Cranberry Bacon Broccoli Salad with Sunflower Seeds

Crunchy broccoli salad with dried cranberries, bacon, and sunflower seeds in a sweet-tangy Miracle Whip dressing. It’s easy to make ahead for holidays!

We’re headed to a potluck with friends tonight, and my contribution to the meal is a salad. I was racking my brain over what to bring until I landed on the idea of broccoli cranberry salad.

I pulled out my trusty recipe box and dug out my mom’s recipe for it. I laughed as I read it. It’s one of the few recipes of hers with absolutely no measurements! Next to the dressing ingredients, it just says to “mix this dressing in proportion like for cabbage.” Hmm… not overly helpful, since I’ve never made a cabbage salad in my life!;)

Thankfully, I found an old church ladies’ cookbook with a recipe that included measurements. I modified it slightly, since it called for an alarming amount of sugar. I just taste-tested it, and it’s very, very yummy, like the broccoli salad I remember my mom making.

I’m excited to take it to the party tonight!

Why you’ll like this broccoli salad recipe with cranberries

• This broccoli salad with bacon can be made and assembled the day before a party or event, so you can work ahead and save last-minute stress.
• The dressing is made with only 3 simple ingredients.
• You can easily adjust the amounts if you need to bring a larger salad. The measurements given here should be plenty for 6 to 8 people.
• Pre-cooked bacon bits will save you time and effort, but if you’d like to use your own fresh bacon bits, feel free!
• Broccoli salad tastes even better after it has sat in the fridge overnight. The broccoli soaks up the dressing, and all the flavors meld together to make it one of the most popular salads ever!

Ingredients you’ll need for classic broccoli salad

Here is what you’ll need for the salad:

• 8 cups broccoli crowns, rinsed, cut into bite-sized pieces, and dried on a paper towel
• 1/2 cup pre-cooked bacon bits (I bought mine, but you can make them fresh if you’d like)
• 1/3 cup red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds

For the broccoli salad dressing:

• 1 cup Miracle Whip (or mayonnaise if you prefer)
• 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and stir them together. (I found it easiest to use the biggest bowl I had.)

Step 2: Whisk the salad dressing ingredients together until fully combined, then pour over the salad.

Step 3: Mix the dressing into the salad, making sure it coats everything and is well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or even overnight) before serving.

• Make sure the broccoli is rinsed well and then patted dry before you assemble the salad.
• Use your largest bowl to mix this salad. It’s hard to combine all the ingredients well in a small bowl.
• This salad tastes even better the next day, so plan ahead and let it chill in the fridge overnight before serving.

Variations & substitutions for this broccoli salad recipe

• Raisins can be substituted for the dried cranberries if you prefer.
• Not all broccoli salad recipes have sunflower seeds, so feel free to leave them out if you like.
• Mayonnaise can be substituted for Miracle Whip if you prefer.
• Some people add 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese to this salad for extra flavor and color.
• Cauliflower can be added for a lovely broccoli cauliflower salad variation.

Other popular salad recipes

• This egg & potato salad recipe is a favorite of ours, just like my Grandma made!
• Beet & peach salad is a delightfully refreshing recipe that tastes like summer in a bowl!
• The pasta salad dressing on this pasta salad has an unexpected ingredient, ketchup!, and it’s so yummy!
• A Big Mac bowl recipe is a whole dinner in one salad.
• If you like sweet and spicy salads, you’ll go wild over this mango salad.
• Orange Fluff Salad is a classic, quick salad that’s so colorful on the table.