Easy Broccoli Salad with Bacon is fresher and tastier than the deli version. Make classic cold broccoli salad with this small batch recipe that's adjustable in size and ingredients.
Perfect for family picnics or summer take-a-dish parties. But good enough for year-round occasions.
🥦Ingredients
Fresh Broccoli
Bacon
Red onion
Cheddar cheese
Dressing—mayonnaise, white vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper
Optional—tomatoes, carrot, celery, raisins, dry cranberries, sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, pecans
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Featured Comment from Emily: "So minimal but so awesome!"
A small batch recipe for creamy cold broccoli salad that is quick and easy to make. It's better than a deli made with perfect creamy dressing and crunchy fresh broccoli, cheese, bacon, and other ingredients of your choice.
This cold broccoli salad is the perfect side dish for barbecues or potluck parties, and you will be the only one without the potato or macaroni salad.
👨🍳How to Make Broccoli Salad—Step-by-Step
1. Start by washing and trimming the broccoli. Trim the florets off and cut them small.
2. Don't throw the broccoli stems away. Trim off the leaves and the tough peel, then cut into ½ inch cubes. You need 2-3 cups for a full recipe—a medium head.
3. Cut up 3-4 slices of bacon and cook until crispy over medium-high heat—about 5 minutes. Drain the bacon on a paper towel.
4. Additional ingredients: ¼ cup (½ medium) chopped red onion and 4 oz. sharp cheddar in small cubes. Optional: A ¼ cup of sliced cherry tomatoes, golden raisins, diced carrot, diced celery, or dried cranberries. Or add some nuts: toasted sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, or pecans.
5. In a small bowl, combine ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper, ½ to 1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar, and ½ to 1 tablespoon sugar. Vary the sugar and vinegar for your taste. Pour into the broccoli mixture and mix to combine.
6. Refrigerate for a few hours for the flavors to come together before serving.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
✔️Tips and variations
- The broccoli needs to be the freshest possible. The older it is, the dryer it will taste, and it will be more like the deli version, which always seems dry.
- A medium head of broccoli will yield about 2-3 cups of broccoli florets—so two medium heads. A large head of broccoli will make 3-4 cups.
- The dressing is a good quality mayonnaise with white or apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. You can use Greek yogurt if you wish for the mayo.
- Use sharp cheddar cheese and cut small cubes or shredded. Other cheese may be used.
- Cutting the bacon into pieces before cooking will make it easier to fry. You can also bake with Cooking Bacon in the Oven.
Optional ingredients-Make it your own.
A half-cup of sliced cherry tomatoes, golden raisins, dried cranberries, diced carrots, diced celery, or dried cranberries are all excellent additions.
Nuts will add some nice crunch. So, a half cup of toasted sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, or pecans would add a great touch.
Summer Salad Recipes
If you need other summer salad ideas, check out Homemade Macaroni Salad, Broccoli Slaw, Caprese Pasta Salad, or Fresh Spinach Salad. Make a complete picnic with Grilled Chicken Drumsticks and a Fresh Strawberry Pie.
How to store broccoli salad
Place leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate them safely for up to 4 days, but it will be better if consumed within 2 days. Do not freeze.
❓FAQs
For a "Healthy Broccoli Salad," substitute a low-fat mayo or lower-fat Greek yogurt. And you can substitute diced ham or Canadian bacon for the bacon.
Food safety
- Wash hands and surfaces before starting.
- Properly rinse and clean fresh vegetables.
- Don't leave food sitting out for over 2 hours if the environmental temperature is under 90° or 1 hour if it is over 90°F. If it is over these time limits, it should be discarded.
- Do not use the same utensils that previously touched raw meat without proper cleaning to prevent cross-contamination.
See Summer Food Safety for more safety tips.
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📖 Recipe
Broccoli Salad with Bacon
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups fresh broccoli - one medium head
- 2 strips bacon
- ½ medium red onion
- ¼ cup sharp cheddar - small cubes
Dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise - low-fat will cut the calories about in half
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ½ to 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ to 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Optional ingredients
- ¼ cup cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots, or celery - halves
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, walnuts
- ¼ cup golden raisins or dried cranberries
Instructions
- Start by washing and trimming the broccoli. Trim the florets off and cut small.
- Don't throw the broccoli stems away. Trim off the leaves and the tough peel, then cut into ½ inch cubes. You need 2-3 cups for a full recipe—that is a medium head.
- Cut up 3-4 slices of bacon and cook until crispy over medium-high heat—about 5 minutes. Drain the bacon on a paper towel.
- Additional ingredients: ¼ cup (½ medium) red onion chopped. 4 oz. sharp cheddar in small cubes. Optional: A ¼ cup of sliced cherry tomatoes, golden raisins, diced carrot, diced celery, or dried cranberries, Or add some nuts: toasted sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, or pecans.
- In a small bowl, combine ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper, ½ to 1 tablespoons white or apple cider vinegar, and ½-1 tablespoon sugar. Vary the sugar and vinegar for your taste. Pour into the broccoli mixture and mix to combine.
- Refrigerate for a few hours for the flavors to come together before serving.
Your Own Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Using low-fat mayonnaise will decrease the calories almost in half.
- This is a very easy recipe to scale down or up for your needs.
- The broccoli needs to be the freshest possible. The older it is, the dryer it will taste.
- A medium head of broccoli will yield about 2-3 cups, and a large head will be 3-4 cups.
- A quarter cup of sliced cherry tomatoes, golden raisins, diced carrot, celery, or dried cranberries are all good additions.
- Nuts will add some nice crunch. So a quarter cup of toasted sunflower seeds, almonds, or pecans would add a great touch.
- The flavors will come together better after overnight refrigeration, but it is also great the day it is mixed.
- Good refrigerated for about two days. The broccoli will seem dry afterward, but it is safe to 4 days if stored and served safely. Safety tips in the post.
- Nutrition calculations use full-fat mayonnaise but none of the optional ingredients.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Based on Food Network's Paula Deen Broccoli Salad recipe. The original Paul Deen recipe needed some modification, more options, and made smaller.
Editor's Note: Originally Published March 13, 2012. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Kate
Instead of the bacon, try using some coarsely chopped Smokehouse Almonds (Blue Diamond brand, I think).
Emily Littlefield
So minimal but so awesome!