This broccoli cranberry salad with bacon is an easy summer salad recipe and makes a great addition to any cookout. Loaded with flavor from the fresh broccoli florets, dried cranberries, crispy bacon, red onion, cheddar cheese, and sunflower seeds. Then tossed with creamy mayo and sour cream dressing. This salad screams summertime.
This broccoli bacon salad recipe is quick and easy to make in a short amount of time. Making it the perfect side dish to enjoy at a cookout this summer.
This broccoli cranberry salad recipe is quite simple to make. Even though it's loaded with green veggies this summer salad is quickly becoming a family favorite. Of course, our easy salad recipes for potato salad, macaroni salad, and seafood salad are still among our top summer salad favorites.
This delicious salad has layers of texture and flavors. The tart cranberries complement the crunch from the small florets of broccoli. Salty bacon and the tangy dressing really pulls together all the ingredients.
How To Make
Let's start with the simple creamy dressing that coats this broccoli cranberry salad, I make mine with mayo and sour cream. To help cut the calories in this recipe I use Hellmann's light mayonnaise. You could also use Greek yogurt if you like.
We use sugar to help sweeten the dressing up a bit. Honey would be a great replacement for the sugar. In a small bowl mix together sour cream, mayo, white wine vinegar, pepper, and salt
When it comes to the broccoli I find that cutting it into small pieces is best. I like crunchy broccoli for this salad, however, if you don't you could blanch the broccoli. Just add it to boiling water for 60 seconds then place it into a cold water bath until it cools.
Then pat it dry making sure that all the extra water is removed from the broccoli. Any extra water might make the dressing separate. We do use white wine vinegar in the dressing, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, or red wine vinegar would work as a replacement.
As for the bacon I used real bacon bits that you find in the salad aisle at the grocery store. To get a nice crunch from the bacon you could use freshly cooked bacon. We have a quick and easy oven baked bacon recipe that you may find helpful.
If cooking bacon for this recipe you will want about 7 to 8 strips. Pat all the grease from the bacon strips and allow it to cool completely before adding it to the salad.
Dried cranberries can be replaced with raisins. I have made it both ways, both are just as equally delicious. Use whichever you have on hand or you like best.
So I am a cheese lover but for this recipe, I found that using half of a cup was plenty. You could add a whole cup if you like. I also prefer mild cheddar over sharp cheddar cheese for this broccoli cranberry salad.
Let It Chill
Once you have all the salad ingredients mixed together in a large bowl, it will need to chill for at least one hour. The longer the broccoli cranberry salad has to chill the better the flavors will marry together.
Chilling will also allow for the fresh broccoli that wasn't blanched to soften a bit but still have a bit of crunch. Now don't think I haven't dug my fork into this freshly made salad because my fork marks might still be on the bowl in this image. It tastes great freshly made but with a bit of chill time it does taste even better.
This is one of those recipes that is great to make ahead of time. You can make it the night before and let it chill overnight. Broccoli cranberry salad will last stored in an airtight container for about 3 days.
Now that the warmer weather of summer is in sight soon the invitations to cookouts will be. This easy broccoli salad recipe is the perfect quick and easy recipe to bring along to those cookouts. Or make a bowl full and enjoy it with our gumbo burgers or our grilled steak kabobs recipe.
Hope you enjoy this easy summer salad recipe. I'm off to enjoy a plate of this delicious broccoli cranberry salad.
Easy broccoli recipes you may enjoy are:
Broccoli Cranberry Salad With Bacon
This broccoli cranberry salad with bacon is an easy summer salad recipe. Loaded with flavor from the fresh broccoli, dried cranberries, bacon, and nutty sunflower seeds. Mixed together with a creamy may and sour cream dressing. This easy to make broccoli salad is a must have summer salad.
Ingredients
- 5-6 Cups Broccoli florets
- ⅔ Cup Cranberries dried
- ½ Cup Bacon crumbled
- ½ Cup Mild Cheddar Cheese shredded
- ½ Cup Sunflower Seeds
- ⅓ Cup Red Onion diced small
Dressing
- ¼ Cup Sour Cream
- ¾ Cup Mayo
- 1½ Tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons Sugar
- ½ Teaspoon Pepper
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
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Cut broccoli into florets and place into a large mixing bowl.
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Add the cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, bacon, sunflower seeds, and onion into the mixing bowl with the broccoli.
Dressing
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In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the sour cream, mayo, vinegar, sugar, pepper, and salt. Whisk until the dressing is smooth and combined.
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Add the dressing into the large mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Stir until everything is well combined.
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Cover With plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.
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Before serving mix the broccoli salad again.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
The nutritional value may vary depending on the ingredients used.
The broccoli salad can be served right away but it's best to allow for the one hour of chill time. This gives time for the broccoli time to soften up a bit from the dressing.
Hellmann's light mayonnaise is the mayo I used to make this salad.
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