The Best Easy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipe

Broccoli cauliflower salad is a simple and delicious salad made with diced cauliflower and broccoli, bacon, and cheese and tossed with a simple, homemade, creamy dressing. It’s the perfect side dish for cook-outs and summertime parties, yet fancy enough for holiday dinners!

It’s also a great recipe option for potlucks, parties, large family gatherings, or a simple family dinner.

Personally, I like to make this salad occasionally to give us a little break from the usual lettuce salads I have in our weekly menu.

We like salad.

Salads of all kinds, really.

Corn chip salad, cornbread salad, strawberry spinach salad, macaroni salad, the list could go on!

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad is an old favorite, however.

This easy recipe calls for simple ingredients resulting in delicious flavors and a great crunch. Broccoli and cauliflower florets, crispy bacon pieces, creamy salad dressing, freshly grated cheese – MMM.

And, prep time is only about a half hour!

This easy recipe for the Best Broccoli Cauliflower Salad just might be your new favorite.

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Supplies we used

• Cutting board – a kitchen necessity
• Kitchen knife – we love our knife set and use it every single day in our kitchen!
• Mixing bowls – you’ll need a large bowl and a small one
• Spatula – another kitchen essential
• Grater – to grate the fresh cheese
• Measuring cups and spoons – to measure ingredients
• Immersion blender or whisk – to mix the tasty dressing

Ingredients

Broccoli – chopped into bite-size florets

Cauliflower – chopped into bite-size florets

Bacon – salty bacon, cooked and finely chopped – just might be the best part!

Cheese – freshly grated cheddar cheese

And for the tasty dressing

Mayonnaise – we recommend Hellman’s. 

Sour cream – regular sour cream

Sugar – granulated white sugar

Onion powder 

Vinegar – white vinegar 

Find the full, detailed recipe on the recipe card below.

How to make The Best Easy Broccoli Caulifower Salad Recipe

Unless you’re using precooked bacon, you’ll want to cook the bacon first of all. The best way we’ve found to quickly cook bacon for this recipe is to use a bacon tray and the microwave. Cook the bacon, then patted the cooked bacon with paper towel to soak up the excess grease. For more ways to cook bacon, click here.

Wash and dry the broccoli and cauliflower. Then cut the broccoli and cauliflower into bite size pieces (a.k.a. florets) and place in a large mixing bowl.

Once the bacon has cooled, dice finely into small pieces and add to the mixing bowl. If you’re using pre-cooked bacon or bacon bits, simply add or chop and add the bacon to the mixing bowl.

Grate the cheddar cheese and add to the mixing bowl as well; you can reserve some for a garnish if you wish!

Finally, it’s time to mix up the delicious homemade dressing. Measure the dressing ingredients into a small mixing bowl and mix with an electric handheld mixer, immersion blender, or by hand with a whisk.

Pour the dressing over the ingredients in the large mixing bowl and stir well.

Add shredded cheese for a garnish and serve or refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!

What shall I serve with Broccoli Cauliflower Salad?

For a summer cook-out, how about grilled chicken, steak, or pork chops? 

A great way to plan a full course meal, is to decide the meat first. For a traditional family or holiday dinner: turkey, ham, or meatballs, followed by a potato dish such as Oven Roasted Potatoes and a vegetable such as green beans. Add a veggie salad like broccoli cauliflower salad or Corn Chip Lettuce Salad and then a dessert like Eclair dessert. And just like that, you have a simple full course meal!

Notes

Broccoli Cauliflower salad is best right after it’s made! To make ahead, prepare all the ingredients, but wait to mix everything together until just before you’re ready to serve.

Storage 

Store broccoli cauliflower salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Substitutions and Customization for Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

Broccoli cauliflower salad is delicious just like this in our opinion, but here’s a few suggestions when it comes to customization:

You can buy pre-cooked bacon or even bacon bits to eliminate the step of cooking and chopping the bacon.

And obviously, bought shredded cheese can be used instead of freshly grated. (We don’t recommend this, however!) We also prefer cheddar cheese, though another cheese such as colby jack would be good.

Sometimes folks will add a diced onion in place of the onion powder in the dressing. This gives the salad a stronger onion flavor if that’s something you’re into! 

We like regular white vinegar in this dressing recipe, but you can totally experiment with the different flavors and kinds of vinegar out there, such as apple cider vinegar.

And it’s important to use mayonnaise and not miracle whip; using miracle whip results in a more tangy dressing.

Garnish ideas for a bowl of broccoli cauliflower salad include but aren’t limited to: bacon bits, grated cheese, green onions, or even crunchy sunflower seeds if thats your thing!

Have you made The Best Easy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipe?

If so, leave a comment below. We’d love to hear from you!

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Thanks for visiting our small town!

Feel free to stay awhile and check out some more delicious recipes…

Oven Roasted Parmesan Potatoes

Eclair Dessert

’til next time,

Julie