Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

This is an easy broccoli cauliflower salad that can be made ahead of time. Made with a slightly sweet and tangy homemade creamy dressing that won’t make the salad go soggy.

About This Salad

• In this salad the broccoli and cauliflower are cooked until just tender. unlike some other salads where these are used raw. It just make it easier for the body to digest, especially if you suffer from gas, bloating and pain when eating these raw.
• This recipe can be made vegetarian or vegan by swapping some of the ingredients with suitable alternatives.
• Great for meal prepping because it will last 3-4 days in the fridge without going soggy, making it great for easy weekday work lunches.
• And because it can be prepared ahead of time, it’s the perfect salad to take on summer picnics, to potlucks and for sharing at BBQ’s.
• This salad can also be served as a side dish or can be enjoyed as a light meal on its own.

Ingredient Notes

Broccoli and cauliflower – you will need an average size head of broccoli and about half a head of a small/medium cauliflower for this recipe. Choose a broccoli that is firm and green and pick a cauliflower that is firm and white looking, use a sharp knife to trim away any blemishes that may be present on the cauliflower.

Bacon – Any cut of bacon can be used, if it’s very fatty trim away and discard the excess fat. We used a short cut bacon because it has very little fat on it.

Leave out the bacon if you are making it vegan or vegetarian or replace the bacon with a vegan alternative.

Red salad onion – this is great for salads as they are mild in flavour and can be eaten raw. If you can’t get red onion use another mild onion like spring onions.

Cheese – use a hard-firm cheese like cheddar. The cheese can be cut into cubes or grated.

Replace the cheddar cheese with a suitable alternative to make it vegan or vegetarian.

Sunflower seeds – these add texture to the salad. Finely chopped toasted nuts could also be used.

Mayonnaise – use your favourite mayo so if its Miracle whip use that, ours is Hellman’s. If you want to make a no mayo salad you can use Greek yogurt with some sour cream for the salad dressing. Just keep in mind that if you make a no mayo salad dressing it won’t keep as well and is best consumed within 24 hours.

Red wine vinegar – this will give additional flavour to the salad. It also thins down the mayonnaise, making it easier for it to seep into the little openings in the broccoli and cauliflower, for burst of flavour in every bite. If you don’t have red wine vinegar you can use some lemon juice.

Sugar – a little sugar balances out the sharpness from the vinegar.

Recipe Steps

Step 1 – Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into bite- sized pieces, wash well and drain.

Place the broccoli and cauliflower with about 1 tablespoon of water into microwave safe containers and cook, covered on high until just tender.

If you don’t have a microwave oven, boil or steam them until just tender.

Step 2 – Once cooked drain well and place onto a baking tray and allow to come to room temperature before making the salad.

Step 3 – Cook the bacon until it becomes nice and crisp and cut into small pieces.

Step 4 – Cut the cheese into small cubes, and thinly slice the red onion.

Place the dressing ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until it becomes smooth and lump free.

Step 5 – Place all the salad ingredients into a large bowl.

Step 6 – Pour the dressing over salad tossing well to combine.

Recipe Notes

The salad dressing: If you like a salad with lots of salad dressing the quantity for this recipe may not be enough for you but, you can easily double the recipe to make more.

Leftovers or for advanced meal prep: Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Recipe Variations

• Make this broccoli cauliflower salad vegetarian by replacing the bacon and cheese with vegetarian friendly alternatives.

• You could also throw in a handful of dried cranberries and or chopped walnuts.

What to Serve with This Salad?

This broccoli cauliflower salad will go well with most BBQ or grilled meats and even oven baked chicken such as butterflied roast chicken. It would also go well with spaghetti Bolognese.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you like cauliflower you might also like to try my cauliflower potato mash recipe. It’s a light and healthy alternative to mashed potatoes, or try this meat free broccoli and cauliflower soup.

More Salad Recipes

• Black bean and corn salad
• Carrot Salad
• Apple walnut salad
• Tomato cucumber onion and feta salad

If you do make this cauliflower broccoli salad, I would love to hear from you. Please come back and leave a comment below and tell me how you went.

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