Made with simple ingredients, this Raw Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad recipe requires minimal cooking and can be ready to enjoy cold after a quick chill in the refrigerator. It is also a colorful make-ahead meal that tastes better the longer it sits and makes the perfect side dish or low carb lunch.
Drizzled with an easy-to-make creamy dressing and flavored with crispy bacon pieces, and crunchy sunflower seeds, this broccoli cauliflower salad is just as versatile as my Greek Yogurt Coleslaw and No Mayo Coleslaw. Make a batch, and store it in meal prep containers for an irresistible salad you can enjoy throughout the week.
Ingredients
The cauliflower broccoli salad ingredients come together in two parts:
- For The Cauliflower Broccoli Salad Dressing: Gather together mayonnaise, whole milk Greek yogurt, honey, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- For The Broccoli Salad Ingredients: All you need is raw broccoli florets and raw cauliflower florets, red onion, sunflower seeds, raisins, bacon, and shredded Cheddar cheese.
Substitution Ideas
What I love the most about this easy salad recipe is that it is easy to make your own with numerous ingredient substitutions. So, do not worry if you are missing an ingredient or two; simply use the ingredients substitutions below to make your own delicious salad:
- Mayo: I used my favorite light mayonnaise, vegan mayo (affiliate link), (made with avocado oil), but any mayo would work here.
- Vinegar: Any vinegar would work – raw apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar can be substituted in place of red wine vinegar.
- Sweetener: In my version of the broccoli cauliflower salad dressing, I used honey as the sweetener, but maple syrup would also work.
- Seeds: I love the crunch of sunflower seeds. Pumpkin seeds would be a good substitute and keep this recipe nut-free. That being said, sliced almonds or chopped walnuts, or pecans are great if nuts are not an issue.
- Dried Fruit: Raisins add that special pop of sweetness, but dried cranberries or super tart dried cherries would be exceptional, too.
- Fresh fruit: You can use fresh fruit, such as an apple or pear, instead of dried fruit in this recipe. I especially love making a broccoli apple salad using this exact recipe and swapping raisins with a thinly sliced apple.
- Cheese: I used shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, but mozzarella cheese, Colby Jack or Monterey Jack would also work.
- Bacon: I am currently obsessed with baked turkey bacon, but regular bacon cooked on the stove top can also be used for all bacon lovers! Go for a sugar-free version when shopping for bacon.
How to Make Broccoli Cauliflower Salad?
When making this cauliflower broccoli salad recipe, most of the work involves chopping up the raw veggies, but other than that, it is easy and quick. To be efficient, I like to do that while the bacon is cooking in the oven.
- To make the dressing for broccoli cauliflower salad: Place all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until thoroughly combined and super creamy.
- To cook the bacon: Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. Place each slice on a sheet pan—Bake for 15 minutes. Flip the bacon and cook for another 2 minutes or until it is crispy. Allow them to cool, and cut them into small pieces. If you are new to baking turkey bacon in the oven, be sure to check out my How to cook turkey bacon in the oven post. And if you have an air fryer, you can try cooking turkey bacon in the air fryer as well.
- Assemble the salad: Place fresh broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, red onion, sunflower seeds, raisins, and bacon bits in a large bowl. Drizzle with the salad dressing, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- Serve: Sprinkle with the cheese and serve.
Variations:
All it takes is a few simple swaps to have a different broccoli cauliflower recipe any time the craving strikes:
- Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad without Bacon: Simply omit the bacon, and you have a creamy and colorful vegetarian meal.
- Cauliflower Salad with Greek Yogurt (no mayo): I like the flavor combo of mayo and Greek yogurt, but feel free to omit the mayo and make the dressing entirely with Greek yogurt instead. If you are a fan of yogurt dressings, be sure to check out my Yogurt Salad Dressing recipe.
