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The Best Broccoli Salad Recipe

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Our favorite broccoli salad recipe is a mix of broccoli, bacon, cheddar cheese, walnuts, and golden raisins topped with a creamy and sweet mayonnaise yogurt dressing. It's the best easy and healthy summer BBQ side dish!

a close up of the best broccoli salad with cheddar cheese and raisinsPin

I love broccoli.

I love it raw, baked, boiled, drenched in cheese, and splashed with balsamic vinegar.

I've never met a broccoli dish I didn't like.

When Joe and I were thinking about adding a vegetable dish to our beloved Thanksgiving feast, we both thought of broccoli, but neither of us had a recipe in mind.

Suddenly, it was the night before our feast, and we still hadn't decided on a recipe.

I took matters into my own hands. I was glad to have a couple of bags of pre-cut broccoli and used them to make my favorite cold broccoli salad.

My broccoli salad was the biggest hit of the meal. There were only 3 or 4 little broccoli pieces left over, not even a small bowlful.

I was sad about that. I wanted to have it for breakfast the next day. There wasn't enough left over even for breakfast.

This recipe came out so well that I made it again for our second Thanksgiving feast with Old Grandma, and this time, I doubled the recipe. It lasted a little longer, but not much.

How to make our favorite broccoli salad

  1. Cook bacon over medium high heat. Drain it well and pat dry to remove as much of the grease as possible. Crumble the dried bacon and set it aside.
  2. Pour broccoli into a large mixing bowl. Add to it a large handful of golden raisins (my sister says that's a cup but I think it's more than that) and a large handful of walnuts. Add the crumbled bacon and two big handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese.
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  3. In a small bowl, whisk together rice wine vinegar, garlic, sugar, and mayo. Pour the dressing over the broccoli and toss it well. Make sure it's all blended and well-coated.
    the best broccoli salad recipe dressingPin add dressing to broccoli saladPin
  4. Refrigerate the salad for a couple of hours to overnight to let the flavors blend.
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Can you boil the broccoli for broccoli salad?

Of course you can! This time, we made our broccoli salad using raw broccoli, but if you'd prefer yours to be a little more tender, feel free to boil or blanch it according to these instructions.

Try these other delicious salads while you're here:

Recipe

a close up of the best broccoli salad in a white bowl

Our Favorite Broccoli Salad Recipe

Our favorite broccoli salad recipe is a mix of broccoli, bacon, cheddar cheese, walnuts, and golden raisins topped with a creamy and sweet mayonnaise yogurt dressing. It's the best easy and healthy summer BBQ side dish!
4.94 from 31 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Add to Collection
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 12 servings
Calories 300 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 10 slices bacon
  • 1 pounds broccoli
  • 1 cup golden raisins
  • 1-2 cups cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup walnuts chopped
  • 6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar garlic flavor (a little more than ⅓ cup)
  • 1 cloves garlic or 2 if they're small
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 cup mayonnaise I wouldn't recommend Miracle Whip in this recipe.
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt

Instructions
 

  • Cook bacon over medium high heat. Drain it well and pat dry to remove as much of the grease as possible. Crumble the dried bacon and set it aside.
  • Pour broccoli into a large mixing bowl. Add to it a large handful of golden raisins (my sister says that's a cup but I think it's more than that) and a large handful of walnuts. Add the crumbled bacon and two big handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese. Don't worry about mixing it up yet.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together rice wine vinegar, garlic, sugar, and mayo. Pour the dressing over the broccoli and toss it well. Make sure it's all blended and well-coated.
  • Refrigerate the salad for a couple of hours or overnight, to let the flavors blend.

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 358mg | Potassium: 327mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 352IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 1mg
Keyword bacon, broccoli, cheddar cheese
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A bowl of broccoli salad with raisins, walnuts, and cheesePin

A bowl of broccoli salad with cheese, golden raisins, and walnutsPin

A bowl of broccoli saladPin

A bowl of broccoli salad with bacon, raisins, and cheesePin

A plate of broccoli salad with a forkPin

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Broccoli salad ingredientsPin

Broccoli salad ingredientsPin

Broccoli salad ingredientsPin

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Pouring the dressing onto the broccoli, cheese, bacon, and nutsPin

Pouring the dressing onto the broccoli saladPin

Pouring the dressing onto the broccoli saladPin

A close up of a plate of food with broccoli, with Salad and BaconPin

A close up of a plate of food with broccoli, with Salad and BaconPin

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A close up of broccoli salad with baconPin

A close up of broccoli salad with raisinsPin

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A bowl of food with broccoli, with Salad and BaconPin

A plate of food with broccoli, with Salad and BaconPin

A plate of food with broccoli, with Salad and MayonnaisePin

A plate of food with broccoli, with Salad and BaconPin

 

A close up of a plate of food with broccoli, with SaladPin

A bowl of food with broccoli, with SaladPin

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    4.94 from 31 votes (17 ratings without comment)

  1. Elena says

    I like broccoli and cheese soup

  3. Rebecca says

    5 stars
    I keep things simple...so, our fave broc recipe is just steaming it. However, THIS will probably replace it!

  4. Mami2jcn says

    I like this broccoli chicken recipe--http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Broccoli-Chicken/

  5. Mami2jcn says

    tweet--https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/278311206031343616

  6. Jessie C. says

    I like Roasted Garlic Lemon Broccoli

  10. Tina M says

    Broccoli with Garlic Butter and Cashews

  12. Vickie Couturier says

    5 stars
    My favorite would be stir fry with Broccoli,chicken,rice ,onions an carrots,very good

  14. Ashley W says

    would love to try the beneforte broccoli! my kids and I can't wait to try this broccoli salad recipe

  16. Jade Nguyen says

    5 stars
    I actually like broccoli in chicken stock for a nutritious soup.

  17. Chavonne H says

    I had an amazing Broccoli Casserole for Thanksgiving that a friend made. It contained Velveeta Cheese and Bread Crumbs with Broccoli of course, it was insanely delicious!! and I hope she makes it again for Christmas. I could eat that every single day!!

  19. Sue C. says

    4 stars
    Your recipe sounds and looks delish! Our family likes to keep broccoli simple, just steamed with a little cheese sauce.

  21. Kathleen says

    Broccoli and Cheese soup

    kport207 at gmail dot com

  23. robyn Paris says

    I make the cambell soup brocolli caserole which is yummy and my favorite

  24. Danielle Porter says

    Broccoli in a chicken, asian stir fry! simple and healthy!

  25. Margaret Smith says

    I love broccoli with beef ontop of rice.

  27. Kay C says

    I don't have a recipe for it. But I like cabbage and broccoli bake...with some cream of anything soup and melt cheese over the top. Salt and pepper to taste. Or just love broccoli raw with dip.

  30. carole says

    I like making broccoli soup in my pressure cooker.....so fast and good