​
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Free Ebook!Subscribe to updates & get a recipe book!

Subscribe & Receive My Free Recipe Ebook!

The Chunky Chef

Comforting Family Recipes

  • All Recipes
  • Learn to Cook
  • Shop
    • My eBooks
    • Favorite Products
  • About
  • Contact
  • Trending:

    Slow Cooker

    Easy Dinners

    Desserts

    My Saved Recipe Box
  • Browse By:
  • Course
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Main Dishes
    • Sides
    • Drinks
    • Desserts
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Sandwiches
    • Healthy-ish
  • Ingredient
    • Chicken
    • Beef
    • Pork
    • Turkey
    • Seafood
    • Meatless
    • Pasta
  • Cuisine
    • Asian
    • Italian
    • Mexican
    • Hawaiian
    • Middle Eastern
    • Comfort Food
  • Method
    • One Pot
    • Crockpot
    • Instant Pot
    • Oven
    • Fried
    • Grilling/BBQ
  • Trending:

    Slow Cooker

    Easy Dinners

    Desserts

Home / Holidays and Events / Christmas / Side Dishes

Broccoli Salad Recipe

4.36
/5
16 minutes minutes
40 Comments
Jump to Recipe Print Pin
By: The Chunky Chefpublished: 03/09/2020

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

The ultimate broccoli salad is made with crunchy almonds, bacon, sunflower seeds, tart cranberries, and a creamy citrus poppyseed dressing!  Easy to make ahead (in fact it tastes better that way), it’s great to make for potlucks, bbq’s and other Spring/Summer gatherings!

This Broccoli Salad is one of those recipes we have with so many of our family potlucks and bbq’s.  We also love easy side dish recipes like my Fail-Proof Roasted Corn on the Cob and Best Potluck Pasta Salad.  This is one of my Side Dishes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!

The ultimate broccoli salad is made with crunchy almonds, bacon, sunflower seeds, tart cranberries, and a creamy citrus poppyseed dressing!  Perfect make-ahead holiday side dish recipe! #sidedish #broccoli #salad #easter #memorialday #summer #easyrecipe #makeahead

BROCCOLI SALAD

Broccoli salad is a very popular Spring/Summer side dish, and everyone usually has their own way of making it.

My version uses dried cranberries, sliced almonds, roasted sunflower seeds (although pumpkin seeds would be yummy as well), sharp cheddar cheese cubes instead of shredded cheese, and is all tossed together in a lightened up creamy citrus poppyseed dressing.

Every bite of this broccoli salad will be full of great flavors and textures, which all compliment one another beautifully!

My Grandma always used to make a fabulous broccoli salad, and it was always one of my favorite side dishes when we’d get together.

This isn’t her recipe, but based off of it, with some added crunch, and a citrusy spin on the dressing!

Bowl of broccoli salad with fork

HOW TO MAKE BROCCOLI SALAD

  1. Briefly blanch broccoli florets, then cool in ice bath and dry off.  This helps soften the broccoli just slightly, as well as flavor it a bit.  I’ll go into this more below.
  2. While broccoli is drying, add chopped red onion to a bowl of cold water and let sit 5 minutes.  Drain and pat dry.  Soaking the onion in the cold water helps take some of the “bite” out of the raw onion.
  3. Combine mayo, cider vinegar, sugar, citrus zest, citrus juice, poppyseeds and pepper.  Set dressing aside.
  4. Add broccoli florets, red onion, crumbled bacon, cranberries, almonds, sunflower seeds and cheese.  Toss with dressing.  I like to toss the salad with about half of the dressing, and add more if I want it.  You can always add more, but can’t take any away!  Plus you can save any extra dressing for tossing right before serving.
  5. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  This helps all the flavors really combine, and lets the dressing really soak into the salad ingredients.
  6. Toss and serve cold.  Right before serving, I like to toss the salad with some of the leftover dressing to freshen it up.

