This Keto Broccoli Salad is made with raw broccoli, bacon, cheese, and jalapeno pepper and a tangy dressing. It is a low carb broccoli salad with a delicious sweet heat profile that will have the whole family at your next potluck or barbecue asking for the recipe!
Whenever we have family gatherings, side dishes are what become the star of the show and this broccoli salad is the star recipe that everyone wants to have! With only 4 net carbs per serving, this is a side salad that is perfect for the keto diet.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
✔️ It is a keto take on the original recipe, replacing the sweet raisins with a touch of sugar free sweetener to keep that sweet and tangy flavor the salad is so well known for.
✔️ It is the best broccoli salad recipe with 6 total carbs (4 net carbs) per serving.
✔️ This low-carb broccoli salad is the perfect keto side dish for your next picnic.
🥘 Ingredients
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Powdered Sugar-Free Sweetener: Monk fruit is my sweetener of choice, and this brand is my go-to. I use a powdered sweetener due to the fact it dissolves better than a granulated one does.
Fresh Broccoli: I like to buy the entire crown and break it down into bite-sized pieces, Two medium heads of broccoli should give you enough broccoli crowns to make this recipe.
Macadamia Nuts: I went with this nut because it is one of the better nuts for keto. It is high in healthy fats and low in carbs.
Bacon: I love good thick-cut crispy bacon. The flavor of the crispy salty fat that melts in your mouth is irresistible. Using thick cut in this recipe is recommended for that reason alone!
Green onions for color and flavor.
Jalapeno Peppers: You want just enough jalapeno to give the salad a tiny hit of heat. Feel free to adjust to your own heat tolerance or leave this out entirely.
Mayonnaise: If you are strict keto, then be sure your mayo is sugar-free.
Cheese: I always shred my own cheese and always use a mild or sharp cheddar.
Red bell pepper is added for color contrast and takes the place of raisins or cranberries in the original recipe.
🔪 Instructions
- Pre cook and crumble bacon for the salad. Set aside in an airtight storage container until ready to use.
- Dice and chop the broccoli florets, red bell and jalapeno pepper, peppers, and scallions. Toss together in a large bowl with the cheddar cheese
- To make the salad dressing, In a medium bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and sweetener (if using).
- Stir the salad dressing into broccoli salad mixture until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
- Just before serving, sprinkle the salad with crumbled bacon and stir to combine.
🥄 Equipment
Kitchen knife
Cutting board
Small bowl
Large bowl
Whisk
Measuring cups
🥫Storage
Store this delicious broccoli salad recipe in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days.
📖 Variations
- Turkey bacon can be substituted for pork bacon.
- Use roasted chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds in place of the macadamias.
- Make it dairy-free and omit the cheese. To make it visually appealing, add ½ cup shredded carrot to the salad in place of the cheese. Be sure to adjust the carb count accordingly.
- If you really miss the cranberries, you can use no sugar added dried cranberries. They will not increase the carb count by much.
💭 Tips
- To keep the bacon crispy, don't mix it into the salad until just before serving.
- If you prefer cooked broccoli, you can cook until crisp-tender and shock it in cold water to keep the bright green color. Be sure to cool completely and pat broccoli dry before assembling the salad.
📚 Related Recipes
This Homemade Coleslaw is another keto friendly summer salad perfect for picnics.
Keto Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein is a delicious main dish for low carb dieters.
🍽 Serve with...
This low carb keto broccoli salad is the perfect side dish to these Grilled Pork Chops with Cilantro Lime Topping.
🏫 The last word
I ate traditional Broccoli Salad at many family reunions in my childhood. It was always a favorite of mine. I loved the sweet tang of cranberry with the savory and salty flavor combination. I wanted to replicate the flavor and make a low carb salad that would not lose that sweet, salty, savory flavor combination.
This Broccoli Salad is not your typical picnic salad. To make this keto-friendly, I omitted the dried cranberries to remove the sugars. And, I substituted chopped macadamia nuts in place of sunflower seeds to add more healthy fat.
The combination of smoky bacon, spicy jalapeno, cheese, and keto-friendly sweet dressing is totally delicious and satisfying. This particular recipe cured my craving and satisfied my addiction to the sweet heat combination that I love so much!
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When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!
If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating
📖 Recipe
Keto Broccoli Salad
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Ingredients
- 7 cups broccoli florets
- ½ medium red bell pepper , diced
- 1 small jalapeno pepper , diced (optional)
- 3 scallions , diced
- 8 slices bacon , cooked and chopped
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese , shredded
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 teaspoons Powdered monkfruit Sweetener , optional
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pre cook and crumble bacon for the salad. Set aside in an airtight storage container until ready to use.
