This Broccoli Bacon Salad recipe is a wonderfully easy side dish that can be prepped ahead. It is a mix of raw broccoli, bacon, red onion, sunflower seeds, and raisins, all coated in a sweet and tangy mayo/sugar and vinegar dressing.
It is the perfect side dish for holidays, like Easter and Christmas, or just regular weeknight dinners. Broccoli Bacon Salad goes especially well with anything from the grill!
Ingredients
Most of the ingredients in this dish are raw, which makes it so easy!
Broccoli: You will want to use fresh broccoli florets. You can buy heads of broccoli or already cut florets. Just make sure to cut them down into small bite side pieces.
Bacon: You can cook your bacon in the oven or skillet. But a small package of fully cooked microwavable bacon is the perfect amount! I buy the Market Pantry bacon at Target, it has about 10 slices and is crispy and ready in about 1 minute in the microwave!
Sunflower Seeds: These little seeds add a nice salty crunch to the salad.
Raisins: You can use raisins or dried sweetened cranberries. Both are delicious!
Pro Tip: soak your raisins or cranberries in a little hot water for about 5 minutes. They will plump up and be nice and juicy in your salad.
Red Onion: Dice the red onion so that you are not eating huge chunks of onion. Also follow the onion tip below to make sure the onion doesn’t take over your salad.
Raw Onion Tip
You know how when you eat raw onions the flavor can stick around a lot longer than you would like? Or the onion flavor is so strong it takes over the whole dish? It doesn’t have to be that way!
One you cut the onion, but before you dice it, give it a generous rinse (or you can soak it for 5 minutes) under cool water, slightly separating the layers of the onion.
This will wash away the enzyme that keeps the onion flavor around long after you have eaten it!
3 Ingredient Dressing
To make the dressing you just need mayonnaise, sugar and apple cider vinegar. Do not sub miracle whip, it will not be the same.
You can make the dressing a day ahead. I like to use a large mason jar to mix it up and pop it right in the fridge.
How to Make Broccoli Bacon Salad
This veggie side dish is so easy to prepare and makes the perfect fresh salad to add to any dinner.
You simply assemble the chopped broccoli, raisins, sunflower seeds and diced red onions in a large bowl.
Cook and crumble the bacon, then add to the broccoli mixture.
Make the dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar. Pour over the broccoli bacon mixture. Stir to coat everything.
Let the salad sit for 15-30 minutes before serving.
To Make Ahead
I almost always make this Broccoli Bacon Salad ahead of time. It is so easy to do!
- Prep the broccoli and place in a large bowl.
- Measure out the sunflower seeds and place in a small container in with the broccoli. Soak the raisins or craisins in hot water for 5 minutes, drain and then pour on top of the broccoli.
- Cut the red onion, rinse them, then dice. Put in a small container and place in the bowl with the broccoli.
- Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
- Prepare the dressing in a separate container and refrigerate separate from the salad. I like to use a mason jar for this!
About an hour before serving cook the crispy bacon, then toss the whole salad together. Keep in the fridge until it is time to eat.
Serve With…
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Broccoli Bacon Salad Recipe + Video
Ingredients
- 4-5 cups raw, fresh broccoli - chopped into bite sized florets
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup red onion - diced, See Note#1
- ½ cup raisins - or dried sweetened cranberries, See Note #2
- 8-10 slices bacon - cooked and crumbled, See Note #3
Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl add the 1 cup mayo, ⅓ cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Whisk or stir together until completely smooth. Set aside.1 cup mayonnaise, ⅓ cup sugar, 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- In a separate large bowl combine the cut broccoli florets, raisins, sunflower seeds, diced red onion, and crumbled bacon.Pro Tip: soak your raisins or dried cranberries in hot water for 5 minute to plump before adding to the salad.4-5 cups raw, fresh broccoli, ½ cup raisins, ½ cup sunflower seeds, ¼ cup red onion, 8-10 slices bacon
- Pour the prepared dressing over the broccoli salad and stir to coat.
- Let rest in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before serving.
TO MAKE AHEAD:
- Prep the broccoli and place in a large bowl.
- Measure out the sunflower seeds and place in a small container in with the broccoli. Soak the raisins or craisins in hot water for 5 minutes, drain and then pour on top of the broccoli. Cut the red onion, rinse them, then dice. Put in a small container and place in the bowl with the broccoli.
- Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
- Prepare the dressing in a separate container and refrigerate separate from the salad. I like to use a mason jar for this!
- About an hour before serving crisp up the bacon and add to the salad.
- Mix everything together and let sit for 30 minutes in the fridge before serving.
Recipe Tips and Notes:
- RED ONION TIP: Rinse the raw red onion slices under cool water before chopping. This will rinse away the enzyme that makes raw onion flavor stick around for too long!
- RAISINS OR CRANBERRIES: soak your raisins or dried cranberries in hot water for 5 minutes before adding to the salad. It makes them plump and juicy.
- BACON: A small package of fully cooked microwavable bacon is the perfect amount for this salad! I buy the Market Pantry bacon at Target and it has about 10 slices and cooks up crispy in the microwave in about 1 minute!
Originally posted April 2017 – Photos & copy updated March 2020
Charlie Ann says
This was served at a Ladies Tea I attended today, it was so good I had to have the recipe. The flavors were just right!
Thank you for the tips that only real cooks know, hopefully mine will turn out as good.
Susie Weinrich says
Wonderful! It is such a simple recipe, you will definitely nail it. It makes a great crunchy side dish at the holidays too.
Conny says
Love your site!! I have made this salad several times. It is always a hit. I have made it vegetarian too by omitting the bacon. My favorite is to exchange the raisins for craisins and the sunflower seeds for toasted pumpkin seeds. Soooo delicious!
Thank you for the menus and making your recipes so easy to follow. Best blog ever!
DeniseDenise says
The proportions of ingredients for this salad are way off. If you are starting with 2 heads of broccoli that give 5 cups of florets, there is way too much of everything else. I cut the 1/3 cup of sugar in the mayo dressing in half and it was still too sweet, and then I needed only a couple spoonfuls of the mayo dressing. Too many raisins, sunflower seeds, onion and bacon.
Michelle says
This is one of my all time favorite salads. I could make a meal out of this!
John says
Perfect side dish for any lunch or dinner. Heck I’d eat it with breakfast!
Susie says
me too!