Whether you want a fresh and easy side dish for weeknight meals, a holiday recipe everyone will eat, or the perfect dish to take to potlucks and grill outs, this Broccoli Cauliflower Salad with Bacon is just right any time of the year. Plus, it can be enjoyed by all, since it meets many special diet requirements people may have, including gluten free, dairy free, Paleo, and Whole30 friendly.
This recipe was originally published June 10, 2020; Updated January 14, 2022.
So fresh! Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad For the Win!
In this recipe, a simple combination of fresh, real-food ingredients comes together: bite-size broccoli and cauliflower florets, crisp cooked bacon, sweet grapes, crunchy sunflower seeds, and a creamy homemade dressing. The result is a fresh, full-flavor salad that everyone loves to eat. You’ll be glad that others are eating their veggies, they’ll be glad that someone served a delicious salad to devour. That’s a side dish win-win right there!
Ingredients to Make Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
Here’s what you need to make this super-fresh salad today:
- Broccoli and cauliflower florets – cut these cruciferous veggies into bite-size pieces. Or, to make a faster salad, purchase a bag of pre-cut broccoli and cauliflower florets. Feel free to add any additional veggies you please, such as snap peas, sliced sweet peppers, celery, carrots, you name it!
- Grapes – you can substitute chopped apples, a handful of raisins, or dried cranberries
- Red onion – you’ll need 1/2 of a small red onion, cut into thin slices
- Green onions – you’ll use both the white and light green parts of the green onions
- Sunflower seeds – use dry-roasted sunflower seeds, or substitute with any nut or seed you prefer. Some good choices are cashews, sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, or pumpkin seeds
- Bacon – cook or grill 3-4 strips of bacon until super crisp; you can easily omit the bacon for a vegetarian salad
- Mayonnaise – we like the avocado-oil mayonnaise from Primal Kitchen. If you need an egg-free version, use a vegan mayo such as Sir Kensington’s
- Lemon juice – you’ll need the juice of 1/2 lemon
- Apple cider vinegar – you can substitute white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
- Honey or maple syrup – these natural sweeteners add a pleasant touch of sweetness, but you can easily omit this for Whole30 friendly salad or no-added-sugar
- Black pepper
How to make Broccoli And Cauliflower Salad
This easy recipe for cauliflower and broccoli salad is fast and fresh. Here are the simple steps to make it today:
- Cook the bacon: Cook 3-4 bacon slices until very crisp, let cool, and then chop into small pieces. Everyone loves the bacon in this salad!
- Prepare the dressing: In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey, vinegar, and black pepper.
- Chop the produce: Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into small florets (bite-size pieces, the size you’d want to eat), slice the red onion, cut the grapes in half, and slice the green onions
- Toss everything together: Easy does it! To finish this salad, simply toss all the ingredients in a bowl with the dressing. For the best flavor, we recommend mixing the salad together a couple of hours before serving to really allow time for the veggies to soak up the creamy, delicious dressing.
healthy ingredients in broccoli cauliflower salad
This fresh broccoli cauliflower salad is a fun way to serve veggies! So much better than putting out a tray of bland crudités or bringing a sad and wilted iceberg tossed salad. Instead, everyone will gladly dig in for seconds and even ask you for the recipe. You’ll be proud to serve this healthy broccoli cauliflower salad because it tastes delicious and bring loads of nutrition to the table. Here are some stand-out ingredients:
- broccoli – this fiber-rich veggie is loaded with vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium to give you an antioxidant boost and keep your blood pumping strong
- cauliflower – another fiber-filled, vitamin C-rich veggie, eating cauliflower has been linked to improved metabolism and reducing blood pressure
- grapes – not only are grapes a natural source of juicy sweetness, but they contain nutrients that are good for your heart and skin health
- sunflower seeds – a good source of vitamin E, sunflower seeds have been linked to reduced inflammation and lowered risk of chronic diseases
Can this Broccoli Cauliflower Salad be made ahead?
Yes! To make this salad a super-simple side dish, you can prep these ingredients ahead of time 1-2 days in advance. The day of serving, just toss it all together.
- Prep the produce: Pre-chop all of the veggies and the grapes, and store them in an airtight container in the fridge
- Cook the bacon: Cook the bacon until crisp, according to your preferred method. Drain the bacon on paper towels and, once cooled, chop and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator
- Make the dressing: Fully mix the creamy dressing and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator
Leftovers of this broccoli cauliflower salad will keep well when stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Video: how to make broccoli cauliflower salad
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Broccoli Cauliflower Salad with Bacon (Dairy Free, Whole30, Easy)
This easy recipe for broccoli cauliflower salad with bacon is perfect for so many occasions. You’ll be proud to bring this veggie-loaded recipe to the table because it tastes delicious and is chock full of good-for-you nutrients. Perfect as a quick veggie side, picnics and potlucks, and holidays menus. Plus it’s dairy-free, gluten-free, and Whole30-friendly.
Ingredients
- 3–4 strips bacon, crisp-cooked and chopped
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- Juice of ½ lemon (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
- 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup*
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 cups cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup halved grapes
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 2 green onions, dark green ends removed, white and light green parts thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons dry roasted sunflower seed
Optional garnishes: chopped parsley, sliced green onion, additional sunflower seeds
Instructions
- Cook the bacon until very crisp; drain on paper towels. Once cooled, chop or crumble into small pieces.
- Next, make the dressing: In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey, vinegar, and black pepper.
- In a large bowl, combine the broccoli and cauliflower florets, grapes, red onion, green onions, sunflower seeds, and crumbled bacon. Pour the dressing over top and toss until the ingredients are nicely coated with the dressing. For best flavor, mix the salad together and chill in the refrigerator at least 2-3 hours before serving.
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Notes
*Omit the honey or maple syrup for a Whole30-compliant salad
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
- Calories: 176
- Fat: 18g
- Sodium: 200mg
- Carbohydrate: 6g
- (Fiber: 3g
- Sugar: 2g)
- Protein: 2g
Dietary
Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter.
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Scrumptious! Perfect for food prep in 100° temps here in VA.
My family prefers minimal dressing on recipes like this so I used 1/4 cup mayo and adjusted other ingredients accordingly.
Tasty, simple, easy, and delicious (as are every recipe I’ve made from this fabulous group of dieticians)!
Perfect Michele!