Creamy, crunchy, and surprisingly addictive, this Broccoli Cauliflower Salad is the kind of tried-and-true recipe that disappears fast at potlucks. It’s naturally gluten-free, lower-carb, and made with simple ingredients you can find anywhere. If you’ve ever been skeptical of raw broccoli salads, this one just might turn you into a believer.
I’ve tested this cauliflower broccoli salad multiple times to get the balance just right: crisp veggies, savory bacon, and a tangy-sweet dressing that softens everything perfectly!
Broccoli cauliflower salad is a classic with a fresh twist! It’s one that I reach for again and again when I need a dependable, make-ahead side. It’s creamy, crunchy, salty, and just sweet enough, making it perfect for everything from backyard barbecues to holiday gatherings. If you’re looking for more easy salads that hold up well for entertaining, this one definitely deserves a spot on your table!
My first experience with a broccoli salad was a little startling. A friend brought one to a dinner we were hosting, and if I’m honest, I thought, “Gross, raw broccoli salad?” But I politely took a scoop (because it’s rude not to, right?)—and wow, was I wrong. It was surprisingly good, and this version is even better. While I already have a broccoli salad on the site, I love the addition of cauliflower here for extra crunch and balance. If you’ve enjoyed my Chicken Salad Chick Broccoli Salad or my Chopped Italian Sub Salad, I just know you’re going to love this one, too!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Creamy, crunchy, and perfectly balanced. This salad hits all the right notes in every bite, combining crisp broccoli and cauliflower with a rich, tangy dressing, salty bacon, sharp cheddar, and crunchy sunflower seeds!
- Great make-ahead salad for entertaining. This is the kind of recipe that actually improves with time, making it ideal for parties, potlucks, and family gatherings. As it chills, the dressing lightly softens the vegetables and melds the flavors together, so you can prep it hours, or even a full day, ahead with confidence.
- Easy to customize with add-ins. Whether you like your broccoli and cauliflower salad a little sweeter, extra crunchy, or packed with mix-ins, this recipe is incredibly flexible. Dried fruit, chopped peppers, or even different seeds all work beautifully without throwing off the balance.
- Tastes even better after chilling. Similar to coleslaw, this broccoli cauliflower salad with bacon benefits from a little rest time in the fridge. The flavors deepen, the texture improves, and the whole dish becomes even more cohesive!
Simple Ingredients
- Broccoli Florets: Fresh, crisp heads cut into small, bite-sized pieces. To save time, you can buy them already chopped into florets!
- Cauliflower Florets: Adds balance and extra crunch to the salad.
- Bacon: Use thick-cut bacon cooked until crispy for maximum flavor!
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: Sharp cheddar works best here.
- Red Onion: Minced finely. If you are sensitive to onion, you can soak the diced onion in ice water before straining it and adding it to the salad.
- Sunflower Seeds: Lightly salted for crunch and contrast!
For the Dressing:
- Mayonnaise: Use a high-quality mayo for best flavor. If you are worried about the high calories, feel free to use a low-fat mayo. Some versions use sour cream and/or Greek yogurt, but I like this best with mayo.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Brightens and balances the creaminess! You may substitute red or white wine vinegar too.
- Sugar: Just enough to soften the tang! Adjust to taste. I use all natural cane sugar, but you can use white sugar too!
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper: Essential for balance.
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
How to Make Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
Step 1 – Prep the Bacon and Salad Dressing
Dice bacon and cook until crispy; set aside to cool on a paper towel-lined plate.
In a large bowl you plan to store the salad in, whisk together the dressing ingredients until smooth.
Step 2 – Combine the Salad Ingredients
Add broccoli and cauliflower florets, shredded cheddar, red onion, ½ the cooked bacon, and ½ the sunflower seeds, stir, tossing to coat in the dressing.
Step 3 – Chill Before Serving
Refrigerate covered at least one hour, preferably 4 hours, before serving.
Crumble the remaining bacon on top and sprinkle with the remaining sunflower seeds.
Kathleen’s Tip! This recipe uses raw cauliflower and broccoli. The dressing will soften things up a bit, but if you prefer to blanch the cauliflower and broccoli before adding it to the salad, you can! Just place the florets in a large pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Then, immediately plunge them into ice water! Drain well and use as planned.
Expert Tips
- Cut florets small for the best texture. Smaller, bite-sized pieces are easier to eat and help the dressing coat every surface evenly. Large florets can feel bulky and won’t soften as nicely as the salad chills, especially if you skip blanching.
- Blanching is optional but improves color and softens veggies slightly. A quick one-minute blanch followed by an ice bath brightens the broccoli and cauliflower and takes away some of the raw edge.
- Dry vegetables thoroughly to prevent watery dressing! Any excess moisture will dilute the dressing and cause the salad to lose its creamy consistency over time. After washing or blanching, use a salad spinner and then blot with paper towels to make sure the veggies are completely dry!
- Take the bite out of red onion with an ice water soak. Raw red onion can be overpowering, but a 10-minute soak in ice water mellows the sharpness without removing flavor.
- Chill before serving for the best flavor. Giving the salad time in the refrigerator allows the flavors to meld and the dressing to lightly soften the vegetables! For best results, chill for at least one hour, but four hours is ideal.
Variations
- Vegetarian: Keep it simple and skip the bacon, but think hard about that, most of my vegetarian friends make an exception for bacon! LOL!
