Broccoli Salad
This healthy Broccoli Salad is crunchy, fresh, and full of flavor! It has just a touch of creaminess and lots of texture.
One of the things that has worked best for me when trying to eat healthier is simply having healthy food ready to eat in the fridge.
Salads like this are perfect for this, as they are meant to be eaten cold, and a batch will keep for several days.
I’ve tried a few variations of broccoli salad (my 2nd favorite being this Asian broccoli salad), but this way is the most classic.
It gets a little bit of creaminess from a simple mayonnaise-based dressing, but as you can see from the photos, it’s not overdressed.
Add a few flavorful and nicely textured ingredients like crispy bacon, toasted walnuts, and chewy raisins to the mix, and you’ve got a delicious and healthy side that’s Whole 30 friendly and low carb.
How to Make Broccoli Salad:
First we need to cook the broccoli perfectly so that the raw edge has been taken away, but it’s still crunchy.
The best way to achieve this is to blanch the broccoli florets.
This means we’ll drop the broccoli into a big pot of boiling water for no more than 60 seconds:
When blanching the broccoli florets, season the water heavily with salt, just like you would season a pasta water.
Since the broccoli is in the water for such a short time, it’s important the water is generously salty. I recommend at least a few tablespoons dissolved into the water, but tasting it is the best way to go. It should taste about as salty as ocean water.
Then quickly drain and rinse with cold water for 2 minutes, to stop the cooking process:
The blanched broccoli will be gorgeously bright green, with a crisp and crunchy texture, but none of the harshness of raw broccoli.
Next, dry the broccoli well, otherwise the salad will be watery.
First I spin the broccoli in a salad spinner, then blot dry further with a kitchen towel.
Place the broccoli into a mixing bowl with toasted walnuts, raisins, crispy cooked bacon, thinly sliced red onion, mayonnaise, a touch of vinegar, salt, and pepper:
Feel free to riff on the ingredients you chose to mix in. I have also seen people add sunflower seeds, grated cheddar cheese, and pecans.
For the dressing, it is so important to use a great-tasting mayonnaise.
And honestly, that is why I always make my own mayonnaise from scratch (even though I’d love the convenience of buying it, I’m too stubborn about the taste. Many of the storebought ones taste strongly of old eggs to me).
Whatever route you choose, make sure you’re using a mayonnaise that you enjoy since it will be coating all of the ingredients.
Mix everything together to combine:
Ideally, let the broccoli salad chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes before serving. This allows the flavor to meld together.
Egg Salad, Salmon Salad, and Chicken Salad are some of my other favorite salad staples that you can keep on hand in the fridge for several days.
For more healthy eating, this Wild Rice Salad tastes incredible, as well as this Zucchini Ribbon Salad. Enjoy!
Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
- 2 lbs broccoli florets
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
- 1/2 cup jumbo mixed raisins
- 8 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1/2 red onion* thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp good quality vinegar (such as white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar)
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a big pot of water to a boil and season it heavily with salt, like you would a pasta water. If you taste a spoonful, it should taste like the ocean.
- Add the broccoli florets to the water and cook for 60 seconds, until bright green in color.
- Immediately drain the broccoli florets, then rinse with cold water for 2 minutes, until the broccoli has cooled down.
- Transfer the broccoli to a salad spinner, and spin the broccoli dry. Then blot dry further with a kitchen towel, to prevent any excess water from diluting the dressing.
- Combine the broccoli with the toasted walnuts, raisins, bacon, onion, mayonnaise, vinegar, and 1/4 tsp each of salt and black pepper (or to taste). Stir well.
- Let the broccoli salad chill for at least 30-60 minutes before serving, to allow the flavors to meld. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Post updated in January 2019. Originally published January 2014.
Looks yumtastic. I’d put cashews in there as opposed to walnuts, but that’s just a guy thing. Guys love cashews.
If you want to sweeten the dressing up, add some apple cider vinegar and sugar (or splenda) to that mayo.
Cashews…that’s a brilliant addition! I will try that next time.
Love broccoli salad! Love your suggestion for soaking the onions in vinegar or water, too. I absolutely love the tang of red onion with the broccoli (and I usually add a little mayo, low-fat shredded cheese and bacon bits), but the effect on one’s breath is less than lovely. π Thanks!
HAHA, I know what you mean. Which is worse, onion breath or garlic breath?! lol.
Thank you for the nice recipe. Have a great week!
You too Liz! Happy cooking!
For an easy appetizer roll out crescent rolls into a large sheet and bake, cool. Spread with mayo mixture from salad and top with Broccoli salad cut into squares. Yummy!
Sounds delicious, Leann. Thanks for sharing!
GREAT tips. I never thought of using a salad spinner for the broccoli! β¦and I COMPLETELY agree with you on soaking the onions in vinegar!
I love broccoli and I’ve tried many broccoli salads from restaurants salad bars; I’ve never try making salad at home. I will be making this recipe for sure. It looks delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Liz
You have me craving broccoli salad for sure! Great tips, I especially love soaking the onions in vinegar!
Broccoli salad is one of my favorites, your salad looks delicious! I could eat a bug bowl right now!
I love your site, great recipes and really good photography. take a look at my site sometime.
Michael π
I used to work at a gourmet cafe that had broccoli salad on their menu so I made it every other day for three years. I loved it. I will try the broccoli blanch though, it sounds like a great idea.
Wow, sounds like it was really good if you made it that often, that’s awesome! Is the recipe on your site?
Awesome recipe! I followed the recipe with one exception. My wife is alergic to walnuts so we substituted pecans pieces. It was a hit with the whole family. I will definetly make this again. It’s a winner.
Glad you all enjoyed this, and pecans are a great substitution! Happy cooking.
Delicious! We loved this.
Made this salad several times now and really like it. Actually, down right love it when I think about how much nutrition is in it. I substitute Diamond’s Habanero Almonds (coarsely crushed) for the bacon. I make sure to sprinkle it on just before serving because its flavor coating dilutes too much when it sits in the fridge overnight mixed into the salad. My sister was surprised when I said there was no bacon in it. I also prefer (Alessi’s) white balsamic vinegar to white wine vinegar in this salad. And I “cheat” when cooking the broccoli. Instead of boiling, I microwave it in a big bowl for four minutes (1000W oven) with about 2-3 Tbsp of water and covered in plastic wrap. Steams it up fairly well, still leaving plenty of crunch. And if I need the broccoli to cool quickly, I dump it into a colander with a bunch of ice mixed in and leave it there for a few minutes. Though then I have to fish it out from the ice and dry it with towels. Much easier if I have the time to let it cool after steaming, and then I only have the bit of water at the bottom to deal with.
Thank you for the recipe, Joanne!