The ultimate broccoli salad is made with crunchy almonds, bacon, sunflower seeds, tart cranberries, and a creamy citrus poppyseed dressing!  Perfect make-ahead holiday side dish recipe! #sidedish #broccoli #salad #easter #memorialday #summer #easyrecipe #makeahead

ADDITIONAL COOKING TIPS FOR THIS RECIPE

  • BLANCHING THE BROCCOLI – as I mentioned above, it does help soften the crunchy raw broccoli slightly, but it also flavors it from the inside out – like when you boil pasta!  Just bring some water to a boil, add the chopped fresh broccoli and boil it for about 20 seconds.  Then transfer the broccoli to a bowl filled with ice water to stop the cooking process.  Drain the broccoli on paper towels, and allow it to continue to air dry while you make the dressing and chop other ingredients.  If the broccoli isn’t dry when you try to toss the salad with the dressing, it’ll slide right off the broccoli and won’t be nearly as flavorful.

VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE

  • TOPPINGS – this is your broccoli salad, so feel free to add in whichever toppings sound best to you!
  • DRESSING – a lot of broccoli salad recipes call for more sugar, so feel free to taste the dressing and adjust per your tastes!
  • VEGETARIAN – you can omit the bacon for a vegetarian-friendly version of this recipe.

MAKING BROCCOLI SALAD AHEAD OF TIME

I love making this broccoli salad ahead of time for parties!  It can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time – just keep it refrigerated in an airtight container.

STORAGE

Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 5 days.

Bite of broccoli salad on fork that says yum

This broccoli salad is one of those recipes that’s great for parties, potlucks, and even a summer dinner… but also for holidays!  Easter is a great time to break out a dish like this one!

Speaking of Easter, some other dishes that would be perfect alongside this salad are:

  • Copycat HoneyBaked Ham
  • Cheesy Brussels sprouts with Bacon
  • Garlic Parmesan Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
  • No-Boil Mashed Potatoes
  • Cheesy Funeral Potatoes
  • My Mom’s Classic Carrot Cake
  • Peach Raspberry Lemonade
  • Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Dip

BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERS’ COMMENTS FOR TIPS AND REVIEWS.

AND DON’T FORGET, IF YOU’VE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING LETTING ME KNOW HOW YOU ENJOYED IT!

Recipe originally published in Mar. 2017, and has been updated in Mar. 2020 with additional information.

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!

The ultimate broccoli salad is made with crunchy almonds, bacon, sunflower seeds, tart cranberries, and a creamy citrus poppyseed dressing!  Perfect make-ahead holiday side dish recipe! #sidedish #broccoli #salad #easter #memorialday #summer #easyrecipe #makeahead

Broccoli Salad Recipe

4.36 from 37 votes
Author: The Chunky Chef
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 minute minute
Total Time: 16 minutes minutes
Calories: 408
Servings: 8 servings
(hover over # to adjust)
Print Rate Pin
The ultimate broccoli salad is made with crunchy almonds, bacon, sunflower seeds, tart cranberries, and a creamy citrus poppyseed dressing! 

Ingredients

  • 4 1/2 cups fresh broccoli, cut into small florets about 2 heads of broccoli
  • 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
  • 2/3 cup dried cranberries (reduced sugar would work too)
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/3 cup roasted sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, cut into very small cubes (or shredded if you prefer)

CREAMY CITRUS POPPYSEED DRESSING:

  • 2/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • zest of 1 small lemon
  • zest of 1/2 orange
  • 1-2 Tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • 1/2 Tbsp poppy seeds
  • pinch of black pepper

