Amish Broccoli Salad: The Ultimate Creamy, Crunchy Side Dish
Discover the delightful simplicity of Amish Broccoli Salad, a beloved side dish that perfectly balances creamy, crunchy, sweet, and savory flavors. This incredibly easy recipe combines crisp raw broccoli and cauliflower florets with the sharpness of red onion, the richness of cheddar cheese, and the irresistible crunch of savory bacon, all tossed in a luscious, tangy dressing. It’s the quintessential dish for any gathering, from casual summer cookouts and family reunions to festive holiday potlucks. Prepare to impress everyone with this flavorful salad that’s not just delicious, but also incredibly versatile and simple to make!
The Allure of Amish Broccoli Salad: Why It’s a Crowd-Pleaser
There’s a reason Amish Broccoli Salad has stood the test of time and become a staple at countless events. Its popularity stems from a perfect storm of attributes that make it both incredibly appealing and wonderfully practical. This salad isn’t just a dish; it’s an experience of contrasting textures and harmonious flavors that leaves everyone asking for the recipe.
First and foremost, its vibrant colors are instantly inviting. The deep greens of broccoli, the pure whites of cauliflower, and the bright red of onion create a visually appealing mosaic. But the true magic lies in its texture. You get the satisfying crunch from the raw vegetables, a burst of saltiness from the crispy bacon, and the creamy indulgence of the dressing, all in one bite. This medley of textures prevents palate fatigue and keeps every mouthful interesting.
Beyond the sensory appeal, the Amish Broccoli Salad is a marvel of convenience. It requires minimal cooking – typically just crisping up some bacon – making it an ideal choice for busy hosts or those who prefer no-fuss recipes. Furthermore, its ability to be prepared ahead of time and its excellent shelf life in the refrigerator make it a dream for meal prep or large-scale entertaining. Whether you’re feeding a small family or a big crowd, this salad scales beautifully without compromising on flavor or quality. Its adaptability to various dietary preferences through simple modifications further cements its status as a culinary favorite.
What Makes This Recipe Special?
- Effortless Entertaining: This recipe is a lifesaver for gatherings of any size. Whether it’s a casual backyard BBQ, a holiday feast, or a community potluck, it serves a crowd beautifully. You can easily double or triple the ingredients without any complicated steps, making it perfect for feeding many people with minimal stress.
- No-Cook Convenience: Aside from the quick step of frying bacon, this salad is almost entirely no-cook! It relies on fresh, raw vegetables, meaning less time over a hot stove and more time enjoying your event. Just a bit of chopping, mixing, and chilling is all it takes to bring this delicious dish to life.
- Excellent for Make-Ahead Meals: Prepare this salad hours, or even a day, in advance. It actually improves with a little time in the refrigerator as the flavors meld and the vegetables slightly soften while retaining their delightful crunch. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to four days, making it an ideal option for meal prepping throughout the week.
The Essential Ingredients: Building Your Amish Broccoli Salad
The beauty of Amish Broccoli Salad lies in its straightforward yet impactful ingredients. Each component plays a crucial role in creating the signature flavor and texture that everyone loves. Understanding these building blocks will help you appreciate the recipe and inspire personalized variations.
Fresh Vegetables: The Crunchy Foundation
- Broccoli Florets: The star of the show! Raw broccoli offers a crisp texture and a slightly bitter, earthy flavor that mellows beautifully in the creamy dressing. It’s packed with vitamins K and C, and fiber. For best results, use fresh, vibrant green broccoli.
- Cauliflower Florets: A perfect complement to broccoli, cauliflower adds another layer of crunch and a milder, slightly nutty flavor. It also boosts the fiber content and provides a beautiful color contrast. Ensure your cauliflower is fresh and firm.
- Red Onion: Don’t skip the red onion! Its pungent, slightly sweet flavor provides a fantastic zing that cuts through the richness of the dressing. When finely chopped, it adds a delightful subtle crunch without overpowering the other ingredients.
Savory Enhancements: Flavor and Texture Boosters
- Diced Bacon: Crispy bacon bits are non-negotiable for many Amish Broccoli Salad enthusiasts. They bring a salty, smoky depth and an irresistible crunch that elevates the entire dish. Frying it until perfectly crisp is key.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: Cheddar cheese adds a creamy, sharp, and savory element that binds the salad together. Its mild tanginess pairs wonderfully with the other ingredients. While cheddar is traditional, feel free to explore other cheeses.
