This Broccoli Salad with Bacon is a classic Midwestern side salad with a healthier twist! Not only is this broccoli salad a great side dish for potlucks, but it’s also a great salad to add to your meal prep menu for the week.
It’s packed with veggies, protein and has the most delicious creamy sauce. Make this broccoli salad today!
Broccoli Salad with Bacon
Salads on Fit Foodie Finds are not traditional green salad recipes. We love making salads full of veggies, but not just your average salad with dressing. The Broccoli Salad with Bacon has a vegetable base with a pinch of protein fun – BACON.
The three of us grew up in the Midwest, where broccoli salad was a must at every social gathering and almost every salad bar in Wisconsin and Minnesota has their own version of broccoli salad.
Generally, it’s packed with classic Midwestern flavors and ingredients like mayonnaise and white sugar. Today we’re sharing a healthier version of broccoli salad and we’re kind of obsessed with it. You will be surprised how delicious a broccoli salad can be. If you still have more broccoli after this recipe, try this easy broccoli salad recipe too!
Why you will love this recipe
- This broccoli salad recipe brings you a healthier broccoli salad recipe for summer.
- Every bite is packed with crunch and flavor!
- You can make this broccoli salad recipe any way you want by substituting or adding ingredients you love.
How to prepare a healthy broccoli salad
When you’re in a hurry, this healthy broccoli salad is ready in under an hour. If you’re bringing it to a picnic, you can double the recipe. When making this healthy broccoli salad, we recommend that you also prepare one of the following main dishes.
Once you’ve decided on your BBQ menu or meal prepping menu for the week, mixing up this bacon broccoli salad is easy! There are two parts to this salad: the creamy broccoli salad dressing and the broccoli salad itself. Let’s dig a little deeper, shall we?
Creamy broccoli salad dressing
We made this broccoli salad dressing nice and easy. If you want to avoid dairy or prefer to use honey as a sweetener, you can substitute the sauce in a number of ways.
The beauty of the sauce is that you can make it yourself! If you’re feeling cheeky, you can always add a teaspoon or two of hot sauce or sriracha for a little extra spice. The ingredients for the salad dressing are:
- greek yogurt
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- maple syrup
- Salt
- paprika
Broccoli salad with bacon side dishes
The broccoli salad is a classic recipe with a healthy twist. We’ve stuck to the traditional broccoli salad ingredient, but feel free to substitute your favorite nuts, seeds or dried fruit. Here are the ingredients for the broccoli salad.
- bacon
- broccoli
- Red onion
- sunflower seeds
- raisins
- Cheddar cheese
- pepper
- Salt
recipe variations
Don’t have all the ingredients for this broccoli salad at home? Or do you just want to add more ingredients? No problem. Below are some great options to add to your broccoli mix.
substitutions
- Raisins -> dried cranberries or cherries
- Greek Yogurt -> Mayo or Miracle Whip
- Sunflower seeds -> walnuts
add-ins
- Chopped apples
- sour cream
- Apple cider vinegar (gives the salad a little bite)
storage
Store this broccoli salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. When you’re ready to eat your leftovers, try topping your salad with some Greek yogurt or mayonnaise if you find the salad has dried out a bit.
