Easy Delicious Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipe

My easy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad recipe is a cool, creamy, crunchy and delicious salad sensation!

This broccoli cauliflower salad recipe is a welcome potluck, picnic and reunion favorite side dish. Family dinners or holiday celebrations, it will be the first salad to disappear!

It’s got good for you veggies, soul-satisfying salty, crispy bacon, crunchy sunflower seeds and a lightly sweet, creamy salad dressing that pulls everything into perfect harmony. 

Honestly, this broccoli and cauliflower salad is a fantastic dish, year-round.

And, when you don’t feel like cooking, it’s an out of this world whole meal salad!

Serve it for dinner, pack it in lunches, enjoy it as a quick and easy snack or as a satisfying cold breakfast. 

This easy broccoli salad recipe is at the front of our list of family favorite recipes. It’s gonna be one of yours, too!

The Ingredients

For the Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad:

• Fresh broccoli florets, diced to bite-size
• Head of cauliflower, diced to bite-size
• Thick cut bacon, cooked, drained and chopped
• Red onion, minced
• Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2″ cubes
• Sunflower Seeds

For the Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad Dressing:

• Mayonnaise
• Granulated sugar
• White wine vinegar (red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar also work)
• Stone ground mustard

Variations, Additions or Substitutions

Greek Yogurt or sour cream can be substituted, in full or in part for the homemade mayonnaise in my broccoli cauliflower salad. Both may feel lighter. They will likely create a thinner, less creamy dressing, though.

Looking for crunchy substitutes for sunflower seeds? Try pepitas (pumpkin seeds), pistachios or roasted chickpeas in your broccoli and cauliflower salad. They’re all great sources of protein and the nuts contain healthy fats.

For a pop of sweetness add diced apple, dried cranberries or halved red grapes. You’d be surprised how fruit can make the broccoli cauliflower flavors sing.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Tips

The broccoli cauliflower combination is a classic one. And never more so than in summer, when both show up in a variety of cold salad recipes.

As you put this broccoli salad recipe, or any other cauliflower salad, broccoli salad combination together there are some important tips to keep in mind.

1. Buy organic when it’s available and you can afford it. Pesticides are still heavily used to grow much of what we eat. Broccoli has been removed from the Clean Fifteen list recently, as the USDA has neglected to test pesticide levels on it for many years. I realize, it isn’t always available and it does cost more. But, if it can work for you, organic is the best option.

2. Clean your produce! All of it. Cauliflower, broccoli and other fresh foods are handled by many hands before they get to us. They have lots of nooks and crannies for dirt, dust, bugs and bacteria to hide. Follow safe handling practices and use my tip, below, for cleaning fresh broccoli and cauliflower florets before assembling your salad.
3. Cauliflower and broccoli, properly cleaned and stored, can last at least a week in the fridge. After washing, use air tight containers and store cauliflower florets and broccoli where you won’t forget you’ve got them.
4. A limp and wobbly head of broccoli that is still good, i.e. bright green florets with no obvious mold or bad spots, can still be recovered. Restore it to it’s crisp and firm best.

5. Trim about 1/2-inch off the bottom of the stalk, just like you would for fresh cut flowers. Lower the stem into a glass of cool water. You can leave it on the counter or set it in the fridge. Your broccoli will firm up and be perfect to use in just a couple hours.

How to Clean Broccoli, Cauliflower and Other Produce

The USDA guidelines for washing produce are pretty simple. If you do this with all your produce as soon as you bring it home, you’ll know that all the fresh food in the refrigerator is clean and safe for your family to grab and go.

There is no way to 100% kill all the germs and bacteria our food comes in contact with. But, this has been the best method I have personally found. And it allows my produce to last so much longer, with much less waste.

1. Wash hands, countertops, cutting boards and utensils with hot, soapy water.
2. In a large bowl, prepare a cold water solution of 3 parts water to 1 part distilled white vinegar (i.e. 3 cups water to 1 cup vinegar, etc.). I promise you’ll never taste the vinegar in your produce.
3. Submerge your cauliflower and broccoli. Stir the produce around to help remove any dirt. Let the fresh veggies sit in the soak for around 10 minutes. Use a vegetable brush to remove any stubborn dirt. Rinse with cool water .
4. Lay out clean towels on the kitchen table or counter. Spread the produce in a single layer to air dry before storing in the fridge. It’s ready to use, immediately, but can’t be stored until it is 100% dry. This could take several hours.
5. Store clean, dry fruits and vegetables in air-tight containers in the fridge. I have successfully kept grapes fresh and crisp for 2+ weeks using this method. It’s awesome for cucumbers, carrots and celery. And I even use it for washing my lettuce leaves. (Those take the longest to dry. But, then they keep so much longer.)

FAQs About Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad is also the perfect accompaniment to this Air Fryer Cod recipe from Laura, at Little House Big Alaska! Or how about these Smoked Shotgun Shells for a tasty pasta and salad pairing?

How to Make Cauliflower and Broccoli Salad

It’s easy to make broccoli cauliflower salad. You need about 15 minutes prep time and then an hour or so chill time in the fridge.

1. Cook and drain the bacon. Cut into 1/2″ pieces. (I use the oven. I place 8 pieces of bacon on a rimmed baking sheet and cook at 400° F for 15-20 minutes. When it reaches your desired crispness, remove from oven and drain on paper towels.)
2. Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into florets, and then into bite-sized pieces.
3. For the highest degree of cleanliness, soak the cut broccoli and cauliflower pieces in a solution of 1/2 gallon water and 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar for 10 minutes. Rinse and drain. (At the very least, toss your cut vegetable pieces into a colander and rinse under cool water. This won’t kill any hidden bacteria, but it will rinse off the dust.)
4. Mince the red onion. I love raw red onion, but it can be strong. I usually mince it into small pieces.

1. Cut the Cheddar into cubes.
2. Mix broccoli, cauliflower florets, bacon pieces, minced onion, Cheddar cheese cubes and sunflower seeds in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. Make the salad dressing by combining the mayonnaise, sugar vinegar and mustard in a small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine everything thoroughly.
4. Pour the salad dressing over the Broccoli Cauliflower Salad mixture.
5. Stir to combine. Be sure all the vegetables are coated in salad dressing.
6. Add black pepper, to taste and garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
7. Chill in an air-tight container until ready to serve

More Delicious Salad Recipes

• House Salad
• Greek Salad
• Chopped Salami Salad

Mexican Shredded Beef