The Creamy Dressing: The Heart of the Salad
The dressing is what transforms simple vegetables into a cohesive, flavorful salad. This creamy concoction is both tangy and slightly sweet, creating a perfect balance.
- Mayonnaise: The base of the dressing, mayonnaise provides the rich, creamy texture and a subtle tang. Using good quality mayonnaise makes a noticeable difference in the final taste.
- Sour Cream: Adding sour cream to the dressing contributes an extra layer of creaminess and a pleasant tang that brightens the overall flavor profile. It also helps to lighten the richness of the mayonnaise slightly.
- White Sugar: A touch of sugar is essential for balancing the tangy mayonnaise and sour cream and the slight bitterness of the raw vegetables. It’s not meant to make the salad overly sweet, but rather to harmonize the flavors.
- Salt: Salt is crucial for enhancing all the other flavors. Adjust to your personal taste, but start with the recommended amount and go from there.
Chef’s Tips for the Perfect Amish Broccoli Salad
- Cheese Choices: While classic cheddar cheese is fantastic in this recipe, don’t hesitate to get creative! Consider using sharp cheddar for an extra kick, a Monterey Jack blend for a milder creaminess, or even a smoked gouda for a unique flavor profile. For a saltier, more robust option, crumbled feta or goat cheese would also add a delightful tang and texture. The key is to choose a cheese that complements the creamy dressing and crisp vegetables.
- Customization is Key: This recipe is incredibly adaptable to your personal preferences. If you adore a truly lush, creamy salad, feel free to increase the amounts of mayonnaise and sour cream in the dressing. Conversely, for a lighter salad where the raw vegetables take center stage, you can slightly reduce the dressing ingredients. Beyond the core recipe, explore additions like toasted sunflower seeds or slivered almonds for extra crunch, sweet dried cranberries or golden raisins for a touch of sweetness, or even finely diced bell peppers for added color and subtle flavor.
- Bacon Storage for Optimal Crispness: To prevent your delicious crispy bacon from becoming soggy in the salad, especially if you’re preparing it several hours in advance, store the cooked bacon separately. Keep it in an airtight container at room temperature (or refrigerated if preferred) and gently fold it into the salad just before you’re ready to serve. This ensures maximum crunch in every bite.
- Sour Cream Alternatives: If sour cream isn’t your preference, or you’re looking for a slightly healthier twist, full-fat Greek yogurt makes an excellent substitute. It will provide a similar creamy texture and tangy flavor, with the added benefit of extra protein. The taste will be subtly different, offering a brighter, more pronounced tang, but it will still be incredibly delicious.
- Fresh is Best for Veggies: For the most vibrant flavors and the crispest textures, always opt for fresh broccoli and cauliflower. Frozen vegetables, even if thawed, tend to lose their firm texture and bright taste, resulting in a watery or mushy salad. The raw crunch is a hallmark of a great Amish Broccoli Salad.
- The Magic of Chill Time: While Amish Broccoli Salad is tasty immediately after preparation, it truly reaches its peak flavor after a period of chilling. Allowing the salad to refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or even overnight, gives the raw vegetables ample time to soak up the rich, tangy dressing. This melding of flavors creates a more harmonious and deeply satisfying salad experience. Plan this chill time into your preparation schedule if possible.
Serving Suggestions for Your Amish Broccoli Salad
Amish Broccoli Salad is a fantastically versatile side dish that pairs well with a wide variety of main courses, making it a staple for virtually any occasion. Its creamy texture and refreshing crunch offer a perfect counterpoint to richer, heartier meals, while its robust flavor holds its own alongside simpler fare.
For a classic summer spread, serve this salad alongside grilled meats like BBQ chicken, juicy pork chops, or perfectly seared steaks. The tanginess of the dressing cuts through the richness of the grilled proteins, creating a balanced meal. It’s also an excellent companion to smoked brisket or ribs, providing a much-needed fresh element to a heavy meal.
At potlucks and picnics, Amish Broccoli Salad is always a star. Its ability to hold up well and travel easily makes it an ideal contribution. Pair it with other popular picnic foods like classic potato salad, creamy coleslaw, or a platter of deviled eggs. Its vibrant colors also add visual appeal to any buffet.
