Delicious Broccoli Salad with Craisins and Bacon

A delicious and easy broccoli salad recipe that is sure to impress even the pickiest of pallets.

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Whether it is summer or fall, this family favorite salad is the perfect dish to take to your next gathering. It remains my go-to side dish any time I am assigned a salad to bring. And that is saying something because I typically do not like broccoli salad, but I love this one!

With fail-safe ingredients and minimal effort, this easy recipe is a crowd pleaser for all who have tried it. Learn how to make this delicious broccoli salad with dried cranberries and bacon for your next get together!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• You can make it all year round because the salad ingredients are not specifically seasonal
• Easy to throw together
• Can be used as the perfect side dish or as a main dish with a grilled meat on the side

Ingredients Needed for Broccoli Salad

The ingredients needed for this classic broccoli salad are super simple.

Salad

• Raw broccoli
• Bacon bits, fresh crispy bacon preferred
• Craisins or another type of dried cranberries

Creamy Dressing

• Mayonnaise
• White vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• White sugar

See recipe card below for quantities.

Tools or Equipment Needed

• Knife
• Cutting board
• Tongs
• Large bowl
• Small bowl for dressing ingredients

How to Make the Best Broccoli Salad Recipe

Cook Bacon

While store-bought bacon bits can save on time, I love a crisp, salty bacon for this recipe. Cook your bacon in whatever method you prefer and allow it to cool. Once cooled, cut it into small, chopped pieces and set aside.

Chop Broccoli

First, rinse your broccoli. This will help to soften it and make sure the dressing adheres. Then, chop it up into bite-size pieces and toss it in a large serving bowl. But make sure your fresh broccoli florets are not too small.

Combine Salad Ingredients Together

Add bacon and dried sweet cranberries to your broccoli mixture. Toss lightly so everything evenly disperses.

Make the Broccoli Salad Dressing

Prepare a ¼ cup of mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 4 tablespoons of white sugar for the dressing mix. Add all dressing ingredients to a small bowl and mix up really well. I use white distilled vinegar, but you can also try apple cider vinegar if you don't have any regular vinegar. The dressing should be smooth with no lumps.

Mix in Dressing

When your sweet and tangy dressing is all mixed together, pour it over your cranberry broccoli salad. Pour the dressing in a little bit at a time so you don't have too much dressing. Mix it up with tongs until evenly distributed. Then, put the bowl inside the fridge to chill for at least one hour before eating. This will help all of the flavors to blend together. Mix it again slightly before serving.

Variations and Substitutions

This easy broccoli cranberry salad is lovely for its use of basic ingredients, but also wonderful because it is simple to add in a few variations. Try changing it up and customizing this mixture to your tastes, or for whoever you will be serving.

A few other great additions to this salad mixture are:

• ¼ cup of fresh red onion, minced for a slight spice
• Use raisins or another dried fruit instead dried cranberries
• Add a slight crunch with 1 cup of sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
• Sliced almonds
• Try turkey bacon instead of regular bacon to cut down on fat

For the dressing:

• Try substituting part greek yogurt for the creamy mayo for a healthy alternative
• Use less dressing or try diluting with a little lemon juice, cold water or milk
• Use balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar in place of white. But keep in mind that this will change the flavor of the salad.

Top Tips

Store any leftovers of this salad in the fridge in an airtight container. I think this salad tastes just as good, if not better, the next day.

This salad pairs well with my Parmesan french fries and our Blackstone smash burgers. Perfect for a family bbq!

This broccoli salad with Craisins and bacon is the perfect summer side to go with all of your meals. It's even great the next few days as leftovers! Plus, what a delicious option to get a few greens into my kiddos.

Happy Entertaining!

Brooke