The Best Broccoli Salad Recipe
Absolutely The Best Broccoli Salad Recipe we’ve ever made! The spin on classic southern broccoli salad is bursting with color and surprise ingredients.
Broccoli Salad is a classic side dish that is a true crowd-pleaser all year long. However, I find we eat it most often in the summer when we are planning picnics and outdoor parties.
The traditional southern blend of tiny broccoli florets, bacon pieces, and dried fruit kissed with a creamy slaw-style dressing has been around for decades.
Some cooks add in seeds, nuts, onions, and other ingredients to provide additional flavor and crunch. I have a few other ingredients I like to throw in to create the perkiest, most intriguing, ahem… The Best Broccoli Salad Recipe, my family has ever eaten.
In addition to broccoli, dried cherries, bacon, red onion, and sunflower kernels, The Best Broccoli Salad Recipe also contains a diced apple, shredded carrots, finely chopped kale, and crushed red pepper to perfectly balance the sweet and heat.
It offers endless crunch, sweet bites of fruit, rich salty bacon and sunflower seeds, and a touch of spice!
Why add kale, one might ask?
I find that finely chopped kale blends perfectly into the broccoli creating little pockets to hold the dressing and other tasty tidbits. It offers more nutritional value to the salad, than just broccoli alone. Yet friends and family members resistant to kale, won’t even know it’s there!
I’m tricky like that.
The Best Broccoli Salad Recipe is a fabulous make-ahead and leftover. The ingredients all hold their texture for up to a week in the fridge. I have been known to stand with the refrigerator door open and eat it straight out of the storage container… For breakfast.
There’s no shame in loving this salad.
Try The Best Broccoli Salad Recipe with:
Provincial Style Red Potato Salad
The Best Broccoli Salad Recipe
Yield: 12+ servings
Prep Time:15 minutes
The Best Broccoli Salad Recipe, possibly, in the whole world. This spin on the classic southern broccoli salad is loaded with goodies like bacon and sweet cherries!
Ingredients:
- 6 cups small broccoli florets
- 3 cups finely chopped kale
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 1 cup shredded carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 apple, chopped
- 3/4 cup dried cherries
- 3/4 cup cooked bacon, chopped
- 3/4 cup sunflower seed kernels
- 1 cup mayonnaise (could be low fat)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
- Chop and prep all the ingredients. In a large bowl add the broccoli florets, chopped kale, red onion, shredded carrots, chopped apple, dried cherries, chopped bacon, and sunflower kernels.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, honey, crushed red pepper, and salt, until smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until thoroughly coated. Then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. *Can be made up to 3 days ahead.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 12+ servings, Serving Size: 1/12th recipe
- Amount Per Serving:
- Calories: 227 Calories
- Total Fat: 13.9g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5g
- Cholesterol: 14mg
- Sodium: 477mg
- Carbohydrates: 21.3g
- Fiber: 3.5g
- Sugar: 10.2g
- Protein: 6.5g
Making this recipe? Why not take a quick shot and share it on Instagram! Make sure to tag it #ASpicyPerspective so we can see what you're cooking!
I made this tonight for my family and it was major home run! I left out the carrots.
I substituted Monkfruit for honey and cranberries for cherries.
I also didn’t add bacon for my vegetarian. It was still the best broccoli salad ever.
Do you cook the broccoli at all or is the broccoli raw?
Hi Cristina,
Use raw broccoli! :)
Love this! Made this to take to a baby shower brunch and I received so many compliments on how delicious it was! And it was super easy to make!
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Love this salad! I make it all the time and bring it for my lunches during the week and it’s always a hit at BBQs!
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I made this salad for the first time the other day for a birthday party and it was a big hit. I thought it had a great taste and I will be making this again for sure
Is there a vinaigrette dressing recipe you think would work well with this recipe? Mayo is a no-go for me.
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I didn’t have kale or carrots, dried cherries and don’t eat pork. So substituted a head of cauliflower and dried cranberries and its Delish too. Thanks for the recipe.
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We are all broccoli lovers in our house!
This salad really does look the BEST!
This looks so tasty and healthy too!
This looks fabulous. I actually just BOUGHT something similar at the grocery store. It was so tasty but I know the homemade version would be even better. Definitely making this soon.