Healthy Broccoli Salad Recipe – with Video

A deli classic, made easier on the waistline! You’ll love this healthy broccoli salad, it’s an absolute crowd pleaser at any barbecue. And don’t worry, it still has bacon!

I don’t know who first decided to combine raw broccoli, bacon, onions, and raisins in a creamy mayonnaise dressing, but I’m not mad about it. It’s been done a million different ways since its creation, but I wanted to create a healthy broccoli salad since the original version is on the heavy side (especially for a salad!).

But don’t worry, since my philosophy is everything in moderation (except popcorn), I didn’t ditch the bacon. I didn’t even use turkey bacon because I’ll be honest, I don’t really like the stuff. I like turkey sausage, ground turkey, turkey breasts, turkey tenders, turkey tenderloin, whole turkey, but I just can’t force myself to like turkey bacon. I just can’t! It’s not the same. Bacon to me is a treat, not an everyday thing, so I go ahead and splurge on the real thing. There’s truly nothing like it.

PS: I know this would have been a really super duper great recipe to publish before the 4th of July, but you know how it goes… Thankfully there is plenty of summertime left for barbeques and picnics.

I kept this pretty true to the classic salad you find in grocery stores. Red onions (even though we’re not huge raw onion fans — read on for my tips on that), crispy bacon, chewy raisins. They all bring their own unique quality to the salad and the combination is a home run every time.

Tips for this Healthy Broccoli Salad Recipe:

• If you soak the chopped onions in ice water for about 30 minutes before adding them to the salad, it takes the bite out of them and makes their flavor less strong. They are a great addition to this salad even if you think you don’t love raw onions! Or you could try pickled red onions for a different onion flavor.
• I loooove these jumbo raisins. You can use any old raisins but these add a special something and are extra chewy and juicy.
• I love the flavor that the celery seeds add. It’s a little drift from the classic deli-style broccoli salad, but try it, and I bet you’ll love it too.
• If you want to leave out the bacon, add roasted sunflower seeds for a nice crunch. Or do both!

Want more picnic-perfect salads? Try these: 

• Tabbouleh Salad Recipe with Freekeh and Feta
• Creamy Southwestern Orzo Salad
• Greek Pasta Salad with Feta
• Two Ingredient Dill Potato Salad
• Cucumber Ribbon Salad with Yogurt Herb Dressing
• Healthy Coleslaw Recipe
• Classic Macaroni Salad from Bless this Mess
• Avocado Pasta Salad from Spend with Pennies

Verdict: I love this healthy broccoli salad — along with roasted broccoli, it’s one of my favorite ways to eat the little trees.
Husband’s take: Ben loved this! He still picked around the red onions, but he said, “I ate one by accident and they weren’t too bad.”
Changes I would make: None!
Difficulty: Easy!