Broccoli Cauliflower and Bacon Salad

Use this simple recipe to make a healthy Broccoli Cauliflower and Bacon Salad. This broccoli cauliflower salad is made with a tangy vinaigrette instead of mayonnaise.

Make a twist on the typical broccoli and cauliflower salad with a vinaigrette instead of mayo

I love a creamy broccoli salad as much as the next person, but sometimes you need something a little lighter. Skip the mayonnaise and use an apple cider vinaigrette for a fresher taste.

This broccoli cauliflower salad is still super decadent thanks to the bacon, almonds and sunflower seeds. The fresh onion and red bell pepper add bursts of flavory. Finally, the dried craisins add just a subtle bit of sweetness.

Serve this at your next backyard barbecue and amaze your guests. People who swear they don’t like broccoli and cauliflower will even enjoy this salad.

Kitchen tools

• Sharp knife and cutting board
• Large pot for blanching
• Mixing bowls
• Mixing spoons

How to serve

This broccoli and cauliflower salad makes the perfect side dish to serve alongside some of your favorite grilled items. I like to serve it with this Grilled Ginger Lime Chicken.

Balance out the meal by serving some S’mores Cookies or Peach Blueberry Crisp for dessert.

Ingredients

• Broccoli and cauliflower florets
• Red onion
• Red bell pepper
• Slivered or sliced almonds
• Bacon
• Craisins
• Sunflower seeds
• Apple Cider Vinaigrette recipe

Ingredient substitutions

You can easily make this recipe completely vegan by leaving out the bacon. If you aren’t a fan of plain bacon, you can easily use turkey bacon instead.

Substitute the almonds and sunflower seeds for any nuts and seeds that you like. If you don’t like craisins, you can use raisins or any dried fruit that you like.

I love to use my homemade apple cider vinaigrette recipe as the dressing for this broccoli & cauliflower salad, but it is much easier to use a pre made dressing. You can use any pre made dressing that you like.

How to make a broccoli cauliflower salad

Step 1: blanch broccoli and cauliflower

To begin, chop broccoli and cauliflower florets into smaller pieces. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare a large ice bath on the side.

Then, blanch the broccoli and cauliflower by boiling them for 2 minutes. Next, immediately transfer the vegetables to the ice water. Once cooled, drain them and add to a large mixing bowl.

Step 2: Mix all other ingredients and chill

Then, add red onions, red bell pepper, almonds, bacon, craisins and sunflower seeds to the large bowl with the blanched broccoli and cauliflower.

Toss the salad in the vinaigrette. Finally, chill in the fridge about an hour before serving for optimal enjoyment.

Storage

Once prepared, store this salad in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can serve this salad chilled or at room temperature.

Check out these other summer side dish recipes

• Mango Salad
• Summer Corn Salad
• Roasted Vegetable Salad
• Mediterranean Orzo Salad

You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!

Recipe

Broccoli Cauliflower and Bacon Salad

Make a delicious and fresh broccoli cauliflower salad with simple ingredients

Recipe By: Madeline

Prep: 10 minutesCook: 15 minutesTotal: 25 minutes

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Servings: 6 servings 1x

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Ingredients

• 16oz bag of broccoli and cauliflower floret mix
• 1/2 a red onion, diced
• 1/2 a red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds
• 6 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1/4 cup craisins 
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 3/4 cup of Mad About Food apple cider vinaigrette recipe or 3/4 cup of vinaigrette of your choice

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Instructions

1. Chop broccoli and cauliflower florets into smaller pieces. 
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare a large ice bath on the side.
3. Blanch the broccoli and cauliflower by boiling them for 2 minutes and then immediately transfer the vegetables to the ice water. Once cooled, drain them and add to a large mixing bowl.
4. Add red onions, red bell pepper, almonds, bacon, craisins and sunflower seeds to the blanched broccoli and cauliflower. Toss in the vinaigrette.
5. Chill in the fridge about an hour before serving for optimal enjoyment.

Notes

• Feel free to use any nuts or seeds you like in place of the almonds and sunflower seeds
• I prefer to serve this salad chilled, but you can also serve it at room temperature

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.