This simple broccoli salad recipe will give you a colorful and delicious dish in just 15 minutes. It makes a filling lunch or an impressive dinner side dish.
Key Ingredients:
Raw Broccoli – cut into florets (bite-sized pieces). To save time, you can buy pre-cut broccoli instead of cutting your own.
Red onions – you can use regular onions as well.
Grapes – I like using seedless grapes. You can decide if you want to use green or red grapes.
Bacon – cooked and chopped. Here’s How to Cook Bacon in the Oven.
Sunflower seeds – I love using sunflower seeds for an added crunch. Feel free to use a different nut or seed of your choice.
Dressing ingredients: homemade mayo, yellow mustard, garlic, apple cider vinegar, salt, and black pepper.
Recipe Variations
My crunchy broccoli salad recipe has a great combination of flavors and textures, which is why I think this is the best broccoli salad recipe. But if you want other flavors, there are plenty of other ingredients you can include in your broccoli salad.
- Grapes
- Dried cranberries
- Raisins
- Nuts like almonds
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Diced apples
- Shredded carrots
For the dressing recipe, I use apple cider vinegar, mustard, and garlic. For a different flavor, you can replace the apple cider vinegar with white wine. You can also swap the mayo for Greek yogurt if you prefer.
This broccoli salad recipe will stay in the refrigerator for three to four days. If you want to make it ahead of time, keep the salad and the dressing separate, then add the dressing just before serving.
You can enjoy this gluten-free broccoli salad recipe as a meal dish or a side dish, it’s up to you. Just like a chicken salad or a couscous salad, this recipe is perfect for picnics, BBQ parties, and potlucks. If you’d like to make it as a side dish, here are some recipes that will pair well with it.
- Baked Chicken Wings Recipe
- Garlic Butter Steak Bites Skillet Recipe
- Portobello Mushroom Bun Burgers with Guacamole
- Chicken and Mushroom Recipe
More Broccoli Recipes
Easy Broccoli Salad Recipe
Video
Ingredients
For the salad
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- ½ cup red onions diced
- ½ cup grapes quartered
- ¼ cup bacon cooked and chopped
- ¼ cup sunflower
For the dressing
- ¼ cup mayo I used my homemade mayo
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- ½ tsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Salt and black pepper
Instructions
For the dressing
- Add all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. Mix all well to combine.
For the salad
- In a large pot, add about 2 cups of water and place a steamer basket in the bottom. Bring the water to a boil.
- Add the broccoli florets into the steamer basket. Cover the pot and steam until the broccoli florets are tender 4-5 minutes. The time will depend on how tender you prefer your broccoli florets to be.
- Remove from the heat and also remove the lid from the pot. Let the broccoli cool down for 2 minutes. In a large bowl place the steamed broccoli, red onion, grapes, bacon and sunflower. Pour the dressing over salad and mix everything well. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure everything is cut evenly and into bite-sized bits so you get a little bit of everything with each bite.
- You can use homemade or store-bought mayo for the dressing.
- If raw red onions are too strong for you, you can soak them in cold water before using them in the salad.
- To store: If you want to make this salad ahead of time, I recommend storing the dressing and salad separately in the fridge for up to 3 days so the salad doesn’t get soggy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Oh my goodness! I just made this for supper, and it was incredibly good. Thank you so much for the recipe. I highly recommend it.
You’re very welcome! Happy you liked it!
I am enjoying myself with this recipe I love them very much thank you.
Happy you liked it!
I have really enjoyed this receipe, just made it again for the third time. I passed it on to my daughter-law.
Awesome!
Easy and delicious salad. Highly recommend. I swapped out bacon for chicken thighs and made this a main dish.
Thank you! Happy you liked it 😉