This Broccoli Grape Salad is loaded with juicy grapes, crunchy broccoli, fresh cucumber, crisp bacon, and toasted pine nuts. The simple ingredients come together in a fresh, crunchy salad with sweet, savory, and tangy flavors. The creamy dressing is made with just four ingredients and ties everything together perfectly.

broccoli grape salad in a bowl with a serving spoon

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Broccoli Grape Salad Video

I’ve made alot of broccoli salads over the years, like our most popular Broccoli Apple Salad, Broccoli Corn Salad, or Broccoli Cauliflower Salad. They are perfect for potlucks and always get rave reviews! This Broccoli Grape Salad is the perfect combination of savory, sweet, and salty flavors.

Broccoli Grape Salad Recipe

The flavor and texture combination of this broccoli grape salad is very exciting with sweet grapes, salty bacon, toasted pine nuts, and tangy dressing. It’s hard to stop eating it!

I originally shared this salad in 2015. It is a recipe from my Mother-in-law and we still love it. It’s a great side salad for dinner, paired with Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Pork Tenderloin, but it’s also a perfect potluck salad.

Up close broccoli salad with dressing stirred in

Ingredients for Broccoli Grape Salad

The ingredients are simple, and several can be swapped depending on what you have on hand:

  • Fresh Broccoli (or broccolini) – thoroughly washed and chopped into bite-size pieces. If you prefer a softer texture, see my notes below on blanching.
  • Cucumber – use ½ English cucumber or 2 garden cucumbers. I leave the skins on unless I’m using wax-coated grocery store cucumbers.
  • Seedless Grapes – red or green, both work well, or substitute raisins if you prefer.
  • Red Onion – or sweet yellow onion. Shallots also work well for a milder onion flavor.
  • Toasted Pine Nuts – or substitute sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or chopped nuts like almonds or pecans.
  • Crispy Bacon – cooked and chopped.I like to make air fryer bacon and chop it up
Ingredients for broccoli grape salad with broccoli, cucumber, grapes, bacon, red onion and dressing

Is it ok to eat raw broccoli?

Yes, broccoli is perfectly safe to eat raw, and it’s one of the healthiest vegetables you can add to salads. It’s low in calories and carbs and packed with fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Just be sure to wash it well and cut the florets into bite-sized pieces, so they’re easier to eat.

If you prefer a slightly more tender texture, you can quickly blanch the broccoli before adding it to the broccoli grape salad. Simply boil the florets for 30–60 seconds, then transfer them immediately to ice water to stop the cooking. This keeps the broccoli bright green while softening the bite.

The Best Dressing for Broccoli Grape Salad

The dressing is really simple and good, real mayo lightly sweetened and balanced with freshly squeezed lemon juice and simple salt and pepper seasoning.

If you want to substitute mayonnaise, you can use equal parts of sour cream and mayo, or just use all sour cream. If using sour cream, you might add a teensy bit more sugar to taste since sour cream is tangier than mayonnaise.

Stirring together broccoli salad dressing in bowl

How to Make Broccoli Grape Salad

  • Brown the bacon and toast pine nuts.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine all prepared salad ingredients.
  • Stir together the broccoli salad dressing until smooth
  • Mix the dressing into the salad and serve cold.
How to make broccoli salad with all ingredients arranged separately in bowl

Can Broccoli Grape Salad be Made Ahead?

To save time, you can make this ahead. Chop up all of the salad ingredients and arrange them in a bowl. In a separate container, stir together creamy broccoli salad dressing. Stir the dressing into the salad just before serving.

Make ahead salad recipe stirred together with dressing just before serving

This Broccoli Grape Salad is fresh, crunchy, and always a hit—I hope you love it as much as we do.

Broccoli Grape Salad

4.90 from 59 votes
Finished broccoli grape salad in a serving bowl with mixing spoon
This Broccoli Grape Salad is loaded with grapes, cucumber and bacon. The creamy broccoli salad dressing is so simple with just 4 ingredients.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 6 as a side salad

Salad Ingredients:

  • 6 oz bacon, chopped, browned
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (or sunflower seeds)
  • 1 lb broccoli crowns, (2 medium heads) cut into small florets
  • 1/2 English cucumber, sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups red grapes, (seedless), halved
  • 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

Dressing Ingredients:

Instructions

  • Brown bacon in a skillet then remove to a plate using a slotted spoon. In a separate, dry skillet, toast pine nuts over medium heat until golden and fragrant, tossing often (3 minutes), then transfer to a plate. 
  • In a mixing bowl, combine chopped broccoli, sliced cucumber, halved grapes, diced onion, browned bacon and toasted pine nuts.
  • In a separate small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of mayo, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and mix well.
  • Mix the dressing into the salad & serve.

