Crunchy Broccoli Bacon Salad

5 from 3 votes

Crunchy broccoli bacon salad with sweet dried cranberries, crunchy walnuts and pumpkin seeds, plus a creamy dressing. Great for summer lunches and dinners. See notes at end for special dietary needs.

Prep Time15

Cook Time3

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 335kcal

Author: Sally Cameron

Ingredients

Dressing

¾ cup Vegenaise or mayonnaise
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar white vinegar or red vinegar

Salad

4 slices bacon
2 heads broccoli crowns about 1 ½ pounds
⅓ cup dried cranberries raisin or goldenberries
¼ cup chopped walnuts
2-3 tablespoons red onion chopped or sliced thin
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds raw or toasted

Instructions

Prep Ahead Directions (optional)

To prep ahead: trim, steam and chill broccoli, refrigerate. Fry the bacon, drain and chop, refrigerate. Chop the onion, refrigerate. Make the dressing and refrigerate. Toss before serving

To Make and Serve

Whisk the dressing ingredients together until smooth in a medium bowl and set aside to toss the salad. Fry the bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels and chop. While the bacon is cooking, start on the broccoli.
Fill a large bowl half full with ice and cold water for an ice bath. Trim broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces for 8 cups florets. See post photo for help. Save broccoli stems for another use. In a medium pot add a vegetable steam basket and enough water to come to the bottom of the basket. Cover with a lid and bring to steaming over medium high heat. Add the broccoli and steam for 2 minutes. Immediately remove the broccoli to the ice bath to stop the cooking process and retain the bright green color.
To serve, add the bacon, broccoli, and all other ingredients to the bowl with the dressing and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately or refrigerate for an hour before serving. Salad is best dressed and served close to serving time to maintain crispness. Leftovers will hold up to two days well covered but the broccoli will not be as crisp.

Notes

Substitutions:

Dried fruit: For a lower-sugar option to cranberries or raisins, try Golden Berries. They are much lower in sugar with a pleasant sweet-tart taste. They are also known as poha berries or pichu berries.

Nut and seed options: Try cashews, slivered almonds, shelled hemp seeds, pine nuts, or shelled sunflower seeds. Macadamia nuts are delicious too.

For vegans: Skip the bacon and use a plant-based mayo such as Vegenaise.

For vegetarians: Skip the bacon.

Not a mayonnaise fan? Make the dressing with plain Greek yogurt.

Nutrition