This Easy Broccoli Salad is one of my go-to recipes—simple, fresh, and crowd-pleasing. It combines crisp broccoli florets with savory bacon, red onion, chewy Craisins, and crunchy sunflower seeds, all tossed in a light, creamy dressing. Perfect for summer barbecues, potlucks, or a casual family meal, this salad is healthy, flavorful, and easy to scale up or down.
Easy Broccoli Salad
This recipe is designed to feed a crowd but is just as easy to halve or double. Many broccoli salad recipes can feel heavy because the mayonnaise dressing is thick and dominant. For this version, the dressing stays true to the classic flavor but is lighter and more balanced so the vegetables and mix-ins remain the stars.
How I Improvised This Recipe
The first time I made this salad I realized I had forgotten the Craisins. Instead of running to the store, I grabbed a bag of trail mix from the pantry, dumped it out, and picked out the Craisins. They were a bit saltier than usual because of the mix, so I skipped adding extra salt to the salad. It felt a little adventurous—like a quick kitchen improv—and it worked out great.
What You’ll Need to Make this Salad
fresh broccoli
red onion
bacon, crisped and crumbled
Craisins (dried cranberries)
sunflower seeds
What You’ll Need to Make the Dressing
light mayonnaise
plain Greek yogurt
white sugar
red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
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Easy Broccoli Salad
Broccoli salad combines fresh broccoli, crispy bacon, red onion, cranberries, and sunflower seeds with a creamy mayo-yogurt dressing. It’s quick to prepare, stores well in the fridge, and develops more flavor if chilled briefly before serving.
10 minutes
10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh broccoli, chopped into small florets
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 8 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 3/4 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)
For the Dressing
- 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the chopped broccoli, red onion, crumbled bacon, sunflower seeds, and Craisins.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, red wine vinegar, sugar, and salt until the sugar begins to dissolve and the dressing is smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly.
- Refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld. Serve chilled or at cool room temperature.
Notes
Allowing the salad to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more is recommended; this helps the flavors blend and softens the broccoli slightly while keeping a pleasant crunch. If your Craisins or other mix-ins are salty (from a trail mix, for example), taste the dressing before adding extra salt.