Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad is a potluck dream, full of fresh veggies, crispy bacon, sunflower seeds, cheese, and an easy flavorful dressing!
Any get-together is the perfect time to serve this popular and delicious Broccoli Cauliflower Salad! Mix fresh broccoli and cauliflower with cooked salty bacon, chopped red onions, sunflower seeds, shredded cheese, and a light dressing that comes together in minutes for a wonderful salad everyone requests on every occasion!
A Simple Favorite
I’m always surprised at how well salads do at potlucks and get-togethers. I know everyone gravitates towards sweets and other indulgences. Still, when a knock-out salad is offered, it’s obvious because there’s hardly any left while there’s still plenty of cookies. That’s what it’s like every time I bring this easy broccoli cauliflower salad recipe- I never get to take any home! My friends rave about the wonderful textures and the mix of sweet and salty flavors they can’t get enough of. This salad is so quick to toss together that it also makes a great weeknight side!
Bacon Broccoli Slaw is the perfect side for broccoli lovers, and for all those who don’t appreciate broccoli, there’s classic crowd-pleasing Carrot and Apple Slaw!
Other Recipes to Serve with Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
- Game days and parties are the perfect reason to make these wildly popular and craveable Buffalo Cauliflower Bites!
- Treat the crowd to a light, fruit-tastic Backyard Blackberry Sangria that is perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Veggies: To make this salad, you will need fresh broccoli, cauliflower florets, and chopped red onion.
Bacon: Pick up bacon to cook and chop for this recipe.
Cheese: For this recipe, you will need shredded cheddar cheese, which you can either grate or purchase pre-shredded at the store. A thick shredded cheese would work better in this salad than finely shredded cheese, but go with what you like.
Sunflower Seeds: Pick up your choice of salted or unsalted sunflower seeds for this salad.
Dressing: To make the dressing, you will need mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, apple cider or white vinegar, granulated sugar, salt, and pepper. You can use regular or light mayo.
How to Make Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
STEP ONE: Roast the sunflower seeds in an ungreased saute pan over medium heat until golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and set the seeds aside. In the same skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Drain the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate, and once it’s cooled, chop it into small pieces.
STEP TWO: In a bowl, whisk together the mayo, Greek yogurt, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Taste the dressing and add more salt and pepper if needed.
STEP THREE: In a large bowl, combine the broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, chopped red onion, chopped bacon, sunflower seeds, and chopped bacon.
STEP FOUR: Pour the dressing over the salad and mix to coat evenly. Enjoy the salad immediately, or keep it covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
Tips for Success
- To make chopping the broccoli and cauliflower easier, place them in a food processor and pulse the veggies a few times until they form bite-sized pieces. Bite-sized pieces make eating the salad easier and using it as a filling for a wrap sandwich.
- Speaking of sandwiches, the dressing for this salad is so tasty on sandwiches and other salads, so add it to a variety of your favorite foods if you like!
- If you need to make this salad more than a day ahead of time, keep the salad and the dressing separate. When you are ready to serve, toss the salad with the dressing at that time.
What else can I add to this salad?
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad is a wonderfully light salad perfect for adding more pops of flavor! The recipe is delicious as written, but if you are craving a little sweetness, try adding dried fruit like cranberries or raisins. Chopped apples are also a popular addition. Toss in larger nuts like toasted walnuts or pecans for bigger, crunchy bites. You can also change the type or shape of cheese you add to this salad. Go with small cheddar cubes for an extra cheesy flavor, or switch to a different variety of cheese like Monterey Jack.
How long will Broccoli Cauliflower Salad last?
You can make this salad up to two days ahead and keep the salad and the dressing separate. This will prevent the salad from getting soggy. Once the salad is dressed, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Because of the cheese and dressing, it’s not recommended to freeze this salad.
More Tasty Potluck Dishes to Share!
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- 10 slices bacon
- 4 cups broccoli florets (1 head)
- 4 cups cauliflower florets (1/2 head)
- ¾ cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 medium red onion peeled and diced
Dressing
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sunflower seeds and toast for 1-2 minutes until golden brown with a nutty smell. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
- In the same skillet, cook half of the bacon until crispy, flipping as needed. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining bacon.
- Add the mayo, Greek yogurt, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper for the dressing to a mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Chop the bacon into small pieces and add it to a large mixing bowl. Then add the broccoli and cauliflower florets, cheddar cheese, red onion, and toasted sunflower seeds. Pour the dressing over everything and gently to until evenly coated.
- Store in the fridge until ready to serve or enjoy immediatey.
