- June 15, 2023
- 30 Minute Meals
Grilled Broccoli Salad Recipe
This grilled broccoli salad recipe combines smoky grilled broccoli with a vibrant medley of ingredients. The charred broccoli adds a delightful flavor profile to this traditional salad, complemented by a tangy dressing and a mix of dried cranberries, crispy bacon, red onion, shredded cheddar cheese, and sunflower seeds.
Why This Recipe Works:
Not Your Average Salad: Eating your vegetables shouldn’t be a chore. Honestly, this grilled broccoli salad recipe takes good for you ingredients like broccoli, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries and combines them with some savory flavor packed ingredients like bacon and cheddar cheese to make a seriously irresistible salad! Plus, the tangy homemade dressing base is plain yogurt with just a little bit of mayo for a creamy and tangy combination that is soo amazing!
Perfect for Grill Season: Don’t get me wrong, this grilled broccoli salad recipe can be made any time of the year, and if you don’t want to fire up the grill you can definitely roast the broccoli in the oven instead. However, I think this salad is perfect for grill season. It is easy to forget to add a healthy option when barbecuing in the summer, so that is where this salad comes in! It will go with the classic barbecue meals like smoked chicken thighs or a delicious flat iron steak!
Supplies Needed:
- Grill
- Mixing Bowls
- Knife & Cutting Board
- Whisk
- Tongs
Ingredients:
- Bacon: Crispy, crumbled bacon adds a savory and crunchy bite to this grilled broccoli salad!
- Broccoli: Broccoli is the star of the show here. Grilling the broccoli brings out a bright flavor while also adding a smoky char.
- Salt & Pepper: Just a bit of salt and pepper along with olive oil will be used to season the broccoli before grilling!
- Red Onion: Fresh red onion adds flavor!
- Dried Cranberries: To balance the savory and smoky flavors of the bacon and grilled broccoli, dried cranberries add a hint of sweetness and chewy texture.
- Sunflower Seeds: Sunflower seeds are slightly nutty and super crunchy!
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: I highly recommend you use freshly grated cheddar cheese here. The pre-grated cheese doesn’t offer the same silky texture.
- Homemade Dressing: The creamy, tangy dressing is a simple combination of plain greek yogurt, mayo, apple cider vinegar, honey, and salt & pepper!
How To Grill Broccoli:
- Preheat the Grill: Preheat the grill to medium heat (350-400 F) and set it for direct grilling.
- Prep the Broccoli: Rinse and trim the broccoli, keeping the full stalks intact so they won’t tall through the grill grates but can still be easily grilled. Lightly oil and season the broccoli pieces with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Grill: Place the broccoli stalks on the grill over medium direct heat. Allow the broccoli to cook, covered for about 5-6 minutes. Flip and repeat the cooking process for an additional 5-6 minutes. If the grill heat is too high and is causing the broccoli to brown too fast, move it over indirect heat to finish cooking until tender.
- Set Aside: Once the broccoli is cooked, remove it from the grill and set it aside to cool.
Grilled Broccoli Salad Recipe:
- Cook the Bacon: Cook the bacon in the oven, on the stove, or on the grill until cooked to your desired level of doneness. Place on a paper towel lined plate for crumbling. Set aside to cool while you grill the broccoli.
- Place in a Mixing Bowl: In a large mixing bowl, add the cooled and crumbled bacon, diced red onion, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds. Chop the grilled broccoli stalks into bite sized pieces and add to the mixing bowl and combine everything together.
- Grate Cheese: Grate sharp cheddar cheese into thick pieces. Alternatively, you can dice the cheese into small cubes instead. Add the cheese to the salad and toss to combine.
- Make Dressing: Mix all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined.
- Combine: Pour the dressing mixture over the broccoli salad and fold everything together until evenly coated.
- Serve & Enjoy: You can keep this salad in the fridge until you are ready to serve, and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- Customize to your liking! You can make this salad whatever you want it to be. Don’t have sunflower seeds on hand? Then try slivered almonds or pine nuts! Or switch out the bacon for Pancetta!
- Don’t use pre-shredded cheese! Pre-shredded cheese has a preservative ingredient that keeps it from melting or sticking together in the bag. This is great for certain things, but this recipe is much more delicious with freshly grated or cubed sharp cheddar cheese!
- Don’t have a grill? Try roasting the broccoli instead. I personally love the flavor of the broccoli when it is grilled, but I understand that firing up the grill isn’t always an option!
Frequently Asked Questions:
If you are grilling the broccoli, I recommend using fresh broccoli heads. You can then cut the heads of broccoli into the desired size. If you use frozen broccoli or broccoli that is cut into small florets, it might fall through the grill grates! You can definitely roast frozen broccoli for this recipe if you prefer though!
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. This is a great make ahead salad since the ingredients will stand up well to the dressing without getting soggy!
More Salad Recipes to Try:
- Grinder Salad Recipe
- Grilled Garden Veggie Salad
- Cucumber Radish Salad
- Grilled Succotash
- Armenian Tabbouleh
Grilled Broccoli Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 slices Bacon cooked
- 2 heads Broccoli washed and trimmed
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
- 1/2 Red Onion diced small
- 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
- 1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds
- 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese highly recommend grating your own for best results
Dressing
- 1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt sub sour cream
- 2 tbsp. Mayo
- 1 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in the oven, on the stove or on the grill until cooked to your desired level of doneness. Place on a paper towel lined plate for crumbling. Set aside.
- Preheat a grill to medium heat (350-400 F) and set it for direct grilling
- Rinse and trim the broccoli, keeping the larger stalks intact so they won't fall through the grill grates but can be easily grilled.
- Lightly oil and season the broccoli pieces with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Place the broccoli stalks onto the grill over medium direct heat. Allow the broccoli to cook, covered for about 5-6 minutes. Flip and repeat the cooking process for an additional 5-6 minutes. If the grill heat is too high and is causing the broccoli to brown too fast, move it over to indirect heat to finish cooking until tender.
- Once the broccoli is cooked, remove it from the grill and set it aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, add in the cooled and crumbled bacon, diced red onion, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds.
- Chop the grilled broccoli stalks into bite sized pieces and add to the mixing bowl and combine everything together.
- Grate sharp cheddar cheese into thick pieces. Alternatively, you can diced the cheese into small cubes instead. Add the cheese into the salad and toss to combine.
- Mix all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined.
- Pour the dressing mixture over the broccoli salad and fold everything together until evenly coated.
- Keep in the fridge, covered until ready to serve and enjoy!