- Amish Broccoli Salad: Some people refer to this salad as Amish Broccoli Cauliflower Salad because Amish cooks and gardeners are known for being avid cultivators of broccoli and cauliflower. Their version is made with sour cream instead of Greek yogurt but is still very similar to this one.
- Make it a Keto Cauliflower Broccoli Salad: If you are on a keto diet, you can still enjoy this salad with a few ingredient adjustments. Simply swap honey with a keto-friendly sweetener such as Swerve and omit raisins. The rest of the ingredients should be okay to use.
How to Make Ahead and Store Leftovers?
What I love the most about this broccoli cauliflower bacon salad recipe is that it stores well, which makes it ideal for weekly meal prep or for when you need a salad you can make a few days in advance. Here is how I do it:
- To Make ahead: Chop all the veggies, prepare the rest of the salad ingredients, and cook bacon. Store everything in individual airtight containers. Make the simple homemade dressing and keep it in a mason jar. When ready to assemble, place all the salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl and pour the dressing over it. Add the cheese on top, toss it, let it rest in the fridge (if you have the time), and serve.
- To Store leftover salad: Place the leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Expert Tips:
Having been making this easy broccoli salad for over 5 years, I learned a thing or two to help you succeed on your first try. Here are a few helpful tips:
- Cut broccoli & cauliflower into bite-size pieces: I find that it is much easier to eat when the large vegetables are cut into small pieces that are bite-sized. It is a bit of chopping work but totally worth it.
- Add the cheese at the end. If planning to make it a few days ahead, I recommend assembling the salad without the cheese, as the ingredients tend to get soggy. When ready to serve, sprinkle the cheese, toss, and enjoy!
- Shred or cube the cheese. Speaking of cheese – I prefer the texture of shredded cheese, but small cubes would work, too.
- Let it rest for the best results: I think this broccoli cauliflower raisin salad tastes better the longer it sits, so I recommend resting the salad in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. This also allows the broccoli and cauliflower to soften up a bit while sitting in the dressing.
FAQs:
You sure can. As a matter of fact, I recommend making it a day in advance. The longer the ingredients have time to soak up the sweet, tangy dressing, the better this salad becomes. Thirty minutes is plenty of time if you’re short on time, but this sweet broccoli cauliflower salad sure tastes better the next day.
I do not recommend freezing this salad.
As long as it is kept in an airtight container in the fridge, this broccoli salad should last up to 4 days.
A serving of this salad has 29 grams of carbs.
Other Veggie Packed Salad Recipes You Might Also Like:
- Asparagus Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
- Mexican Corn Salad
- Corn and Black Bean Salad
- Sweet Butter Lettuce Salad
- Traditional Caesar Salad
- Can’t get enough? Check out our collection of Easy Salad Recipes for more inspiration.
If you made and enjoyed this easy broccoli cauliflower salad recipe, it would be wonderful if you could give it a star rating and share your experience with a few words. Doing so helps the readers who are thinking about making it. And if you have a moment, take a picture and share it with me (using #foolprooeats) on Instagram so that I can share it with everyone.
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the Salad Dressing:
- ½ cups mayonnaise
- ¾ cup whole milk yogurt
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar white wine vinegar would also work
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For The Salad:
- 4 cups broccoli florets cut into small bite size pieces
- 4 cups cauliflower florets cut into small bite size pieces
- ½ cup red onion chopped
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup raisins
- 6-8 slices bacon I used turkey bacon but regular bacon would also work
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded or cubed
Instructions
- To make the dressing, place all salad dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until fully combined.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. To cook the bacon, place each slice on a sheet pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Flip the bacon and cook for another 5 minutes or until it is crispy. Allow them to cool and cut into small pieces.
- To assemble the salad, place broccoli, cauliflower, red onion, sunflower seeds, raisins, and bacon in a large bowl. Drizzle with the dressing, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes or upto 4 hours.
- Sprinkle with the cheese and serve.
