This creamy broccoli salad is the perfect dish for a summer party.  It is easy to make and is packed full of delicious flavors. With bacon (so you know it’s good!), dried cranberries, and a dressing that provides a sweet and tangy taste. 

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The recipe came from a family friend and is one of my favorite recipes. Everyone claims to have to best broccoli salad recipe, but I have to say this one is pretty good. During the summer, I make this several times because it goes well with so many things and it is easy to make.

It doesn’t take many ingredients and you, of course, can play around with the recipe. Add golden raisins instead of dried cranberries, and use pine nuts instead of almonds. The possibilities are endless! Just don’t mess with the bacon because well, it’s bacon.

Watch me make this recipe on Afternoon live; a local Portland show. I go through step by step how to make this delicious salad and I use a fun local ingredient.

This salad starts with broccoli and it’s up to you what size to chop the broccoli to. I prefer a little smaller and Tyler (my husband) likes them bigger for a more dramatic crunch.

I compromise with him and do half big and half small.  The same goes for the red onion, I prefer to chop it in small pieces but you can cut it into strips or big chunks.

To cook the bacon, cut it into medium pieces before cooking, I feel it produces move evenly cooked bits. Cooking in strips and breaking into pieces works just as well.

Quick tip: Cook the bacon low and slow. Cooking bacon on high causes it to be stiff and hard, not so good.

The dressing may be the best part (or the second-best part because – ya know, bacon). It is made from mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, milk, and sugar.

This is yet another chance to play around with this recipe. You can make the dressing tangier by adding more red wine vinegar or more sweet by adding more sugar. I like my dressing right in the middle, the sweetness at first with a tangy aftertaste.

Place salad ingredients in a large bowl and then make your dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad, cover it with aluminum foil and shake! This coats the salad easily and you won’t lose any pieces by pushing it around with a spoon.

When finished you have a creamy, flavor-packed salad that everyone will love! Every bite has so many flavors and is a bit different than the last bite.

The salty bacon comes through then the sweetness of the cranberries, just when you start to enjoy that, the red onion says hello, all with a big broccoli crunch.