Nutrition Per Serving

265kcal Calories17g Carbs9g Protein19g Fat3g Saturated Fat8mg Cholesterol809mg Sodium391mg Potassium3g Fiber10g Sugar534IU Vitamin A72mg Vitamin C43mg Calcium1mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Broccoli Grape Salad
Amount per Serving
Calories
265
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
19
g
29
%
Saturated Fat
 
3
g
19
%
Cholesterol
 
8
mg
3
%
Sodium
 
809
mg
35
%
Potassium
 
391
mg
11
%
Carbohydrates
 
17
g
6
%
Fiber
 
3
g
13
%
Sugar
 
10
g
11
%
Protein
 
9
g
18
%
Vitamin A
 
534
IU
11
%
Vitamin C
 
72
mg
87
%
Calcium
 
43
mg
4
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: broccoli grape salad
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $
Calories: 265
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

More Potluck-Ready Salads and Sides

Here are more potluck recipes that always get great reviews. Many of these can be made ahead!

4.90 from 59 votes (26 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Natalie
    September 20, 2019

    One of the best salads! I love all the different flavors in it!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 20, 2019

      I’m so glad you enjoyed that, Natalie! Thank you for that awesome review!

      Reply

  • Sonia
    October 18, 2017

    Hi, I have made this salad twice in the last few weeks. Simple, yet very flavorful recipe. Thank you for sharing this and many other great recipes 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      October 18, 2017

      You’re welcome Sonia! I’m glad to hear you are enjoying the recipes so much! Thanks for following and sharing your great review! 🙂

      Reply

  • Ksusha. A
    May 9, 2017

    This was interesting 🙄

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      May 9, 2017

      Thank you Ksusha! 🙂

      Reply

  • Wiete
    May 7, 2017

    Can you help me please? You are using cups in this and the other recipes. Can you tell me how many ml or g I have to use? Or how many ml are 1 cup?
    Thanks Wiete

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      May 7, 2017

      Wiete, one cup = 236 ml. Thank you for visiting the site 😀

      Reply

  • Tatyana S.
    May 5, 2017

    Such a yummy salad!
    Didn’t think it would be good with grapes but when we tried it everyone definitely loved it! Another 5 star salad!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      May 5, 2017

      Tatyana, thank you for another great review! I’m all smiles 😬

      Reply

  • Meenu
    August 17, 2015

    Hi Natasha ,
    I made this salad for my son’s birthday n it was a hit ,thanks for the recipe.I liked the way you present your recipes , it is super easy to follow……other dishes looks yummy too ,will definetly try them…

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      August 17, 2015

      Thank you for such a sweet comment and welcome to the site :). I hope that you will find many more favorites on the site.

      Reply

    • KRISTIE ANN HOOVER
      June 9, 2017

      Can you sub Greek yogurt for the mayo?

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        June 9, 2017

        I haven’t tried that substitution but one of my readers writes: “I made it with plain greek yogurt in place of the mayo and it worked great! I didn’t change the amount of lemon juice — kept the same amount and it wasn’t too tangy. Delicious!”

        Reply

  • Marina
    April 11, 2015

    Dear Natasha!
    Being inspired by this recipe I created my own variation of it: with black (“caviar”)lentils and Ananas plus olive oil for the Dressing; no onions and sunfl.seeds though.
    It is really delicious!

    I like your website very much for the positive attitude!
    congratulations on your baby born as well!
    Cheers
    Marina (Düsseldorf)

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 11, 2015

      Thank you so much for sharing your creative modifications! I’m so glad you are enjoying this recipe 🙂

      Reply

      • joice
        July 31, 2015

        Made this yesterday..this was my first real salad making..super easy since this doesn’t need special equipment like the salad spinner..used lime instead of lemon since i didn’t have any, and used salted sunflower seed since i didn’t have unsalted and just reduced the salt in the mayo mix. thank you so much.

        Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          July 31, 2015

          I’m so happy you liked it! thanks Joice 🙂

          Reply

  • jessica
    January 11, 2015

    me encantaron las recetas, muchas gracias por compartirlas

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      January 11, 2015

      You are welcome Jessica, I hope that you’ll find many favorites on the site :).

      Reply

  • Lindsey
    December 31, 2014

    Just made this for my New Year’s Eve celebration — it’s so good! My grocery store was out of sunflower seeds so I used silvered almonds instead. Love this salad — will definitely make again!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      January 1, 2015

      Thank you for the great review Lindsey, I’m glad you enjoyed it :).

      Reply

  • Rose Fejeran
    November 27, 2014

    I made this salad to share at my work. We had a going away party/baby shower and it was a hit at our party! Thanks for the great recipe! It will definitely be part of our favorite side dishes to share at our parties and get togethers!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 28, 2014

      I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for a great review!

      Reply

  • Fala
    November 17, 2014

    I just had to come back to this website to write how amazing this salad was. I have a hard time working fruits and vegetables into my husband’s work lunches, and this is an easy and delicious way to do it.

