Amish Broccoli Salad is a cold, creamy side salad of raw broccoli and cauliflower florets tossed with crispy bacon and shredded cheddar in a sweet and tangy dressing of mayonnaise, sour cream and sugar. It takes about 20 minutes to put together plus 10 minutes to cook the bacon, then chills for at least 2 hours. It serves 8 and is made for picnics, cookouts and potlucks.
How to make it: Cook the bacon until crispy, drain and crumble it. Chop the broccoli and cauliflower into small pieces. Stir the mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar and salt until the sugar dissolves, toss it with the vegetables, then stir in most of the bacon and cheese. Cover, chill at least 2 hours, and top with the rest of the bacon and cheese before serving.
Why You’ll Love It
- Make-ahead: it needs time in the refrigerator anyway, so it’s ready when you are.
- No cooking except the bacon: the broccoli and cauliflower go in raw and crisp.
- Feeds a crowd: one head each of broccoli and cauliflower makes 8 servings.
- Simple dressing: three ingredients plus salt, stirred in a small bowl.
What Is Amish Broccoli Salad?
It’s a creamy raw-vegetable salad: bite-size broccoli and cauliflower florets with bacon and cheddar in a sweet and tangy dressing. Unlike many broccoli salads, it uses both broccoli and cauliflower, and the dressing combines mayonnaise and sour cream in equal amounts with sugar.
Ingredient Notes
Broccoli and cauliflower: 1 head of each, cut into small, bite-size florets. Wash them and dry them well before chopping, so the dressing clings.
Bacon: 1/2 pound, cooked until crispy, drained on a paper towel-lined plate and crumbled.
Cheddar cheese: 1 cup, shredded.
Mayonnaise and sour cream: 1 cup of each.
Sugar: 1/2 cup. Stir the dressing until it has fully dissolved.
Salt: to taste. About 1/2 teaspoon is a good place to start.
Ingredients
- 1 head broccoli, florets chopped into pieces
- 1 head cauliflower, florets chopped into pieces
- 1/2 pound bacon, cooked until crispy, drained and crumbled
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Salt, to taste
How to Make Amish Broccoli Salad
1. Cook the bacon. Cook the bacon until crispy, then drain it on a paper towel-lined plate. Crumble it once it has cooled.
2. Toss the vegetables. Toss the broccoli and cauliflower pieces together in a large mixing bowl.
3. Make the dressing. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, mayonnaise, sugar and salt until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Dress the salad. Add the dressing to the bowl with the vegetables and toss to combine well.
5. Add the bacon and cheese. Stir in the bacon and cheese, keeping a small amount of each back to sprinkle on top just before serving.
6. Chill and serve. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Give the salad a quick stir before serving to redistribute the dressing, and serve it chilled.
How to Make a Tasty Broccoli Salad
A few small steps make the difference between a good broccoli salad and a watery one:
- Dry the vegetables well. Wash the broccoli and cauliflower, then dry them thoroughly before chopping.
- Chop small. Bite-size pieces pick up more dressing and are easier to eat.
- Dissolve the sugar. Stir the dressing until you can’t feel the sugar anymore.
- Chill it. At least 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator lets the flavors meld. It’s even better made the night before.
- Stir before serving. A quick stir brings the dressing back up from the bottom of the bowl.
- Save some topping. Keep a little bacon and cheese aside to sprinkle on top right before serving.
What Dressing Goes on Broccoli Salad?
This salad uses a creamy, sweet and tangy dressing of equal parts mayonnaise and sour cream with sugar and a little salt. You can adjust it:
- More tang: add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
- Lighter coating: use 2/3 cup each of mayonnaise and sour cream and 1/4 cup of sugar.
- No sour cream: make it with 1 cup of mayonnaise, 1/4 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar.
Variations
- Onion: add 1/2 medium sweet onion, diced, or 1 minced shallot.
- Raisins and sunflower seeds: stir in 1/2 cup of raisins and some sunflower seeds; this take often skips the cauliflower and cheese.
- More cheese: use up to 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar.
- Bacon by the slice: 8 slices of bacon also works.
- Fresh herbs: top with chopped parsley, chives or green onions.
Make Ahead & Storage
Make ahead: Make it at least 2 hours before serving, or the night before. Keep it covered in the refrigerator and stir before serving.
At a picnic or buffet: Keep it at 40°F or below. Set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice, or put out a smaller bowl and refill it from the refrigerator. Throw away any salad that has been out more than 2 hours, or more than 1 hour when it’s above 90°F outside.
Leftovers: Refrigerate within 2 hours in shallow covered containers. They keep 3 to 4 days.
Freezing: Don’t freeze it. Mayonnaise separates and looks curdled after freezing.
What to Serve With It
It’s a natural side for barbecue and cookout food. Serve it with root beer BBQ pork ribs, baked barbecue chicken thighs with onions or Amish beef sloppy joes. For a full salad table, add marinated cauliflower salad, layered pasta salad or a simple pasta salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Amish broccoli salad?
A cold salad of raw broccoli and cauliflower florets with crispy bacon and cheddar in a sweet and tangy mayonnaise and sour cream dressing.
What dressing is used on broccoli salad?
Here it’s 1 cup of mayonnaise, 1 cup of sour cream, 1/2 cup of sugar and salt, stirred until the sugar dissolves.
How do you make a tasty broccoli salad?
Dry the vegetables well, chop them small, chill the salad at least 2 hours, and save some bacon and cheese for the top.
How long does it keep?
Covered in the refrigerator, 3 to 4 days. Don’t freeze it.
Final Notes
Make it the night before your next cookout and it’s one less thing to do on the day. If you add onion or raisins, tell me in the comments how you liked it.
Amish Broccoli Salad
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Ingredients
- 1 head broccoli florets chopped into pieces
- 1 head cauliflower florets chopped into pieces
- 1/2 pound bacon cooked until crispy, drained and crumbled
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook the bacon until crispy, then drain it on a paper towel-lined plate. Crumble it once it has cooled.
- Toss the broccoli and cauliflower pieces together in a large mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, mayonnaise, sugar and salt until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the dressing to the bowl with the vegetables and toss to combine well.
- Stir in the bacon and cheese, keeping a small amount of each back to sprinkle on top just before serving.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Give the salad a quick stir before serving to redistribute the dressing, and serve it chilled.
