An easy cauliflower and broccoli salad recipe chock full of hearty ingredients like crisp bacon, cheddar cheese, crunchy sunflower seeds, and raisins. Makes a perfect side dish for a potluck, BBQ, picnics, or during the holidays.
This broccoli cauliflower salad recipe with bacon is so good!
When I think of potluck dinners and summer BBQs, a cold broccoli salad or broccoli and cauliflower salad with a mayo dressing always seems to be a crowd favorite.
For over two decades, this hearty raw salad has been one of my assigned family recipes...I have this one memorized!
- Broccoli cauliflower raisin salad is a hearty high fiber salad that keeps for days and doesn't get soggy.
- It's super hearty with a delicious blend of sweet from the juicy raisins and salty from the crunch of sunflower seeds and bacon, plus soft and crunchy.
- It's a perfect recipe for holidays, a BBQ, or lunch meal prep too.
- This is already gluten-free and lower-carb, and includes sugar-free adaptions below.
Your Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad is the best tasting I have ever made! I love all of the ingredients and it is quite filling. It also keeps well in the fridge for a few days and it is true that it seems to get tastier as time goes by. Thank You!! ~ Anna
Main Ingredients
- broccoli - just the head, not the stalks
- cauliflower - just the heads, not the stalks
- bacon, cooked & chopped into bite sized pieces (about 4-5 pieces)- looking for a different protein? Substitute cubed ham or smoked turkey.
- red onion
- cheddar cheese
- salted sunflower seeds - any type of salted nut would be great here including almond, walnuts, or cashews
- raisins - or dried cranberries or dried berries
- mayonnaise - Best Foods or this is our favorite no sugar mayo
- lemon juice - fresh! Not concentrate. (or apple cider vinegar or even red wine vinegar)
- sugar -swap erythritol or monk fruit for no sugar, use can also use honey, coconut sugar, or maple syrup.
with Ranch Dressing?
If you don't want to make the homemade mayo sweetened dressing, just skip it entirely and add Ranch dressing to taste! Or you can use a creamy store-bought coleslaw dressing too.
Substitutions
- Cheese: No cheddar? Try swapping it out for some feta or gouda or shredded Colby Jack.
- Dried fruit: If you're not a fan of raisins, dried cranberries, dried berries, or chopped dates will also do the trick.
- Nuts/Seeds: Instead of sunflower seeds you could also use pecans, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, or macadamia nuts,
- Dressing: Not into mayo? Greek yogurt or a mix of olive oil and vinegar can be used for the dressing.
How to make cauliflower broccoli raisin salad
Step 1. Make the dressing. Mix the mayonnaise, fresh lemon juice, and sweetener in a small bowl. Set it aside. Or skip this step entirely if you're using store-bought Ranch dressing or coleslaw dressing.
The recipe calls for 1 broccoli head and 1 cauliflower head, you'll want to cut off just the top. I don't worry if I get little bits of stem pieces in the salad, but most of the broccoli should just be the heads.
Using the remaining unused broccoli for riced broccoli or cauliflower rice is a perfect way to use up the rest of the broccoli.
Step 2. Chop the broccoli and cauliflower into very small pieces and put into a medium-size bowl, toss the veggies together. Here's a visual on how small of pieces we cut the broccoli and cauliflower into.
Step 3. Combine salad ingredients. Add the diced onion, shredded cheddar, chopped bacon, raisins, and sunflower seeds to a large bowl, along with the chopped cauliflower florets and broccoli pieces.
Step 4. Pour the salad dressing to the rest of the vegetable, cheese, and bacon mixture and gently toss to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Let sit in the fridge for at least one hour before serving so flavors can blend.
Jenni's tips
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container.
- You can make this the day before, which helps the flavors to blend even more!
- Instead of dried fruit, make a broccoli salad with fresh fruit like grapes or apples
More broccoli recipes
- Pan-Fried Broccoli Fritters
- Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Roasted Broccoli Recipe
- Homemade Cheese Sauce
- Chicken Casserole with Broccoli
- Keto Broccoli Salad
If you loved our recipe, please leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and leave us a comment too! Connect with us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube!
If you loved our recipe, please leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and leave us a comment too! Connect with us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube!
Recipe
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad with Raisins
Ingredients
- 1 head of broccoli tops only
- 1 head of cauliflower tops only
- 8 slices well cooked and chopped bacon
- 1 cup red onion diced
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup salted and roasted sunflower seeds
- ½ cup raisins
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 T fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon sweetener
Instructions
- mix the mayo, lemon juice and sugar in small bowl to make the cauliflower & broccoli salad dressing and set aside.
- Combine the remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add the dressing mixture and combine well.
- Chill for 1+ hours before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can substitute dried cranberries, currants, or dried berries for the raisins, or even fresh fruit like grapes, blueberries, or apples.
- Using just chopped broccoli is another variation of this salad recipe.
- Use apple cider vinegar if you don't have fresh lemons.
- Keeps up to 4 days in the fridge.
- Make 2 hours in advance or even overnight for best flavor.
- Skip the mayo dressing and add your favorite such as Ranch or Italian.
Anna says
Your Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad is the best tasting I have ever made! I love all of the ingredients and it is quite filling. It also keeps well in the fridge for a few days and it is true that it seems to get tastier as time goes by. Thank You!!