    This recipe is definitely a keeper – it’s my new favorite salad ever. Thank you so much!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 17, 2014

      I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for the great review 🙂 Have an awesome day Fala 🙂

      Reply

  • Rebeca
    June 28, 2014

    Could I use plain Greek yogurt instead of the mayo?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      June 28, 2014

      To be honest, I haven’t tried it in place of the mayo. I like subbing sour cream with greek yogurt, but haven’t experimented with subbing mayo. It would probably have more of a tang to it so I’d ease up on the lemon juice.

      Reply

      • cindi
        September 12, 2014

        this is also what i was wondering; i am not a fan of mayo, unless it’s mixed with something that masks it’s taste! but….having said that, i may try it once….

        Reply

        • Zowie
          March 1, 2017

          I just made this salad today and it was amazing! Yeah, I couldn’t help but add bacon in it though! 😀

          Reply

          • Natasha's Kitchen
            March 2, 2017

            Yum! That addition sounds wonderful! 🙂

    • Carrie
      July 28, 2015

      I made it with plain greek yogurt in place of the mayo and it worked great! I didn’t change the amount of lemon juice — kept the same amount and it wasn’t too tangy. Delicious!

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        July 28, 2015

        Thank you so much for sharing your healthy modification! 🙂

        Reply

  • Jackie
    June 5, 2014

    I made this tonight and my daughter said “Grapes? In a salad?” 😉 The grapes totally make this salad….and she agrees! Thank you for this easy, yummy recipe.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      June 6, 2014

      I’m so happy you and your daughter enjoyed it. It’s one of our family’s absolute favorite salads! 🙂

      Reply

  • sharon
    March 30, 2014

    Thank you for sharing this receipe. I made it today and really enjoyed it. Great salad

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 31, 2014

      I’m so glad you liked it 🙂 Thanks so much for the great feedback!

      Reply

  • Danielle
    March 16, 2014

    Has anyone made this the day before? I’m thinking of having the salad all mixed and the dressing prepared the day before but waiting to mix it until I’m ready to serve.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 16, 2014

      I have made it the day before. It holds up really well in the fridge even after the dressing is mixed in. It has a little less lemon tang to it the next day, but it still tastes amazing. It actually stayed good in the fridge for three days.

      Reply

      • Chanel
        March 22, 2014

        I’m wondering if Greek yogurt would be okay to replace the mayonnaise with….

        Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          March 22, 2014

          To be honest, I haven’t tried it in place of the mayo. I like subbing sour cream with greek yogurt, but haven’t experimented with subbing mayo. It would probably have more of a tang to it so I’d ease up on the lemon juice.

          Reply

  • Angie
    March 8, 2014

    One of my favorites! Except, I put dried cranberries and toasted almond slivers, and for the dressing, mayo with salt, vinegar and sugar. Sweet, salty and tangy all in one 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 8, 2014

      Oooh craisins… yum! I add those to my broccoli apple salad and it is seriously delicious! I like the almond slivers idea, but I was hopeful my son would eat this (he won’t eat almonds). Turns out he only likes cooked broccoli. oh dear, more for me and the Mr. 😉

      Reply

  • Olga
    November 28, 2013

    I made this salad last week and it was so good! Except I forgot to use sunflower seeds. Do they make a big difference? Thinking of serving this today on Thanksgiving.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 28, 2013

      Sunflower seeds do add additional flavor but you can still serve salad without them :).

      Reply

  • Marina
    April 6, 2011

    Made this salad today, loved it ALOT!!! i did not chop brocoli, just used bigger pieces… Thank you Natasha 4 a great recipe…Yum yum

    Reply

    • Natasha
      April 6, 2011

      Hi Marina! Thank you for letting me know. So glad you loved it 🙂 You’re very welcome!

      Reply

  • Ilona
    June 1, 2010

    Yes Veronica, this is that salad…. Some put raisins in it… I have never tried with cheddar in it… But sounds very good!!

    Reply

  • Ilona
    May 31, 2010

    Oh yes this salad is definitely worth trying… Its a new dish here in Cali… Many substitute dried cranberries for grapes, but i personally love it with grapes. Also, you could try putting pieces of bacon. Many here in Cali do so. Fry pieces of bacon, drain excess oil and mix with the rest of ingridients. I love it…. my favorite salad.

    Reply

    • Veronica
      June 1, 2010

      This and Ilona’s comments reminds me of a salad I love with brocolli, raisins, onion, bacon and sunflower seeds but there is also cheddar in it. So good! I know I would love this and it’s pretty healthy too. I will have to make some!

      Reply

    • Marina
      April 6, 2011

      made the salad, then after i posted my comment i read ur comment, so i went ahead and added some bacon in it 🙂 lv it!

      Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      February 18, 2013

      I will add bacon next time, just bought some :).

      Reply

    • Diane
      May 20, 2014

      I am seriously addicted to this salad and it is so easy to make.

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        May 20, 2014

        That’s awesome! Diane, I’m so happy you love it 🙂

        Reply

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