Easy 10 Minute Broccoli Salad
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What if I told you that it only takes 10 minutes to whip up THE BEST Broccoli Salad recipe ever?! That’s right, this delicious broccoli salad with bacon, raisins and cashews is so easy to make and everyone at your next BBQ or party will absolutely go crazy for this recipe!
If you ever had Joan’s Broccoli Madness at Sweet Tomatoes, then you’re going to love this copycat recipe! It’s sweet, salty, crunchy and did I mention SO EASY to make! This summer salad pairs perfectly with Smoked Brisket or Grilled BBQ Chicken for the ultimate Summer meal!
Table of contents
When I met my husband Kurt, I had never been to one of his favorite restaurants, Sweet Tomatoes (or Souplantation as they were called in Southern California). If you’ve never been either, it was a soup and salad buffet-style restaurant and they had a very famous salad called Joan’s Broccoli Madness.
After my first trip to Souplantation, I could tell why it was so famous, it’s seriously delicious! It actually became so famous that you can find it packaged at Costco to make at home.
After seeing it on the shelves of Costco, it gave me the idea to make it at home myself. I started making this Broccoli Salad in 2017 and somehow never shared it on the bloog. I absolutely love this salad recipe and today, I’m so excited to share it with you all!
This broccoli salad is so easy to make, I whip it up almost every time we BBQ. It’s the perfect side dish to go with grilled or smoked chicken, beef, pork or sausage! Even if we’re not having people over, I’ll make it just for Kurt and I, and we’ll continue to eat it throughout the week. The leftovers are amazing!!
I toss the salad with coleslaw dressing. It’s slightly sweet and when tossed with all of the broccoli salad ingredients, it tastes almost identical to Joan’s Broccoli Madness at Sweet Tomatoes!
Ingredients
- Fresh broccoli – raw broccoli florets are used in this salad. No need to cook, blanch or roast the broccoli before adding it to the salad! You can purchase a head of broccoli and cut off the florets into small pieces, or purchase a bag of broccoli florets in the produce section of the grocery store. If you want the broccoli to be softer in texture, you can steam the broccoli first, but I only recommend steaming it for 1-2 minutes, as you don’t want it to fall apart in the salad.
- Red onion – white, yellow or sweet onions can also be used in place of the red onion, if that’s what you have on hand!
- Raisins – I use traditional seedless purple raisins in this recipe, but if you wanted to get a little fancy, you could use a combination of golden raisins and purple raisins.
- Cashews – I recommend roasted, salted cashews for this recipe. You can use whole, halves or pieces.
- Bacon bits – I recommend real bacon bits for this recipe. You can either purchase real bacon bits at the grocery store, or cook up your own bacon at home, crumble it and add it to this recipe.
- Note: Imitation bacon bits are made with textured soy flour and can be used to make this recipe vegetarian.
- Coleslaw dressing – you can click the link to make my homemade dressing, or if purchasing store-bought dressing, I recommend Litehouse Coleslaw Dressing. It makes this recipe come together so quickly with just 6 ingredients, and the flavor is delicious! Not a fan of coleslaw dressing? Try this Creamy Avocado Dressing instead! This creamy dressing is not only delicious, it’s filled with healthy fats making it a healthier option to toss with this salad!
Instructions
It only takes 2 simple steps to make THE BEST Broccoli Salad!
- In a large bowl, combine broccoli florets, diced red onions, raisins, cashews and real bacon bits.
- Add coleslaw dressing and toss all of the ingredients together.
Seriously, it’s that simple! I recommend letting the salad sit, covered in the refrigerator, for at least 30 minutes before serving, so all of the ingredients have a chance to soak up the delicious dressing!
How much salad per person?
This broccoli salad makes 6 cups of salad. I usually plan for 1 cup per person if I’m only serving one or two sides. If I’m serving more than two side dishes, I plan for a 1/2 cup per person.
And don’t worry about leftovers! If there’s any left (which barely ever happens at my house!) this salad is GREAT leftover! All of the ingredients soak up the salad dressing and the flavor is almost even better the next day!
More easy summer side dishes
This broccoli salad is a great recipe for your next summer BBQ! Pair it with any of the grilled or smoked meats listed above, and one or two of the sides below for a seriously delicious cookout.
Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- ½ cup red onions, small dice
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup cashews, roasted & salted
- ½ cup real bacon bits
- ½ cup coleslaw dressing
Instructions
- Combine the broccoli, red onions, raisins, cashews and bacon bits in a large bowl.
- Add the coleslaw dressing and toss to combine.
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- To make this recipe vegetarian, use imitation bacon bits.
- This recipe is gluten free. Always make sure the salad dressing used is gluten free, the dressing linked to above is gluten free.
- Leftover broccoli salad can be stored, covered in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Facts
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4 Comments on “Easy 10 Minute Broccoli Salad”
This is the best broccoli salad recipe, always comes out perfect and I’ve made it many times. Make sure to break up broccoli florets into small bite sized pieces. I like Hidden Valley Ranch Coleslaw dressing for this, sometimes use cranberries instead of raisins. So easy and always delicious.
Can’t wait to make this tomorrow for lunch with fresh broccolini from PB farmers market! Thanks Whitney! Paul & Vicki
Hello! First of all, this has quickly become my “go-to” recipe for literally everything!! It’s so delicious, and I always get compliments! Thank you, also, for including the nutrition facts for the calorie counters! Is that based on a 1 cup serving size or less? Thank you!
Hi Lauren, I’m SO happy to hear that you’re loving the recipe! It’s one of my go-to recipes also!
The nutritional information provided is based on a 1 cup serving.