Thinking beyond the grill? This salad is a wonderful accompaniment to hearty sandwiches or wraps for a satisfying lunch. It can also be served with baked ham or roasted turkey, especially during holiday gatherings, offering a lighter, fresh side that complements the traditional flavors. For a vegetarian meal, it pairs beautifully with black bean burgers or a substantial lentil loaf.
Don’t limit it to just lunch or dinner! A smaller portion can even make a refreshing side to a savory breakfast or brunch dish, like quiche or a frittata. The possibilities are truly endless, highlighting just how adaptable and beloved this simple yet sophisticated salad can be.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
One of the many advantages of Amish Broccoli Salad is how well it stores and how easily it can be prepared in advance. This makes it an absolute winner for busy weekdays, weekend gatherings, or holiday meal planning.
Make-Ahead Instructions: You can prepare the entire salad, including the dressing, up to 24 hours in advance. In fact, many people find that the flavors meld and deepen beautifully after a night in the refrigerator, making the salad even more delicious. If you are concerned about the bacon losing its crispness, follow the chef’s tip to store it separately and fold it in just before serving. However, for most casual preparations, adding the bacon along with everything else is perfectly fine, as the bacon tends to retain some chewiness, which many enjoy.
Storage Best Practices: Store any leftover Amish Broccoli Salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Proper storage is crucial to maintaining its freshness and preventing spoilage. It will typically last for 3-4 days in the fridge. Beyond this timeframe, the vegetables may start to lose their crispness, and the dressing might become a bit watery.
Reviving Leftovers: If the salad seems a little dry after a day or two, you can always whisk together a small batch of fresh dressing (mayonnaise, sour cream, a pinch of sugar, and salt) and gently fold it into the leftovers. This will refresh the salad and bring back its creamy texture. If the bacon has lost its crunch and you prefer it crispy, you could quickly fry a small amount of fresh bacon to add to the revived salad.
Remember that because this salad contains mayonnaise and sour cream, it should not be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Always keep it chilled until ready to serve, especially during warmer months or outdoor events.
Other Salad Recipes We Love
- Deviled Egg Salad
- Roasted Potato Salad
- Ham Salad
- Carrot Raisin Salad
- Guacamole Salad
- Viral Jennifer Aniston Salad Recipe
- White Bean Salad
- Potato Salad With Raisins
- Paleo Chinese Chicken Salad (Whole30)
- Strawberry Banana Cheesecake Salad
- Perfect Pea Salad
- Chef Salad
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Amish Broccoli Salad
10
5
15
Cheryl Malik
8 servings
Ingredients
For the Salad
- ½ pound diced bacon
- 3 ½ cups chopped broccoli florets (raw)
- 3 ½ cups chopped cauliflower florets (raw)
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
For the Salad Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon white sugar (see Notes for alternatives)
- 2 teaspoons salt (more or less to taste)
Equipment
- Plate
- Paper towels
- Medium skillet
- Slotted spoon or spatula
- Small mixing bowl
- Silicone spatula or large wooden spoon
- Large mixing bowl
Instructions
- Line a plate with paper towels and set aside to drain bacon.
- Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once warm, add the ½ pound diced bacon. Fry bacon until it reaches your desired crispiness, then transfer the cooked bacon to the paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess grease. Set aside.
- While the bacon cools, combine the 1 cup mayonnaise, ¾ cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon white sugar, and 2 teaspoons salt in a small mixing bowl. Stir all ingredients together thoroughly until the dressing is smooth and well incorporated. Taste the dressing and adjust the mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, or salt as needed to achieve your preferred flavor balance.
- Once satisfied with the dressing’s flavor, add the 3 ½ cups chopped broccoli florets and 3 ½ cups chopped cauliflower florets to a large mixing bowl. Pour the prepared dressing over the vegetables and stir gently with a silicone spatula or large wooden spoon until all florets are evenly coated.
- Add the ½ cup chopped red onion, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, and the cooled, cooked bacon to the bowl. Fold these ingredients into the floret mixture until they are just incorporated throughout the salad.
- Serve the salad immediately for the freshest crunch, or cover the bowl with a lid (or plastic wrap) and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld. Enjoy chilled!
Notes
- Make it Keto: For a keto-friendly version, replace white sugar with your favorite granulated sugar substitute, such as Swerve or erythritol, adjusting to taste. To further reduce carbohydrates, you can also omit the red onion, which shaves off an additional 1-2 carbs per serving.