- Dice and chop the broccoli florets, red bell and jalapeno pepper, peppers, and scallions. Toss together in a large bowl with the cheddar cheese.
- To make the salad dressing, In a medium bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and sweetener (if using).
- Stir the salad dressing into broccoli salad mixture until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
- Just before serving, sprinkle the salad with crumbled bacon and stir to combine.
Linda
Tried the recipe! It was very good. I exempted the hot peppers and scallions, because of the kids, but still very good. I also used Stevie as my sweetener.
Thank you!
Darlene
Hi Shelby, Nice to see a blogger from my state that eats the way I do; we live in western NY. I make this salad often w/Swerve orZ Sweet, but have never added bacon or shredded cheese, so I'll give it a try next time. I usually add just a few raisins, tho I know they are really a no-no. I think this is one of those recipes that you can add whatever you like and it's still good! I usually add some walnuts and/or sunflower seeds also. Thanks for your recipe!
Shelby
Hi Darlene! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! I use Swerve for the most part and have even started using it in my coffee rather than the sugar free flavored sweeteners. I really think it's a great product. Definitely add the bacon and cheese, its delicious!
Jessica
You me mentioned using a package of already chopped veggies... what exactly do you get?
Thanks.. can’t wait to try this.
Shelby
Hi Jessica, I purchased pre-cut broccoli at Trader Joe's. You can probably find something similar in any grocery store. I hope you love the recipe!
Pam S
I’ve made something similar for years and always get good reviews for it. If you’re in a time crunch, I’ve used broccoli slaw mix from the produce section as well as precooked bacon pieces and preshredded cheese to throw this together in about 5 minutes or less, lol. Of course, it’s more delicious without the shortcuts, but sometimes I just don’t have time to do it all from unprocessed ingredients.
Anne Lawton
This is such a great idea for a summer pot luck!
Colleen - Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck
This sounds crazy delicious...love the addition of jalapeno!!!
Caroline
Sounds like a tasty combination of flavors in there, and great to pack up and take with you to work or a potluck.
Karen
I've been searching for a broccoli salad for potlucks. Brings back memories. Can't wait to try this.
Alexa
Planning to make this for the Fourth of July! Unfortunately I’m going to take out the scallions because people in my family don’t like them. Do you think this will ruin the flavor? Also, with the Erythritol, so you used powdered or granulated?
Shelby
Hi Alexa, I don't think the missing scallions will hurt the recipe. I used granulated Erythritol (Swerve brand). I hope you enjoy this recipe, thanks for stopping by!
Jackie
Don’t like onions so I left them out. I added sunflour seeds
Shelby
Hi Jackie! I hope you enjoyed it!
Demeter
After bring this to the next potluck, I'm sure that it will be highly requested from here on out! Such a classic summer dish.
Britt | Sweet Tea and Thyme
You had me at bacon. Say no more!
Claudia Lamascolo
I really need to make this over the weekend for the 4th of July, I needed a side dish and this will be perfect. I love the flavors!
Lauren Vavala @ DeliciousLittleBites
I am super excited for this recipe! I'm on keto now and am in need of some new flavors! I have all these ingredients in my fridge and this is so happening today!
danielle wolter
All you had to say was filled with bacon and cheese and I was already sold LOL! This salad sound delicious!!
Christine Castaneda
Hi, just wanted to come by and say I made your broccoli salad tonight and it was DELICIOUS! The whole family loved it! I paired it with cauliflower mac & cheese and bbq beef ribs using Guy Fieri's Sugarfree Smokey Bacon BBQ sauce. Everything matched perfectly! Will be making this at least once a month. Thanks again!
Shelby
Hi Christine! Thank you so much for coming by and letting me know! So happy you loved it!
Susan
Have you ever made this with broccoli that is lightly steamed? I don’t particularly care for the texture of raw broccoli but I’m afraid if I steam it, it will soak up most the dressing. Looks so yummy!
Shelby
Hi Susan, I have not, but you could blanch the broccoli by putting it in boiling water and cooking 1-2 minutes, then immediately take it out and put it in ice water to shock it and stop it from cooking, make sure the broccoli is drained really well, then assemble it. It may have more water release because it is cooked slightly so I probably wouldn't make a big batch of it because I don't know how it would be with leftovers. If you do try it, let me know how it turned out!
Reg
I do steam mine in the MV, 3 total
Minutes, stir after each minute then rinse in cold water & drain well.
Shelby
Thanks Reg for the response!
Danielle
We always have a broccoli salad at a BBQ. It's nice to add a bit of colour.
Madi
This has to be the perfect broccoli salad recipe! I need to make it for my next bbq or cookout!
camila
Love broccoli! This salad must be delicious! Perfect side dishes for barbecue and grilling season