Here’s your summer hit – the perfected picnic, potluck, or cookout salad recipe you’ve been searching for. This naturally gluten-free broccoli crunch salad combines all the essentials – crisp bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, apple, and sunflower seeds, tossed in a creamy tangy mayo dressing with a hint of honey and dijon mustard to balance it all out.
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Perfected Gluten-Free Broccoli Crunch Salad – Crisp, Creamy, Tangy
There’s forgettable crunchy broccoli salads, and there’s this one. 🙌 It’s the recipe you will be asked for again and again. You might even become the “Can-you-please-bring-your-broccoli-salad?” guest from here on out.
And you know what? That’s not a bad thing. Because this is one of my favorite gluten-free side dish ideas that couldn’t be easier, plus all the ingredients are simple, ready to go in my kitchen, or just a few small pick-ups at my local grocery store.
What makes this crunchy broccoli salad with mayo stand out above the others? Well first, it has the essentials. Making it with crisp bacon, dried cranberries, and cheddar cheese marks off some crucial boxes in my book.
Then there’s the creamy dressing with a hint of tangy acidity and sweetness. Just like other summer salad hits – KFC copycat-style creamy coleslaw and epic sticky, saucy gluten-free baked beans, you have to hit a balance of sweetness without being over the top. Using a touch of dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and honey brings it all together with quick pickled red onions for a bit of bite.
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What Ingredients Can Be Swapped Out?
- Cheddar cheese – I like to use freshly grated sharp or extra sharp (even better) so the taste comes through. Medium cheddar gets a little lost in all the other components. Of course, you can leave out the cheese as well.
- Cranberries – Change up with raisins, sultanas, or dried blueberries.
- Sunflower seeds – I also like to make this salad with toasted slivered almonds or pepitas. They stand out a little more then the sunflower seeds.
- Bacon – You could leave it out…but…why?
- Apple – Take it or leave it, but I have similar feelings as the bacon.
Let’s Make This Together!
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Quick pickled red onion – great start!
I love this idea picked up from NY Times broccoli salad recipe – start by slightly pickling the onion in a mixture of vinegar, water, honey, and salt. Let it sit for about 10 minutes while the rest of the salad is chopped and prepped.
Prep broccoli the right way – avoid watery dressing!
For this recipe you will need about 2 heads of fresh broccoli, chopped into small bite-sized florets, then washed. Before adding the all that yummy crunch to the mixing bowl, lay the broccoli out on a lint-free dish towel to soak up excess water, avoiding adding extra liquid to your dressing so it stays nice and creamy.
Mix up the salad goodness.
To the washed and slightly dried broccoli add in the cranberries, sunflower seeds, chopped bacon, cheddar cheese, and apple.
Finish up the dressing and mix it all together.
In the same bowl as the red onion, add to the pickling mixture the rest of the honey, mayo, dijon mustard and pepper to finish off the dressing. How easy was that??
More Ideas To Jazz Up Fresh Broccoli Salad
Make a gluten-free broccoli salad that hits all the flavors you love. This fresh and crunchy side has a lot of flexibility with what can be added or taken away. The only thing you’ll want to pay attention to is the ratio between the dressing and mix-ins. If you add too much, without taking something out, you may not have enough dressing to coat everything.
Looking for ideas? Fresh bell peppers, grated carrots, dried cherries, chopped dates, feta, goat cheese, chopped pears, cauliflower, or crisp pancetta work well. Have other ideas? Leave me a comment below!
Serving and Make-Ahead Tips
For best texture and flavor, I like to serve the salad at room temperature. For make-ahead you have a couple options. Prep the salad in a large bowl and refrigerate separately from the dressing. This can be refrigerated one to two days ahead of time.
When ready to serve, let both sit out for about 30 minutes, then mix together and serve. If everything is combined, just let it sit for about 30-45 minutes to take the chill off before serving.
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Did you make this recipe? I love hearing from you! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. It helps others when searching for recipes and I appreciate feedback from our community. You will always hear back from me! -Melissa
Fresh & Crunchy Broccoli Salad (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey, divided
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
- 1½ – 2 pounds broccoli crowns, about 2 heads, 6-7 cups cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 apple, cored and diced
- 1 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- 5 slices cooked and chopped bacon
- ⅓ cup sunflower seeds, or toasted almonds
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Place the red onion in a small bowl. Add the vinegar, 1 tbsp honey, ½ teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon of water, and stir to combine. Leave to sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the salad.⅓ cup red onion, 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons honey, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon water
- To prep the broccoli, cut into small bite-sized florets, discarding stems. Rinse in a colander and then pour onto a lint-free dish towel to absorb excess water to avoid making the salad watery. Set aside while prepping rest of salad.1½ – 2 pounds broccoli crowns
- After 10 minutes, finish the dressing. In the red onion / vinegar / honey bowl add the mayo, remaining 2 tablespoons honey, dijon, remaining 1/4 tsp salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.¾ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon dijon mustard, ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- Transfer the broccoli to a large bowl and combine with apple, cheddar cheese, cranberries, bacon, and sunflower seeds. Pour dressing over everything and stir together. Serve immediately at room temperature or refrigerate until ready to serve. Let it sit out 30-45 minutes before serving, if chilled.1 apple, 1 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, ⅓ cup dried cranberries, 5 slices cooked and chopped bacon, ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
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Another winner! I have an upcoming end of summer picnic so I made this before the event to test it. Great flavors. Thank you so much for sharing all the work you do. It really is a gift to have all these recipes available at the click of a mouse
Thank you, Sharon! It makes my day to know you are loving the recipes. I appreciate you taking the time to share!
Best,
Melissa
This is 5 star! Really well proportioned ingredients. I prepped all ingredients ahead and assembled it right before serving. The only addition I made was to add a tsp. of Chili Crisp to the dressing.
Love to hear this, Taylor! Thanks for taking the time to share.
Best,
Melissa
Loved this ! A perfect light summer supper and a healthy one too
It really is! Thanks for commenting, Gail.
Best,
Melissa
Always a winner at my house
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Ruthe.
Best,
Melissa