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Tantalize your taste buds with the best broccoli crunch salad! Crisp broccoli florets, crunchy bacon, sweet cranberries, and tangy red onions come together in a salad full of flavors and textures. Tossed with a creamy but healthy dressing, this salad is a balance of freshness, sweetness, and crunch.
Why you'll love this recipe
Basically, I've taken the classic broccoli salad that is served at potlucks everywhere and added some tart dried cranberries + bacon taking it up a level.
Then, I made a slightly healthier version made with honey instead of refined sugar and updated the tangy dressing to include Greek yogurt to cut through the mayonnaise or Miracle Whip.
This side dish is perfect for a summer picnic or potluck salad. Along with Healthy Broccoli Slaw and Creamy Potato Salad, they're always a hit with family and friends. Best of all, it only takes a few minutes to throw together.
I think we all know how delicious a broccoli salad can be. This recipe is no doubt super tasty or I wouldn't be sharing it with you!
While this crowd pleaser and family favorite is most certainly a summertime salad that’s a picnic and potluck favorite, it's also a great recipe for a delicious and filling cold lunch option.
Oh, and not to get all geeky on you, but with its bright green color, the broccoli is a vitamin C powerhouse. KA-POW!
Ingredients
Alrighty, let's talk about what's going into this broccoli salad...
- Fat free Greek yogurt - you can use whole milk yogurt if you like
- Mayonnaise
- Apple cider vinegar – good for gut health! You can also use white vinegar if you prefer
- Honey – nature’s sweetness
- Fresh broccoli florets
- Red onion
- Dried cranberries – I love the contrast the tart cranberries make against the rich dressing. Sometimes you'll see the Ocean Spray brand at the grocery store, aka "craisins". Dried cherries can be substituted to mix things up
- Roasted sunflower seeds – for a little crunch + a little nutty flavor. You could also substitute pumpkin seeds, especially in the autumn months
- Crispy bacon – for real, it needs to be crispy bacon, soggy bacon just won't do. Because crispy and salty bacon makes everything tastier.
If you want to be ahead of the meal prep game, use your oven for make ahead bacon.
How to make broccoli crunch salad
This recipe is super easy to put together….
Make the creamy dressing in a large bowl. Mix the yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar and honey in a medium bowl.
Take the extra minute to cut it into bite size pieces. Have you ever taken a huge bite of broccoli? Then you know that it's some serious chew work, friends. Let the knife do the work now; not your incisors.
Add the broccoli florets and red onions to the dressing. Use a large spoon to toss to coat in the dressing mixture.
Add the dried cranberries (or craisins), sunflower seeds and bacon to the mixing bowl.
Stir to combine and chill until you're ready to serve.
Meal Prep Shortcuts
- Head to the produce aisle at the grocery story to pickup precut chopped broccoli florets.
- Use precooked bacon bits from the grocery store or if you've made bacon ahead of time (you genius, you) you already have bacon in your freezer
- Combine the dressing ingredients and store in an airtight container. Make the rest of the broccoli salad (the broccoli, red onion, sunflower seeds, etc.) and store that separately.
- Dress the salad just before serving.
Recipe Variations
- A delicious addition is shredded cheddar cheese, or any mild cheese, really
- You can use a cauliflower and broccoli mixture to give added color and texture.
Here's a low carb broccoli salad version if you want to check it out!
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers for 2-3 days in an airtight container.
FAQS
If you keep your broccoli salad refrigerated and covered, it's good for 2-3 days. After that the dressing may start to get watery.
I really like the crunchy broccoli so I keep mine uncooked. If you want to give your broccoli a quick steam, you can do that. Just be sure to limit the cooking time and remove it before. it's fully cooked. Shock it in ice water to stop the cooking and be sure to drain the broccoli well so it doesn't water down the salad.
What to serve with broccoli salad
This is a delicious side dish alongside honey mustard grilled chicken, pulled pork sliders or steak.
Other salad recipes you'll enjoy
If you make this broccoli crunch salad recipe, leave a recipe review or comment below. I'd love to hear from you!
Broccoli Crunch Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup fat free Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 4 cups broccoli florets cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 Tablespoon chopped red onion
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds
- 2 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- To make the dressing: Mix the yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar in a medium sized bowl.
- Add the broccoli and red onions to the dressing. Use a large spoon to coat the broccoli in the dressing.
- Add the cranberries, sunflower seeds, and bacon. Stir gently to mix.
- Season with salt and black pepper, if desired. Refrigerate until time to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
This post was originally published March 2020 and updated June 2023.
Christa
Thinking of making this for our side-lines supper tonight.
Thoughts about briefly blanching the broccoli first?
Will that ruin it?
Deanne Frieders
Absouletly, I you want a little less crunch you can blanch it. Just be sure to drain it well.
Lindsay
Was curious how you think this recipe would stay fresh? The hubby is deployed so it’s me and the kiddos and let’s be honest they don’t always want to eat what mom is eating!!
Deanne Frieders
Hi Lindsay, isn't it the truth? We want something different than chicken nuggets all the time ;). This will stay fresh for 3-4 days! I usually portion it out as part of my lunch meal prep. Enjoy!