Bacon Broccoli Salad with Raisins and Sunflower Seeds

Bacon Broccoli Salad with Raisins and Sunflower Seeds

This salad is sweet and crunchy. Broccoli, crumbled bacon, raisins and sunflower seeds, with a smattering of onion tossed in a mayonnaise-based dressing. Delicious!

Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
30 mins
Yield:
12 servings
Servings:
12

Ingredients

  • ½ pound bacon
  • 4 heads broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 ½ cups raisins
  • 1 ½ cups unsalted sunflower seeds
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup granular sucralose sweetener (such as Splenda®)
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Directions

Step 1
Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels and crumble.

Step 2
Toss bacon, broccoli, raisins, sunflower seeds, and onion together in a large bowl.

Step 3
Whisk mayonnaise, sugar, sweetener, and vinegar in another bowl until smooth. Pour over broccoli mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

385
Calories
27g
Fat
32g
Carbs
10g
Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 12
Calories 385
% Daily Value *
Total Fat27g 34%
Saturated Fat4g 20%
Cholesterol14mg 5%
Sodium284mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate32g 12%
Dietary Fiber5g 18%
Total Sugars19g
Protein10g
Vitamin C91mg 453%
Calcium75mg 6%
Iron2mg 12%
Potassium633mg 13%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient.If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.

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source by allrecipe

    • 12 years ago

    Halved the recipe…steamed the broccoli for about 2 minutes….used just sugar….EXCELLENT! Thank you!

    • 12 years ago

    I make this, but I do a couple of things differently that makes it so much more tasty. I put the mayo and the raisins in a blender and it makes the dressing much better. After mixing, let it sit in the fridge over night. Add the sunflower seeds right before serving.

    • 11 years ago

    I loved this recipe! The only thing I would do different next time is to blanch or steam the broccoli just a little bit (my kids didn’t care for the raw broccoli taste). I also only used sugar. Great!

    • 11 years ago

    After beginning to make this salad, I realized all of my raisins had been eaten up by a “little mouse” (kids). So I used Craisins and it was delicious. Also, the Craisins added color. Everyone enjoyed it and hubby wants me to make it again!

    • 11 years ago

    I just made it, soo good! I did use the suggestion to process the dressing that way you can’t tell there is raisins in it. Lol can’t wait for the family to try it

    • 11 years ago

    I made a “mistake” and put in horseradish mayo instead of plain. OMG. It is FANTASTIC! It’s got a zip like sushi with wasabi sauce. I also tried adding some raw corn kernels (freshly trimmed off the cob) which made it even better.

    • 11 years ago

    I’ve made this salad for quite a few years. I always use craisins and either walnuts or sliced almonds (never have any sunflower seeds on hand). We love it at our house!

    • 11 years ago

    I always take this dish to any get together my husband and I attend, and it is always a hit! I put 3/4 cup of onions in the mixture instead of the half cup for which it calls. I also use two jars of Hormel bacon bits instead of cooking my own bacon. The recipe is just as good and it cuts down on the preparing time drastically.

    • 11 years ago

    I used no raisins, only 1 tablespoon sugar, no other sweetener and scallions instead of onion. It got raves for Thanksgiving dinner and I have been asked to make it again for Christmas.

    • 10 years ago

    Perfect, simple and classic. I am a CNA for an Assisted Living Home and cook a lot on the overnight shift. This salad was requested and this recipe was touted by all of the tenants! Many many thanks!!!!

    • 10 years ago

    This is the best broccoli salad out there.I’m always asked for the recipe for this when I take it to a party or barbecue.Awesome!!

    • 10 years ago

    Easy and delicious! Always a hit at gatherings, be sure to make plenty because it will all be gone!
    I halved the recipe and used sweet onion instead (no red on hand) and it was wonderful.

    • 10 years ago

    I love this recipe but change it up a little. Sometimes I use maple flavored bacon and craisins.instead of raisins and no matter what bacon I use, I always put about 3 tablespoons of the bacon grease in the salad along with the mayo and Splenda. The bacon grease gives a little extra flavor. Love this salad.

    • 10 years ago

    I used roasted salted sunflowers and red wine vinegar. We also added cilantro. Everyone loved it!

    • 10 years ago

    I didn’t have the raisins, but I did have a bag of dried blueberries, cranberries, and cherries. I used those and a bag of real bacon bits. I added tomatoes and cucumbers diced into quarters from the garden and a few pecans. I think next time I will cut the sugar in half, so that all the veggie flavors will come through. I put it on plates in a bed of spinach leaves. It was great.

    • 10 years ago

    I made this for a potluck and followed the directions exactly except that I used turkey bacon (some people in our company don’t eat pork). So good! Husband and I almost wanted to eat the entire bowl by ourselves and just buy something else for the potluck lol!

    • 9 years ago

    Such a crowd-pleaser! We make this salad every time we are hosting a bar-b-que. It can be made well in advance and unlike a green salad, you will never have to worry about it wilting.

    • 9 years ago

    Great dish

    • 9 years ago

    Very good. I had a similar salad @ Green Tomatoes restaurant in Florida and decided to try to make it myself. This was delish. I had to serve the sesame seeds on the side since hubby can’t have seeds or nuts but all the flavors were there. One issue I had…I wish the recipe gave cups of broccoli. I bought a bag. Started with 1/2# trimmed but had to add some more after adding dressing. I would recommend 1# of trimmed broccoli flowerets. I think I would even like to try adding some diced chicken. The recipe is very versatile. Thanks for sharing.

