Name: Broccoli Raisin Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 4 cups broccoli florets; 3/4 cup raisins; 5 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled); 1/4 cup sunflower seeds; 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 2 tbsp sugar; 3 tbsp white vinegar; 1/4 tsp black pepper

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I absolutely love this broccoli raisin salad! It’s loaded with crispy bacon, raisins, and sunflower seeds. Perfect all year-round, this salad is a go-to for backyard barbecues, potlucks and get-togethers because it only takes 15 minutes to make and you can prep it in advance!

Speaking of potlucks and parties, here are a few more of my favorite quick salad recipes that I love taking to gatherings: Creamy Parmesan Pasta Salad; Tomato & Onion Salad, and my Easy Bean Salad!

This broccoli salad is the recipe that converted my kids over to loving broccoli! It’s a simple cold salad that is made of broccoli florets, raisins, sunflower seeds and crispy bacon coated in a creamy, tangy mayonnaise dressing. Sounds kind of crazy at first, but all the flavors come together and just work! Trust me!

My favorite part about this broccoli raisin salad is that it is ready in less than 15 minutes. Especially if you have your bacon already cooked and crumbled, it’s a matter of dumping and stirring together. It’s the perfect salad when you need a quick dish and fast!

Salad Ingredients

BROCCOLI: You’ll just need fresh broccoli for this salad recipe. I prefer the florets only so I cut off most of the stem. Then I simply chop the florets up into small pieces so they’re not quite as bulky.

RAISINS: You can use regular raisins or golden raisins, up to you!

SUNFLOWER SEEDS: I prefer to grab salted sunflower kernels, but any kind will do! If you do use unsalted, you may want to add a pinch of salt to the dressing.

BACON: What’s better than crispy, crumbled bacon?! If you don’t want to make bacon, you can sub in bacon bits.

DRESSING: This is a simple mayonnaise-based dressing made with just a few ingredients. I prefer true mayonnaise over Miracle Whip, but you could sub that in too. For the white vinegar, you can swap in white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or even a champagne vinegar. Use what you have!

How to Make Broccoli Raisin Salad

This is truly the easiest salad to make. It’s basically a “toss it in and stir” salad – those are my favorite kind! I have two young kids so I’m always on the hunt for QUICK and delicious salads and this broccoli salad with bacon is a go-to in our house!

First things first, toss your broccoli in a large mixing bowl with your raisins, sunflower seeds and bacon!

Next, in a separate small bowl, whisk together your dressing of mayonnaise, sugar, white vinegar and a little black pepper. Pour it over your broccoli mixture and toss to coat evenly. That’s IT! Super simple! Serve right away or store in the refrigerator.

Can You Make this Salad in Advance?

One of the beauties of this easy broccoli salad is its ability to be made ahead of time. Store the salad in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. I even like it better the next day once the flavors have had time to meld together. This makes it a fantastic side dish for meal prep or for bringing to potlucks and picnics in the summer months (although this is a favorite salad for us all year-round)!

Recipe Tips & Swaps

Feel free to customize your broccoli salad to suit your taste preferences. You can swap out the raisins for dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots for a change!
Want to add some extra crunch? Try tossing in some chopped nuts like almonds or pecans.
For a bit more flavor, you could add a few tablespoons of diced red onion.
If you’re looking to make this salad a bit lighter, you can use Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise for the dressing. It’ll still be creamy and delicious!
For a vegetarian version, simply omit the bacon.
To add more protein, you could add in some chopped chicken or shredded cheddar cheese!

easy broccoli salad with bacon recipe and sunflower seeds

More Easy Salads We Love:

I hope you’ll give this easy broccoli raisin salad a try! The bacon, sweet raisins and crunchy sunflower seeds are truly SO delicious! If you try it, be sure to leave me a comment and rating below…enjoy!