Easy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad (with Tasty Dressing!)
Easy broccoli cauliflower salad is a fresh, crunchy, and colorful side dish that comes together in minutes with simple ingredients. Packed with crisp broccoli, tender cauliflower, and a creamy dressing, this salad is perfect for potlucks, picnics, or as a quick make-ahead dish for family dinners. It’s light, flavorful, and a great way to enjoy veggies in a fun, delicious way.
The combination of tasty broccoli, creamy cauliflower, and crunchy bacon creates a mouthwatering flavor that’s sure to satisfy your taste buds. It’s a versatile salad that can be served as a side dish or as a light meal on its own. This salad goes well with many main dishes, but especially pasta like the Easy Cheesy Marinara Pasta.
Plus, it’s easy to prepare and can be made ahead of time, making it a great option for meal prep. And it’s also nice that the leftovers don’t water! In this recipe, I’ll show you how to create a flavorful and healthy broccoli cauliflower salad that will be a hit with your family, friends, and even kids.
Why You’ll Love Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
Here are some of the reasons that make this recipe incredibly delicious and special:
- Healthy: What makes this broccoli cauliflower salad recipe special is that it combines two of the most nutritious vegetables – broccoli and cauliflower – with other tasty ingredients to create a healthy and flavorful dish.
- Customizable: This broccoli cauliflower salad is also very customizable! You can add in other fresh veggies like carrots or some nuts like pecans to go with the crispy bacon pieces. See the variations below for more customization ideas!
- Great for Pairing: This broccoli cauliflower salad recipe makes the perfect side dish! It goes great with savory dishes like barbecue chicken and pairs fantastically with pasta dishes.
Key Ingredients
All you need are some simple, pantry staple ingredients to make this delicious Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad at home. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
For the Salad:
- Broccoli: First, we’ll need one large head of broccoli for this recipe. Broccoli makes up half the base of this salad, so make sure to grab a fresh and crisp one!
- Cauliflower: We’ll also need one large head of cauliflower for this dish. Cauliflower makes up the other half of this salad along with broccoli so make sure it’s just as fresh (and preferably organic)!
- Bacon: Next we’ll be adding some delicious bacon to this salad. It will give our fresh veggies the perfect splash of savory taste and crunch. I’ve made broiled bacon at home for the best flavor.
- Lemon: Finally, we’ll need a Meyers sweet lemon or a regular lemon to add a little tanginess and help bring out the individual flavors in this recipe.
For the Dressing:
- Cheddar cheese: Not only is it delicious, but cheddar cheese also adds a nice contrasting texture to the greens in our salad.
- Mayonnaise: The slightly sharp, aromatic, and tangy taste makes an awesome sauce ingredient! Make your own with my easy homemade mayonnaise recipe.
- Greek yogurt: The velvety texture and tangy flavor of plain Greek yogurt pair great with the mayonnaise we’re using in this recipe.
- Salt and black pepper: We’ll also need some salt and pepper to taste to bring out all the flavors and also balance them out perfectly.
How to Make Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
Making this delicious and easy cauliflower broccoli salad recipe is simpler than you can imagine. Here’s what you need to do to make it step by step:
First, we need to prepare the bacon. Broil it on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil for 5 minutes, then flip the bacon over and broil for an additional 2 minutes (see the full instructions in my perfect broiled bacon recipe). Place broiled bacon onto paper towel to be absorbed.
Second, let’s thoroughly wash all the vegetables and the sweet Meyer’s lemon, then chop the raw broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces. Squeeze the entire lemon over the broccoli in a large bowl and set it aside to let it absorb (see instructions HERE).
Next, we’ll chop the raw cauliflower florets into bite-sized pieces also and put them in a large mixing bowl. Now, cube bacon into tiny pieces and add to cauliflower, then grate the cheddar cheese and add it as well.
After that, take the lemon-soaked broccoli and add it to the cauliflower bowl one handful at a time, letting the excess juice drain out of your hands as you do. Discard the remaining juice, then stir all the ingredients together until they’re well mixed.
Finally, in a small bowl on the side, whisk the mayonnaise and plain Greek yogurt together until thoroughly mixed and season with salt and pepper to taste, then pour it into the large mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients and toss it well.
Your delicious and easy broccoli cauliflower salad is ready to serve!