Instructions

  • Bring a pot of water to boil.  Chop broccoli into very small florets and set aside.  Fill a large bowl with cold water and a cup of ice cubes.
  • Add a generous pinch of salt to boiling water and add broccoli.  Boil for 20 seconds.  Drain broccoli and transfer to prepared bowl with ice water.  Let broccoli sit in cold water for a few minutes, until cool.  Drain and lay broccoli out onto some paper towels to drain.  Allow to continue air drying while you prepare other parts of the recipe.
  • Add finely chopped red onion to a small bowl of cold water and let sit 5 minutes, then drain.  This takes some of the "bite" out of the raw onion.
  • To a small mixing bowl, add poppyseed dressing ingredients, then whisk together until smooth and combined.  Set aside.
  • To a large mixing bowl, add dried broccoli florets, bacon, drained raw onion, cranberries, almonds, sunflower seeds, and cheddar cheese.  Toss with citrus poppyseed dressing (start with about half the dressing, and increase to your liking).  
  • Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Toss and serve.

Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!

Chef Tips

Letting the broccoli salad sit in the fridge for 30 minutes or more allows the flavors to really combine, and will make for a more flavorful salad.  Can be made up to 24 hours in advance, which makes it great for a party!

Video

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef 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 can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

Did You Make This?Tag @the_chunky_chef on Instagram and hashtag it #thechunkychef so I can see what you made!
Tag on Insta! Leave a Rating Save for Later Saved!

 

The ultimate broccoli salad is made with crunchy almonds, bacon, sunflower seeds, tart cranberries, and a creamy citrus poppyseed dressing!  Perfect make-ahead holiday side dish recipe! #sidedish #broccoli #salad #easter #memorialday #summer #easyrecipe #makeahead

You May Also Like...

  • This summertime staple is truly my FAVORITE potato salad recipe!  Plus tips on how to get the perfect potato texture, prevent a "wet" potato salad, and how to add extra zing that will make everyone want the recipe! | #potatosalad #potluckrecipe #summer #salad #sidedish #picnic
    Ultimate Potato Salad Recipe
  • Creamy tortellini salad, loaded with colorful vegetables and tossed in a deliciously sweet and tangy dressing! | #pastasalad #macaronisalad #cookout #summer #rainbow
    Creamy Rainbow Tortellini Salad
  • Simple ingredients and an easy 5 minutes of prep is all it takes to get this mouthwatering roasted broccoli in the oven!  You'll love the cheesy topping, and even non-veggie lovers will go crazy over this healthy side dish!! #broccoli #roastedbroccoli #weightwatchers #freestyle #smartpoints
    Crispy Cheesy Roasted Broccoli
  • Copycat Piada Orzo Salad | This orzo salad is a copycat of the one sold at Piada Italian Street Food... it's crunchy, a little sweet, a little savory, and always a hit at parties! | http://thechunkychef.com
    Copycat Piada Orzo Salad
Previous Post
Next Post

Meet The Chunky Chef

Hey there! I'm Amanda. Wife, mother, photography nerd, and bacon lover! I believe that delicious meals should be easy to make. Now that you’re here, stay a bit, browse a few recipes, and let’s get cookin’!

Learn More

Reader Interactions

4.36 from 37 votes (18 ratings without comment)

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question, comment, or review below.

Recipe Rating




  1. Kelley @ Chef Savvy says

    Posted on 3/18 at 1:33 pm

    This looks amazing! I love a good broccoli salad! Can’t wait to give this a try!

    Reply
  2. Cathy says

    Posted on 3/12 at 1:12 pm

    One of my favorite salads! I love this version!

    Reply
  3. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says

    Posted on 3/12 at 12:32 am

    I know for sure this Broccoli Salad would be a huge hit in my house!

    Reply
  4. Debby says

    Posted on 3/11 at 1:01 pm

    I loved the citrus flavor which took everyday broccoli salad to a new level. I was a little short on the amount of broccoli I had on hand but had shredded brussel sprouts and shredded carrot. I added them to bulk up my salad. This is a keeper.

    Reply
  5. katerina @ diethood.com says

    Posted on 3/11 at 8:53 am

    This is totally my kind of salad!! I would LOVE this for lunch!! YUM!

