How To Make Broccoli Salad

It’s hard to beat homemade broccoli salad. This delicious side dish is filled with fresh crisp broccoli, bacon, red onion, sharp Cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and almonds. This is the perfect dish to bring to a potluck or picnic.

I love going to potlucks because you normally get to try everyone’s best dish. This broccoli salad is perfect to bring to a summer picnic or even a potluck.

Everyone has their favorite coleslaw or even potato salad, but not everyone has a broccoli salad. Best of all this dish is quick and easy to put together. You don’t even need to cook this recipe.

Ingredients for Easy Broccoli Salad

Here’s what you need:

• A large broccoli crown or you can buy the regular broccoli and cut off the stalk. You can save the stalk for a salad or even some homemade broccoli cheddar soup.
• Red onion. A white onion will work in a pinch if that is what you have on hand.
• Fresh tomatoes. I have used cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, or even Roma tomatoes for this recipe.
• Bacon, cooked and crumbled
• Shredded Cheddar cheese
• Raisins
• Slivered almonds
• Mayonnaise – if you can use Duke’s or Hellman’s the flavor is really good in these two brands.
• White vinegar
• Sugar
• Salt and pepper

How to Make Broccoli Salad

1. Place broccoli, cooked bacon, onions, almonds, raisins, and cheese in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.

2. Mix together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

3. Pour dressing over broccoli mixture.

4. Add tomatoes and gently stir to combine.

5. Serve immediately or cover salad and store in the refrigerator overnight.

While perfectly tasty when just made, the flavors to get better the longer you allow this salad to rest before serving.

If you cut want to cut the sugar from this you may want to add some Splenda in its place. I personally do like this with raisins. As I am not a fan of raisins, you can omit those as well.

You may want to read how to pick out fresh broccoli

How long is broccoli salad good for in the fridge?

Broccoli salad will last for 3 to 5 days when stored in a covered dish in the refrigerator. Past 5 days, the salad begins to loose it’s optimal flavor.

Do you steam broccoli for broccoli salad?

No, you don’t. In this recipe for broccoli salad, you will leave the broccoli raw.

How do you cut broccoli for broccoli salad?

Wash the broccoli carefully. Shake off the excess water. Grab the broccoli by the stalk and place the stalk over a large bowl. In your other hand grab your favorite chef’s knife.  Hold the knife parallel to the top of the floret, and carefully cut horizontally across the stalk. Your cut should be between ¼ and ½ inch.

You will need to rotate the stalk, so you are continually cutting into the floret. When there is no more floret you can use a vegetable peeler to peel off the stalk of the broccoli, and then chop up the remaining stalk into small pieces.

Possible Variations In This Fresh Broccoli Salad

I hope you give this fresh broccoli salad a try. I make mine with almonds, but I think cashews would work equally as well. The nuts add a nice crispness to this salad that I know you will enjoy.

I think you could also easily add some sliced cucumber or even some chopped red bell pepper for a nice flavor.

I hope you enjoy this broccoli salad recipe, I think you will find it a great addition to your picnic or potluck recipes.

Love broccoli? Check out these recipes

• Broccoli and Rice Casserole
• Garlic Chicken and Broccoli
• Pasta con i Broccoli
• Low Carb Broccoli and Cheese
• Chicken Broccoli Cheddar Bake
• Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe Panera Copycat
• Cream of Broccoli Soup
• Broccoli Beef Recipe
• Broccoli Cheese Pasta
• Broccoli Raisin Nut Salad

Best Potluck Salads

• Simple Macaroni Salad
• Carrot Raisin Salad
• Easy Corn and Black Bean Salad

Take a look at more of my easy salads and summer recipes.

Easy Broccoli Salad

Broccoli salad is an easy and tasty side dish that requires no cooking.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Homemade Broccoli Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 372kcal

Author: Stephanie Manley

Ingredients

• 2 pounds broccoli
• 1/2 pound bacon cooked crisp
• 1/2 cup chopped red onions
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup raisins optional
• 8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes or cherry or grape tomatoes

Instructions

• Wash broccoli and pat dry. Cut off the broccoli flowers, leaving the stems aside. You can save the stems for use with a different recipe. Place broccoli in a large bowl. Crumble crisp bacon and add to bowl. Add chopped red onions, raisins if desired, shredded cheese, and stir. In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, white vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir the dressing together and drizzle over broccoli. Add tomatoes last and gently mix in the tomatoes. Cover salad and store overnight. You can serve immediately if you desire, better flavors result the longer you let the salad rest.

Nutrition

Calories: 372kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 499mg | Potassium: 418mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 690IU | Vitamin C: 69.2mg | Calcium: 196mg | Iron: 1.3mg