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You are here: Home / Recipes / Side Dishes / Cranberry Bacon Broccoli Salad

Cranberry Bacon Broccoli Salad

Published: June 9, 2021 | Updated: August 3, 2021 | By: Jordan

4.0K shares

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Cranberry Bacon Broccoli Salad featuring fresh broccoli, bacon, and cranberries is the perfect year-round salad for any family gathering!

Looking for an easy Summer salad to bring to a family get together, picnic, or BBQ? This easy broccoli cranberry salad is quick and delicious. Plus, it’s a family favorite.

Fresh salads are always a Summer time hit! For other great salads, check out my Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad and Watermelon Feta Salad!

broccoli salad in a bowl with a wooden serving spoon

Cranberry Bacon Broccoli Salad Recipe

As the weather is getting warmer and we start getting busy enjoying the season, I get excited to start cooking with summer flavors and in season fresh foods.

BBQs, the 4th of July, and summer time picnics are around the corner. Break free of those stagnant side dishes (like macaroni salad) and bring the season’s newest crowd pleaser!

Eating the same old (and expected) side dish gets boring. Shake things up with this bacon broccoli salad! It’s quick and easy to make.

Bonus: It’s perfect to make a head of time and just pull out for dinner or to bring to a gathering!

Broccoli Salad Ingredients

Salad

Broccoli: for this salad you will need raw broccoli florets (cut into small pieces). Try to keep them as even as possible for consistently sized bites.

Bacon: the salty bacon gives this salad a nice crunch. I recommend finely dicing thick cut bacon for meatier pieces in each bite.

Onion: I used red onions. They add beautiful color and flavor to the dish.

Dried fruit: tart cranberries add such incredible flavor to this dish! Looking for other dried fruit options? Consider swapping out cranberries for dried cherries.

Nuts: It is time for the perfect (almost final) topping. Top your salad off with sunflower seeds or pine nuts!

ingredients in small bowls: broccoli, red onion, bacon, mayonnaise, cranberries

Dressing

Wet ingredients: mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar.

Dry ingredients: granulated white sugar, kosher salt, and black pepper.

How to Make Cranberry Broccoli Salad

1. Prepare the salad ingredients. In a large bowl, combine broccoli florets, red onions, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and bacon and toss until evenly distributed.

2. Make the salad dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over broccoli mixture.

3. Toss the salad. Toss lightly until the broccoli is evenly coated.

4. Serve. Serve at room temperature, garnished with extra onions, sunflower seeds, cranberries and bacon bits if desired.

steps to make broccoli salad

What to serve with Broccoli Bacon Cranberry Salad

Looking for main dish inspirations? This broccoli bacon salad is one of my favorite side dishes to my favorite summer time recipes:

  • Wild Mushroom Beyond Meat Burgers
  • Jalapeño Lime Pan Seared Chicken
  • Air Fryer Filet Mignon
  • Tomato Feta Baked Spaghetti Squash

Need more inspiration for the 4th of July? Check out my favorite 4th Of July Recipes!

Bacon Broccoli Salad Variations and Substitutions

I love customizing salads; there is nothing better than keeping them delicious, yet different. This fresh Broccoli Salad is no exception. Check out some of my favorite variations to this salad.

Vegan Broccoli Salad: Make it vegan! You can substitute the mayo for vegan mayonnaise and substitute your bacon for a vegan meat substitute/alternative. I love these vegan bacon bits.

Add cheese:  I love when I get to put cheese on a dish; especially when it can become a dish with bacon and cheese! Consider adding a handful of shredded cheddar cheese.

Dried fruit: Looking for other dried fruit options? Consider adding raisins or dried cherries. Sometimes I even like adding crisp apple slices in.

Nuts: instead of pine nuts, you could also use pistachios, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds.

broccoli salad in a bowl with a white striped napkin

More Salad Recipes

  • Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad
  • Asian Cucumber Salad
  • Tangy Citrus Avocado Salad
  • Fall Harvest Salad With Champagne Apple Cider Vinaigrette
  • Tex-Mex Flank Steak Salad With Avocado Lime Dressing

More Side Dish Recipes

  • Jalapeño Popper Dip
  • Red Wine Mushrooms
  • Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
  • Spinach and Artichoke Dip Wonton Cups
  • Mexican Street Corn Dip
  • Roasted Yellow Squash

WANT TO TRY THIS CRANBERRY BACON BROCCOLI SALAD RECIPE?

PIN IT to your broccoli salad recipes, side dish recipes, or salad recipes board to save it for later!
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Did you make this recipe? Post a photo on Instagram and tag me @JZEATS or #JZEATS so I can see! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think, too!

broccoli salad in a bowl with a wooden serving spoon
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5 from 9 votes

Cranberry Bacon Broccoli Salad

Bacon Broccoli Salad featuring fresh broccoli, bacon, and cranberries is the perfect year-round salad for any family gathering!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time0 mins
Total Time10 mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bacon broccoli salad, broccoli salad
Servings: 8 cups
Calories: 159kcal
Prevent your screen from going dark
Author: Jordan

Ingredients

Salad

  • 8 cups raw broccoli florets, cut into small and even pieces
  • 1/2 cup diced red onions
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries, dried cherries are great too!
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, or pine nuts
  • 1/2 cup finely diced bacon, cooked

Dressing

  • 1 cup light mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine the broccoli florets, red onions, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and bacon and toss until evenly distributed.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over broccoli mixture.
  • Toss lightly until the broccoli is evenly coated.
  • Serve immediately, garnished with extra onions, sunflower seeds, cranberries and bacon bits if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 596mg | Potassium: 304mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 587IU | Vitamin C: 81mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
Tried this recipe?I’d love to see your dish, mention @jzeats or tag #jzeats!

4.0K shares

Published: June 9, 2021 Filed Under: Recipes, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegetables

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. CJ Lloyd

    June 9, 2021 at 3:07 pm

    Maybe I’m just not seeing it but where are the amounts of each ingredient?

    Reply
  2. CJ Lloyd

    June 9, 2021 at 3:11 pm

    FOUND IT!!!! never mind! Sorry I didn’t scroll down far enough.

    Reply
    • JZ Eats

      June 9, 2021 at 8:53 pm

      Yay! Come back and let me know if you try it 🙂

      Reply
  3. Kay

    July 7, 2021 at 1:25 am

    5 stars
    Wonderful salad recipe, with the bacon and cranberry added it makes it so enjoyable! I used pine nuts instead of sunflower seeds as I had some left over from another recipe.

    Reply
  4. Anjali

    July 7, 2021 at 1:34 am

    5 stars
    This is such a fun and fresh salad for summer! We made this for dinner tonight and it was the perfect side dish for our main meal!

    Reply
  5. Julia

    July 7, 2021 at 4:48 am

    5 stars
    I love love broccoli, but I guess I’m the only one in our family haha 🙂 I usually either roast or add the broccoli to pasta, what a great idea was to use it in salad. This was absolutely incredible and flavorful!

    Reply
  6. Jac

    July 7, 2021 at 5:10 am

    5 stars
    Always looking for new ways to use broccoli and a enjoying it in a salad was a new idea, Very tasty 🙂

    Reply
  7. Beth

    July 7, 2021 at 6:29 am

    5 stars
    Bacon is always a great ingredient for a salad! We love this combination, so yummy and delicious! Can’t wait to make this!

    Reply

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about meI’m that girl behind the camera and the creator of all the delicious recipes on this website. I’m a Baltimore food blogger who enjoys nothing more than food!
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