This classic broccoli raisin salad combines crisp broccoli, sweet raisins, salty bacon, and a creamy dressing in the perfect summer salad! It’s the perfect salad to bring along to your next backyard BBQ or toss together as an easy side side.

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Broccoli And Raisin Salad

This year one of the most requested items from our readers were summer salads because let’s face it – every summer party will likely have summer salads.

In the past, we’ve only had a couple on the site like our viral strawberry spinach salad and our non-traditional Mexican street corn pasta salad.

We spent this spring coming up with all sorts of new summer salads like this pesto orzo salad, this Greek tortellini pasta salad, and even this watermelon mint salad.

The latest in our summer salad series is this brand new broccoli raisin salad, which is honestly one of my personal favorites because it’s the simplest of all!

This simple salad doesn’t lack flavor though. The broccoli and raisins are paired perfectly with salty bacon and sunflower seeds, then coated in a sweet and tangy dressing. It’s the perfect salad to take to backyard BBQs, summer parties, or just enjoy with your own family at home!

Why People Love This salad

Feeds a crowd – with just a few ingredients, you can bring a crowd-pleasing side that’s budget friendly.
Homemade dressing – you likely have everything in your fridge to make this sweet dressing, and it makes all the difference!
Adjustable – easily make tweaks, like adding more bacon, to ensure you get the salad you want.

Ingredients in broccoli raisin salad

Ingredient notes

Raisins – I used regular raisins but golden raisins will work too.
Broccoli – make sure to use fresh broccoli, frozen won’t work for this. I also highly recommend cutting the broccoli into small bite-sized pieces before adding it to the salad. No one wants a huge mouthful of broccoli!
Vinegar – I prefer white, but you could use another vinegar in a pinch, but note that it will alter the flavor.
Bacon – I highly recommend actual chopped bacon versus bacon bits in this salad to give the salad a nice salty crunch.

How to make a Broccoli Raisin salad With Bacon

This recipe is broken into two parts: make the sauce and assemble the salad. You’ll find the outline below but make sure to check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full instructions.

1 – Make the Dressing

In a small mixing bowl combine mayo, vinegar, and sugar.
Whisk together until the sugar is dissolved, then set aside.

Two pictures with glass bowls showing making a mayonnaise based dressing

2 – Assemble The broccoli Salad

Cook bacon according to the package.
In a large serving bowl combine bacon, sunflower seeds, raisins, and broccoli.
Mix roughly together until everything is evenly distributed.
Pour dressing into the bowl and toss until evenly coated.

four image collage showing making a broccoli raisin salad in a white bowl

Once the salad is done, store it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to serve! This makes a delicious side dish for things like almond chicken or makes a great summer salad to serve with the traditional hot dogs and hamburgers!

broccoli raisin salad in a white bowl with two wooden spoons

How to store broccoli salad

If you have leftovers of this salad, cover the bowl with either a lid or plastic wrap to make it airtight, then store the leftovers in the fridge and keep for up to three days.

After three days, the broccoli will start getting soggy and no one wants soggy broccoli!

how to make broccoli raisin salad ahead of time

This salad only takes a few minutes to make, so I don’t recommend making it ahead of time but if you really want everything done in advance – mix all of the ingredients together other than the dressing. You could do this the night before, an hour before, or just before.

Right before you’re going to serve the salad, add the dressing to keep the broccoli fresh for as long as possible.

Helpful Tips

Make sure to chop the broccoli into small bite-sized pieces so people don’t have to further cut it down before eating the salad!
Wait to add the dressing until right before you’re planning to serve the salad to keep the broccoli as crisp as possible.
Switch up the crunch by replacing the sunflower seeds with pumpkin seeds or even pistachios if you prefer those!
Serve the salad dry and let people add their own amount of dressing if they prefer – some people like well-dressed salad and others don’t, especially a creamy tangy dressing like this one!

broccoli raisin salad as a side on a white plate with a sandwich and chips

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