Home » Recipes » Salads » Broccoli Salad with Bacon & Cheddar
posted by Crissy Pageon Apr 9, 2017 (updated Jan 19, 2024) 27 comments »
This broccoli salad with bacon and cheddar has it all, folks. Every bite is packed with flavor, and the combination of sweet, tangy, crunchy and creamy gives makes this broccoli salad recipe so very delicious.
I mean, come on. Look at this big bowl of yum!
Broccoli Salad with Bacon & Cheddar
One of my main gripes with most broccoli salad recipes is the inclusion of raisins.
I don’t want to offend any of you raisin fans out there, but raisins just aren’t really my favorite dried fruit, which is weird, because I actually really adore grapes. It’s just one of those funny food aversions that I carried with me from childhood and can’t seem to shake.
It’s funny, because any time I see a bowl of broccoli salad at a carry-in I sort of steer clear of it due to the raisins.
RELATED: Don’t miss my incredible sweet coleslaw recipe and my over-the-top loaded potato salad.
While you can certainly use raisins in this broccoli salad with bacon and cheddar, I strongly prefer dried cranberries. In fact, I kind of LOVE dried cranberries in salads, so it just made so much sense to use them in this fantastic broccoli salad with bacon and cheddar recipe.
Every single ingredient in this recipe is doing a job. There are no fillers in this broccoli salad, and the ingredients list is really just a big list of my all-tim favorite foods, all perfectly mixed-up in one bowl.
I really like making this broccoli salad with bacon and cheddar as a potluck dish because it’s so pretty and colorful.
It’s also great for carry-ins because it’s not prone to get soggy in a hurry. When I’m transporting this dish, I sometimes put my crumbled bacon in a plastic bag and them mix it in right before serving so it’s as crispy as possible.
Oh, and that bacon! I don’t want to skip discussing the fact that the bacon really takes this broccoli salad to a whole new level. Everything is better with bacon, and it really makes this recipe quite special.
I hope you enjoy my tasty broccoli salad with bacon and cheddar recipe!
More Summer Salads
- Classic Potato Salad
- Loaded Potato Salad
- Sweet Coleslaw
- Cucumber Tomato Salad
- German Cucumber Salad
- Mexican Quinoa Salad
Yield: 6-8 servings
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
This sweet and delicious broccoli saladis easy to make and loaded with flavor and crunch.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. broccoli about 4 cups, cut into florets
- 6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion, diced
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar, cut into small cubes
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup real mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix together the broccoli, crumbled bacon, onion, cranberries, cheese and the walnuts.
- In a small bowl stir together the mayonnaise, vinegar and the sugar. Add to the broccoli mixture and gently stir. Chill and serve.
Salads Sides
originally published on Apr 9, 2017 (last updated Jan 19, 2024)
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27 comments on “Broccoli Salad with Bacon & Cheddar”
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Judy — Reply
Hello, do you lightly cook the broccoli?
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Crissy Page — Reply
No, it’s raw! :)
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Dorothy — Reply
I made this recipe exactly as posted. Everyone loved it! It’s definitely a keeper. Thank you!
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Randi — Reply
We love this recipe sooo much. I used 1/8 cup of Splenda instead of sugar. I used 3/4 cup of low fat mayo and skipped the walnuts. I added 1 1/2 tsp extra of the vinegar. It was perfect for our taste buds. Thanks for a great recipe.
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Lanie — Reply
U guess it would be good with turkey bacon or chicken? What is your opinion? We can not eat pork. If I double the recipe would it feed 16-18 people?
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Bonnie — Reply
Can I add Colby & Sharp Cheddar cheese together in the broccoli salad?
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Darla — Reply
Is there something I can substitute for the Mayo? A dressing? Yogurt?
Every recipe I’ve come across has it and, because of my own childhood aversion, I can’t stomach the stuff…unless it’s hidden really, really well.-
Terri — Reply
You might try a poppyseed dressing
Rating: 5
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Kay Bruce — Reply
I add chopped roasted chicken and this becomes a meal, easy to pack for tailgates and lunches too! Now a frequently used recipe.?
Rating: 5
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Crissy Page — Reply
Kay what a GREAT IDEA!!
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Annemarie — Reply
This is amazing! My entire family loved it!
Rating: 5
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Pete, female — Reply
You could always sub craisins for the raisins, same thing but craisins have a different taste altogether. The salad sounds very good.
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Janelle — Reply
This salad is so good!!!
Rating: 5
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Amanda — Reply
I love this salad and so does everyone else, always. Even my mom who doesn’t like broccoli! My sister in law has been making it for 20+years but since she moved to Australia and I needed the recipe at short notice, I was very happy to find exactly the right one. I put a bit of apple cider vinegar in to give it more zing. Delicious, thanks for sharing.
Rating: 5
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Kris Cooper — Reply
I made this but with my own Keto twist, it was amazing…
Rating: 5
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Marian Lakin — Reply
I made this with stevia instead of sugar. It was delicious!
Rating: 5
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Kimberly Mate — Reply
Super easy and delicious!
Rating: 5
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Hcollver — Reply
Can I substitute white wine vinegar for the white vinegar?
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Lauren — Reply
Making this for a party this weekend! Can I make it a day ahead?
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Crissy — Reply
yes!
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Pam — Reply
Made this Alan tonight and it was wonderful. Everyone loved it. I did use shredded cheese and add a teaspoon of celery seed. Will definitely use this again.
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Lauren — Reply
Could I make this a day ahead of time without everything getting soggy?
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Linda Lou — Reply
I’ve made this salad without the cheese — Why hadn’t I thought of putting cheddar cheese in there ?? LOLAnd I let my lazy bone kick in and use Marie’s salad dressing. But I agree with you … prefer cranberries and love taking this to a pot luck !
Rating: 5
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Tracy — Reply
This was very good. Everyone enjoyed it
Rating: 5
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Caroline — Reply
I never thought of making salad with broccoli. Looks delicious.
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Helen Wilson — Reply
The salads look delicious and I can’t wait to try them. Like you, I do not care for raisins so this will be perfect with the dried cranberries.
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Carla Jo Peterson — Reply
Thank you so very much for these salad recipes. We love them.
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