This easy broccoli salad recipe with creamy homemade dressing is the perfect side dish for any dinner and holiday party! The crunchy vegetables combined with salty crisp bacon, sweet cranberries, and creamy mayonnaise dressing for the perfect balance of flavors.
Wash and dry the broccoli head, then cut the florets from the head of the broccoli.
Peel and dice the red onion.
Cooking instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).
Line a baking sheet with foil and fitted with a rack. Place the bacon slices on top of the rack without overlapping them.
Cook the bacon for about 15-18 minutes until it becomes golden and crispy.
Remove the tray from the oven and let the bacon cool for 5 minutes.
Chop the crispy bacon into ½-inch pieces.
Mix the bacon pieces together with broccoli florets, diced red onion, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and almonds in a large bowl.
To make the creamy broccoli salad dressing, whisk the mayonnaise with the apple cider vinegar, sugar, and seasoning in a medium bowl until combined.
Pour the prepared dressing over the salad ingredients and mix well.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour before serving.
Recipe Notes
Prewash you broccoliTo ensure no water from the washed broccoli goes into the creamy homemade dressing, leave the fresh broccoli florets to drain in a colander for 30 minutes before preparing the salad.Overnight chillFor best results and flavor, chill the prepared broccoli salad overnight in the fridge to give the florets a chance to soak up the broccoli salad dressing. Doing so results in a more flavorsome broccoli salad.