This easy Amish broccoli salad is a delicious side dish perfect for summer gatherings or potlucks. Packed with fresh broccoli, cauliflower, crispy bacon, and a creamy, tangy dressing, it's a flavorful and customizable recipe that comes together in minutes. Plus, it's a great way to use seasonal produce at its peak!
If you love broccoli you will want to read my guide on how to cook broccoli, try the Asian broccoli side dish and my chicken broccoli rice casserole.
Broccoli and Cauliflower Ingredients Needed:
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How to make Amish broccoli salad recipe
This Amish broccoli salad pairs perfectly with grilled chicken, burgers, or sandwiches. It's also a great make-ahead dish for picnics, potlucks, or BBQs!
Cook the Bacon
- In a heavy bottom or cast iron pan, cook the chopped bacon until crisp.
- Reserve bacon fat if using it in the dressing.
Prepare the Vegetables
- While the bacon cooks, chop the broccoli and cauliflower into small, bite-sized pieces.
- Finely dice the red onion.
How Big To Chop?
Chop the broccoli and cauliflower into small, uniform pieces for the best texture.
Make the Dressing
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, and salt.
(If using, stir in the reserved bacon fat until well combined.)
Assemble the Salad
In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, cauliflower, red onion, raisins, sunflower seeds, cheese crumbles, and cooked bacon.
Toss and Serve
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is evenly coated.
- Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Flavor Tip
Let the salad chill for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
Sarah's Suggestion:
Don't be afraid to tweak this recipe to suit your taste! Swap out the raisins for dried cranberries, or add a handful of diced bell peppers for extra crunch. This salad is all about making it your own.
Storage
Store the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Stir well before serving.
Make-Ahead Tip
Prepare the salad and dressing separately, then combine just before serving to keep the vegetables crisp.
Ingredients
- ½ pound (226 ⅘ g) Bacon chopped and cooked crisp, 2 Tablespoons grease reserved (optional)
- 4 Cups (364 g) broccoli chopped about 1 head
- 4 Cups (400 g) cauliflower chopped about 1 head
- ¾ Cup (108 ¾ g) raisins golden raisins are used in this recipe
- ½ Cup (80 g) finely diced red onion
- ⅓ Cup (44 ⅔ g) sunflower seeds salted
- 1 Cup (224 g) Mayonnaise
- ¾ Cup (172 ½ g) Sour Cream
- 2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Sugar
- ½ Teaspoon (½ Teaspoon) salt
- 1 Cup (135 g) cheese crumbles
Instructions
- In a heavy bottom or cast iron pan, cook the chopped bacon until crisp. Reserve bacon fat if using it in the dressing.
- While the bacon is cooking, chop the raw broccoli, head of cauliflower, finely dice the onion and break the sharp cheddar cheese into small pieces.
- Add all the raw salad ingredients to a big bowl.
- In a separate bowl combine the sugar, salt, vinegar and then whisk in the mayo and the sour cream.
- Add the bacon fat to the dressing, if using.
- Add the cooked bacon to the salad and toss to combine.
- Pour all the dressing over the broccoli salad, stir to combine and make sure all the vegetables are evenly coated.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Dawn says
My family loved this! Very delicious
Sarah Mock says
Thank you Dawn! I love getting feedback from the readers. ~Sarah
Janis Fleck says
Needs Mushrooms. Doesn't need sugar. Otherwise, perfect, but what makes it only for Christmas?