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Christmas Broccoli Salad

Christmas Broccoli Salad (Festive & Crunchy)

A super festive, crunchy broccoli salad with crispy bacon, sweet cranberries, and sunflower seeds all tossed in a creamy, tangy dressing that's perfect for the holidays!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Calories: 285
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Salad:
  • 4 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces)
  • ½ cup red onion, finely diced
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • ¾ cup sunflower seeds
  • 8 strips bacon, cooked crispy and chopped
For the Creamy Dressing:
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Method
 

  1. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy, which takes about 10 to 12 minutes.
  2. Move bacon to paper towels, let it cool down completely, then chop into small bite-sized pieces.
  3. Cut broccoli into uniform, bite-sized pieces that are super easy to eat with just a fork.
  4. Dice the red onion really fine so that the sharp flavor spreads out evenly through the whole salad.
  5. Whisk mayo, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper together until it's completely smooth and nice and creamy.
  6. Put broccoli, onion, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and bacon together in your big mixing bowl.
  7. Pour creamy dressing over everything and toss it all up until everything's coated really well.
  8. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so all the flavors can blend together nicely.
  9. Give salad another quick toss right before you serve it to make sure dressing's distributed evenly.
  10. Add extra cranberries or seeds on top if you want, then serve it cold and ENJOY!

Notes

  • Toast those sunflower seeds in a dry pan for 2-3 minutes first for extra crunch and flavor.
  • This actually tastes even better the next day after everything sits together in the fridge overnight.
  • Try turkey bacon instead of regular bacon if you want a lighter option that's still smoky and yummy.
  • Add just a pinch of red pepper flakes to your dressing if you like a little kick of heat.
  • Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days max.