Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Cheese

Crisp broccoli florets mingle with savory bites of smoky bacon, tangy cheddar cheese, and zesty red onion in this broccoli salad. Each bite offers a delightful balance of textures and a terrific combination of rich, creamy, and savory notes.

Broccoli Salad with Cheese

Cheddar cheese adds that salty creaminess to this salad. When you add that to the smoky bacon and the sharp crunch of the onion and broccoli, the ingredients complement each other so well – you’ll be left craving just one more bite, and one more bite.

Not that I’m one to turn down added cheese in a salad, (I’m looking at you, Seven Layer Salad, Bacon Pea Salad, and Roasted Beet Salad.) but I just don’t always think of it for broccoli salads.

I’m really glad that I thought of it for this one though. The whole family gave this broccoli salad double thumbs up and I’ve already been asked to make it again.

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Broccoli Salad Recipe with Bacon

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

Salad Ingredients 

• bacon
• broccoli
• sharp cheddar
• red onion

Dressing Ingredients

• mayonnaise
• bacon grease
• white wine vinegar
• sugar
• Dijon mustard
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Cheese

Cook the bacon however you like and transfer it to a paper towel to absorb some oil while it cools. (I recommend cooking bacon in the oven.)

While the bacon is cooking, combine the broccoli, cheddar cheese, and red onion in a mixing bowl.

Bacon Cheese Broccoli Salad

In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, stir together the mayonnaise, bacon grease, vinegar, sugar, and mustard. Taste and add salt only if needed.

Chop the bacon and add it to the bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to coat.

Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving to allow the flavors to mingle. This will keep nicely for 2 days. Stir before serving.

My family will happily eat broccoli salads as often as I’m willing to make them. Fresh broccoli with dried cranberries, bacon, and red onion tossed in a tangy sweet dressing makes for a crave-able Cranberry Broccoli Bacon Salad.

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This Sweet Kale Salad starts with shredded kale, thinly sliced Brussels sprouts, and a generous handful of broccoli matchsticks. The greens are topped with sweet cranberries and salty pepitas before being tossed in a tangy sweet poppyseed dressing. The awesomeness of this salad can’t be overstated, my friends.

Peach Caprese Salad is a vibrant medley of flavors and textures, crafted to tantalize your taste buds and transport you to a sunny orchard in the height of peach season.

Broccoli Cheddar Pasta Salad with tiny broccoli florets, diced red pepper, red onion, and cheddar cheese in every bite is a perfect combination of flavors and textures. I LOVE the crunch in this salad.

Sweet, roasted golden beets and peppery arugula are tossed with creamy goat cheese and crunchy walnuts to make this vibrantly colorful and flavorful Golden Beet Salad that I can’t stop eating. 

Crunchy yet chewy; sweet and smokey, I feel a bit like Goldilocks when I eat this cauliflower broccoli salad because it has just the right amount of everything. If you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself making and eating this salad on repeat!

With crisp lightly roasted broccoli and savory bacon pieces, sweet oranges, and tangy onion tossed in the slightly sweet dressing, this broccoli salad has been on my favorites list for a very long time.

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5 from 8 votes

Broccoli Salad with Cheese and Bacon

Mary Younkin

Crisp broccoli florets mingle with savory bites of smoky bacon, tangy cheddar cheese, and zesty red onion in this broccoli salad. Each bite offers a delightful balance of textures and a terrific combination of rich, creamy, and savory notes.

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 15 minutes mins

Servings: 6

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 6 slices bacon about 6 ounces
• ▢ 1½ pounds broccoli about 4 cups of florets and matchsticks
• ▢ 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese cut into thin matchsticks
• ▢ ⅓ cup red onion finely chopped

Dressing Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup mayonnaise
• ▢ 1 tablespoon warm bacon grease
• ▢ 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt adjust to taste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper adjust to taste

Instructions 

• Cook the bacon however you like and transfer it to a paper towel to absorb some oil while it cools. (I recommend cooking bacon in the oven.) While the bacon is cooking, combine the broccoli, cheddar cheese, and red onion in a mixing bowl.
• In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, stir together the mayonnaise, bacon grease, vinegar, sugar, and mustard. Taste and add salt only if needed.
• Chop the bacon and add it to the bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to coat.
• Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving to allow the flavors to mingle. This will keep nicely for 2 days. Stir before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 279 kcal | Carbohydrates: 10 g | Protein: 8 g | Fat: 24 g | Saturated Fat: 7 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6 g | Trans Fat: 0.03 g | Cholesterol: 30 mg | Sodium: 391 mg | Potassium: 392 mg | Fiber: 3 g | Sugar: 3 g | Vitamin A: 909 IU | Vitamin C: 102 mg | Calcium: 191 mg | Iron: 1 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave a comment below!