- Vinegar Swap: Use white or red wine vinegar in place of the apple cider vinegar.
- Add More Sugar: My original recipe from a church cookbook called for ½ cup of sugar, which I thought was way too sweet, but if you want the dressing a little sweeter, add additional sugar in tablespoon increments, take a taste and adjust.
- Add-ins: Like a broccoli salad, this salad is also delicious with other additions, such as raisins, craisins. Also, try chopped red peppers or your favorite peppers.
- Bacon Short Cut: Replace the crispy bacon with ½ – ¾ cup bacon bits.
What to Serve with Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
This easy broccoli salad recipe is the perfect side dish to your favorite grilled and hearty mains! Here are some of my favorites to serve it with:
Storage
This is a great make-ahead salad! It actually tastes better as it “marinates” in the dressing, like a coleslaw. Make at least 1 hour ahead; for best results, make 4 hours ahead, but it may be made up to 24 hours in advance to serve the next day; hold off on adding the sunflower seeds and most of the bacon (add a little for flavor).
Store leftover salad in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
Dietary Notes
- Gluten-Free: This easy broccoli cauliflower salad recipe is naturally gluten-free!
- Low-Carb / Low-Sugar: This broccoli cauliflower salad is naturally lower in carbs thanks to the fresh vegetables, bacon, cheese, and creamy dressing. To make it low-sugar, simply replace the sugar in the dressing with a granulated sugar substitute like monk fruit or erythritol, which works cup-for-cup and won’t change the flavor. For the best low-carb results, use a full-fat or avocado oil mayonnaise, and keep add-ins like sunflower seeds and red onion in moderation if you’re following a very low-carb or keto-style diet.
- Vegan: Skip the bacon, and make sure you use a vegan mayonnaise. Otherwise, you are golden!
Frequently Asked Questions
No, blanching is totally optional. It slightly softens the vegetables and brightens their color, but cutting florets small works well, too!
Dry the broccoli and cauliflower thoroughly after washing or blanching, and avoid adding the dressing until excess moisture is removed!
Popular additions to this broccoli cauliflower salad include raisins, dried cranberries, chopped red peppers, sunflower seeds, chopped pecans, or sliced almonds. Add your favorites!
More Delicious Side Dish Recipes
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Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8-12 slices thick cut bacon diced and cooked crisp
- 3 small heads broccoli rinsed, dried and cut into florets (about 4 cups)
- 1 small-medium head cauliflower rinsed, dried & trimmed into florets (about 4 cups)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese Use mild or sharp.
- ½ medium red onion minced (see notes)
- ½ cup salted sunflower seeds I used lightly salted
Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise use a quality mayo, I like Avocado mayo
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar red or white wine vinegar may also be used
- 2 tablespoons sugar I use all-natural cane sugar, white sugar works great too
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Dice bacon and cook until crispy; set aside to cool on a paper towel-lined plate.8-12 slices thick cut bacon
- This recipe uses raw broccoli and cauliflower; the dressing will soften things a bit, see below if you prefer to blanch your veggies.
- Optional: Blanch your broccoli and cauliflower by placing the florets in a large pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Then immediately plunge them into ice water. This is not necessary, but is my preferred method for this recipe. If you do not blanch, make sure your florets are nice and small.
- In a large bowl you plan to store the salad in, whisk together the dressing ingredients until smooth.1 cup mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, Black pepper to taste
- Add broccoli and cauliflower florets, shredded cheddar, red onion, ½ the bacon and ½ the sunflower seeds, tossing to coat in the dressing. Refrigerate covered at least one hour, preferably 4 hours, before serving.3 small heads broccoli, 1 small-medium head cauliflower, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, ½ medium red onion, ½ cup salted sunflower seeds
- Serve by tossing in the remaining bacon and sprinkling with the remaining sunflower seeds.
Notes
- After chopping onions, place them in a strainer and submerge them in a bowl of ice water for about 10 minutes, drain well. This takes the “bite” out of them!
- Blanching is not necessary, but not everyone loves raw broccoli and cauliflower.
- Make sure you get the extra moisture out of your broccoli and cauliflower, no matter how you prep it; raw or blanched. I will toss it in a salad spinner and then blot with paper towels. This is so the dressing doesn’t get watered down.
- Vegetarian: Keep it simple and skip the bacon, but think hard about that, most of my vegetarian friends make an exception for bacon! LOL!
- Use red or white wine vinegar in place of the apple cider vinegar.
- My original recipe from a church cookbook called for ½ cup of sugar, which I thought was way too sweet, but if you want the dressing a little sweeter, add additional sugar in tablespoon increments, take a taste, and adjust.
- Like a broccoli salad, this salad is also delicious with additions such as raisins or craisins. Also, try chopped red peppers or your favorite peppers.
- Replace the bacon with ½ – ¾ cup bacon bits.
- Gluten-Free: This recipe is naturally gluten-free!
- Low-Carb: Replace the sugar with your favorite granulated sugar replacement. I love this Monk Fruit. Reduce the red onion and sunflower seeds if you are doing keto.
- Vegan: Skip the bacon; make sure you use a vegan mayonnaise; otherwise, you are golden!
Nutrition
Naomi
This was perfect for a classic dish to pass at our potluck! I hadn’t thought of blanching the veggies before making your recipe, it made such a difference. Thank you!
So glad you loved that tip! Thanks!