Creamy Broccoli Salad
by Chungah
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An easy, make-ahead classic broccoli salad! Made with crispy bacon, cheese, dried cranberries and the creamiest velvety dressing of all time.
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Say goodbye to dry, boring broccoli salads! This easy, make-ahead side 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 you’ll love this creamy broccoli salad
- Make-ahead dish. First and foremost, this broccoli salad is an easy, convenient, make-ahead side dish. And yes, broccoli salad actually tastes better as it sits!
- Perfect for all occasions. This is just one of those side dishes that is sure to be a hit anytime, anywhere – at picnics, potlucks, barbecues, cookouts, baby showers, and dinner parties. Not to mention, it is equally amazing 365 days out of the year (not just for summer backyard gatherings!).
- Guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Now we’re talking maximum textures, flavors and crunch with the dreamiest dressing ever, coating everything so perfectly. Even broccoli-haters will ask for second helpings.
- Flexible recipe. Finally, this recipe can easily be adapted, swapping out almost any ingredient based on personal preferences, dietary restrictions, or what you already have in your pantry.
how to make this creamy broccoli salad
- Make the dressing. Firstly, combine the mayonnaise, milk, sugar, and apple cider vinegar. This can also be done ahead of time, 1 to 2 days in advance.
- Cook the bacon. Then cook the bacon until brown and crispy in a large cast iron skillet.
- Toss. Next, combine the broccoli, cheese, cashews, onion, cranberries, and cooked bacon. Stir in the dressing and gently toss to combine until everything is evenly coated.
- Chill. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours, preferably overnight. Pro tip: add the crunchy toppings (bacon and cashews) just before serving to prevent sogginess.
variations and substitutions to broccoli salad
- Bacon: make it meatless and omit the bacon, substituting crispy chickpeas
- Broccoli: substitute the broccoli with equal parts broccoli and cauliflower florets
- Cheddar cheese: skip the shredded cheddar and replace with small cubes of white cheddar or crumbled feta
- Cashews: use sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pecans, or slivered almonds in place of the cashews
- Dried cranberries: swap out the dried cranberries for raisins, dried cherries, or dried medjool dates (pitted and finely chopped)
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.
Replace some (or all) of the mayo with Greek yogurt or sour cream – still yielding rich, creamy flavors with a slight tang.
Yes! Broccoli salad is the most perfect make-ahead dish and can be made up to 1 day in advance. Broccoli salad actually tastes better as it sits in the fridge, allowing the flavors to really meld and intensify overnight.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, with the broccoli losing its crispness over time.
It is not recommended to freeze broccoli salad – the mayo-based dressing will separate and curdle, and the broccoli will become mushy upon thawing.
Creamy Broccoli Salad
Video
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
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, cranberries and bacon. 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.
Equipment
Notes
- 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.
- Make it lighter. Replace half of the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt.
- 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 substitute 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.
Did you make this recipe?
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I made this last night and it was delicious !!! I added a tsp of Good Seasons Italian seasoning mix to my dressing with the pepper and sugar. I’m allergic to nuts, so I substituted the crunch using corn nuts. ❤️
Made this salad and it was so delicious! Only caveat I would give is 2 T. sugar is WAY too much and made the dressing too sweet! I lean to savory, so maybe that is the reason for my reaction. To counteract the sweetness, I added 2 T. Greek yogurt and a 1/2 t. lemon juice. Next time I will start with
2 t. sugar and add more from there. Will definitely make again!
What about the bacon that I’ve fried and drained???
Instruction #1:
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.
Instruction #2:
In a large bowl, combine broccoli, cheese, cashews, onion, cranberries and bacon. Stir in dressing and gently toss to combine.
This is an amazing summertime salad. It is sweet which I loved. I did cut the sugar in half so that it was not too sweet. Works really well with the cranberries and cashews.
I agreed to make a broccoli salad for a family potluck and then realized I didn’t have a recipe. Luckily, I found this one. This salad was so delicious; it got rave reviews from my family (all foodies). Everyone wanted the recipe.
Thanks for sharing!
Do you recommend any substitutions for the bacon? Thank you.
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