Everyone needs to know how to put together a classic bacon broccoli salad. It’s so easy to whip up and tends to be a hit with most people! This recipe can be made all year round, and it’s the perfect option for potlucks!
Once upon a time, I worked in downtown Calgary at an oil and gas company. There was a woman that I worked with named Mary who was famous for her broccoli salad that she would bring to staff potluck suppers. To sum Mary up, she was a wonderful woman from Newfoundland who could cook like a boss, was hilarious beyond measure and her favourite saying was “Lord Lamp-lighting Jesus” when she was worked up about something. And her broccoli salad was the BEST I have ever tasted. Plus, we all know that any recipe that kicks off with “bacon” is going to go down pretty well, just like my Classic Caesar Salad.
Also, once upon a time, I could actually eat broccoli. Oh, to be in my early 20s again when I had a cast iron stomach. Now I can’t eat broccoli, but I do have Mary’s recipe and technique for making the best broccoli salad ever.
Cut everything as small as you can. Tiny, tiny, TINY little broccoli trees. Mary said she would take her cutting board to the living room on a TV tray and watch the tube as she chopped and chopped and chopped to make a massive salad to feed the whole office. While you don’t have to watch TV or make a quadruple batch, if you make sure that the ingredients in this are small, you’ll understand how the way they blend together makes this a fantastic broccoli salad!
Ingredients in Broccoli Salad
- Broccoli – florets, chopped very small
- Red onion – finely diced
- Raisins – I use dark Thompson raisins
- Sunflower seeds– salted and hulled
- Bacon – cooked and then crumbled into small pieces
- Mayonnaise – you can use low fat, but the texture of the dressing will change slightly
- White sugar – use Splenda or your favorite no-sugar sweetener to make it low-carb
- White vinegar – you can also try using cider vinegar for a unique taste
How to make Broccoli Salad
- Place all of the salad ingredients into a medium-sized bowl.
- Prepare the dressing by mixing the mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar together until smooth. Stir into the salad ingredients.
- Cover the bowl and let the salad chill – Mary would let it chill overnight and then bring it to the potluck, which was spectacular!
- Serve cold.
Try a different salad dressing.
If you fancy spicing up your dressing, try Jamie Oliver’s style! Start by peeling some ginger and grating it into a bowl. Then stir in some sesame oil, olive oil, soy sauce, and lime juice. Then, add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar before whisking the dressing together. Easy!
How healthy is broccoli salad?
To make this healthy, simply use low-fat mayo and watch the sugar! You can use as little as you want to make the dressing to your taste! Healthy food doesn’t have to be boring, and this is the perfect example! The classic bacon broccoli salad is super healthy and completely customizable depending on your tastes. Why not add some grapes or cranberries, too, for an added boost of flavour?
What should you serve broccoli salad with?
This salad is perfect on its own for a light lunch, but it can also be a great accompaniment to some simple Porterhouse Steak or roast chicken. Maybe you could even try ham hocks? There really is no limit to the combinations available here! Oh, how about egg drop soup for a soup and salad combo that is seriously awesome?
I’d love to hear what you like to serve alongside your broccoli salad, so don’t forget to share it in the comments to give us all some extra inspiration! I’m super excited to see what you come up with!
More salad recipes for you to try
- Winter Citrus Avocado Salad: who doesn’t love avocado?! This salad is full of fruit and greens and all sorts of Vitamin C!
- Avocado Egg Salad: more avocado! I think I have avocado on the brain today.
- Fast and Easy Greek Pasta Salad: an awesome combo of veg and pasta in one super tasty recipe.
I hope you love it! I have such fond food memories of this salad that I’m so sad that I can’t eat broccoli anymore. The family taste-tested this over Christmas, and it was deemed fantastic, so let me know what you think!
Love,
Karlynn
Classic Bacon Broccoli Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Broccoli Salad
- 8 cups broccoli florets, chopped very small
- 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup salted sunflower seeds, hulled
- 1/2 pound bacon, cooked and then crumbled into small pieces
Sweet Mayonnaise Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4-1/3 cup white sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons white vinegar
Instructions
- Place all of the salad ingredients into a medium sized bowl.
- Prepare the dressing by mixing the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar together until smooth. Stir into the salad ingredients.
- Cover the bowl and let the salad chill – Mary would let it chill overnight and then bring it to the potluck and it was spectacular!
- Serve cold.
Nutrition
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Keith Payler says
I make this regularly, my dressing has a tea spoon of lemon and I use cranberries, I don’t use nuts. The key to a good salad is to make it a day in advance and refrigerate overnight.
Karlynn J says
You are right, letting this sit overnight is the key!
David Thelen says
Thanks for the recipe. It came out great. I used dried cranberries and apple vinegar as subsitutions.
SA says
This recipe is the best starting point I’ve found. 2 minute broccoli blanch, straight into ice water bath and spin dry in the salad spinner. Craisins over raisins any day! 1/2 the sugar. Good bacon, cooked nicely, makes all the difference. Thanks
Robin H says
It’s a really good base and can take substitutions. I used pine nuts instead of sunflower seeds and shredded radish instead of onions and honey instead of sugar. I also added some of the bacon fat to the dressing. Other than that (LOL) I followed the recipe.
Julie Nickeson says
Amazing dish. I have also tried it with rice vinegar and….. a tablespoon of bacon grease in liquid form. It really adds something special. I got that tip from my husband who worked at a country club years ago. The made broccoli or cauliflower salads with it.
Susan Amato says
Went easy on the sugar. Teen grandsons loved this, ate 2-3 servings.
Patricia Hill says
I blanched my broccoli (I have celiac and gastritis – easier to digest). Added sugared pecans and mozzarella cheese. Such an easy recipe. You just open your refrigerator and see what you have available.
Kathryn says
I love broccoli and bacon salads. Sometimes I add nuts: usually walnuts or pecans. I don’t put sugar in mine but if I did I’d use monk fruit. Craisins would also be fun. Dates? Even PRUNES🤣🤣
Karen says
I rated this a 5.
I did make changes but if you don’t it still is so good.
I added Hot Dave’s pickle juice1/8 cup. No sugar but instead maple syrup and a table heaping of Thousand Island dressing to the dressing.
I also added cranberries and roasted chopped pecans and Gouda cheese diced small.
Thanks for the all time vintage recipe for Broccoli Salad. Family loves it at every function I attend. God bless ya!
Karlynn Johnston says
LOVE the changes, thanks for letting us know! It’s okay to change it up and give other people ideas for a delicious new twist!
Eric says
this was so good. We used dried cranberries rather than rasins. will make again.
Karlynn Johnston says
Yes, cranberries are so good in this as well!
Carol Govier says
This salad is awesome. Great for summer barbeques. Goes with hot dogs, burgers, heck it goes with everything.
Ruby says
Love this recipe. My go to side dish. Thank you.
Sabrina says
Made this with pecans (didn’t have sunflower seeds), honey instead of sugar (3-4 tbsp) and added some small-cubed cheddar cheese. It was soooo delicious.
Sandra Prsa says
thanks for the great recipe. made it for our First BBQ of the summer and it was a big hit! Followed the directions as instructed.
Cassi Petersen says
Refreshing summer (or anytime;)
side! I skipped the sugar in the dressing, doesn’t seem to be missed flavor wise, used dried cranberries instead of raisins…and used bacon bits as I was short on time. Yummy 😋
Bell says
I wanted to make this salad while on the yatch. the only broccoli on board was frozen broccoli. there was some trail mix with cranberries and sunflower seeds. I had ranch dressing and string cheese and an onion. I diced up the string cheese, onion and broccoli and mixed it all together it was delicious!