    • 9 years ago

    Absolutely Delicious, I’ve looked for this recipe for a while now. So glad I found it. Thanks for sharing!

    • 9 years ago

    Very tasty but sweeter than it really needs to be. I lightly steamed the broccoli, which took the harsh edge off, but it didn’t occur to me until it was too late that by steaming it I’d probably reduced the need to use sweeteners to mask its flavor. Also, I’ve read that you should eat foods rich in Vitamin C at the same meal that you eat foods rich in plant-based iron, because the Vitamin C helps the body utilize the iron, so I had a glass of orange juice with the salad and between the two of them it was a super-sweet little meal.

    • 9 years ago

    terrific!!! I made 5 times the recipe for a gathering after a friend’s funeral and it went very fast…no yummy leftovers! I will make this often! I DID use low fat mayo and didn’t have sunflower seeds.

    • 9 years ago

    Two alternate versions that have been successful at my holiday gatherings:

    Option 1: sub the seeds from a large pomegranate for raisins, use 1/2 cup mayo instead of a full cup, use 2 tbsp sugar instead of 1/4 cup, sub plain white vinegar for white wine vinegar, sub green onions for white/yellow onions, add 1 cup bite-sized sliced sugar snap peas for more crunch.

    Option 2: sub the seeds from a large pomegranate for raisins, use 1/2 cup mayo instead of a full cup, use 2 tbsp honey instead of 1/4 cup sweetener, sub apple cider vinegar for white wine vinegar, sub green onions for white/yellow onions, make the salad more festive by also adding 1 cup quartered cranberries.

    • 8 years ago

    This is a bit labor-intensive (cutting the broccoli), but well worth it! The only changes I made was quickly blanching the broccoli ( draining well on paper towel), using golden raisins and craisins ( for more color ) , and instead of all the sugar (plenty of sweetness in the raisins and craisins ), I mixed the mayo with a splash of Hendrickson’s Sweet Vingar and Olive Oil dressing . Oh my!!!
    Thank you, Ruthie Joyce!
    So many compliments and requests for the recipe!

    • 8 years ago

    Note I use Stevia start at 1/4 cup and season to taste. Depend s on Vinegar I use. Have found if Wine may use more Stevia. To please husband and children why have made changes. I like cranberries /raisins.

    • 8 years ago

    I used turkey bacon and added a bit of apple cider vinegar to it. I would use less sugar next time as well but this was the bomb! I made it for a birthday potluck lunch at work and it was a big hit! I will definitely make this again. 😀

    • 8 years ago

    Delicious! I don’t eat meat, so I didn’t use the bacon & I also left out the artificial sweetener. This is a great dish to take to any gathering. It goes very quickly & people will ask you for the recipe!

    • 7 years ago

    A very nice side to dinner tonight. I only used sugar. The sunflower seeds added a nice crunch and were ‘friendly’ to my nut allergy suffering husband. Craisins would be a good sub for raisins or even a little diced apple. I think some cooked diced chicken and some extra dressing would make this an easy main dish salad as well.

    • 7 years ago

    I used just a little sugar. Delicious!

    • 7 years ago

    I used less sugar than the recie called for and no sweetener. Came out really well, similar to a recipe we once had and lost.

    • 7 years ago

    I cut the broccoli into small, small bites.

    • 7 years ago

    I wish it said how many cups of chopped broccoli instead of heads which can vary greatly. I basically chopped broccoli into my largest mixing bowl (which I felt was good for a potluck) and sort of halved all the other ingredients (omitted onion because I don’t like it raw). It turned out very delicious.

    • 6 years ago

    I made this with several changes and it was Delicious! I did not cook the broccoli, added a dollop of the horseradish mayo as one reviewer suggested (GREAT idea), added salted cashew pieces instead of sunflower seeds since I didn?t have the seeds. Definitely skip the artificial sweetener!! You don?t need it. I always cut the amount of sugar for a recipe in the beginning. Taste it and see first before adding the full amount. Great summer side dish in my opinion!

    • 6 years ago

    my family likes this salad.

    • 5 years ago

    A local deli used to make a broccoli salad that was to die for! I had the recipe but couldn’t find it so I tried this one on the 4th of July. It was a huge hit with the crowd!!! I didn’t have any sunflower seeds so I substituted sliced almonds. Dried cranberries replace raisins. Delicious!

    • 4 years ago

    This is absolutely delicious but way too sweet for me. I’ll totally make it again with maybe a quarter the amount of sugar. I also swapped raisins for craisins- it added a little tang. Everyone loved it but agreed it was much to sugary.

    • 3 years ago

    I omitted the sugar since I?m diabetic, but it was still plenty sweet enough with Splenda for me. Thank you for sharing recipe, I will definitely make again!

    • 2 years ago

    I make this every year at Easter and my sisters frequently request it for BBQ’s and get togethers. This time I cut back on the sunflower seeds and raisins to 1/2 cup each because the extra just end up at the bottom of the bowl wasted. I also used agave nectar 1/2 cup instead of sugar and splenda because it’s a natural sweetener and it’s safe for diabetics. I also like to use apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar and red onion is a must!

    • 11 months ago

    It?s really good. I used white cooking wine instead of vinegar. More of it too, about a quarter cup. Let it steep in the fridge for a few hours. Also, I used cranberries instead of raisins. Oh, and I used pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower seeds because that?s what I had. And no sweetener. Just a couple tablespoons of sugar or honey or agave. What ever I have.

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