It’s a cliché, but clichés exist for a reason: bacon makes everything better. Case in point? Broccoli Bacon Salad. You’re going to eat your veggies with gusto when they’re paired with crispy, smoky bacon, sweet-tart cranberries, and a creamy dressing that pulls it all together.
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Why You’ll Love This Broccoli Bacon Cranberry Salad Recipe
- A Classic (and Family Favorite). This broccoli bacon salad is a play on the one my aunt used to bring every year to our family reunions. Like this Broccoli Cauliflower Salad, it’s a little bit naughty (ahem, bacon), a little bit nice (all that broccoli; also bacon is pretty nice), and perfect for any cookout, barbecue, or even holiday.
- Lightened Up, But Still Delish. My aunt’s original broccoli salad recipe called for a creamy mayo- and sugar-based dressing, but I use a Greek yogurt base, which is equally creamy, with a bit of tang that adds another dimension to the flavor.
- Excellent for Making Ahead. This broccoli cranberry salad with bacon is perfect for a party because you can make it a day in advance to get a head start. Add the dressing and the broccoli softens a bit; dress it just before serving and it stays tender-crisp.
- Big Flavor and Texture. Broccoli bacon salad has lots of interesting flavors and textures, from the crunchy broccoli and toasty sunflower seeds to the chewy cranberries, smoky, crisp bacon, and creamy dressing. You want variety? This salad delivers!
5 Star Review
“This was fabulous! Served this to my entire family for our Christmas get together today and it was a true hit.”
— Tami —
How to Make Broccoli Bacon Salad
The Ingredients
- Bacon. I love to use my method for Oven Baked Bacon or Air Fryer Bacon to ensure I get the crispiest and most delicious bacon every single time.
- Broccoli. While other recipes may ask you to steam broccoli for broccoli salad, a quick blanch is all that’s needed here. The broccoli develops the ideal crisp-tender texture.
- Green Onions. For freshness and bite.
- Cranberries. Colorful and scrumptious little jewels of sweetness.
- Sunflower Seeds or Pepitas. For a little added crunch. You could also make this broccoli bacon salad with almonds or walnuts.
- Dressing. Greek yogurt, olive oil, rice vinegar, black pepper, salt, and honey come together to create a truly tasty dressing for this salad.
The Directions
- Blanch the Broccoli. Drop it into boiling water for about a minute.
- Cool. Transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking.
- Dry. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- Make the Dressing. I like to use a liquid measuring cup because it’s easier to pour.
- Finish. Add all of the salad ingredients except the bacon and sunflower seeds to a bowl. Pour the dressing over the top and toss to coat. Add the bacon and seeds just before serving and ENJOY!
Meal Plan Tip
The salad can be made and stored in the refrigerator up to 1 day in advance. For a crisp, brighter salad, store the dressing separately; for a more mellow texture and flavor, dress it before refrigerating.
What to Serve with Broccoli Bacon Salad
- Holiday Sides. In my family, this broccoli bacon salad is a holiday staple served alongside favorites like Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Turkey, and Cornbread Stuffing.
- Proteins. I also love having this salad on hand as an easy side dish for Grilled Chicken Breast and Air Fryer Pork Chops.
- Other Salads. If you’re making this broccoli bacon salad for a backyard barbecue, serve it with other make-ahead salads like Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad and Healthy Potato Salad.
Leftover Ideas
If you have a small amount of leftovers and you’re wondering what to do with them, use them as a topper for a baked sweet potato (or an Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potato). The flavors work really well together!
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Cut Evenly Sized Florets. This ensures they all finish cooking at the same time. Make sure they’re also bite-sized—you don’t want to have to use a knife and fork to eat this salad!
- Don’t Overcook the Broccoli. You want it to retain some of its crisp texture to keep your broccoli bacon salad from being sad and soggy.
- Dry the Broccoli Well. Because of its shape, it’s very easy for broccoli to smuggle excess moisture into your salad, which means a watered down dressing. We don’t want that! Be sure to pat the broccoli dry.
