Valentina Ablaev
This broccoli cauliflower salad is the perfect crunchy summer dish! The salad is packed with crisp broccoli and cauliflower florets, enhanced by cheese, sunflower seeds, and sweet cranberries. The homemade dressing harmonizes all the ingredients.
You simply can’t go wrong with broccoli when it comes to a BBQ side salad. We love our classic broccoli bacon salad, and this cauliflower variation is the perfect way to elevate it!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This broccoli salad is the perfect salad to make in advance for a delicious, quick, and easy summer potluck salad. This salad is the ideal BBQ side salad to serve with bbq grilled chicken for a complete meal.
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Ingredients
- Bacon – chopped into small bite-sized pieces, the bacon adds a salty and delicious crunch.
- Raw broccoli & cauliflower – the perfect vegetables, cut into small, bite-sized florets.
- Onion – red onion adds a great flavor and crunch to this salad.
Swap: You can also use sweet onion instead of red onion, but we don’t recommend yellow onion. - Cheese – shredded cheddar cheese adds a great flavor to this salad!
Switch it up: Cube up the cheese like in our broccoli and cheese salad! - Sunflower seeds – crispy sunflower seeds add a great crunch to the salad!
Substitute: Level up your salad by adding pistachios, pecans, and even pumpkin seeds. - Craisins – nothing beats a sweet and salty combination, and craisins make the perfect addition. You can also use raisins!
- Salad dressing – a combination of mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar- makes the ideal tangy and delicious dressing.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Switch up the dressing: Bring a delicious flavor variation to this salad by switching up the dressing! Use a greek salad dressing or our homemade poppyseed salad dressing, play around with the flavors, and get creative!
- Add protein: Add grilled chicken to make this salad more filling and a full meal!
- Add pasta: We absolutely love a classic pasta salad, and this broccoli salad can be made the same way! Add cooked pasta to the salad, making for a complete meal.
How to Make Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad
- Add the broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, and remaining ingredients to a salad bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the salad dressing ingredients.
- Add the dressing to the salad and toss.
Expert Tips:
- The best part of broccoli is that it doesn’t get soggy in the dressing! Use this to your advantage and meal prep this salad!
Serving Suggestions
- Summer bbq: Serve this broccoli salad with a classic pulled pork sandwich! The perfect summer meal.
- Fourth of july: This is a must-serve side dish at every Fourth of July party! Serve with grilled chicken & veggie kabobs, and a classic baked potato for the perfect meal.
Recipe FAQs
Nope! The broccoli and cauliflower are added to the recipe raw for this broccoli salad with bacon! When the sweet and savory dressing is added, it penetrates the raw vegetables, making them creamy and flavorful and enjoyable uncooked.
Even though the salad is excellent, you can substitute the craisins for raisins or dried cherries. The sunflower seeds may be substituted for sliced almonds. If you don’t like cheese, leave it out altogether. The grated cheese may be substituted for finely cubed mild cheddar cheese.
We use a creamy mayo dressing for this broccoli salad.
For the best results, assemble the salad and keep the dressing on the side. Store in the fridge until ready to serve! Toss the salad in the dressing right before serving, and enjoy!
Store & Reheat
- Storage. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator, in an airtight container. The salad will keep fresh for 3 days.
- Freeze. We don’t recommend freezing this salad.
More Salad Recipes
If you enjoyed this broccoli salad recipe, be sure to try our other favorite salad recipes; here are some of our favorites:
If you tried this broccoli cauliflower salad recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate it!
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 pack bacon, chopped & cooked (8 oz)
- 3 cups raw cauliflower, small florets
- 3 cups raw broccoli, small florets
- 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup mild cheddar, grated
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/3 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
Dressing-
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
Instructions
- Cook the chopped bacon in a pan until crispy. Set the bacon on a paper towel to cool.
- Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into small florets. Finely chop the onion.
- Add broccoli, cauliflower, onion, cheese, sunflower seeds, cranberries, and bacon to a large salad bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the salad dressing ingredients.
- Add the dressing to the salad bowl, and toss.
- Serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- This broccoli stores well because of the broccoli and cauliflower! Meal prep this salad and enjoy as a quick and easy lunch.
- Store leftover salad in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
