Broccoli Cauliflower Salad With Bacon
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Crunchy, creamy, and bursting with flavor! This Broccoli Cauliflower Salad is the perfect side dish for any meal. Packed with crispy bacon pieces, fresh veggies, and a creamy dressing, it’s a must-try recipe for your next gathering!
If you love a sweet dressing, you’ll also love my Sweet Creamy Coleslaw recipe.
Original Recipe: November 2022 | Update: February 2024
This recipe is one of my all-time favorites! My mother-in-law makes it for every holiday, and it’s become a staple at our family gatherings. But honestly, I don’t wait for a special occasion—I make it all the time to have it on hand throughout the week. It’s versatile and pairs beautifully with almost anything you can think of—whether it’s a holiday feast or a simple weeknight dinner. The flavors are comforting, and it’s the kind of dish that always gets rave reviews from everyone who tries it!
Looking for more holiday side dish ideas? Try this roasted sweet potato recipe, asparagus ham quiche, and these delicious drop biscuits.
Why you will love this easy broccoli salad
- It’s the perfect side dish. This recipe always finds its way to the dinner table at my mother-in-law’s house. Over the years, she has served it at almost all of our family gatherings.
- Great for any season. Serve it at a backyard BBQ, fish fry, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. The delicious flavors go with everything!
- Healthy Ingredients. The salad is loaded with fiber-rich broccoli and cauliflower.
- Next day – This delicious salad will hold up great in the fridge for the next several days.
Broccoli cauliflower bacon salad simple ingredients and substitutions
You will find a full ingredient list in the recipe card below.
- Fresh Broccoli Florets and Raw Cauliflower – Fresh vegetables are essential.
- Celery – I love the crunch!
- Green Onion – Some people prefer red onion, but I like the mild flavor of green onions in broccoli bacon cauliflower salad.
- Red Grapes – Green grapes, dried cranberries, or raisins can be substituted for red grapes.
- Bacon – Turkey bacon can be substituted, but I prefer the flavor the salty bacon brings to this salad.
- Mayonnaise – Some people add a touch of sour cream to a salad like this, but I prefer mayonnaise. Greek yogurt is a good substitute for mayonnaise, but it does change the flavor quite a bit. Substitute a light mayonnaise if you prefer.
- White Sugar – I have never used any sugar substitutes in this recipe.
- White Vinegar – I used apple cider vinegar and red wine vinegar when I was out of white vinegar.
- Optional – Crunchy sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds make a great addition to the salad.
Step-by-step instructions to make sweet broccoli salad with bacon
Step 1: Cook the bacon in a skillet until you have crispy bacon pieces. Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel. When cool, chop into small pieces. Approx. 6 slices of bacon.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, combine cauliflower florets, raw broccoli, halved grapes, diced celery, green onion, and chopped bacon.
Step 3: Whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar in a separate small mixing bowl. Pour dressing over the raw vegetables and stir until everything is evenly coated with the sauce.
Step 4: Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
Kitchen tools to make broccoli and cauliflower salad
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Buy Now → Tips for making broccoli and bacon salad
- Cut fresh broccoli and cauliflower into small bite-size pieces for the best results.
- Don’t skimp on the grapes. They’re my favorite part!
- Use real mayonnaise, not Miracle Whip, for this salad.
- Don’t be afraid to make this recipe ahead.
Cauliflower and Broccoli Salad with Bacon Storage
Fridge: Place any leftover salad in an airtight container. Even with the dressing on the salad, it will be delicious in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Be sure to give the salad a good toss before serving.
Freezer: We don’t recommend freezing this salad.
FAQ
Absolutely! Leave out the bacon to make this recipe vegetarian. You could also serve the bacon on the side if you have a guest who doesn’t eat meat.
This salad goes great with burgers, holiday ham, BBQ, and fried chicken. Truly, this recipe is a great addition to almost any meal you plan.
Broccoli salad recipe with bacon variations
Create a broccoli salad with bacon and cheese by substituting broccoli for cauliflower and adding shredded or cubed cheddar cheese. You’ll often find raisins in this type of salad instead of grapes.
What to serve with cauliflower and broccoli salad with bacon
- Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- Meatball Sliders Recipe
- Italian Sausages
- Cornbread Cowboy Casserole
- Potato Stroganoff Dinner (Without Cream Soup)
- Meatloaf
More salad recipes
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Broccoli Cauliflower Salad with Bacon
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Bacon (Approx. 6 slices) Chopped
- 1 Head Broccoli Chopped
- 1 Head Cauliflower Chopped
- 2 cup Grapes Halved
- 1/2 cup Celery Diced
- 1/2 cup Green Onion Sliced
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
Instructions
- Cook bacon in skillet until crisp. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. When it is cool, chop into small pieces.3/4 cup Bacon (Approx. 6 slices)
- Combine cauliflower, broccoli, grapes, celery, green onion, and bacon in a large bowl.1 Head Broccoli, 1 Head Cauliflower, 2 cup Grapes, 1/2 cup Celery, 1/2 cup Green Onion
- In a mixing bow, whisk together mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar.1 cup Mayonnaise, 1/4 cup Sugar, 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
- Pour dressing over vegetable mixture and stir until well combined.
- Refrigerate. Serve chilled.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Notes
- For best results, cut fresh broccoli and cauliflower in bite size pieces. It’s best if all the ingredients are similar in size.
- Don’t skimp on the grapes, they are my favorite part!
- Use real mayonnaise, not Miracle Whip for this salad.
- This is an excellent make ahead salad recipe. Add everything, but the dressing to a bowl. Dress the salad before serving.
- If you don’t have white vinegar on hand, you can substitute cider vinegar in it’s place.
Nutrition
Broccoli salad is one of my favorite salads ever and I have to agree the grapes are the BEST! I do not have a recipe for this, so I’m so excited that you posted it. It’s definitely going in my repertoire of salads to make. It will be nice to have a healthy recipe in the mids of all of the heavy holiday food coming up.
I made this Broccoli-Cauliflower salad today for a neighborhood July 3rd party. Everyone loved it and I brought home an empty bowl. Now I get to make another batch for just us!!!
Love this recipe.
I’m glad it was a hit. It’s a family favorite for sure!