Broccoli Bacon Salad
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 1 minute
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Broccoli bacon salad is a classic! With crisp broccoli, smoky bacon, sweet-tart cranberries in a creamy dressing, it's easy and always a hit.
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Ingredients
For the Salad
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon cooked*
- 8 cups chopped fresh broccoli florets about 1 pound
- 5 small green onions or 3 large white and green parts, thinly sliced
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds or toasted pepitas
For the Dressing
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt I used non-fat
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1-2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- If necessary, cook the bacon according to one of my easy cooking methods listed below. Once cool, crumble and set aside.
- Blanch the broccoli: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Add the broccoli florets and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Remove from the hot water with a slotted spoon and plunge immediately into the ice bath to stop the cooking and set the green color. Drain, spread on a clean kitchen towel, and pat dry. Transfer to a large kitchen bowl, then add the green onions and cranberries.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, rice vinegar, pepper, salt, and 1 tablespoon honey. Taste and add a little more honey if additional sweetness is desired. Pour over the broccoli mixture, then toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, top with crumbled bacon and sunflower seeds.
Notes
- *Easy bacon cooking methods: Oven Baked Bacon or Air Fryer Bacon.
- TO MAKE AHEAD: Can be made and stored in the refrigerator up to 1 day in advance. Top with bacon and pepitas just before serving.
- TO STORE: Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days, though the bacon will become somewhat soft.
- Adapted from my Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 8)Calories: 204kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 7gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 13mgPotassium: 389mgFiber: 3gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 650IUVitamin C: 83mgCalcium: 68mgIron: 1mg
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This was fabulous! Served this to my entire family for our Christmas get together today and it was a true hit. I think I could drink this dressing. First time I’ve ever tried rice vinegar — you are really expanding my horizons — and we all enjoyed this beautiful salad. Had just a bit left and I will be enjoying it tomorrow! Thanks for sharing such wonderful, beautiful and tasty recipes!
YAY!!! I’m so happy to hear that Tami Thank you so much for trying this recipe and not being afraid to go for the rice vinegar. I love that you went for something new. I hope you had a very Merry Christmas!
Can you use fresh cranberries and Truvia? How long would you have to cook them?
Hi! I haven’t tried either of these substitutions, so both would be an experiment. The fresh cranberries wouldn’t need to be cooked, but you should be aware that they will have a very tart taste compared to the dried. I would recommend sticking with the maple vs. Truvia for the dressing. In addition to sweetness, it also adds a nice flavor to the recipe that Truvia alone would not. If you decide to make the recipe, I would love to hear how it turns out!
Made the salad today in order to take to a BBQ. Looks beautiful. Vineagrette tastes yummy. Curious, if you had “liquid” on bottom of bowl?? Does it hurt veggies? Looking forward to supper.
Deanna, I am so happy you enjoyed this! The liquid won’t hurt anything. You can either transfer the salad to a different bowl (discarding the liquid) or simply serve with a slotted spoon. Happy Fourth of July!
Hi Erin:
I ‘m looking for holiday sides and this looks great. My family are all vegetarian so I’ll omit the bacon but just curious if you have any ideas for a vegetarian alternative for the bacon?
Hi Julie! You could sprinkle some feta on the salad! That would be so pretty and add a bit of saltiness (bacon is salty, so it’s a good option). I hope you love it!
This was scrumptious! I used pistachios for the nuts because I didn’t have pepitas.
Hi Jocelyn! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Definitely the best way to eat broccoli! I could eat it every day. I really like the addition of dried cranberries. It has so much texture going on and the dressing is a really nice compliment to the fresh chopped up broccoli.
Thank you Tatiana!
This salad has a little of everything, it makes eating broccoli fun! I love the addition of the cranberries and sunflower seeds. It is so good! I need to remember to make this more! Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Glad you enjoyed it, Suzie!
Exactly the broccoli salad recipe I was looking for! All ingredients shine through without being drenched in the dressing. My family enjoyed this salad so much. I will definitely be making it again. Thank you, Erin!
So glad to hear, thank you Samantha!
This sounds really good, but I don’t like plain yogurt, so would I sub mayo? Or sour cream?
Hi Kathy, yes, you could probably substitute it with either. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!