The Best Broccoli Salad
Made with fresh broccoli and the most delicious homemade dressing, this is the best broccoli salad recipe. It is always popular at potlucks and BBQs!
This is one of the most incredible salad recipes ever! Loaded with crunchy, fresh ingredients, it is my go-to side dish for holiday dinners and summer get togethers. It is crazy good!
The Best Broccoli Salad and Here’s Why
This broccoli salad has been a family favorite for over ten years. Hundreds of you have fallen in love with it, as well.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I just finished making a triple batch of this for a birthday party. This has been a staple since 2014 for our family parties. Everyone loves it! -Gretchen
Here’s why this salad is so good (and so beloved):
- The ingredients are fresh, crunchy, and available all year round.
- Besides a bit of chopping, it comes together fast. The bacon is the only ingredient that needs pre-cooked.
- The dressing is creamy and flavorful and doesn’t overpower the fresh ingredients in flavor or with an oily texture.
- This salad can be made several hours ahead of time.
Key Ingredients
- Mayonnaise: This lends delicious creaminess to the dressing and helps it emulsify. Readers have reported using half plain Greek yogurt in place of half the mayo with good results.
- Sugar: Using granulated sugar balances the tanginess of the vinegar so that the flavor of the dressing is tangy and sweet.
- Balsamic vinegar: Balsamic vinegar is the most heralded ingredient in this recipe (just see the comments for proof!). It is what sets the dressing – and salad – apart from other similar recipes. Any variety of balsamic vinegar can be used. I have made this salad with dark balsamic vinegar and also with white balsamic flavored vinegars.
- Fresh broccoli: Chop the broccoli into small bite-size pieces. You’ll need
- Golden raisins: This ingredient is optional. Craisins or halved green or red grapes can be subbed in for the raisins.
- Sunflower seeds: I prefer using unsalted, toasted sunflower seeds. Toasted pecans or slivered almonds can be subbed in for the sunflower seeds.
- Shallot or red onion: A little bit of onion goes a long way in this salad and adds great flavor. Finely dice the onion.
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese: The sharp cheddar cheese lends a creamy, salty contrast to the other ingredients.
- Bacon: Cook and crumble the bacon before using in the salad.
This salad is incredibly adaptable and versatile. Add more, or less, of any ingredient, and play around with substitutions to suit what you have on hand or what you like!
A Few Additional Notes
This salad can be fully assembled 1 to 2 hours ahead of time. Give the salad a good toss before serving.
For other make-ahead options:
- Whisk together the dressing and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Chop and prep all the ingredients and store them in separate bags or containers to quickly assemble when needed.
It makes me happy reading through the comments and seeing how so many people have declared this “the best salad ever!” It really is something special, and is the perfect salad for literally any occasion.
I hope you love it as much as we do! Make sure to read through the recipe and recipe notes for suggestions on adaptations and variations.
The Best Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
- ¾ cup (175 g) mayonnaise (see note)
- ¼ cup (53 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (see note)
Salad:
- 1 ½ pounds (450 to 600 g) fresh broccoli, chopped into small bite-sized pieces (about 8 to 10 cups)
- 1 cup (135 g) craisins or golden raisins (see note)
- ½ to ¾ cup (75 to 100 g) sunflower seeds (see note)
- ¼ cup finely diced shallot or red onion
- 1 cup (113 g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss the salad ingredients together.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat evenly.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving. Right before serving, give the salad another good toss to recombine any dressing that may have settled at the bottom.
- Garnish the top of the salad with additional bacon crumbles, craisins, shredded cheese, or sunflower seeds, if desired.
Notes
- Use halved green or red grapes in place of (or in addition to) the raisins or craisins
- Sub in red wine vinegar for the balsamic vinegar (my personal note is that the balsamic vinegar is preferred for flavor)
- If dressing is too thick, thin with a few teaspoons of milk or water.
- Use plain Greek yogurt in place of half of the mayonnaise.
- Sub in toasted sliced almonds, pecans, or candied nuts for the sunflower seeds.
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from my Aunt Marilyn
Recipe originally posted August 2012; updated March 2026 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.
This is excellent! Not goopy at all, just crunchy broccoli that’s tangy sweet. I made this two weeks in a row. The first time I followed the recipe pretty exactly and the second time I did a little less sugar and no bacon. It was good both ways. To me, the bacon is too much extra work to be worth it, and I feel a little weird including meat in a veggie side. So I will likely leave it out in the future unless my husband talks me onto it, heh. Thank you!
Thanks for your feedback on this recipe, Emily! I appreciate it!
I make this recipe all the time and it’s always been a hit! I leave out the raisins, and reduce the amount of onion and sunflower seeds just a bit, and the result is tasty broccoli salad goodness 😋
This is always our go to side for big dinners, potlucks and picnics. Everyone loves it. We use dried cherries instead of raisin! Wonderful.
What in the world… how is it possible to love every recipe I find on this site!? I do though! And this one was no exception! So delicious, I’ll be making it too much now 😉
Ah, thanks, Jacy!
Can you make this a day or two ahead of time?
It does pretty well made up to 24 hours in advance.
Made the broccoli salad. Delicious! Could you tell me what the serving size is?
The recipe serves about 8 – I don’t have the exact serving size, but just adding up the ingredients, it would be about 1 to 1 1/2 cups salad.
I did not make it yet. I need a few more ingredients. On my way to store now. I know we are going to love this new way to make this salad. Ty so much for new faily fav.
Best recipe I have come across. Taste delicious.
This is delicious, however I did find a whole tablespoon of balsamic vinegar is a bit too much. I added only a half tbsp the second time I made it, and it was delicious.
I wondered about that, I just made it with a half a tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar too. The Balsamic Vinegar was what my wife liked about this recipe. I tried to follow it, I honestly did, but, alas, I couldn’t help myself and I modified it. I added diced water chestnuts, a heavy pinch or two of white pepper, a 1/8 tsp salt, and less than a half cup of shredded sharp cheddar. Both Craisens and Raisins, which, I boil in water to sort of rehydrate, plump them up a bit, obviously strain everything. I have to say, the Balsamic was, is a brilliant idea.
Just made this as a side for Sunday dinner and it was AMAZING!!!! My 10 year old son said it was incredible!! Everyone should make it!! I practically ate the entire bowl!!! I will definitely make this again!!
Love this simple recipe, I didn’t add the raisins and used the shredded cheese I had. My whole family enjoyed it.