This Loaded Broccoli Salad is the recipe that’s always present at family gatherings, and the one people always ask us to bring to BBQs and potlucks. We took all of our favorite parts of our favorite potluck salads to create this “everything but the kitchen sink” version.
It’s loaded with crumbled bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, crunchy walnuts, chewy craisins, crisp apples, and shredded carrots. Tossed in a light, cream, homemade dressing made from mayo and greek yogurt, there won’t be any leftovers!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Made in just 15 minutes. No cooking required (except the bacon).
- Make ahead friendly. It actually gets better if you let it sit in the fridge for a few hours!
- Lightened up. The greek yogurt cuts down the mayo without sacrificing any creaminess.
- Crowd-pleaser. You’ll never bring home any leftovers from the potluck or BBQ.
- Customizable. Easily swap out or omit any ingredients you don’t like or want.
What is Loaded Broccoli Salad?
Loaded Broccoli Salad is a cold, creamy side dish. It’s generally made with raw, fresh broccoli florets and a variety of mix-ins like bacon, cheese, nuts, and onion tossed in a mayo-based dressing. It’s a step up from classic broccoli salad because it packs in even more textures and flavors, all in one bite.
Ingredient Notes
Broccoli: Fresh, not frozen, chopped into small bite-size pieces. You’ll need about 4 cups.
Shredded carrots: You can shred these yourself, but we like to buy matchstick carrots if we’re in a pinch. We add ⅔ cups, but you can add more or less depending on what you like.
Red onion: we like to dice this really small (and sometimes leave it out depending on our kids). It adds a nice crunch and flavor, and we use about ⅓ cup.
Gala apple: we dice this up a little smaller than the broccoli. We like gala, but you can use honeycrisp or fuji, too. Add 1 medium apple.
Craisins: For a little tart and sweet addition
Chopped walnuts: we add these for an extra crunch. You can omit these if you need a nut-free version.
Cheddar cheese: generally, we’ll add about 4 ounces, cubed.
Bacon: about 8 strips, cooked and crumbled.
Dressing: this is made using mayonnaise, greek yogurt, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and little sugar (specific measurements included in the recipe card below).
How to Make Loaded Broccoli Salad (Step-by-Step)
- Prep your ingredients. Chop the broccoli. Keep the pieces small to get more dressing-to-broccoli ratio and easier bite-size pieces. Dice the apple and onion, cube the cheese, and crumble the cooked bacon.
- Put the salad ingredients together. Add broccoli, carrots, onion, apple, craisins, walnuts, cheddar, and bacon to a large bowl.
- Make the dressing. In a separate small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, greek yogurt, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar until smooth.
- Toss together. Pour the dressing over the salad and gently fold everything together until fully coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours before serving. Letting it chill helps bring all the flavors together.
- Serve and enjoy. Give it a quick toss before serving.
Tips for the Best Loaded Broccoli Salad
- Cut the broccoli small enough. If the pieces are too big, it makes it hard to get all of the great flavors in one bite. Smaller pieces (between the sizes of a quarter and a nickel) soak up more dressing and give you a little more in each forkful.
- Use block cheese. Skip the shredded cheese and go for a block that’s been cubed instead. It will hold its shape a lot better.
- Don’t skip the rest time. Let the salad sit in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours to really let the dressing soak into everything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This is a great make-ahead salad. Make it up to 24 hours in advance. If you’re adding in the apple, you may want to toss it with a little lemon juice to make sure it doesn’t brown, or add it right before serving.
Stored in an airtight container, it will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. The texture of the broccoli will soften a little, and the dressing may start to separate. Give it a stir before removing it from the fridge to eat the leftovers.
Raw, fresh broccoli is what we always use for the signature crunch.
We don’t recommend using frozen broccoli for this salad. It becomes soft and watery when thawed, which can make the entire salad soggy.
Absolutely. That’s a great way to cut down on time. Just make sure they’re rinsed, patted dry, and then chop them into smaller pieces if needed.
