Broccoli Crunch Salad

My easy broccoli crunch salad is made in a creamy sweet dressing with bacon, cheddar cheese, sunflower seeds, and red onion. It’s made in just 15 minutes and includes a quick 3-ingredient dressing.

All About My Easy Broccoli Salad!

I am all about making easy and lighter foods in the summer and honestly, when I make this broccoli salad, I make it obsessively every week for about a month because it’s that good.

I really focused on the idea of being able to make it ahead of time so it could truly be an easy lunch or side dish to add. Keeping the broccoli raw and crunchy allows the dressing to sit on the salad without the dish going soggy.

And, I love making this on weeks I’m already cooking bacon for breakfast. I just make a few extra slices, crumble them up, and toss them in!

Broccoli Salad with Bacon Ingredients

• Broccoli – I chop mine into bite-sized pieces so they mix well with everything and are easy to eat. Fresh broccoli gives that best crisp texture.
• Bacon – This adds a salty, savory crunch that gives the salad a more salty and savory flavor. I prefer to use fresh bacon over pre-packaged bacon bits for more flavor.
• Cheddar cheese – I use shredded cheddar for a sharp flavor that pairs really well with the dressing.
• Sunflower seeds – These give the salad its signature crunch and a slightly nutty flavor. Pumpkin seeds also work well!
• Red onion – I chop the onion pretty fine so it adds flavor without overpowering the rest of the ingredients.
• Dressing – I whisk together mayo, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper to make a quick dressing that’s creamy, sweet, and has a ton of flavor. Tossing it with the raw broccoli helps it not absorb into the salad, so it stays fresh overnight.

How to Make Broccoli Crunch Salad 

STEP ONE: In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper. Set the salad dressing aside for later. 

STEP TWO: In a large bowl, toss the broccoli, bacon bits, cheddar cheese, sunflower seeds, and red onion together.

STEP THREE: Pour the dressing over the broccoli ingredients then chill until ready to eat!

Recipe Tips

• Chop the broccoli into even bite-sized pieces. Nothing’s worse than realizing they’re too big to eat and they’re much harder to cut up after being coated with dressing.
• Chop the red onion into thin small pieces. Red onion tends to be very powerful when raw, so small pieces allows just hints of flavor in each bite. If the flavor is still too potent, soak the chopped onion in water for about 5 minutes to cut the strong flavor.
• Letting the salad chill before serving helps the flavors come together and taste even better. Plus, a short chilling time can actually help crisp up the broccoli! 
• Use freshly crumbled bacon for the best crispy texture. Bacon bits work okay, but fresh bacon really gives the salad a nice savory and salty crunch.

Variations and Substitutions

• Make it lighter. To make a lighter salad, swap out half the mayo for plain greek yogurt. All the mayo can be swapped out, but I find half and half to be the best ratio to keep the creaminess.
• Add the other classics. Some people really like cranberries and raisins in their salad. If you do, you will love the addition in there. They’re not really my thing so I skip it.
• Switch up the seeds. The sunflower seeds are added for an extra texture crunch and saltiness, so other seeds like pumpkin seeds will work in place of them. Chopped nuts work too!

What to Serve with Cold Broccoli Salad

On rainy days when I need to bring the backyard BBQ festivities indoors, I love making broccoli crunch salad to go with hamburgers in the oven, hot dogs in the oven, or air fryer turkey burgers!

When the weather cooperates and we want to grill out, my broccoli salad is amazing to pair with grilled chicken legs, grilled sirloin steak, or grilled pork chops!

Broccoli Crunch Salad FAQs

How can I keep the broccoli crisp?

I keep my broccoli crisp by starting with very fresh broccoli and making sure it’s completely dry before tossing it with the dressing.

More Easy Salad Recipes

• Chicken caesar salad
• Chopped salad
• Watermelon salad
• Pea salad with eggs
• Caprese salad
• Cucumber salad