Creamy Broccoli Salad
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Seriously the BEST broccoli salad ever! With cheese, cashews, red onion, crispy bacon + the creamiest dressing ever!
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Say goodbye to dry, boring broccoli salads! This easy, make-ahead classic broccoli salad dish will knock everyone’s socks off – made with crispy bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, cashews, red onion, dried cranberries and the creamiest (most perfectly tangy), velvety dressing of all time.
why i love this recipe
- Easy, convenient make-ahead side dish recipe (broccoli salad actually tastes better as it sits!)
- Maximum textures, flavors and crunch
- Perfect for picnics, potlucks, barbecues, cookouts and dinner parties
- Also equally amazing 365 days out of the year (not just for summer backyard gatherings)
- Guaranteed crowd-pleaser, even broccoli-haters will ask for second helpings
- Easily modifiable (and flexible) with ingredients you have on hand
how to make a crowd-pleasing broccoli salad
- Make the dressing ahead of time (1-2 days in advance)
- Cook the bacon until perfectly brown and crispy
- Gently toss the ingredients, stir in the dressing, chill and serve
tips and tricks for success
- Make ahead of time. Save time by making the dressing 1-2 days in advance, and prepping and dicing the vegetables 1-2 days prior and storing them in airtight containers in the fridge. Alternatively, the broccoli salad can be made start to finish 1 day in advance, stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Cut in uniform size. Cut all of the salad ingredients in similar size pieces for a consistent bite.
- Lightly blanch if needed. Not a fan of the raw bite? Blanch the broccoli for 15-30 seconds, shocking in an ice bath and draining (drying) the broccoli as much as possible. No one wants a soggy, watery broccoli salad.
- Save the crunchy toppings for the very end. To prevent sogginess, stir in the bacon and cashews just before serving.
- Make it vegetarian. Skip the bacon altogether, or sub crispy chickpeas.
- Mix it up. Use lean bacon (or omit if desired), swap out the cashews for slivered almonds, pecans, walnuts or sunflower seeds, use cheese cubes instead of shredded cheese, or substitute the dried cranberries with dried cherries or dried medjool dates (pitted and finely chopped). The sky is the limit!
what to serve with broccoli salad
The beauty of broccoli salad is that it goes well with anything and everything. We’re talking sheet pan pizza to the most perfect cheeseburger or the juiciest ribeye steak. This also goes very well as a starter or appetizer.
more favorited broccoli recipes
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Easy Beef and Broccoli
- Easy Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
- Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Creamy Broccoli Salad: Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! The raw broccoli adds a nice crunch but if you prefer more of a softer bite, the broccoli can be blanched for about 15-30 seconds beforehand.
Fresh broccoli is ideal for its raw, crunchy bite but frozen broccoli can be used if needed with a few extra steps – blanching beforehand, shocking in an ice bath and drying thoroughly.
Yes! Broccoli salad is the most perfect make-ahead dish and can be made up to 1 day in advance. Best of all, broccoli salad tastes better as it sits in the fridge, allowing the flavors to meld and intensify.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Creamy Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 5 cups coarsely chopped broccoli florets
- ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup cashews
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
For the dressing
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Drain excess fat; transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
- In a large bowl, combine broccoli, cheese, cashews, onion and cranberries. Stir in dressing and gently toss to combine.
- Cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving.
For the dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, milk, sugar and apple cider vinegar.
Did you make this recipe?
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I was looking for a quick keto-ish salad and made this one. The only tweak I added was 2 T of plain Greek yogurt to thicken the dressing. Simple and delicious! Think I may hide it
Lovely recipe. Just also added bacon bits, roasted sunflower seeds and some apple. Made the sauce thicker as well. The bacon cuts into the sweetness and works perfectly.
Fantastic, made a few Improvises, have nut allergies in the family so I added shredded carrot large shred, added a little garlic powder and A dash of cayenne pepper to the dressing. Fantastic will make it again.
I was suspicious, but this is delicious! Simple. Didn’t have cashews so I used pecans from the roasted beet salad I made last night. Definitely will make it again. 🙂
Also didn’t have dried cranberries so I used dried tart cherries.
A very good salad-type pot luck dish or for the family. I can’t have sugar so I eliminated that part of the dressing recipe. Yes, the dressing was thin but covered the salad well and stayed that way.
I’m wondering if buttermilk is an acceptable sub for the milk and then would the vinegar be eliminated? To this you may add all sorts of goodies. If no cranberries golden raisins or dried cherries. Thanks for the recipe
Don’t wait until summer to try this recipe. Although I love cooked broccoli, this recipe looked interesting. All the ingredients are available year-round in the Midwest. I prepared the recipe as directed and refrigerated it overnight in 9″x13″ portable baking dish. I gave it a quick stir and unveiled it on the potluck lunch buffet the next day. It was a pretty presentation and tasted better than it looked. This recipe passed from my “test kitchen” ranking to the “girlfriend, where did you get that recipe?” file. Thank you!
I honestly LOVE this recipe, came across it because it’s gluten free & my mother-in law has celiacs.I read some reviews was worried because a lot of people commented on the dressing being too watery but I think it’s delicious & coats everything perfectly. I add bacon bits & use peanuts instead of cashews(had a big bag laying around needed to use but also don’t care for cashews). I’ve made it twice so far & was officially told I have to make this every time we have events or anything. This salad is addicting.
Excellent and super fast and easy. I added golden raisins, which I thought was a good addition. My family loved it!
I just made this and was disappointed. It’s way too sweet and so thin and runny that it didn’t stick to the broccoli at all. I added another 1/2 cup of mayo and some salt but it was still was too sweet and runny.Next time I’d leave out the milk. I like the addition of cashews and dried cranberries, though.
My hubby loved it. And, he doesn’t like broccoli!!! Oh and I took out the red onion because neither of us like it.
It was delicious!
Wow, big compliment from a non-broccoli lover! Thanks for sharing, Liz! 🙂
This was easy to make and quick, no fancy expensive ingredients, and yummy yumm yum!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe! I am adding it to my permanent recipe collection. I made it last night and it was a hit! The only change I made was to use heavy cream instead of milk, mainly due to trying not to have to go back to the store :).
We are so happy to hear this made it into your regular rotation, Tasha!
I have been avoiding cheese the past two weeks. I may add some crispy tofu, though I am not yet sure what the spices will be, maybe nutritional yeast coating.I’m not a vegetarian, but I like may of its choices.
I’m sure it’ll turn out so great! 🙂
Good recipe for a traditional broccoli salad. I found the dressing to be too thin. Next time I am going to substitute heavy cream for the milk.
Love this salad!! Replace cheese with feta… mmm so good
The broccoli salad is the best. The dressing is my go to for cole slaw.
Thank you!
Just wondering whether elbow or fusilli pasta will go well with the recipe? For mayonnaise, is any kind of mayonnaise fine? My mayonnaise is of the Japanese kind and I understand that its a tad different from the regular kind.
Yes, elbow or fusilli would be great! But I recommend using American mayonnaise, not Japanese.
This looks amazing
This looks delicious! Can’t wait to give it a try!
WONDERFUL, thanks so much, Chungah! And may I just share something with you? My husband & son are the pickiest souls you’ve ever met. They are choosy AND they both have a problem with certain food textures. My husband dislikes anything from a crockpot for this reason, yet when I tell him “it’s a Chungah recipe, relax,” he is completely okay with it. My son is even worse, but he likes Asian food. They both love your food. I like that your recipes are not complicated! Oh…and I also love your recipes. We are a family of Chungah fans. I thank you so much for helping me feed my family.