    Reply
  6. Vikki says

    Posted on 3/11 at 12:10 am

    Such a crisp and refreshing salad, even my picky eaters ate it up!

    Reply
  7. annie says

    Posted on 3/10 at 3:20 pm

    This is awesome! We love it! 

    Reply
  8. Suzy says

    Posted on 3/10 at 11:34 am

    One of our all time favorite salads! Love the addition of the cranberry and almonds!

    Reply
  9. Dennis Ann Strong says

    Posted on 12/16 at 7:31 pm

    I made this to take to a dinner. We were unable to attend because of heavy snow. After enjoying the salad as a side for our small dinner, I had enough fro another dinner. I spread it out on a pan and heated it for about 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven. The last 3 minutes I topped it off with the sharp cheddar. After plating the warm mix, I drizzled the poppyseed dressing over it. My husband and I though it was fabulous on a cold winter night. It has become my go to summer salad and go to winter side dish. 

    Reply
  10. Melissa Gerges says

    Posted on 10/28 at 12:47 pm

    Did you calculate the points for weight watchers on freestyle?

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 10/28 at 8:47 pm

      I didn’t, as this recipe wasn’t developed as a weight watchers recipe. Your best bet would be to plug the ingredients into WW’s point calculator 🙂

      Reply
  11. Teri Camara says

    Posted on 10/15 at 7:31 pm

    I made this with what I had. It turned out wonderful!  I didn’t have cheddar cheese, so I used mandarin oranges & I didn’t have orange zest, so I used lime zest.  Didn’t have poppy seeds, didn’t replace them with anything. 

    Reply
  12. Cher Peterman says

    Posted on 6/5 at 4:34 pm

    Outstanding recipe. I cheated on the dressing and used Ken’s light poppyseed dressing to save time. My guests loved it!

    Reply
  13. Glenda Jean says

    Posted on 5/25 at 11:37 pm

    Planned on making a broccoli salad for our cookout. Now I know which one I’ll make. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  14. Catalina @ Peas & Peonies says

    Posted on 3/21 at 5:17 pm

    This salad looks fabulous! Broccoli salad is perfect for me!

    Reply
  15. Maryanne | the little epicurean says

    Posted on 3/21 at 5:11 pm

    I love the variety of textures going on in this salad! Plus, that citrus dressing sounds fabulous!

    Reply
  16. Cookin Canuck says

    Posted on 3/21 at 3:01 pm

    Love the combination of crunch, sweet and savory in this. I’m now craving a plate of it for lunch today!

    Reply
  17. katerina @ diethood.com says

    Posted on 3/21 at 6:52 am

    Oh my goodness, this salad looks absolutely delicious!! YUM!

    Reply
  18. kareen says

    Posted on 3/20 at 12:05 pm

    Thanks for sharing!!! Your broccoli salad sounds great, i love the way creamy citrus poppyseed dressing sticks to the broccoli. I will give this recipe a try right away.
    I would love to try another version with adding roasted peanut. diced carrot, raisins for my diet as well. Hope it work.

    Reply
  19. Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says

    Posted on 3/20 at 10:21 am

    This looks so sensational!

    Reply
  20. Krista says

    Posted on 3/20 at 9:46 am

    I know what salad I will be bringing to my Summer BBQ’s! This sounds amazing!

    Reply
Newer Comments

Primary Sidebar

welcome!

Hey there! I'm Amanda. Wife, mother, photography nerd, and bacon lover! I believe that delicious meals should be easy to make. Now that you’re here, stay a bit, browse a few recipes, and let’s get cookin’!

New! Save Recipes To Your Own Account!

Free eBook!

Subscribe & receive my most popular recipes compiled into an easy ebook format!

download now!

Subscribe & Receive My Free Recipe Ebook!

Game Day Recipes!

