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This simple broccoli cauliflower salad with creamy dressing is crisp, tangy, and packed with flavor—perfect for picnics, potlucks, or quick dinners.
If you love broccoli, try my broccoli grape salad next!
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Why You'll Love This Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
- Quick and easy: This broccoli cauliflower salad comes together fast, making it perfect for last-minute meals or side dishes when you don’t feel like turning on the stove.
- Crunchy and creamy: Every bite is a mix of crisp broccoli, tender cauliflower, and a creamy dressing that balances savory cheese with a pop of sweetness from cranberries.
- Nutritious and fresh: Packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, this salad is a wholesome way to bring more veggies to the table.
- Easy to customize: Swap in your favorite nuts, try blue cheese or goat cheese, or add bacon for an extra savory kick—this recipe is flexible to fit your tastes.
What You'll Need
- Broccoli and cauliflower: These two vegetables are the stars of this broccoli cauliflower salad. Their fresh, peppery bite pairs perfectly with the creamy dressing and sweet mix-ins.
- Cheddar cheese: Shredded cheese is quick and easy to add, but small cubes work just as well. You can even buy it pre-shredded to save time.
- Dried cranberries (Craisins): These add a chewy texture and a pop of sweetness that balances the savory flavors in the salad. Raisins work as a swap if that’s what you have on hand.
- Sunflower seeds: A little crunch goes a long way! You can use roasted sunflower seeds or substitute with chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds.
- Red onion: These add a crisp texture, a sweet but slightly sharp bite, and a pop of color that makes the salad look extra fresh.
- Mayonnaise: A classic base for the creamy dressing that keeps everything rich and flavorful.
- Plain Greek yogurt: This lightens up the dressing while still adding creaminess, similar to sour cream in traditional broccoli salad. Nonfat, low-fat, or full-fat yogurt all work well.
- Apple cider vinegar: Slightly sweet and mild, it balances the richness of the dressing and rounds out the flavors of the veggies and cheese.
- Honey: Adds a touch of sweetness to the dressing. Use sugar, maple syrup, or any preferred sweetener instead.
- Salt and black pepper: Simple seasonings that tie the whole dish together. Taste and adjust before serving.
How to make broccoli cauliflower salad
Make the dressing: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper until smooth. For easy storage and serving later, transfer the dressing to a mason jar, cover, and refrigerate until you’re ready to toss the salad.
Prep the salad base: Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into bite-sized florets and add them to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle in the shredded cheese, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and diced red onion.
Toss it all together: Pour the creamy dressing over the salad ingredients and toss until everything is well coated. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Chill and serve: This salad tastes best cold, so serve it right away or let it chill for an hour before serving. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Recipe tips
- Choosing produce: Look for broccoli and cauliflower heads that are firm and free from discoloration. Pre-cut florets work well for a time-saver.
- Drying tip: Dry vegetables thoroughly after washing to prevent excess water in the salad.
- Texture preference: The salad is naturally crunchy, but you can blanch or steam the broccoli and cauliflower lightly if you prefer a softer texture.
- Make-ahead: Prep the vegetables and dressing up to 2 days ahead and store separately to keep the salad fresh.
- Flavor swaps: This recipe is flexible—try different vinegars, cheeses, dried fruits, nuts, or even add bacon to make it your own.
- Dressing to taste: Start with part of the dressing, toss, and add more as needed to avoid an overly heavy coating.
Recipe Variations
One of the best things about this broccoli cauliflower salad is how easy it is to make it your own. Here are a few tasty ways to switch things up:
- Add bacon: Stir in 1 cup of crumbled, cooked bacon for a smoky, savory flavor boost.
- Swap the seeds: Use pecans, walnuts, or almonds instead of sunflower seeds for a nutty crunch.
- Try a different cheese: Blue cheese or goat cheese add a tangy twist in place of cheddar.
- Mix up the fruit: Replace the cranberries with raisins—or toss in both for extra sweetness.
- Change the dressing base: Sour cream gives you a more traditional broccoli salad flavor.
- Use a different vinegar: White wine, red wine, or champagne vinegar all work well. A squeeze of lemon juice brightens the flavor too.
- Adjust the sweetness: Swap honey for sugar, maple syrup, or leave it out for a less sweet dressing.
Serving Ideas
This side dish goes with so many meals, from grilled salmon to juicy air fryer chicken breast or a simple pan-seared NY strip any night of the week. It's the perfect side for bbq cookouts too!
Popular summer vegetable salads
- Cucumber Tomato Salad Recipe
- Black Eye Pea Salad
- Massaged Kale Salad
- Old Fashioned Creamy Cucumber Salad
📖 Recipe
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad with Creamy Dressing
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Note about scaling
When scaling (2x or 3x), the light gray ingredient amount doesn’t scale. Please adjust those accordingly.
Ingredients
Dressing Ingredients
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- ½ cup Plain Greek Yogurt
- 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Honey, or sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
Salad Ingredients
- ½ pound Broccoli, about 4 cups
- ½ pound Cauliflower, about 3 cups
- 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese, about 4 ounces
- ½ cup Dried Cranberries (Craisins)
- ½ small Red Onion, diced
- ¼ cup Sunflower Seeds
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, WHISK together MAYONNAISE, YOGURT, VINEGAR, HONEY, SALT, and PEPPER until smooth. Cover and refrigerate.
- CUT BROCCOLI and CAULIFLOWER into bite-sized pieces. Add them to a large mixing bowl along with CHEESE, CRANBERRIES, ONION, and SUNFLOWER SEEDS. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- JUST before serving, ADD DRESSING to the salad and TOSS until everything is evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- STORE leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
Equipment
- salad tongs
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are estimates and may vary based on brands, ingredients, and portions.
Kathleen says
I used pieced of pistachios. l love the dressing!
Traci says
Yay!! So glad to hear it. Thanks for the feedback! Enjoy!
Jeff says
Wow! Broccoli and cauliflower salad is a new favorite for sure. Its reminds me of an Amish broccoli salad. Oh, and I added bacon, because, bacon. But YUM either way! 🙂
R Thomas says
Outstanding flavors and texture, just as you said. Can’t wait to enjoy it this evening. Will be making again and again. Thank you for sharing!