Video
Notes
- How To Store: The salad keeps very well stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, which makes it a wonderful meal prep recipe for the week. I do not recommend freezing the salad.
- Cut broccoli & cauliflower into bite-size pieces: I find that it is much easier to eat when the large vegetables are cut into smaller pieces. It is a bit of chopping work but totally worth it.
- To Make ahead: Chop all the veggies, prepare the rest of the salad ingredients, and cook bacon. Store everything in individual airtight containers. Make the simple homemade dressing and keep it in a mason jar. When ready to assemble, place all the salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl and pour the dressing over it. Add the cheese on top, toss it, let it rest in the fridge (if you have the time), and serve.
- Add the cheese at the end. If planning to make it a few days ahead, I recommend assembling the salad without the cheese, as the ingredients tend to get soggy. When ready to serve, sprinkle the cheese, toss and enjoy!
- Shred or cube the cheese. Speaking of cheese – I prefer the texture of shredded cheese, but small cubes would work, too.
Marianne Johnson
I made this salad for a few family functionss in the last 2 months, and it was always a hit. Even people who don’t like broccoli and cauliflower asked for seconds. The salad dressing is surprisingly tangy and delicious and compliments well with the rest of the ingredients. I used regular bacon but other than that I didn’t change anything. If you need an easy peasy pleasy broccoli cauliflower salad, make this one. It is a good one!
Aysegul Sanford
SO happy to hear that it was a hit, Marianne. Thanks for coming by and taking the time to leave a review. Cheers!
Kathrine
This salad ROCKS!:) It’s become a three generational hit in our family!.. We’ve tried all of the variations and have even used vegan cheese! We find that the Greek yogurt is nicest (for its mild tang) and have reduced the amount of honey a wee bit as we generally don’t prefer “sweet”.. but that’s all personal.. This gets frequent rotation at our place!! Worthy of a 6 or 7 outta 5 if you ask us!:))
Aysegul Sanford
Awww thank you Kathrine. This is music to my ears. I am thrilled to hear that you guys liked it. Thanks for coming by and taking the time to share your experience.
Ramya
sorry just saw this now will be making this soon can i use maple syrup vegan mayo coconut yogurt and mushrooms as am a vegan i never had salad before perfect for my after office meals will tag you on twitter if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Ramya,
You sure can use maple syrup instead of honey. I’d assume you can use coconut yogurt but I feel like the “coconut flavor” might be too strong. If you like that flavor and don’t mind it, go ahead and use it. If not, I would recommend substituting the yogurt with extra vegan mayonnaise instead. Follow Your Heart (affiliate link) is my favorite brand and I usually use it whenever I need mayo in my recipes.
I hope this helps. I look forward to your tag on twitter.
Cheers!
Marci
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it! What brand of turkey bacon do you like?
Aysegul Sanford
I like any organic uncured turkey bacon I can get my hands on. I usually go to Whole Foods and pick a brand that looks good.
Caroline Simpson
This was such a great salad. I did change a couple things though. I used splenda instead of honey (for a no sugar alternative) and 50% less sugar dried cranberries. I love the idea of turkey bacon and even though it was not the same I still liked it.
Great recipe that I will be making throughout the summer. Thanks.
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Caroline,
I am happy to hear that you enjoyed it. Those substitutions sound great. Thanks for sharing your experience. Cheers!
Michele
I made this without the honey and just the yogurt version, it was delicious! Thank you for a new way to prepare these healthy veggies!
Aysegul Sanford
YAY! I am happy to hear that you enjoyed it Michele. Thanks for coming by and taking the time to review it.
Cheers!
Diana
My mom used to make a version of this salad every Sunday when I was a kid. But hers was drenched in mayo so I was not a big fan. After reading that it was made with greek yogurt I decided to give it a try and it was much lighter. The two changes I would suggest are using more bacon and more salt in the recipe.
Thanks.
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Diana,
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I am glad you liked it.
Cheers!
Aysegul