When you want a hearty cold broccoli salad recipe but you don’t want the sugar and carbs to go with it, then you’ll absolutely love this low-carb keto broccoli salad with bacon.
Chock full of delicious ingredients like fried bacon, cheese, low carb sunflower seeds, and a keto-friendly sweet dressing, this easy salad recipe will be perfect as a meal prep lunch, on your holiday table, or at a potluck with friends.
No one will even know this is a keto broccoli salad recipe, not to mention such an EASY low carb broccoli salad on top of it. Since you’re making it with raw broccoli, you can simply chop and mix.
Here’s our traditional broccoli cauliflower salad recipe if you’re looking for a cold broccoli salad and weren’t here for a keto version.
Keto Broccoli Salad Recipe
When I think of holiday dinners and summer potlucks, broccoli salad always seems to be on our family table. Come to think of it, for two decades now I’ve been getting assigned broccoli salad for every occasion, I have this recipe down pat.
A traditional broccoli salad recipe calls for lots of sugar, lemon juice, and sometimes sweetened cranberries or raisins. While maybe you thought you couldn’t still have broccoli salad on your health program, you’ll find that this keto broccoli salad tastes just like the yummy traditional version you’re used to.
That being said, my husband LOVED this low carb keto broccoli salad with bacon version BETTER than the original! He thought that the apple cider vinegar added a nice kick to the salad that lemon juice doesn’t provide.
I’ll be serving this low carb broccoli salad at my next family party and I don’t even plan to tell them it’s keto and I can guarantee they won’t even notice the difference.
Keto Broccoli Salad Ingredients
To make this classic salad as low as carb and keto as possible, we substituted the lemon juice with apple cider vinegar, the sugar with Swerve and used salted sunflower seeds instead of sugary cranberries or raisins.
What is so great about this keto broccoli salad (no sugar!) is that it’s easy to swap ingredients if you want to change it up. Feel free to swap half of the broccoli for cauliflower, use ham instead of bacon, use almonds instead of sunflower seeds, or skip the seeds all together.
Want a keto broccoli salad without bacon? Feel free to substitute ham, turkey, or your favorite protein substitute.
Salad Ingredient List
- 2 heads of broccoli-tops only
- 1/2 lb well cooked and chopped bacon
- 1 cup diced red onion
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup salted sunflower seeds
- 1 cup mayonnaise – this is our favorite keto mayo
- 2 T apple cider vinegar (or fresh lemon juice)
- 3 T erythritol (our favorite brands are this one or this blend)
How to Make Low Carb Broccoli Salad
To make this delicious keto-friendly broccoli salad, you’ll want to start by making the keto broccoli salad dressing. Mix the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar and erythritol in a small bowl and set aside.
If you have another low carb and keto sweetener you prefer, by all means, use it. Stevia would also work to sweeten this salad but you’ll want to add less of it since it’s 200 times stronger than erythritol. Just a sprinkle of stevia should do it.
The recipe calls for 2 broccoli heads and 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 broccoli rice is a perfect way to use up the rest of the broccoli.
Chop the broccoli into very small pieces and put it into a medium-size bowl. Here’s a visual on how small of pieces we cut the broccoli into.
Add the chopped onion, shredded cheddar, chopped bacon, and sunflower seeds to a large bowl, along with the chopped broccoli pieces.
Mix the vegetable mixture together. You could in theory add the broccoli salad dressing before mixing the vegetable mix together and just do this as one step. I personally like to combine the vegetables and other ingredients just to make sure it evenly combines.
Add the low carb broccoli salad dressing to the rest of the broccoli, cheese, and bacon mixture and gently combine. Let the mix sit in the fridge for at least one hour before serving so the flavors can blend.
This is one of those salad recipes that the longer you let it sit the better it tastes! I usually make this low carb broccoli salad the morning of when I need it later that afternoon or evening. It’s perfectly fine to make the day before too!
This fantastic keto broccoli salad seriously makes the best broccoli salad recipe, need proof? Check out the reader reviews! It’s also a terrific option for lunch meal prep since the broccoli holds it’s shape and doesn’t get soggy like lettuce greens do.
We’d love to hear how your low carb broccoli salad recipe turns out! Post comments and feedback below or post your photos on the Pinterest pin.
Enjoy!
Other Keto Broccoli Recipes You’ll Love
- Keto Broccoli Cakes
- Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Roasted Broccoli Recipe
- Homemade Cheddar Sauce
- Making Riced Broccoli
- Chicken Casserole with Broccoli
- Steamed Broccoli in Microwave
Keto Broccoli Salad Recipe
An easy and delicious low carb and keto broccoli salad recipe that includes bacon, sunflower seeds, and an amazing no sugar broccoli salad dressing. This low carb broccoli salad is perfect for holiday gatherings, potlucks and BBQ's!
Ingredients
- 2 heads of broccoli, tops only
- 8 slices well cooked and chopped bacon
- 1 cup red onion, diced
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup salted and roasted sunflower seeds
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 T apple cider vinegar
- 3 T erythritol
Instructions
- mix mayo, apple cider vinegar and erythritol in small bowl to make the broccoli salad dressing and set aside
- Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl
- Add the dressing mixture and combine well
- Chill for 1+ hours before serving
Notes
The nutritional information is an estimate and does not subtract erythritol from the net carb count. This recipe roughy has 3 net carbs per serving after subtracting the fiber and erythritol. People following a keto diet subtract both of these from the carb count since they have zero impact on blood sugar. We highly recommend calculating the nutrition yourself also since all brands can vary.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 10 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 285Total Fat 27gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 20gCholesterol 22mgSodium 1008mgCarbohydrates 6gFiber 2gSugar 2gProtein 6g
Stacy says
I buy my broccoli as florets in a large bag so had to look up an equivalent for this recipe. As best I can tell, two stalks of broccoli yield about 7 cups of florets. Maybe this info will be helpful to someone. Making the recipe this minute!
Jennifer says
Thanks! It was helpful for me!
Rebecca says
Can you use frozen broccoli tops?
WholeLottaYum says
The salad is best using fresh broccoli so I honestly don’t know how defrosted frozen broccoli would turn out! keep us posted if you make it.
Cindy says
I male a very similar one but I add cauliflower and thin the dressing down with milk or half and half to make it thin. My family loves it. Thanks.
CJ says
Could you make this without the sweetener?
WholeLottaYum says
yes! You definitely can!