draw out the moisture in the broccoli, so the longer it sits, the more water will release from the broccoli (if it's raw).
I love to pair it with a chicken salad sandwich like they do at Chicken Salad Chick. It's a great barbecue side dish too as an alternative (or addition to) coleslaw.
Related
Looking for other great side dish recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this broccoli salad:
🍽Get the recipe
Simple Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Cheddar
Equipment
- dry measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- paring knife
- large pot
- large bowl
- colander
- tongs
- large skillet
- rimmed baking sheet
- whisk
- medium bowl
Ingredients
- 1 pound broccoli florets
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise (I like Duke's mayonnaise)
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
- ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries
- ½ cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare an ice water bath. Cut the broccoli florets into smaller, bite-size pieces.
- Add the broccoli to the water and cook for 1 minute or until bright green. Drain the broccoli and immediately plunge into the ice water to stop the cooking process.
- Drain the broccoli and set out on a paper towel-lined baking sheet to dry completely.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet until browned and crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Cut into bite-size pieces once cooled enough to handle.
- Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
- Combine the broccoli, bacon, cheese, cranberries, pecans, and onion in a large bowl. Pour the creamy dressing over the broccoli mixture and toss to coat. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
RECIPE GUIDELINES AND TEST KITCHEN TIPS
When developing and testing recipes, here are some key things that I do for more success in the kitchen:
- Be sure to use dry measuring cups for things like flour, sugar, and mayonnaise and a liquid measuring cup for things like water, milk, and broth.
- When measuring dry ingredients like flour and powdered sugar that can pack down, spoon the ingredient into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife as opposed to scooping the measuring cup into the ingredient.
- I test and develop recipes using a standard electric oven and standard gas stovetop. Be aware that if you use an electric stovetop or convection oven, your bake times will be different.
- When recipes call for kosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
Food safety
Finally, don't forget to keep these food safety tips in mind when making this recipe.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
Spencer says
made a mistake and used walnuts. added chicken to make it a meal. very good. great idea to cook the broccoli for a bit first. fantastic recipe !
AshleyFreeman says
Walnuts are a great option and I love that you added chicken. I'll have to give that a try too!
Michele says
This salad was a big hit with our whole family. The smoky bacon really takes it over the top.
AshleyFreeman says
Everything's better with bacon, right?! So glad everyone loved it!
Leslie says
So much flavor and texture in this broccoli salad! This was a delicious party treat!
AshleyFreeman says
Thanks Leslie! Glad you liked it!
Ieva says
Loved this recipe. We made it over Easter for friends and family to enjoy and it was one of everyone's favourites.
AshleyFreeman says
Awesome! I love that you can make it ahead!
Swathi says
Simple broccoli salad with bacon and cheddar is delicious I have tried for our dinner.
AshleyFreeman says
Hooray! So glad you liked it!
Andrea says
This salad was so fresh and flavorful—my family loved the combo of crispy bacon, cheddar, and cranberries!
AshleyFreeman says
Fantastic Andrea! Thanks so much for sharing!
Nicole Kendrick says
I love the crunch of the broccoli and nuts with the sweetness of the cranberries and the dressing. This is tasty!
AshleyFreeman says
Yay! So glad you liked it!