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