- Make it Vegetarian: To make this salad suitable for vegetarians, simply omit the bacon completely. The salad is still incredibly flavorful and satisfying without it, or you can use a plant-based bacon alternative if desired.
- Make it Vegan: For a completely vegan Amish Broccoli Salad, use plant-based versions of bacon, mayonnaise, sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese. Many excellent vegan alternatives are available that will provide a similar texture and flavor profile.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 443kcal |
Protein: 10g |
Fat: 41g |
Saturated Fat: 12g |
Trans Fat: 0.1g |
Total Carbs: 9g |
Fiber: 2g |
Sugar: 4g |
Net Carbs: 7g |
Vitamin C: 58mg |
Cholesterol: 57mg |
Sodium: 1073mg |
Potassium: 371mg |
Calcium: 156mg |
Iron: 1mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Cheryl Malik
Frequently Asked Questions About Amish Broccoli Salad
1. Can I use frozen broccoli and cauliflower?
While you technically *can* use defrosted frozen vegetables, it is highly recommended to use fresh broccoli and cauliflower for this salad. Frozen vegetables tend to have a softer, more watery texture once thawed, which can make the salad less crisp and potentially dilute the dressing. Fresh florets provide the essential crunch that makes this salad so appealing.
2. How long does Amish Broccoli Salad last in the refrigerator?
When stored in an airtight container, Amish Broccoli Salad can last for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. The flavors often deepen and meld beautifully after a day or two, but beyond that, the vegetables may start to soften significantly. It’s best enjoyed within the first three days for optimal freshness and texture.
3. Can I make this salad healthier?
Absolutely! To make a healthier version, you can replace full-fat mayonnaise with a light mayonnaise or Greek yogurt (as mentioned in the chef’s tips). You can also reduce or omit the sugar, or substitute it with a natural, calorie-free sweetener like stevia or erythritol for a low-carb option. Consider reducing the amount of bacon or using turkey bacon, and increase the proportion of fresh vegetables like shredded carrots or bell peppers for added nutrients and fiber.
4. What kind of mayonnaise is best for the dressing?
The quality of your mayonnaise can significantly impact the dressing’s flavor. A good quality, full-fat mayonnaise will provide the creamiest texture and richest taste. Brands like Hellmann’s (Best Foods) or Duke’s are often favored for their classic, balanced flavor. If you prefer a lighter dressing, an avocado oil-based mayonnaise can also work well.
5. Is it necessary to chill the salad before serving?
While you can certainly serve Amish Broccoli Salad immediately, chilling it for at least 2 hours is highly recommended. The chill time allows the flavors from the dressing to truly permeate the vegetables, creating a more cohesive and delicious taste profile. The cold temperature also enhances the refreshing quality of the salad, making it even more enjoyable, especially on a warm day.
6. Can I add other ingredients to the salad?
This salad is incredibly versatile! Feel free to customize it with your favorite add-ins. Popular choices include:
- Nuts: Toasted almonds, walnuts, or pecans for extra crunch.
- Seeds: Sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds for a nutty flavor.
- Dried Fruits: Raisins, dried cranberries, or chopped dates for a touch of sweetness.
- Other Vegetables: Shredded carrots, finely diced celery, or colorful bell peppers.
- Spices: A pinch of black pepper or a dash of garlic powder in the dressing.
Experimenting with these additions can create new and exciting variations of this classic dish.
Conclusion: Your New Go-To Side Dish
The Amish Broccoli Salad is more than just a recipe; it’s a testament to how simple ingredients, thoughtfully combined, can create an extraordinary dish. Its enticing blend of crisp, fresh vegetables, savory bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, and a perfectly balanced creamy dressing makes it an undeniable crowd-pleaser for any occasion. From casual family dinners to grand holiday feasts, this salad offers an unmatched combination of ease, versatility, and irresistible flavor.
By following our expanded tips and understanding the role each ingredient plays, you’re now equipped to create an Amish Broccoli Salad that not only delights the taste buds but also simplifies your meal preparation. Whether you’re looking for a reliable potluck contribution, a vibrant side for your barbecue, or a refreshing make-ahead option, this recipe delivers every time. So go ahead, whip up a batch of this fantastic salad, and savor the rich tradition and delicious simplicity it brings to your table. Your guests (and your palate) will thank you!