Name: Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 1 head broccoli ((5 cups chopped, or 3 crowns)); 1 head cauliflower ((5 to 6 cups chopped)); ½ cup red onion, finely chopped ((about ½ small onion)); ½ cup dried cranberries; ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds, toasted ((see note)); ½ cup cooked and crumbled bacon ((about 5 slices)); 1 cup cubed (¼-inch) cheddar cheese ((about 4 ounces)); 1 cup mayonnaise; 3 tablespoons granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons white vinegar; ½ teaspoon kosher salt ((or to taste)); ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper ((or to taste))

Recipe Overview

Why you’ll love it: Broccoli cauliflower salad is a refreshing side dish that always satisfies! Made with crisp broccoli and cauliflower florets tossed with cheese and crumbled bacon in a rich, tangy dressing, there’s so much flavor and texture packed into this tasty broccoli and cauliflower salad recipe! You can make it ahead and it’s easy to customize, too.

How long it takes: 30 minutes, plus time to chill

Equipment you’ll need: large mixing bowl

Servings: makes 12 cups

Overhead view of broccoli cauliflower salad in a bowl.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad with Creamy Dressing

Broccoli (and cauliflower) naysayers, try this broccoli cauliflower salad! Crisp broccoli and cauliflower florets have never tasted this good. It definitely has something to do with the salty bacon, cheese, and creamy, tangy mayo dressing! Throw in a few extra “embellishments” like toasted sunflower seeds and sweet dried cranberries, and you have an easy side dish packed with irresistible flavor and texture. This salad is popular at picnics and potlucks, too.

Why You’ll Love This Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipe

Works for any season. Some salads are seasonal depending on the ingredients but this broccoli salad is perfect year round. Broccoli cauliflower salad is perfect for the summer months, with its chilled ingredients and tangy dressing. It’s also hearty enough for a winter salad, with bacon, cheese, and dried cranberries.
Combination of textures. This salad balances creaminess, crunchiness, and flavor thanks to fresh veggies, soft cheese cubes, toasted sunflower seeds, sweet cranberries, and smoky bacon.
So adaptable. You can easily change out ingredients and adapt this salad to suit your tastes. For a vegetarian salad, omit the bacon, or go one further and make it vegan by leaving out both the bacon and the cheese. This salad is so flavorful!

Ingredient Notes

I’ll get you started with some notes on what you’ll need to make this cauliflower and broccoli salad. Scroll down to the recipe card for a printable ingredients list.

Broccoli and Cauliflower – You’ll need one head of each, chopped up into small bite-sized florets. We find that it’s better to chop the florets quite finely. Larger pieces don’t soak up the dressing as well. If you prefer, the salad can be made with all broccoli or all cauliflower (you may want try my broccoli salad instead!).
Onion – I like the color contrast that red onion gives to the salad.
Dried Cranberries and Sunflower Seeds – Add these for chewy texture and a nice crunch. Toasting the sunflower seeds brings out the flavor even more (see below). You can substitute raisins (we love golden raisins!) for the cranberries if you prefer, and pepitas or toasted walnuts for the sunflower seeds (or just leave them out).
Bacon – Cook the bacon until crisp using your preferred method (try baked bacon or air fryer bacon).
Cheese – We like cheddar cheese, cut into cubes. You can also make this recipe with another kind of cheese, like Colby or Pepper Jack cheese. Swiss is another good option, or you can make the salad without cheese.

Dressing

Mayonnaise – Substitute plain Greek yogurt for up to half of the mayo in the dressing, if you’d like to make the salad a bit healthier.
Sugar – Plain white granulated sugar works best.
Vinegar – Regular all-purpose white vinegar is perfect. You can try other vinegars such as white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar but it will change the flavor of the dressing a bit.
Salt and Pepper

Toast the Sunflower Seeds

This is easy to do in a dry skillet on the stovetop. Toast the sunflower seeds over medium-low heat until they’re lightly golden, stirring often so that they don’t burn. Transfer them to a plate to cool before you add them to the salad.

How To Make Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

There’s a bit of chopping involved, but this salad is very simple to make! Here’s a quick step-by-step to show you how to make it. Refer to the recipe card below the post for printable instructions.

Prep the ingredients. Before you start, wash and dry your broccoli and cauliflower, and chop them up into small florets. Chop up the other ingredients so that everything is ready to go.

Broccoli and cauliflower florets in a bowl surrounded by salad ingredients.

Broccoli cauliflower salad ingredients combined in a bowl.

Combine. Next, add your broccoli and cauliflower to a bowl with red onion, cranberries, sunflower seeds, bacon, and cubed cheddar. Stir everything together.

Dressing drizzled over a bowl of broccoli cauliflower salad ingredients.

Add the dressing. Whisk together the dressing ingredients separately. Season the dressing to taste and then drizzle it over the salad. Toss the salad ingredients gently to coat.

Chill. Cover the salad and place it into the fridge to chill for an hour before serving.

Overhead view of broccoli cauliflower salad in a bowl next to wooden salad scoops.

Tips For Success

Here are my pro tips for the best broccoli cauliflower salad:

Wash the broccoli and cauliflower well. Make sure to dry it thoroughly with a spinner or paper towel. Otherwise, the excess water will make the salad watery.
Rinse the red onion. Rinsing the chopped red onion under cold water helps to take away some of the sharp flavor. Spread it out to dry on paper towels afterward.
Shred the cheese instead. In place of cubed cheese, go ahead and use shredded cheese if you prefer.

Close up overhead view of a large spoonful of broccoli cauliflower salad held over a bowl.

Possible Recipe Variations

There are plenty of ways that you can customize this broccoli and cauliflower salad. I’ve included some easy variations below, and I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments!

Add nuts. Replace toasted sunflower seeds with toasted walnuts, pine nuts, or pecans.
Lighten it up. For a more calorie-conscious salad, feel free to reduce the number of bacon slices (or omit it) and adapt the amount of cheese and sugar to your preference. It’ll still be delicious!
Fresh herbs. Chopped fresh basil, thyme leaves, or cilantro would taste great in this salad.
Rather have a pasta salad? Try ranch pasta salad, summer pasta salad, or my popular bruschetta orzo salad.

Overhead view of broccoli cauliflower salad in a white bowl with a wooden spoon.

What To Serve With Cauliflower Broccoli Salad

This cool and creamy broccoli cauliflower salad is an easy side dish for BBQs and potlucks. We love to serve it with our favorite summer grilling recipes, like grilled pork kebobs, or these juicy air fryer BBQ chicken wings with a side of corn ribs. It’s great as a holiday side at Thanksgiving!

Turn this salad into a main meal by topping it with marinated cooked chicken or broiled salmon.

Can I Make This Salad in Advance?

Once the dressing is added, this salad is best served on the day it’s made. However, if you’d like to prep the broccoli cauliflower salad ahead of time, I recommend mixing the dry salad ingredients and storing them in a covered container in the fridge. Prepare the dressing and store it separately. When you’re ready to serve, drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss everything to coat.

Storing Leftovers

Store any leftover broccoli cauliflower salad airtight in the fridge for up to 2 days. I don’t recommend freezing leftovers as the texture changes once the ingredients and dressing are thawed.

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Broccoli Cauliflower Salad