This Broccoli and Cauliflower salad has fresh broccoli, cauliflower, cheese, onion, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries tossed in a creamy poppy seed dressing. It’s one of my favorite summer salads!
Friends, this salad will make you want to eat your vegetables! You may even go back for seconds. AND…I dare say it may even win over some people who would normally steer clear of broccoli and cauliflower. Yep, it’s that good!
Broccoli salad is a classic recipe that’s been around for a long time – you’ll probably see some version of it in every church and community cookbook – but I only tried it for the first time about two summers ago.
I actually love eating raw broccoli, so I knew I would probably love this salad, but it exceeded all of my expectations. It’s got it all…savory, sweet, tart, crunchy, soft, chewy, and creamy. YUM!
For my next batch, I added cauliflower because I love raw cauliflower even more than raw broccoli. I also took out the bacon {gasp! I know} because I wanted to try a meat-free version, and I added poppy seeds to the dressing because I love the way they look!
It was a winner! That’s the recipe I have for you today, and I think you’ll agree!
Besides being delicious, this salad is super easy to make! The veggies are kept raw, so there’s no cooking involved. You’ll just need to do a little chopping and mixing, and then you let the salad chill in the fridge for a bit to let all those yummy flavors blend together.
Ingredients you need:
- Mayonnaise
- Sour cream
- White vinegar
- Sugar
- Poppy seeds
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh broccoli
- Fresh cauliflower
- Red onion
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Shelled sunflower seeds
- Dried cranberries
How to make broccoli and cauliflower salad:
Tips & Tidbits:
- If you’d rather make broccoli salad, just omit the cauliflower and use all broccoli.
- Be sure to chop the broccoli and cauliflower into very small florets (about ½ inch or so in size). This helps ensure that everything gets nicely coated in the dressing. Plus, no one wants to be wrangling with big pieces.
- This combination of ingredients is my favorite, but feel free to make substitutes, add something, or take something out to suit your own personal tastes.
- Many recipes for broccoli salad call for bacon. I wanted to keep my salad meat-free, but go ahead and cook some up and add it in if you’d like (check out my post on Baked Bacon if you’ve never tried it)!
- You can eat the broccoli salad immediately, but I like to let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour just to give all those yummy flavors a chance to blend together.
- The longer this salad sits, the softer it will get. I think it’s best served on the day you make it, but it will last 3 to 4 days in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
- If you want to make this ahead of time, I suggest keeping the salad and dressing separate in the refrigerator until an hour (or a few hours) before serving to keep it crunchy. Then mix everything together and put it back in the fridge to chill before serving.
This Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad makes a great side dish, and it’s always a hit at summer barbecues and potlucks. It goes great with just about anything. I also think it makes a wonderful lunch all by itself!
I hope you try this recipe for Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
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If you made this or any of my other recipes, take a photo and tag @nowcookthis on Instagram and hashtag it #nowcookthisrecipes.
Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1½ teaspoons poppy seeds
- salt and pepper, to taste
Salad:
- 2 cups very small fresh broccoli florets, about ½ inch in size
- 2 cups very small fresh cauliflower florets, about ½ inch in size
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup shelled sunflower seeds
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- In a large bowl (use a bowl that is big enough to toss the salad in), whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, poppy seeds, salt and pepper until well-combined.
- Add the broccoli, cauliflower, onions, cheese, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries to the bowl; toss with the dressing until everything is evenly coated and well-combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving to allow the flavors to blend.
- Give the salad a quick toss before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can eat the broccoli salad immediately, but I think letting it chill in the fridge for at least an hour makes it even better by giving all those yummy flavors a chance to blend.
- The longer this salad sits, the softer it will get. I think it’s best served on the day you make it, but it will last 3 to 4 days in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
- If you want to make the salad ahead of time, I suggest keeping the salad and dressing separate in the refrigerator until an hour (or a few hours) before you want to serve it. Then mix everything together and put it back in the fridge to chill before serving. This keeps it nice and crunchy.
- Many recipes for broccoli salad use bacon. Feel free to cook some up and add it in if you’d like!
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