Broccoli Salad with Bacon

Broccoli Salad with Bacon
Easy, delicious keto Broccoli Salad has the best of all worlds! Salty bacon, sharp cheese, healthy broccoli, and crunchy nuts bring a ton of texture and flavor to every bite! Creamy mayonnaise, sugar-free sweetener, and apple cider vinegar combine to make a sweet and tangy dressing that you’ll absolutely love. This salad is all about balancing opposites — Soft cheese with crunchy nuts, salty bacon with a sweet dressing. It’s an easy, super flavorful salad that everyone will love!

It’s perfect for potlucks or lunches because it doesn’t need to be warmed before eating! It would be fantastic for a dish at a cook out, too! Technically, you could skip cooking entirely if you choose to buy bacon bits… But I do think the fresh bacon taste is worth the effort. If you know you’ll be in a rush, just cook the bacon up to 3 days in advance!

Ingredients for Keto Broccoli Salad
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need. For exact measurements, just keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card!

Fresh broccoli florets, cheddar cheese cubes, crumbled bacon, chopped almonds, and red onion
Mayonnaise, sweetener (monk fruit if keto, sugar if not keto), apple cider vinegar
Can I use frozen bacon?
No, I would not recommend using frozen bacon in this recipe. Thawed broccoli will not have the crunchy texture we’re looking for in this salad, and it would add too much moisture. I can only recommend using fresh broccoli (or fresh cauliflower if you don’t have broccoli).
How to make Broccoli Salad with Bacon
In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, sweetener, and apple cider vinegar.
Combine the broccoli, cheddar, bacon, almonds and red onion in a large bowl.
Stir in the dressing until everything is covered well. Serve chilled.
Obviously, this is a super simple recipe (even kids could prepare this!). All you need to do is mix, chill, and serve!

Can you make salad ahead of time?
This salad is best when eaten within about 24 hours of cooking, even though you technically could eat it up to 3 days later. The longer the dressing is on the salad, the less crunchy the bacon and broccoli will be. If you are meal prepping this for lunches, I recommend having your salad in a jar for each day, separate from your dressing. The day you plan to eat it, just add a bit of dressing and shake
If you’re not a fan of bacon, you can replace it with something else! Ham, chicken, even sundried tomatoes could add their own delicious twists.
Try it with cauliflower instead of broccoli! It changes the texture and flavor a little bit, but a cauliflower salad is delicious, too! It’s a great option when the store is out of broccoli.
Try different cheeses. Pepper Jack can add a little spice while mozzarella adds a milder taste. Feta would add some more tang that would make this an amazing side for Greek dishes! Shredded cheese is an okay substitute, but it doesn’t hold up as well in this salad.
If you love crunch, wait to add the bacon until right before serving, then toss to coat one more time. The longer the bacon is in the dressing, the softer it will be.
If you prefer softer or cooked broccoli, you can quickly parboil it. Boil the broccoli for just 1 minute, then transfer to ice water. Once cool to the touch, dry as much as possible and assemble salad as described.
If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you could replace it with lemon juice. The taste won’t be quite as robust, but it is still a very tasty, worthwhile option!
Use a granular sweetener. I used the granular monk fruit sweetener, and granular sugar would work as well. Golden or brown sugar monk fruit can be used instead, but it will add a slightly different flavor.
This salad is safe to eat up to 3 days after combining (stored in an airtight container in the fridge), but I recommend eating within the first 24 hours to keep the best texture. If you want it to stay fresh longer, keep the salad and the dressing separate in the fridge. When ready to serve (or a few hours before), add your dressing and toss to coat.
Ingredients

8 cups broccoli florets
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese cubes
3/4 cup cooked, crumbled bacon (about 6 thick cut slices cooked)
1/2 cup chopped salted almonds
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sweetener (monkfruit if keto or sugar if not low carb)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions
Combine the broccoli, cheddar, bacon, almonds and red onion in a large bowl.
In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, sweetener, and apple cider vinegar.
Stir in the dressing until everything is covered well. Serve chilled.