Your (grand)ma's broccoli salad gets a bold flavor update in this Broccoli Crunch Salad that features a homemade chipotle mayo dressing and the addition of Tex-Mex ingredients like pepitas, bell peppers, and shredded cheese.
Broccoli salad was one of those sides that I always politely ignored, despite its near-inevitable appearance at almost every potluck I’ve ever attended.
Because AGAIN with the mayo.
No one knows more about defeating the purpose of eating a vegetable by coating it with mayo than a Minnesotan does. I kid, I kid! If I didn’t poke fun at my fellow Minnesotans, how else would they know that I like them?
But seriously, broccoli crunch salad is pretty damn good. It’s one of those minimalist salads that has surprisingly more flavor than you’d anticipate. I mistakenly judged the broccoli salad book by its cover for far too long.
It's veggie-forward with sweet peppers and onions, possesses unbelievable amounts of crunch, and a tangy, smoky, and savory chipotle mayo dressing ties everything together.
Jump to:
Broccoli Salad - What is It?
Broccoli salad is a cold salad made with broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces, and dressed with a mayo-based dressing. Sort of like a broccoli coleslaw if you will, but with broccoli florets. It also typically contains a few other ingredients, like sunflower seeds, bacon crumbles, minced onions, shredded carrots, etc.
I was flipping through an old church cookbook (one of the many in my collection) recently and came across my grandma’s recipe for broccoli salad.
How cute is this!? Circa 1993 and spiral-bound!
The recipe calls for just seven ingredients, including the dressing. Easy.
Of course, that got me thinking. How amazing would this salad become by adding some south-of-the-border flavors?
Rhetorical question. The answer, of course, is very. Why not a Broccoli Crunch Salad with a Chipolte Mayo dressing?
I didn’t want to complicate things too much, as the beauty of broccoli salad lies in its simplicity. Pretty impressive really how you can transform the flavor of raw broccoli with just a few ingredients.
Some broccoli salad recipes call for the addition of apples or dried cranberries, something to give it a hint of sweetness. Mini sweet peppers provide a subtle hint of sweet and a lovely crunch (and red and orange peppers give a beautiful pop of color). I decided to added shredded cheddar cheese to the mix, because, well, cheese. And instead of sunflower seeds, pepitas lend a Mexican flair.
Ingredients
For the salad base in this broccoli crunch salad recipe you will need the following ingredients:
- Broccoli - Find the freshest broccoli you can since it's the star!
- Bacon - I love using applewood smoked or pepper bacon in this broccoli salad recipe.
- Pepitas - Also known as pumpkin seeds, shelled pepitas add a Tex-Mex flair.
- Red onion - The bite from red onion is fantastic here, especially paired with sweet peppers.
- Sweet mini peppers - This salad benefits from a little sweetness to tie all the bold flavors together.
- Cheddar cheese - Shred it yourself for the best results.
Broccoli Crunch Salad Chipotle Mayo Dressing - Ingredients
As for the dressing, chipotle en adobo peppers impart a beautiful smokiness with a touch of heat. While my grandma’s recipe doesn’t specify the type of vinegar, I’m assuming white. Though I opted for the mellower, slightly sweet tang of apple cider vinegar for this recipe. And should you have some Mexican oregano lying around, toss in a pinch or two to add a subtle earthiness.
- Mayo
- Apple cider vinegar
- Sugar
- Chipotle en adobo pepper
- Mexican oregano (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Directions included below.
This broccoli salad recipe also works with this Creamy Lemon Mustard Dressing; different vibe, undoubtedly delicious.
How to Make Broccoli Crunch Salad
Chipotle Mayo Dressing
Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender, and process/blend until combined.
Broccoli Crunch Salad
Add all of the ingredients to a bowl. Add about half or so of the dressing and stir.
Assess the level of dressed-ness, and add more, a bit at a time, until you achieve the dressing level desired. Stir until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
In my opinion, this Broccoli Crunch Salad is best eaten the day of, but it's also fantastic the next day.
And with those few additions/modifications, I present to you this bodacious Broccoli Salad with bacon. Slightly more effort than my grandma’s recipe, but worth it for the bold chipotle flavor twist.
Top Tip
You can make this salad ahead. I think Broccoli Crunch Salad is best served in the 6-24 hour range because the flavor of the dressing has time to permeate the broccoli - and the broccoli will soften a bit in that time too, resulting in a nice tender-crisp crunch.
Variations to Broccoli Crunch Salad
- A lot of broccoli salads also incorporate raisins - I think dried cranberries would be even better in this salad against the chipotle mayo dressing.
- You can easily make this Broccoli Salad vegetarian-friendly by leaving the bacon out.
- If you don't like the idea of using a mayo-based dressing, I feel you. This Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette would be PERFECT on this salad.
- Leave out the bacon, the cheese, and use this Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette to make a vegan-friendly broccoli salad.
- Fire it up by adding jalapeno peppers or red pepper flakes.
Substitutions
You can make several substitutions and still wind up with a simple yet stunning bacon broccoli salad. Here are a few you can make:
- Broccoli is of course the star here, but it can share the spotlight with cauliflower if you'd like to add it in.
- I like the flair of pepitas here, but you can use trusty sunflower seeds or slivered almonds.
- Yellow or white onion, spring onion, or shallot can be used instead of red onion.
- Go ahead and swap any type of bell pepper for the sweet peppers.
- I kept it simple with cheddar cheese, but you could also opt for pepper jack or Colby, or use a crumbly cheese like feta.
Recipe FAQs
Kept in a lidded container in the refrigerator, broccoli salad is best used within 48 hours. The salad dressing will slowly make the ingredients go soggy over time, but if you don't mind that feel free to enjoy this salad for up to 4 days.
Honestly, whether or not you should blanch your broccoli in broccoli salad is up to personal preference. I don't notice enough of a difference between blanching the broccoli or not before adding it to this salad, so I usually opt to skip that step.
If you are opposed to eating raw broccoli, then definitely blanch beforehand. You can do this by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil on the stovetop. Add the chopped broccoli to the boiling water and remove after 1-2 minutes using a slotted spoon. Run cold water over the broccoli to stop the cooking and set aside until ready to use.
You should definitely serve this Broccoli Crunch Salad with Instant Pot Arm Roast or this fantastic Grilled Ranch Chicken.
You might also like these savory salad recipes:
Recent Recipes on Midwexican
Broccoli Crunch Salad with Bacon
Ingredients
Bodacious Broccoli Salad
- 1 bunch broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 8-18 strips bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
- ¾ cup raw pepitas
- ½ medium red onion, minced
- 5-6 mini sweet peppers
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Chipotle Mayo Dressing
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 chipotle en adobo pepper
- 1 pinch Mexican oregano (optional)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Chipotle Mayo Dressing
- Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender, and process/blend until combined.¾ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 chipotle en adobo pepper, 1 pinch Mexican oregano
Bodacious Broccoli Salad
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl. Add about half or so of the dressing and stir.1 bunch broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces, 8-18 strips bacon, fried crisp and crumbled, ¾ cup raw pepitas, ½ medium red onion, minced, 5-6 mini sweet peppers, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Assess the level of dressed-ness, and add more, a bit at a time, until you achieve the dressing level desired. Stir until combined.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Taste and add salt and pepper, to taste. Best used within 48 hours.salt and pepper, to taste
Notes
Add some jalapeno peppers or red pepper flakes to kick up the heat. The nutrition information provided is an estimate calculated within an online nutrition calculator.
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