Why do you blanch broccoli for salad?

The salad is better if you blanch the broccoli. “Blanching” is a cooking term that means dunking it in boiling water (or cooking it in the microwave) just briefly, so the broccoli turns bright green and loses its woody quality . It becomes softer, your mouth doesn't have to fight with it and the flavors meld better.

What is broccoli salad made of?

Combine broccoli florets, cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, bacon, sunflower seeds, and onion in a large bowl. In a separate, small bowl, whisk together mayo, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until smooth and well-combined. Pour dressing over broccoli combination and toss or stir well.

What happens if you don't blanch broccoli?

You may find that frozen broccoli that hasn't been blanched doesn't have as good of a taste or texture in recipes . However, it's usually fine in soups and stews, especially blended soups where it's not as crucial to have florets with a specific texture.

How long do I blanch broccoli for?

Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. Carefully lower the broccoli florets into the boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes . The broccoli should be bright green and just barely tender. With a slotted spoon, remove the broccoli and immediately plunge into the ice water.

How to make brocoli salad?

Whisk together mayonnaise, cider vinegar and honey. Toss salad ingredients with dressing: Combine broccoli florets, almonds, crumbled bacon, chopped onion, and peas in a large serving bowl. Add dressing to the salad and toss to mix well.

How to cut broccoli florets for broccoli salad?

Hold the broccoli by the stem in one hand, and hold the knife parallel to the top of floret with your other hand. Very lightly, take off the thinnest layer, without cutting into the florets. Next, work your way deeper into the florets, about a half inch down.

How long to boil broccoli?

Break apart the florets. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and cook, uncovered, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes depending on the size of the florets . Drain into a colander, transfer to a plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve with lemon wedges.

Can broccoli be eaten raw as in a salad?

Broccoli can be prepared in numerous ways, including sautéed, steamed, boiled, or roasted, but it can also be served raw in salads or with dips.

How much broccoli do I need for one person?

Broccoli. One serving is 1 cup of cooked, fresh or frozen broccoli (about 30 calories).

What are the benefits of blanching broccoli?

This softens vegetables while locking in their colors so they stay bright and fresh-looking. Blanching is also a wonderful technique to use for certain vegetables — such as broccoli — that are to be used in salads or crudité platters.

Why do you blanch vegetables for salad?

Blanching cleans the surfaces of fruits and vegetables to remove dirt and organisms and can also reduce bitterness . It brightens the color of certain vegetables, especially broccoli and other green veggies.

What does blanching do to broccoli?

Blanching broccoli is a simple process that involves quickly cooking your florets, then immediately chilling them to stop the cooking so the broccoli stays bright green. It's an essential step for freezing the vegetable and it helps the broccoli look and taste its best in everyday recipes .

Broccoli Salad Recipe (2024)

Fresh broccoli salad is creamy, salty, tangy, sweet, and oh, so delicious. My grandma has been making this for holidays and family get-togethers for as long as I can remember, and I’ve been addicted to it for just as long.Make this recipe to get veggies into even the pickiest of eaters (i.e. me)!

Whether it’s for an easy side dish, or simply because you love the taste of fresh produce, this salad will become a favorite. At least, that’s my hopeful wish!

Just like my Easy Grape Salad, it’s an Easter treat. And if there’s one way to get me to eat broccoli, this salad is it!

Dancing with cheese and bacon, and a tangy-sweet mayonnaise dressing, this dish will convert you into a broccoli lover. Okay, maybe not a full-on broccoli lover, but I bet you’ll love it in this salad!

And if the dressing on the salad makes your stomach happy, you should also make my Seven Layer Salad, which uses the same dressing.

Ingredients in Broccoli Salad

The ingredients are simple and few, but they sing together in perfect harmony.

Broccoli — fresh is best; cut into florets
Bacon — cooked and coarsely chopped
Cheese — cheddar cheese in ¼” cubes
Onion — finely chopped, white, yellow or red

The dressing only requires a few ingredients, as well.

Mayonnaise — not Miracle Whip for the best flavor
Sugar — granulated white
Vinegar — white

How to cut broccoli into florets

Since we are using fresh heads of broccoli for this recipe, we need to break them down into small florets.

Florets are the flowery part of the head. Or, if you look at broccoli as a tree, florets are the small branches and leaves. We don’t want to use the trunk or large branches here.

Wash the broccoli head thoroughly before doing anything else. This is really important because any contamination on the surface of the vegetable will be taken through all of it with the knife if we don’t wash first.
Pull off the leaves. Just grab them and pull out and down toward the base. They should snap or peel right off.
Cut through the stem below the florets with the tip of a sharp knife.
Slice off the florets that are easily separated with your knife.
Turn the remaining bunch of florets upside down on your cutting board, and slice down through the middle of the stalk. Pull the two halves apart.
Continue cutting and pulling until all of the florets are separated.
Trim the larger stems off with the tip of your knife. I like the florets to be around the same size as the cheese cubes in this recipe, so around ¼”-½”.

How to make the salad

The process is pretty straightforward and takes very little time.

Prepare the broccoli florets as explained above
Combine the broccoli, bacon, cheese, and onion in a large bowl
Whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar in a medium bowl
Pour the dressing over the broccoli mixture
Stir everything together, making sure all the ingredients are coated well in the dressing
Serve immediately OR refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving (preferred)

Ingredient substitutions

While I love my grandma’s traditional dressing, the salad lends itself to some flavor modifications when it comes to the dressing if you’d like to try something different:

Plain Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise
Honey instead of sugar
Honey mustard vinaigrette if you don’t want a creamy dressing
Sour cream or buttermilk-based dressing if you want it creamy but not mayo-y.

What else can I add to the broccoli salad recipe?

This is my grandma’s recipe, and her go-to ingredients are bacon, cheddar, and diced onion. However, one great thing about this recipe is that it’s super customizable! I’ve seen lots of additions and variations, including:

Shredded cheddar instead of cubes
Dried cranberries
Raisins
Sunflower seeds
Pecans
Cherry tomatoes

If your family makes broccoli salad, I’d love to hear what your favorite add-ins are!

How to store the salad

While you can serve this immediately after making it, I think it’s best when you cover it and let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours. The flavors meld together and the dressing gets absorbed a bit, making it just perfect. And leftovers the next day are even better! Store it in an airtight container and use it within 4 days.

Broccoli salad doesn’t freeze well. As a result, make it and enjoy it within the timeframe listed above!

If you make this recipe and love it, I would so appreciate it if you would take a moment to leave a rating below. Thank you so much!