This Keto Broccoli Salad is a delicious, simple, and low carb dish that you can throw together in no time! Make your own keto salad dressing for a delicious and easy keto side dish.
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Why This Low Carb Salad Recipe Is So Fantastic
- Low Carb. I love broccoli salad recipes, but with the sugar in the dressing, the cranberries, and the raisins—it’s a keto nonstarter. Making my own ensures I know what’s in it.
- Side or main course. Sometimes I add cooked ham or chicken into the salad to keto salads and make it a whole meal in itself.
- Family-Friendly. It's a recipe everyone can love, whether or not they are eating low carb.
- Filling. The fiber in this broccoli bacon salad makes it very filling. I find I can barely get through 3 oz of meat and about a cup of this broccoli salad before I'm quite full.
Can You Have Mayo On Keto?
Yes, you can have mayo when you're eating a keto lifestyle. Not only is it low in carbs, but it also has a high fat content. You need to be cautious of which kind of mayo you're grabbing to add to your broccoli salad. Three of the most popular low carb mayo options are Dukes, Primal Kitchen, and Chosen Foods.
How Many Carbs In Broccoli?
If there is one thing I could tell people who are trying to follow a ketogenic way of eating, it is to stop thinking of whether or not a food is "allowed". Instead, start asking yourself how many carbs/net carbs there are in a particular dish.
There are many myths about keto. The reality is that apart from sugar, flour, tropical fruits, commercially baked goods, and other high-glycemic-index foods, there are many things you can eat while following a ketogenic diet.
So, how many carbs in broccoli? One cup of raw broccoli has 31 calories, 6 grams of carbs, 2.4 grams of fiber making this under 4 grams of net carbs.
So not only is it a great low-carb vegetable, but it is also lower in calories.
How Many Carbs Are In A Cup Of Broccoli Salad?
In this Keto Broccoli Salad, there are 13 total carbs or 9 net carbs per cup. This, of course, will be higher in any broccoli salad that is not created with a low-carb lifestyle in mind.
Are Salads Good On Keto?
Salads are great on keto for many reasons.
- Healthy Vegetables. Many people struggle with getting in veggies on a low carb diet, while still staying within their ketogenic macro goals. But apart from green, leafy vegetables, many other low carb fruits, vegetables, and nuts can be fitted into a low carb, ketogenic way of eating.
- Healthy Fats. Whether or not you are following a low carb diet, fats introduce both taste as well as satiety into our diets. As long as you use low carb salad dressings, you can't go wrong with a good salad with yummy keto dressings.
- Crunchy. Crunchy is usually healthy (put down the potato chips and add raw veggies.) And crunchy is something many of us on a restricted carb diet miss. (Try my keto seed crackers if you're craving something crunchy, by the way. )
- Filling. The fat and the fiber in salads will keep you full for a long time. Intermittent fasting is extremely healthy for all of us, not just for diabetics or Keto eaters.
- Family-friendly. Picky eaters are usually happier with raw vegetables rather than cooked vegetables. Since none of us have time to make complex dishes, easy 30-minute ketogenic dinners that the whole family will eat are important.
Do You Steam Broccoli For Broccoli Keto Salad?
For this recipe, you will not worry about steaming the broccoli before you assemble it. The crispness from the raw broccoli makes this a beautiful keto broccoli salad that will make the perfect lunch or low-carb side dish.
Ingredients You'll Need
For The Broccoli Salad
- Bacon- this can be omitted for a vegetarian version.
- Broccoli Florets- I like to dice these into smaller pieces (about 1/4") so you get a little in every bite.
- Red Onion- Finely diced. Too large pieces can cause an overpowering bite.
- Walnuts
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese- I prefer to shred my own for a lower carb count.
- Sunflower Seeds- The ones out of the kernel, unless you're feeling extra ambitious.
For The Low Carb Salad Dressing
- Sour Cream- Full fat makes this creamier and helps you hit your daily fat macros.
- Mayo- Use your favorite type. I prefer Duke's.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Splenda- You can substitute with any other sweetener of your choice. Just remember that this will impact the final dietary values of the dish.
How To Make This Keto Broccoli Salad Recipe
- Bacon. Cook bacon until crisp and then crumble. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon fat for the dressing.
- Make the dressing. Mix together sour cream, mayo, apple cider vinegar, bacon fat, and Splenda or any keto sweetener of choice.
- Toss. Toss together the broccoli, cheese, onion, walnuts, bacon, and sunflower seeds.
