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GET IT NOWI’ve got several broccoli salad recipes here on Wholesome Yum, from low carb broccoli salad to broccoli cauliflower salad to broccoli slaw. But I’ll be honest, the classic combo of broccoli salad with cranberries is probably my favorite of all. It’s hard to resist the mix of sweet, savory, and creamy! Plus, my kids will eat anything that has dried cranberries in it, so it’s a great way to get them to eat more veggies. 😉 Make my broccoli cranberry salad with me, so your family can do the same!
Why You Need My Broccoli Cranberry Salad
- Variety of flavors and textures – Crisp and earthy broccoli, zesty onions, sweet cranberries, salty bacon, crunchy walnuts… this is an anything-but-boring side dish. And I veered away from your usual dressing to make an orange-flavored one!
- Easy to make – You can throw together my broccoli cranberry salad in just 10 minutes. Perfect for busy days or a last-minute potluck!
- No added sugar – Many broccoli salad recipes are actually loaded with sugar, from the cranberries to the sweet dressing. I’ve got a way you can make your own sugar-free dried cranberries and a store-bought option that’s naturally sweetened with fruit. And my dressing is naturally sweetened, too.
- Festive for holidays – The combination of red cranberries and green broccoli make it a festive Christmas recipe or any holiday gathering! But really, it makes a great healthy lunch or side dish just whenever.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my broccoli salad with cranberries, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
Broccoli Cranberry Salad:
- Broccoli Florets – Fresh is best, but you can actually use thawed frozen broccoli, too.
- Dried Cranberries – I like making my own sugar-free dried cranberries, but store-bought works, too. I really like this brand of dried cranberries — they’re sweetened only with apple juice!
- Walnuts – For crunch! Feel free to use pecans, almonds, or for a nut-free version, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
- Cooked Bacon – My go-to method is bacon in the oven, but you could also air fry bacon or even microwave bacon for a quicker option. Or just toss in store-bought bacon bits for a shortcut.
- Red Onion – If you want less bite, swap it with green onions, shallots, or sweet onion.
VARIATION: Add cheese!
I didn’t feel like this broccoli cranberry salad needed any cheese, but feel free to add it if you like! I think cheddar cheese pairs the best with these flavors, but you can also go for a bolder Gruyere or Gouda.
Creamy Orange Dressing:
- Mayonnaise – The base. Grab your favorite brand, or whip up my homemade mayo in just a few minutes. You can substitute Greek yogurt for a lighter, higher protein option.
- Wholesome Yum Orange Zero Sugar Honey – Yes, I said orange, and it’s 100% natural without the sugar. I think it tastes so good with the fall-inspired flavors here. Regular orange blossom honey works fine as well. If you don’t have either, you can use plain honey (or my original sugar-free honey) and just add a teaspoon of orange zest.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – This balances out the sweetness and thins out the dressing a bit. Lemon juice works just as well.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper
How To Make Broccoli Salad With Cranberries
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Combine the salad ingredients. In a large bowl, toss together the broccoli florets, red onion, cranberries, walnuts, and bacon.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, orange honey, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper.
- Toss it all together. Pour the dressing over your broccoli cranberry salad and mix well.
- Chill if you can. For even better flavor and texture, I like to pop it in the fridge for at least an hour. The broccoli softens a bit and the dressing clings to it better. But it’s totally up to you! Adjust salt and pepper to your taste before serving.
My Recipe Tips
- Cut the florets into very small bite-sized pieces. Since all the other ingredients (walnuts, cranberries, bacon, red onions) are quite small, this helps them mix better.
- Scoop the salad from the bottom of the bowl. Even with small florets, the small pieces tend to fall to the bottom, so scooping from the bottom helps ensure you get all the components. You could add more mayo to have a thicker dressing that holds everything together better, but I thought the broccoli cranberry salad felt too heavy when I did that.
- Not a fan of orange? Just use regular honey without the orange flavor. You can also add a teaspoon of lemon zest if you want a burst of citrus that isn’t orange.
- Prefer more tender broccoli? You can steam your broccoli or even saute your broccoli for a more tender texture, then let it cool before tossing in the salad. I recommend reducing the usual time so that it still has some crispness to it.
- It’s even better the next day! I’ve totally enjoyed this broccoli cranberry salad right after making it, but the flavor and texture is better after chilling.
Serving Ideas
I love making this easy broccoli salad recipe for a quick lunch, but it’s also great for dinner paired with a protein. Here are some ideas depending on the occasion:
- Everyday meals – For easy weeknight dinners, my go-to pairings are simple baked salmon, air fryer chicken thighs, hamburgers, or my kids favorite, chicken leg quarters. For something fall-inspired, try my slow cooker sausage and peppers.
- Holiday meals – If you’re making this broccoli cranberry salad for a holiday dinner, it pairs perfectly with my crab legs, boneless leg of lamb, lobster tails, or beef tenderloin for something special. My sirloin tip roast or pork tenderloin make great budget-friendly options.
Broccoli Cranberry Salad
My 10-minute broccoli cranberry salad brings together crisp broccoli, sweet cranberries, and creamy honey mayo dressing. Easy and flavorful!
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.
Salad:
Dressing:
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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In a large bowl, combine the chopped broccoli, red onion, cranberries, walnuts, and bacon bits.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, orange honey, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper.