It’s our favorite potluck or bbq side, so it goes well with grilled chicken, burgers, pulled pork, or any other bbq spread.
This can happen if the broccoli wasn’t dried well after washing, or if the salad sits for too long.
It is full of both fruits and veggies, and the broccoli itself is packed with vitamin C, fiber, and folate. Our lightened up version is made with mayonnaise and greek yogurt instead of straight mayonnaise.
What to serve with loaded broccoli salad?
While we love this as a summer side, it’s great year-round! Here’s what we love to pair it with:
- Grilled burgers or hot dogs (perfect for summer BBQs)
- Pulled pork sandwiches
- Grilled or baked chicken
- BBQ Ribs
- Holiday spreads (like Thanksgiving or Christmas)
More Easy Salad Recipes
- Layered Cobb Salad
- Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad
- Creamy Pasta Salad
- Creamy Grape Salad
- Seven Layer Green Salad
Loaded Broccoli Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 4 cups broccoli florets, chopped
- ⅔ cup shredded carrots
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- 1 gala apple, diced
- ½ cup Craisins
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, 1 block, cubed
- 8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
Dressing Ingredients
- ½ cup light mayonnaise
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, (fresh is best)
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together broccoli, carrots, onion, apple, Craisins, walnuts, cheese, and bacon.
- In a smaller bowl, combine dressing ingredients.
- Gently fold the dressing into the broccoli bowl until all ingredients are coated with dressing.
- Cover and chill in the fridge for 2 hours before serving.
- Salad will remain fresh for up to 2 days covered in the fridge.
Notes
- Storage Tips: This salad will stay fresh 3-5 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Do not freezer this recipe.
- Raw, fresh broccoli is the best in this dish. The remaining ingredients compliment the broccoli flavor.
- To save time use the fresh broccoli florets that you can purchase from the produce section at your local Kroger.
- My next time-saving tip is using these Kroger shredded carrots – all you have to do is dump them in!
Nutrition
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I made this tonight because I wanted to try it! I have made a broccoli salad before that had grapes in it. I was excited to try the craisins! This was delicious, although nobody else in my house wanted to try it so guess that means more for me! My friend was over and she tried it and loved it too. This is a nice change from regular salad and would be great to take to a barbeque. I didn’t have low fat mayo so I just used regular and I am not a fan of greek yogurt but I used it. I will definitely make this again! Thank you for the recipe! I might try it with pecans next time!
Sunflower seeds for the walnuts
Love love love! It was addicting! Shared some with a friend tonight. My oldest daughter will be eating some tomorrow and have some to give my in laws! Looking like this is gonna be a regular for me for awhile! Only thing I changed was skipping the mayo, just used double Greek yogurt.
I took this to a potluck lunch today and it was well received by all. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. This doesn’t taste like “diet food” at all, but I am following Weight Watchers and this is 6 Smart Points per serving and is delicious. I can stay true to the WW program if I eat yummy food along the way. (BTW, I cooked the bacon and set it aside in the fridge since one of the girls is a vegetarian, and I thought I could serve it separately. Left it at home. Dang! But it was still great.)
Hi Jeanne, So good to hear from you and thanks for leaving such a nice comment on our loaded broccoli salad. We appreciate you stopping by our site for recipes. And way to go for being to good with Weight Watchers. Glad the broccoli salad helped keep you on track! 🙂 Have a terrific weekend.
What would you use instead of mayo. I’m not a fan of mayo and wondering if using all Greek yogurt would work.
Would the dressing be ok without the red wine vinegar?
If you don’t like Red Wine Vinegar then you could surely leave it out. We love the taste it gives the Loaded Broccoli Salad.
I made this salad the other day and shared it with my daughter and her family. We all loved it so much! Even my two year old twin granddaughters! It is absolutely delicious. The only thing I did differently was to use sunflower kernels instead of walnuts. Definitely going to make this again!