- Dress and serve. Pour in the dressing and toss the ingredients together. Allow the salad to rest before serving.
Keto Broccoli Salad Tips and Tricks
Keto Broccoli Salad is incredibly quick and easy to make, but it can be made even more simple by using a few of the tips and tricks below to cut a few corners:
- Use pre-cooked bacon to make this recipe even faster.
- Omit bacon for a tasty, vegetarian keto salad.
- Buy the broccoli either pre-cut or from the salad bar to save yourself some time.
- You can use any type of seed if you're not a fan of sunflower seeds.
- A little blue cheese thrown into this salad makes it quite delightful.
- Cover tightly to save the salad for a few days, so that you can better contain the smell of red onions in your fridge.
- Try this recipe with cauliflower florets.
- Add some cooked chicken or ham to this salad to make it a full meal.
How Long Is Keto Broccoli Salad Good In The Fridge?
The longer you keep the salad in the fridge, the softer the broccoli will get. This is actually--at least in my mind--a good thing.
As the broccoli marinates, it gets more mellow and more flavorful.
To keep this broccoli salad for about 3-4 days, be sure to cover and seal very well. The last thing you want is to smell red onions in the Instant Pot yogurt you just made and left to chill in the fridge!
What To Serve With This Keto Salad
Prefer to eat this Broccoli Salad recipe as a side dish instead of a main course? Here are a few of my favorite things to serve alongside it to make it a complete meal:
More Low Carb Salad Recipes
- Big Mac Salad - Super easy and tastes just like the real thing!
- Keto Tabbouleh - A delicious, vegetarian, and keto side dish.
- Korean Oi Muchim - A simple vegan and keto cucumber salad recipe.
- Red Onion Orange Salad - A fresh and light low carb salad.
- Antipasto Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette - A delightful Italian salad that's perfect any day of the week!
- Keto Salad Dressing Recipe- this goes great on just about anything.
Pin It!
Once you make this Keto Broccoli Salad, you're going to want to bring it to every gathering you're invited to! It's easily the best broccoli salad recipe I've ever tried. Pin it on Pinterest for later, or share it on Facebook to save this recipe.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 slices Bacon, (omit for vegetarian)
- 4 cups Broccoli Florets, raw, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup Red Onion, diced
- 1/3 cup Walnuts, chopped
- 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds
For The Dressing
- 1/4 cup Sour Cream
- 1/4 cup Mayo
- 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 packet Splenda, or other sweetener
Instructions
- Cook bacon until crisp and then crumble. Reserve aside 1 tablespoon of bacon fat and save the rest for another use.
- In a small bowl, mix together sour cream, mayo, apple cider vinegar bacon fat, and Splenda.
- In a large serving bowl, toss together the broccoli, cheese, onion, walnuts, bacon, and sunflower seeds.
- Pour in the dressing and toss to mix. Allow the salad to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Keto Broccoli Salad Tips And Tricks
- Omit bacon for a tasty, vegetarian keto salad.
- Buy the broccoli either pre-cut or from the salad bar to save yourself some time.
- You can use any type of seeds instead of the sunflower seeds.
- A little blue cheese thrown into this salad makes it quite delightful.
- Cover tightly to save the salad for a few days, so that you can better contain the smell of red onions in your fridge.
- Try this recipe with cauliflower florets.
- Add some cooked chicken or ham into this salad to make it a full meal.
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Nutrition
Don't forget to check out my other Keto cookbooks.
Keto Instant Pot, Keto Fat Bombs, Sweets, & Treats, and Easy keto in 30 minutes.
Marilee
We are not walnut lovers, so we substituted garlic herb olive oil almonds. This salad is fabulous!
Corena
Wow! I was blown away at just how simple, quick to prepare & flavourful this salad is! Even my husband and my son couldn’t get enough into their bellies. We have a big Charity Event we’re hosting this weekend and my husband has asked that I make this Fully Loaded Broccoli Salad. Thank you for sharing!
Audrey Ludeman
Thank you for a delicious alternative to my traditional broccoli salad with raisins or grapes! I used some powdered erythritol for the sweetener, and green onions without the white part instead of red onion, since I have understood onions to be a high carb vegetable.
Sherrie
Does anyone know how much a serving size is? It shows nearly 500 calories and 9 net carbs, but I can’t find what the actual serving size is? For 9 net carbs per serving, it doesn’t seem very keto friendly, especially as a side dish?
Lorri
I was thinking the same thing!
Sarah
It says it serves 4, so I would just split the full recipe into 4 serving dishes of equal amount and wallah you have your serving size.