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Stir the dressing into the vegetable mixture. Refrigerate for an hour for better flavor (optional).
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Adjust salt and pepper to taste if needed.
LAST STEP: Leave a rating to help other readers, or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/2 cup
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above for the best texture in your salad, plus a variation if you’re not a fan of the orange flavor.
- Storage & meal prep: I think this broccoli cranberry salad tastes even better the next day, so it’s perfect for meal prep! Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You can also keep the chopped veggies separately from the dressing for up to 1 week.
- Note on nutrition info: This is based on my zero sugar orange honey and sugar-free dried cranberries. Sugar content will be higher if you use regular honey or cranberries. I recommend this apple-juice-sweetened cranberries brand if you don’t want to fuss with making your own!
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Low Carb Holiday Cookbook!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Broccoli Cranberry Salad
Gratitude Moment
One of my favorite things about this broccoli cranberry salad is it’s great pretty much year-round. The cranberries definitely feel festive in the fall and around the holidays, but I also enjoyed it for picnics all summer.
I used to make it with a powdered sweetener, which you could still do if you really want to, but now I think it tastes so much better with my natural sugar-free orange honey! I’ve been exploring more ways to use it, and grateful to have discovered this one.
27 Comments
Carisa Diaz
1Absolutely incredible! I made a bit extra sauce either because I had more broccoli than a typical head or….just because it was so good! Thanks for another amazing dish my husband & I can both enjoy!
veronika
0So flavorful, that I ate this salad by itself for lunch. Next time not adding salt at all, since my avocado mayo has enough salt.
Wholesome Yum D
0That sounds delicious, Veronika! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and great tip about the avocado mayo already having enough salt. Perfect way to make it just right for your taste!
Justine
0Delicious! This is my new go to side dish. Thank you.
Wholesome Yum D
0So glad you loved it, Justine! Thanks for giving it a try!
Carol
0This was so good and easy to put together. I made mine the day before, and the flavors of everything were amazing. I will definitely make again. It’s aesthetically pleasing too.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Carol! Yes, it’s even better the next day. Enjoy!
Joyce K
0Why did I never try this recipe before?!!? I have been missing out on the wonderful flavors of this salad. I made a double batch because I knew I would love this and wanted some leftovers for myself. I did microwave the broccoli for about 5 minutes and let it cool before assembling the salad. Just enough to soften it a bit but still leave it with lots of crunch. I didn’t have the orange honey so I just added a bit of orange peel to the dressing. Even people who claimed to hate broccoli loved this salad. I will definitely be making this one frequently, it is so tasty!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m glad you liked it, Joyce! I find the broccoli softens a bit in the fridge, but you can definitely microwave it beforehand if you want it even softer. Enjoy!
janmueller991
0The salad was great, the dressing is awful and runny.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jan, Sorry to hear the dressing was not what you expected. It’s normal for a dressing to be runny to be able to coat the ingredients in a salad, but it shouldn’t be extremely runny. Did you make any substitutions or adjustments ot the ingredient amounts? I have a video above showing the consistency that the dressing should be, in case that helps.
Christine
0Fantastic… So easy… Family loved it!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Aww, I’m so glad your family loved this salad, Christine!
MaryKay D'Avello
0We eat a lot of roasted Brussels… I could eat this salad every day!!!!!!!!
pbdennisoncpa
0I made this recipe trying to find something different – some of the family are not big vegetable eaters – not one spoonful left – I used pepitas instead of the nuts. I also used Kewpie Mayo. I will definitely be putting this salad in my regular menu choices!
Ann Wittman
0Made this tonight. Really liked it. I couldn’t use the bacon bc my husband does not like pork of any kind. I would have loved it, but it was still very yummy without. Will definitely make it again!
Laurel
0For extreme health condition, I am on a very low sodium diet. No more than 1000 mg daily. Could you please include sodium content in the Nutrition Facts? Thanks.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Laurel, Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy. You can calculate sodium of any recipe from the USDA food database.
Linda
0Better than expected!
Addison
0I love this broccoli salad.
Kate
0This was delicious, thanks. Made as written with your cranberry recipe. The orange zest in the dressing was really good. Love the combination of sweet, crunchy and savory.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Kate!
Marilyn Paul
0How do you make your own sugar free dried cranberries? I have some fresh cranberries and would like to use in this salad. Do you need a dehydrator? You kind of left out that major piece of information .
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Marilyn, The dried cranberries recipe is linked in several places in both the post and the recipe card. You don’t need a dehydrator, just the oven. 🙂 You can find the sugar-free dried cranberries recipe here.
Kyle Schulz
0This is a fantastic recipe! Loved the flavor, i actually used honey as a sweetener in mine. Will save and make again. Thank you for posting
Beth
0How do you measure 1/5 or 2/5 cup?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Beth, I’m assuming you are asking because you tried reducing the number of servings on the recipe card? I see you get measurements like 1/5 and 2/5 if you select 2 or 4 servings. Unfortunately, not every quantity can scale down well to a convenient amount. This recipe stores nicely in the fridge for a while, so consider making the stated number of servings and having leftovers. Otherwise, a better option than 4 servings would be making 5 servings (cut the recipe in half from 10 servings), which gives you much more friendly measurements. If you really want the measurement for 1/5 cup, though, that would be about 3 tbsp + 1/2 tsp.