The Best Creamy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipe

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The Best Creamy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipe – loaded with rich delicious bacon flavor, fresh vegetables, and cooling creamy dressing!

creamy dressed broccoli and cauliflower in a bowl with diced bacon and onions

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Creamy Bacon Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
How to Make Creamy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
Tips and Tricks to Perfect Broccoli Salad
Recipe FAQs
Other Delicious Salads You’ll Love
The Best Creamy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipe

broccoli and cauliflower salad in a bowl with creamy dressing

Creamy Bacon Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

This creamy broccoli and cauliflower salad is rich and indulgent – a great way to get everyone excited for fresh vegetables, and incredibly quick to throw together – making it a perfect party side!

In summer there is nothing better than a hearty, fresh, comforting and creamy salad alongside ribs, smoked brisket, delicious crispy pulled pork, air fried salmon, or ribeye roast – but this salad is great on it’s own for a fresh lunch meal prep idea, or a part of a light summer meal.

This salad can be made keto (please see notes below on keto approved vegetables to swap out peas for), and is a great low carb side dish for cookouts, picnics, and BBQs.

If you love this delicious salad, be sure to see some of my favorite salad recipes like my chopped chinese chicken salad, easy chicken taco salad, and even chicken salad stuffed avocados and taco stuffed avocados!

broccoli salad in a bowl tossed in creamy dressing

How to Make Creamy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

We worked to find the BEST tangy, savory, and creamy broccoli and cauliflower salad dressing – and absolutely love this fresh and delicious easy dressing. It’s delicious on salads, and even over wraps and sandwiches – or as a veggie dip! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days if making a large batch.

½ cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons white vinegar
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon kosher salt
10 cracks fresh black pepper

hand pouring creamy dressing into bowl of broccoli salad

Tips and Tricks to Perfect Broccoli Salad

English shelling peas. If available, fresh English shelling peas taste the best in this recipe – they are crisp, slightly sweet, and have a fresh clean flavor I can’t get enough of! If you can’t find fresh shelling peas, or it’s out of season, you can use frozen peas in this recipe. To use frozen peas, you can add them directly too dish frozen (peas defrost very quickly in room temperature air) to help keep your salad cool – or you can thaw them before adding to dish.

How to store creamy broccoli salad. Since this salad is so easy to prep ahead of time, we usually make a big batch and store in the fridge until it’s time to serve. I find it is best to make the salad and the dressing individually, and store them separately in a refrigerator in airtight containers until serving. If you dress the salad, be sure to keep refrigerated until serving, since mayonnaise can go off or separate and become oily in warm temperatures.

Make it for meal prep. This salad is excellent for work – I add dressing to a bottom of a large mason jar, and then add in the vegetables on top. When it’s time for lunch, tip the jar over to dress the vegetables and give it a good shake to toss all ingredients in dressing!

Make it Keto. Since we’re adding crisp, delicious fresh peas to this dish, it is technically not keto-approved – but it is an easy swap for keto vegetables so you can enjoy this dish on a very low carb diet. With a few substitutes for the peas, you can make this dish keto:

1/2 cup diced bell peppers
1/2 cup diced radishes for a spicy twist
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced asparagus (try grilled for a smoky flavor)
1/2 cup diced green beans

broccoli salad ingredients in a bowl next to a jar of creamy dressing

Recipe FAQs

How long does broccoli salad last?

This salad lasts up to four days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

What temperature do I need to keep broccoli salad at?

As this dish contains mayonnaise, it needs to be kept chilled for proper food safety.
We recommend serving in a bowl on ice at a picnic, and storing in a cooler until ready to serve. Do not let broccoli salad sit in the sun or get hot, discard any leftovers that have not been kept chilled.

broccoli salad in a bowl and a cutting board with bacon and chives

Other Delicious Salads You’ll Love

If you love this creamy, hearty summer salad, please check out some of our other favorite salads!

You can find our entire salad recipe archives here.