sophisticated.kitchencomfort food recipes

Potluck classicCool · creamy · crisp

Broccoli · bacon · cheddar · cranberry

Broccoli Salad

Raw broccoli, sharp cheddar, bacon, cranberries, red onion, and sunflower seeds in a creamy sweet-tart dressing.

Make the salad
Creamy broccoli salad with bacon, red onion, carrots, raisins, and sunflower kernels.
The source recipe keeps the broccoli raw, then lets an hour in the refrigerator soften the florets just enough.Photo by NorskPower · CC BY 3.0
1hour chill
Prep
10 min
Chill
1 hr
Makes
8 cups
Heat
None

This is the green bowl people actually finish. Sam Merritt’s broccoli salad works like a potluck should: raw florets for snap, sharp cheddar and bacon for salt, cranberries for chew, sunflower seeds for crunch, and a sweet-tart dressing that holds every small piece together.

The formula needs no reinvention. The useful technique is almost entirely physical: dry the broccoli, cut it small, whisk the dressing smooth, and give the finished bowl a cold hour before one decisive retoss.

“A simple broccoli salad recipe made with bacon, cranberries, and other simple add-ins!”

Dry means crisp

Water trapped in the florets loosens the dressing and leaves a pale puddle at the bottom of the bowl.

Cut for the fork

Small florets make cheddar, cranberry, bacon, and onion arrive in the same bite instead of falling away.

Rest, then retoss

One cold hour rounds the vinegar and slightly relaxes raw broccoli; the final toss redistributes every heavy add-in.

Ingredient editGreen savory sweet

Six salad ingredients, three kinds of contrast

Every addition has a texture job as well as a flavor job; none needs to be hidden under extra dressing.

01

Raw broccoli florets

The crisp green structure that turns a creamy dressing into a salad rather than a dip.

Trim the woody stalks, keep a little tender stem, and make the florets genuinely bite-size.
02

Bacon + sharp cheddar

Two savory anchors keep the cranberries and sugared dressing from reading as dessert.

Cool freshly cooked bacon before mixing, and use coarse cheese shreds or small cubes.
03

Cranberries + sunflower seeds

Chewy sweetness and a salty dry crunch give each forkful a different rhythm.

Toss from the bottom before serving; these small add-ins naturally settle as the bowl rests.

Close studyCrown + seed

Broccoli catches the dressing; sunflower seeds keep the finish dry

Extreme close-up of tightly packed green broccoli florets.
Small, dry florets catch the dressing in their crowns without watering down the bowl.Photo by Sanjay Acharya · CC BY-SA 3.0
The no-puddle rule

Water hides inside broccoli crowns. Dry them before chopping, then check the cut surfaces once more before dressing.

White sunflower seeds arranged closely across the frame.
Salted sunflower seeds bring the final dry crunch; fold them in before the dressing goes on.Photo by Fumikas Sagisavas · CC0 1.0

Cold clockWash cut whisk fold rest

Ten active minutes, then one quiet hour

The refrigerator does the final texture work. Build the bowl quickly, then let the dressing settle into every crown.

  1. 0:00

    Wash and dry

    Rinse the broccoli, drain every crown, and blot or spin until no water remains in the florets.

  2. 0:04

    Build the bowl

    Cut bite-size florets and combine them with cheddar, cranberries, bacon, sunflower seeds, and onion.

  3. 0:07

    Whisk the dressing

    Blend mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until perfectly smooth.

  4. 0:10

    Fold to coat

    Turn the dressing through the salad, scraping the bottom so every seed and bacon crumb comes along.

  5. 1:10

    Retoss and serve

    After one cold hour, toss once more and look for a light, even coat with no watery pool.

Texture cuesDry small smooth coated

Four cues for the right kind of crunch

A successful bowl is creamy without being wet and crisp without asking anyone to wrestle a whole broccoli crown.

01

Dry crowns

The broccoli should feel dry to the hand before it meets the mayonnaise dressing.

02

Fork-size florets

A floret should fit beside cheddar, bacon, and cranberry on one ordinary forkful.

03

Smooth dressing

No white sour-cream streaks or sugar granules should remain after whisking.

04

One light coat

The crowns should glisten while the bottom of the bowl stays creamy, not watery.

Make-ahead planSeparate dress chill retoss

Keep it cold and separate until the right hour

The undressed mixture travels well; the one-hour dressed rest belongs as close to serving as the schedule allows.

Up to 3 days ahead

Cut and combine the dry salad ingredients; whisk the dressing separately and refrigerate both airtight.

At least 1 hour ahead

Fold the dressing through the salad so the vinegar mellows and the broccoli relaxes slightly.

At the table

Set out only what will be eaten soon and return the rest to the refrigerator.

For leftovers

Refrigerate airtight for 3–4 days. Retoss before serving; do not freeze.

Broccoli salad with bacon, cheddar, and cranberries

A cool, crisp potluck salad under a smooth mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, and sugar dressing.

SaladBroccoliBaconCheddarCranberriesPotluckMake Ahead

Ingredients

Salad

  • 5–6 cups broccoli florets (1 pound; about 2 1/2 heads)
  • 1 cup coarsely shredded sharp cheddar cheese (115 g)
  • 2/3 cup dried cranberries (85 g)
  • 1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon (60 g; about 8 strips)
  • 1/2 cup salted sunflower seeds (60 g)
  • 1/3 cup red onion, finely diced (50 g)

Creamy dressing

  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise (175 g)
  • 1/4 cup sour cream (70 g)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (40 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Rinse the broccoli in cool, clean water, drain it thoroughly, and dry it well. Cut the crowns into small, bite-size florets, trimming away thick woody stems.
  2. Combine the broccoli, cheddar, dried cranberries, crumbled bacon, sunflower seeds, and finely diced red onion in a large bowl. Toss so the dense add-ins are evenly distributed.
  3. In a separate small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, white wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until smooth and no streaks of sour cream remain.
  4. Pour the dressing over the broccoli mixture and fold until every floret is lightly coated, scraping up the seeds and bacon from the bottom of the bowl.
  5. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so the flavors mingle and the raw broccoli relaxes slightly. Toss thoroughly again before serving, and keep the salad chilled when it is not on the table.

Source and technique references: Sam Merritt’s Broccoli Salad, University of Maine Cooperative Extension produce washing and cold-storage guidance, Colorado State University Extension broccoli guidance, and the FoodSafety.gov cold-storage chart.

Image credits

Photography is used under open licenses with attribution: NorskPower, Sanjay Acharya, and Fumikas Sagisavas.