Spare Spoons Kitchen
Broccoli Salad
The potluck classic — raw broccoli florets in a sweet-tangy mayo dressing with bacon and golden raisins. The one trick is to make it ahead: an hour in the fridge softens the broccoli and melds everything.
Ingredients
Easier, if you like
- Pre-cut broccoli florets from the produce case, or a bag of broccoli slaw, skips all the chopping.
- Refrigerated real bacon bits (like Oscar Mayer — not the crunchy shelf-stable kind) save cooking and draining.
Method
Cook's notes
1/2 cup sugar is the traditional amount and makes a frankly dessert-sweet dressing. Start with half, taste after it's chilled, and add more if you like — chilling mutes sweetness, so it tastes less sweet cold than warm.
Use the florets and the tender part of the stalk; peel the woody outer stalk and dice the core. Cut everything small (bite-size or under) so every forkful gets dressing.
Cook the bacon until properly crisp and drain it well, or it goes soft in the dressing. Add it at the very end — or sprinkle it on per serving — to keep it crunchy.
Keeps 2–3 days covered in the fridge; the broccoli keeps softening as it sits, so it's best in the first day or two.
Make it vegetarian or vegan (it's already gluten-free)
Vegetarian: skip the bacon, or use a plant-based bacon. The raisins and onion carry it.
Vegan: use a vegan mayonnaise (Hellmann's Vegan or Just Mayo) and skip the bacon — the dressing behaves the same.
Gluten-free: it already is — mayonnaise and cider vinegar are gluten-free. If you use bacon bits, check the label.