These crowd-pleasing tender meatballs are smothered in a super flavorful honey garlic bbq sauce.  Perfect for parties, this crockpot meatball recipe couldn't be more simple to make! #meatballs #crockpot #slowcooker #honeygarlic #bbq #appetizer #party #honey #garlic #easyrecipe

Honey Garlic Crockpot Meatballs

2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Smooth and silky queso dip, made using NO velveeta!  Packed with flavor, yet so easy to make, and party ready in just 20 minutes! #queso #dip #cheese #mexican #appetizer #party #cincodemayo #easyrecipe

Queso Dip Recipe

20 minutes minutes

Creamy, cheesy, and oh so addicting, this bacon cheeseburger dip is just like your favorite gooey cheeseburger... but in a party-ready dip form! #bacon #gameday #cheesy #cheeseburger #party #appetizer #dip #easyrecipe

Creamy Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

32 minutes minutes

Insanely tasty chicken wing recipe, dry rubbed, then hickory smoked to perfection.  And don't forget the homemade bourbon bbq sauce! #chickenwings #wingrecipe #smoked #smoker #smokedchickenwings #bourbon #bbq #crispy

Bourbon BBQ Smoked Chicken Wings

3 hours hours

This easy game day appetizer combines classic buffalo wing flavors with cool creaminess in an easy dip made in the crockpot. Perfect for any party, serve it up with chips or celery sticks and watch everyone go back for seconds!

Buffalo Chicken Dip (Crockpot Recipe)

2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Chicken Taco Mexican Pinwheels | These pinwheels are filled with a creamy chicken taco filling, which is easily customizable, and rolled up to make a perfect appetizer or party food! | http://thechunkychef.com

Chicken Taco Mexican Pinwheels

15 minutes minutes

More Holiday Recipes >

Who doesn’t love free stuff?

Who doesn't love free stuff? Get an ad-free ebook of my most popular recipes, plus be the FIRST to know about new things coming to the site!

Looking for something?

As Seen On…

Stay Connected

subscribe to get new posts via email:

Quick & Easy

Dinner Favorites

Hearty and positively soul-warming, this beef barley soup simmers all day in the slow cooker, which makes for an incredibly rich soup recipe! #beefbarley #soup #slowcooker #crockpot #comfortfood #barley #beefsoup #easyrecipe #dinner
M

Crockpot Beef Barley Soup

white bowl of chicken and dumplings
T

Instant Pot Chicken & Dumplings

HONEY GARLIC SALMON - Succulent and tender salmon filets cooked in a mouthwatering simple honey garlic sauce, then broiled until sticky and caramelized.  Made with simple ingredients, in one pan, and in just 20 minutes! #salmon #honeygarlic #onepan #easyrecipe #dinner #seafood #fish
W

Honey Garlic Glazed Salmon

Light and filling, this Italian Wedding Soup is perfectly delicious comfort food, all year round.  Made in one pan, and ready in 30 minutes, this recipe is great for a weeknight meal! #soup #souprecipe #Italianweddingsoup #onepot #30minutemeal #weeknight #dinner #easyrecipe #homemaderecipe
R

Italian Wedding Soup

This Honey Garlic Chicken is one incredible weeknight dinner idea. Juicy chicken coated and cooked with a glorious sauce made with soy, hoisin, garlic, honey and more! Toss it all in the slow cooker and let it do the work for you! #dinner #chicken #asian #honey #garlic #honeygarlic #easyrecipe #weeknight #slowcooker #crockpot
F

Honey Garlic Chicken

S

Swedish Meatballs

Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window
free e-book!

Download MY Free Recipe eBook!

Subscribe & receive my most popular recipes compiled into an easy ebook format!

get my copy!

Subscribe & Receive My Free Recipe Ebook!

As Featured On:

Back to Top

Recipes

Dinners

Appetizers

Desserts

Slow Cooker

Learn to Cook

Start Here

Tips & Tricks

e-Cookbook

Easy Recipes

  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Privacy
  • Contact
© 2025 The Chunky Chef
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
Back to Top

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.