You'll obsess over our viral keto broccoli salad with fried bacon, cheese, and sunflower seeds. Top off the salad with a keto-friendly sweet dressing that'll be the star of your next potluck, holiday table, or your work lunch room. Just 5 net carbs per serving!
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"This is so delicious! I just made it and couldn't stop eating it. Thank you for an amazing recipe! I've been looking for salads to meal prep and this is perfect!" ~ T
"Wow! Since starting low carb, I’ve been looking for a good broccoli salad recipe… this one is amazing!! I like it just as well or even better than the standard recipe;)" ~ Lisa
Our broccoli salad keto recipe is the best!
Raw broccoli bacon salad has been a classic since the 1970's, this is a keto adaption of our family favorite that I've been making for decades. This salad will seriously rave reviews from your friends and family and no one would ever guess it's low carb and sugar free.
The traditional broccoli salad recipe calls for lots of sugar, lemon juice, and sweetened cranberries or raisins. We've taken out the sugar and swapped the lemon for apple cider vinegar, which adds a nice kick and makes the salad taste even better. You won't even miss the dried fruit with that sweet tangy dressing!
Our version holds its shape and doesn't get soggy, it'll keep for many days in the fridge, which also makes it great for lunch meal prep. This is also a simple recipe to customize by changing the protein, the type of cheese, or you can use a different kind of nuts.
We originally wrote this in 2018, it was updated and rewritten with new photos added in 2024. It's the same great recipe!
Ingredients you'll need
- broccoli-tops only - You can either buy broccoli crowns or buy whole broccoli and cut the stalks off. Swapping half of the broccoli for cauliflower is a great variation!
- well cooked and chopped bacon - bake or air fry your own or buy a bag of pre-cooked bacon from Costco. You could also use diced ham, roasted chicken, or turkey.
- diced red onion - green onions taste good eaten raw too
- shredded cheddar cheese - any shredded cheese will work here, to keep it as low carb as possible we recommend shredding cheese from a block instead of using cheddar from a bag that adds potato starch (and hidden carbs)
- salted sunflower seeds - pecans, macadamia nuts, and pine nuts are great too
- mayonnaise - Use a sugar free mayo. You can also swap half of the mayo for sour cream or Greek yogurt.
- apple cider vinegar (or fresh lemon juice) - we prefer to make this a keto broccoli salad with apple cider vinegar since it's easy and lower in carbs than lemon juice.
- granulated monk fruit to add a touch of sweetness. Or use stevia to taste (it's much stronger than monk fruit).
This is just an overview of what you need and how to make it, get the full instructions and quantities down in the recipe card at the bottom.
Variations
- Change the dressing. Instead of making the dressing you can swap it for a low carb Ranch dressing, or another creamy favorite.
- Cook the broccoli by parboiling it or roasting it.
- Add low carb fruit like blueberries
- Make it vegetarian by leaving out the bacon. Add more nuts, roasted chickpeas, or another plant based salty substitute.
How to make low carb bacon broccoli salad
Make the dressing. Mix the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and monk fruit in a small bowl and set it aside.
Prep the veggies. You're just using chopped broccoli crowns here, not the stalk. 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. Chop it into very small pieces and add to a large bowl.
Don't toss the stalks!
While our broccoli salad recipe just uses the broccoli crowns, if you have leftover stalks, use them to make broccoli rice!
Add remaining ingredients. Add the chopped onion, shredded cheddar, chopped bacon, and sunflower seeds to the large bowl.
Add the dressing and combine it with the broccoli salad ingredients. We recommend letting the salad rest in the fridge for at least an hour or two before serving to blend the flavors. Enjoy!
Recipe tips
- You can definitely serve the salad right after assembling, yet it has an even better flavor if you let it rest in the fridge for a couple of hours or even overnight.
- We mix the dressing in with salad but you can serve it on the side too!
- To keep the carbs as low as possible, shred the cheese from a block, and use mayo and bacon that don't add sugar.
- Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in the fridge.
More keto broccoli recipes
- Broccoli Cakes
- Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Roasted Broccoli Recipe
- Homemade Cheddar Sauce
- Chicken Divan Casserole
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
Keto Broccoli Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 heads of broccoli tops only
- 8 slices well cooked and chopped bacon
- 1 cup red onion diced
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese shred it from a block
- ½ cup salted and roasted sunflower seeds
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoon monk fruit or erythritol
Instructions
- Make the broccoli salad dressing by mixing the mayo, apple cider vinegar, and monk fruit (or erythritol) in a small bowl. Set it aside.
- Add the chopped broccoli, crumbled bacon, red onion, cheddar cheese, and sunflower seeds to a large bowl. Combine.
- Mix in the salad dressing. Enjoy! Chill for 1+ hours before serving to blend the flavors.
Notes
- Leftovers will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- Easy adaptions include swapping the bacon for ham or roasted chicken, using different cheese or nuts, or even mixing in low carb fruit like blueberries.
- The nutritional information is an estimate and does not subtract erythritol from the net carb count. This recipe roughly 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.
Nutrition
Jenn says
What can I use instead of mayo? I can't do mayonnaise.
WholeLottaYum says
I promise if you use a high quality mayo it'll taste good and not like mayo at all! My mayo hating daughter really likes this salad. You could either reduce it by 1/2 and swap the rest with sour cream OR you could use a store bought creamy dressing like ranch to taste.
Jordan says
I tried this recipe this weekend, and it was wonderful! I am new to keto, but this was so easy and even non-Keto eaters liked it. Thank you!
Tammy Rodriguez says
This was soooo good! I'm not a huge mayo fan, so I did 1/2 cup mayo mixed with 1/2 cup sour cream. Thanks for the great recipe, I'm going to make this all summer.
Megan says
How big is a serving size?
WholeLottaYum says
We didn't measure out exact portions, we just eye balled servings.
ShaeLee Lodi says
Absolutely loved it!! Made it a little bit differently, used lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar, used turkey bacon instead of regular bacon, and didn’t put onion in. Will definitely be making this again.
Chelsea says
Hi! Could full-fat greek yogurt be substituted for mayonnaise?
WholeLottaYum says
Yep! But it will change the flavor.
Lynda says
This is a fantastic dish. Loved it, will def become a regular dish. Makes a good change to coleslaw.
Pam Thrasher says
This was so good! I will certainly be making this again. Thanks for the great recipe.
Tina says
This was delicious! I didn't have a red onion, so a white one had to do. I'll make this again!
Karen says
Exactly how much is one serving?
Barbara West says
Why does it say yields 8 servings, but on the nutrition information, it says 10???
Mel says
Hey Barbara! Thank you for pointing that out, this recipe yields 10 servings. I've corrected the mistake on the recipe card. Thanks!
Rachael says
How much roughly is a serving? 1/2 cup maybe? I don’t want to have to divide the The whole thing into 10 potions to see how big they are!
Karen says
How much is a service size? Thanks
Kate Hazen says
I Made this for a potluck and it is delicious!
WholeLottaYum says
Thank you Kate! I'm so glad you enjoyed the broccoli salad recipe! Jen
Tanya says
Hi there. How long does it last in the fridge and do u cover it?
WholeLottaYum says
Hi Tanya, it should last up to 4 days in the fridge and yes, I would keep the container covered. Enjoy! Jen
Kathy says
It won’t last that long! My family and I LOVE this recipe. Delish!!!