For a full list of ingredients and instructions, see the recipe card below.
Easy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipe Tips
- Choose fresh ingredients: Make sure to use fresh and crisp vegetables and bacon for the best flavor.
- Let the lemon soak: Letting the broccoli soak in a bit of lemon juice helps bring out its flavor and adds a nice tangy taste to the salad.
- Don’t overcook the bacon: Make sure to keep an eye on the bacon while it’s broiling and take it out as soon as it’s done. Overcooked bacon can be tough and chewy, not what we want in this dish!
- Don’t forget to season: Seasoning your salad with salt and pepper is essential to bring out all the flavors.
Substitutions and Variations
If you want to get creative with your already easy broccoli cauliflower salad, here are some ideas for variations that can make it even more delicious!
- Nuts: Toasted pine nuts: Toasted pine nuts add a lovely nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with the crunchy vegetables in this dish. You can also add walnuts! Walnuts are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, making them a delicious and super healthy addition to this salad.
- Sunflower seeds: Sunflower seeds are another crunchy, delicious topping that goes great with the veggies in this recipe.
- Substitute the lemon: Try switching the lemon out for vinegar or apple cider vinegar to slightly tone down the acidity.
- Creamier: To make this salad creamier, you can add some sour cream to it as well for that tangy, creamy flavor that you’re going to absolutely love.
- Added sweetness: For a bit of sweetness, you can add some diced red onion, cranberries, raisins or chopped apples. Red onion adds a nice crunchy texture, and the sweetness of the raisins helps balance out the tanginess of the lemon juice. You can also add some red grapes or celery to this delicious salad.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftover broccoli cauliflower salad can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. The flavors of the salad get even better the next day. For best results, store the salad and sauce separately then mix them together when you’re ready to serve.
More Recipes You’ll Enjoy
- Purple Cabbage Tomato Salad
- Radish and Chives Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing
- Tossed Cucumber Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing
- Pear, Pomegranate, Mandarin Winter Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing
Check out all the SALAD recipes HERE!
Broccoli Salad Recipe (Easy, Fresh & Crunchy Side Dish)
Ingredients
- 1 small head of broccoli
- 1 small head of cauliflower
- 4 slices of cooked bacon (see perfect broiled bacon recipe)
- 1 Meyers sweet lemon (or small regular lemon)
- 4 oz. medium cheddar cheese grated
- ¼ cup mayonnaise (I used a homemade mayonnaise recipe)
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt plain
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- First, we need to prepare the bacon. Broil it on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil for 5 minutes, then flip the bacon over and broil for an additional 2 minutes (see the full instructions in my perfect broiled bacon recipe).
- Second, let's thoroughly wash all the vegetables and the sweet Meyer's lemon, then chop the raw broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces. Squeeze the entire lemon over the broccoli in a large bowl and set it aside to let it absorb (see instructions HERE).
- Next, we’ll chop the raw cauliflower florets into bite-sized pieces also and put them in a large mixing bowl. Now, cube bacon into tiny pieces and add to cauliflower, then grate the cheddar cheese and add it as well.
- After that, take the lemon-soaked broccoli and add it to the cauliflower bowl one handful at a time, letting the excess juice drain out of your hands as you do. Discard the remaining juice, then stir all the ingredients together until they’re well mixed.
- Finally, in a small bowl on the side, whisk the mayonnaise and plain Greek yogurt together until thoroughly mixed and season with salt and pepper to taste, then pour it into the large mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix it well.
Notes
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This recipe was originally posted on January 25, 2017 (original picture below), and updated for a better user experience. The post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure.
Delicious! I can almost taste it from here! Love the addition of half mayonnaise and half yogurt!
Thank you! I love the combination of mayo and yogurt dressing, creamy, tasty and delicious! 🙂
Made this recipe today. We are trying to eat more fresh vegetables and less of starchy and carb stuff. It turns out it’s a very nice combination. Although I didn’t have cheddar cheese so I replaced it with mozzarella cheese. Worked well also. Thank you for another great recipe. Will come back for it again.
Hi Larisa! That’s awesome! I love salads, and this one is a truly delicious one. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe and thank you for an amazing review! ?
My husband would probably ….. Well, I was about to get inappropriate in my comment, ha… But in summary, he would be VERYYYYY happy if I made him this recipe!
🙂