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!
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
- 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.
- 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 to overnight to let the flavors blend.
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:
- BLT Salad with the Best Homemade Lemon Mayo Salad Dressing
- The Best Keto Broccoli Salad with No Mayo
- Our Favorite Broccoli Salad Recipe (with mayo)
- No Crunch Potato Salad Recipe
- Oriental Salad with Ramen Noodles (Chinese Coleslaw)
- Cucumber Pasta Salad - A Healthy Alternative to Creamy Pasta Salad
- Egg and Asparagus Salad with Mimosa Vinaigrette Dressing
- The Best Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs
Recipe
Our Favorite Broccoli Salad Recipe
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.
carole says
tweeted
https://twitter.com/gram122/status/279776900426113026
Sue Ellison says
I love broccoli and rice casserole
Sue Ellison says
Tweet
https://twitter.com/suebaby05/status/279778285540495360
Victoria Carlson says
Favorite brocolli recipe is sauteing brocolli, potatoes, minced garlic and basil! Sooo good!
Chaqkins says
Broccoli & Chicken Noodle bake casserole
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/02/chicken-and-broccoli-noodle-casserole.html
Lynda says
i like broccoli salad with raisins
Lynda says
tweeted https://twitter.com/oshkoshbgosh321/status/279809096570507265
Barbara M says
I love Broccoli Bacon salad!
Thank you.
Barbara M says
@JalapenoMama Tweeted:
https://twitter.com/JalapenoMama/status/279814445419622400
Debra Pauley says
I like broccoli and cheese soup
Emily Wells says
No specific recipe--just steamed with butter and salt, and I'm a happy camper!!
Kathy Artis says
#1 I tweeted: https://twitter.com/kroseartis/status/279848007070019584
Kathy Artis says
#2 I tweeted: https://twitter.com/kroseartis/status/279848007070019584
Kathy Artis says
I like brocolli with shredded cheese & bacon bits on top
Cynthia C says
I have a good Roasted Broccoli and Red Bell Pepper recipe.
Cynthia C says
Tweet
https://twitter.com/clc408/status/279910161177513986
Kate F. says
I like broccoli in a spicy Asian chicken stir fry.
Adrienne gordon says
mine is broccoli and cheese casserole.
Eve says
I like broccoli and cheese casserole that my mother makes
Eve says
tweeted https://twitter.com/shopgurl/status/279920813547855872
Susan says
My brocolli salad recipe looks very similar to this one! Love it!
Linda Lansford says
I want to make http://beneforte.com/recipes/main/broccoli_beef_soba_noodles.asp
Geoff K says
I love Roasted Garlic Lemon Broccoli!
Erika Cisneros says
I love broccoli and rice stir fry
Monica says
Longhorn Steakhouse makes the best broccoli!! i do not know what they put in it but it is so good!
Diane L says
My favorite recipe is simply fresh broccoli dipped in Hidden Valley Ranch dressing.
Tabathia B says
I love broccoli with cheese and rice
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
Tabathia B says
tweet https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/280104530945908736
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
Joseph Stowell says
My favorite broccoli recipe is a frittata with broccoli, ham, mushrooms, and feta cheese. Yum!
erica h says
My mom makes an awesome broccoli and cheese recipe with crushed crackers on top