This keto broccoli salad recipe is a low carb take on the classic, quick side dish that’s perfect for parties, potlucks, BBQs, or as meal prep. Made with bacon, sunflower seeds, delicious chunks of cheddar cheese, diced red onion, and a homemade dressing, this is one of my our favorite keto side dishes… plus it comes together in only about fifteen minutes!
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What Makes This Keto Broccoli Salad So Good
- There’s very little cooking involved! In fact, other than the bacon, there’s no cooking involved at all. Stir everything together, toss it in dressing, and set it in the fridge to chill!
- The textures in this salad are SO pleasing. The creaminess of the keto salad dressing, the crunch of the bacon, the crisp snap of the fresh broccoli, the softness of the cheese. SO good!
- This is a great make-ahead option for potlucks, cookouts, picnics, baby showers, or just a regular old lunch. The keto broccoli salad needs to chill at least an hour before serving, but if you refrigerate it in an airtight container, it’ll actually keep up to 3 days.
Key Ingredients for Keto Broccoli Salad
Bacon – You can use bacon, turkey bacon, bacon bits, or vegan bacon in this recipe! I like to cook my bacon in the air fryer or oven until crisp, let it cool, then chop it into small pieces.
Broccoli – Fresh or frozen broccoli florets will work in this salad. If you use frozen florets, let them thaw completely and drain them very well of any excess water. Water will throw off the consistency of the dressing so it’s important to remove as much as possible.
Swerve – Swerve gives the dressing the sweetness it needs without adding any non-keto ingredients to the recipe. It’s an erythritol-blend sugar substitute that’s non-glycemic, calorie free, Kosher, vegan, and gluten free. If you don’t have Swerve, you can substitute with pure erythritol or monk fruit instead. You can use granular or Confectioners’ keto sweetener – I find the texture with the Confectioners’ consistency is a little smoother.
Chef’s Tips
- Be sure to budget enough time that you can let the keto broccoli salad chill. The flavors amplify when the dish has time to sit and mingle, so the longer the better! the salad really tastes best when it’s cold, too.
- If you want the bacon to stay really crispy, you can prepare the rest of the salad as written, then stir in the crumbled bacon right before serving. I don’t think it’s totally necessary, especially if you’re making the salad an hour or two before you intend to eat it, but you might prefer it that way!
- If cauliflower’s your thing, check out our Loaded Cauliflower Salad! It’s similar to this keto broccoli salad but uses steamed cauliflower instead. OR, get the best of both recipes in our Broccoli Cauliflower Salad.
- If you want to lighten up the recipe a little, you can use a reduced fat mayonnaise or sour cream, but keep in mind that reduced fat and fat free versions of foods tend to have added sugar. Processing out the fat usually takes some of the flavor with it, so sugar is generally added to make up the difference. You could also substitute ranch dressing or more sour cream for the mayo, or sub a keto-friendly plain yogurt for the sour cream.
Other Keto Recipes You Need To Try
- Keto Chicken Salad (Classic Shredded Chicken Salad)
- Perfect Deviled Eggs with Bacon (Keto, Low Carb, Whole30)
- Keto BBQ Sauce
- Keto Banana Bread
- Everything Bagel Chicken with Scallion Cream Cheese Sauce (Keto)
- Keto Lemon Bars
- Keto Sloppy Joes
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Keto Broccoli Salad
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Large spoon or silicone spatula
- Small bowl
- Refrigerator
Ingredients
- 6 cups broccoli florets raw, chopped
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese cut into cubes
- ½ cup red onion diced, optional
- 1 cup crumbled bacon fully cooked
- ½ cup salted sunflower seeds
For the Dressing
- ¾ cup full-fat mayonnaise
- ¼ cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 ½ tablespoons white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 2-4 tablespoons Swerve granular or Confectioners'
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Add broccoli, cubed cheddar cheese, chopped red onion, crumbled bacon, and sunflower seeds to large bowl. Stir to incorporate ingredients.
- In separate bowl, combine all dressing ingredients. Start with 2 tablespoons Swerve, then taste dressing and add more if desired.
- Slowly pour dressing over broccoli salad, stirring to fully coat salad ingredients. Refrigerate mixed salad at least one hour or until chilled. Serve chilled.
Notes
- Red Onion: Some keto-eaters avoid onion but others are fine with it. Technically onions aren’t considered keto, but we only use a small amount in this recipe so they shouldn’t have a big nutritional impact. They’re totally optional, though, so feel free to leave them out if you want! Skipping them will save you 1-2 carbs overall.
- Make it Vegetarian: Use vegan bacon.
- Make it Vegan: Use vegan bacon, vegan cheese, and vegan mayo.
Nutrition
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Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She’s been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.
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