Last Updated on March 7, 2026 by Deliciously Organic Editor
Broccoli salad with bacon and raisins is an old Southern favorite. It’s a combination of broccoli, red onion, raisins, carrots, pumpkin seeds and bacon and is tossed with a creamy and slightly sweet dressing.
This salad is filling enough to eat alone for dinner, but it’s also great paired with grilled beef, chicken, pork or fish. And, a slice of fermented sourdough with butter would be a perfect compliment.
The raisins are plumped in this recipe to bring more flavor to the dish and the broccoli is blanched to reduce some of the goitrogens and make it easier on the digestive system.
Years ago, I’d open up a jar of Hellman’s, but now I prefer to make my own mayonnaise. Homemade mayo requires 5 ingredients, takes minutes to prepare, and tastes so much better. I love this recipe (you should probably bookmark it!). Mix up some of that mayo with a little honey and apple cider vinegar for an unprocessed dressing to pour over all the deliciousness in this salad. Enjoy!
Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Raisins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Salad, Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 large head broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
- 6 pieces bacon, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup homemade mayonnaise or Sir Kensington's
- 2 tablespoons light honey (I prefer clover)
- 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup soaked and dehydrated sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds (I used a combination of both)
- Celtic sea salt
Instructions
Place the onion in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside. Place raisins and orange juice in a small pot and bring to a simmer. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain.
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add broccoli and cook for about 2 minutes until bright green. Drain and rinse with cold water.
In now-empty pot, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon from pot and cool.
Whisk mayonnaise, honey and vinegar in a small bowl. Drain the onions. Place onions, carrots, seeds, broccoli, bacon and raisins in a large salad bowl. Top with mayo dressing and toss. Season to taste with sea salt.
Yum! I absolutely love broccoli salad and I’m very thankful to have found a healthy version with homemade mayo! Yay!
Thank you! Plan on trying this recipe out this coming weekend!
I am on a low sodium/low carb diet…Can you tell me what the sodium and carbs are in these recipes?
I don’t have that information, but you can enter this recipe in to a recipe software for nutritional info.
Your photos appear to show sunflower seeds and other nuts/seeds in the salad, but I don’t see any listed in the recipe . . .
Thanks for pointing that out! I made the edit.
What am I doing wrong? Hi Carrie – twice I’ve tried to make homemade mayo and twice I’ve failed. 🙁 The most recent time, I thought I had done it. The mayo was thickening, but by the time I had put all the oil in, it was liquified again. Any suggestions? I’m making it in a blender using your recipe in your cookbook the last time. I really want to overcome, HA. Thanks for any advice you can give. I can’t imagine it being so difficult to get rich creamy mayo. 🙂
Maybe you are adding the olive oil too fast? Last week I added an additional yolk and it helped make the mayo extra creamy. Also, are you whisking by hand or using a food processor?
I’ve been using a blender. I guess by hand or an emersion blender is best?!?!? I don’t think my eggs were room temp, but I know I was adding the oil very slowly, I read somewhere it should take over a minute to add the oil. I got to that point and it was looking pretty good and I still had oil left to add, which I did, maybe I should have stopped. Thanks for the input, I’ll try again :o)
Karen –
An immersion blender makes homemade mayo possible for me. Also, your eggs need to be room temp, or even warm (I placed mine in hot water for a couple of minutes last time I made it,) and put your mixing bowl over another bowl full of hot water.
You don’t have to add the oil drop by drop when using an immersion blender.
Great tips. Thanks!
This looks delicious. My favorite broccoli salad is just broccoli, raisins or dried cranberries, sliced
almonds and for a dressing, vanilla (or any other flavor you like) yogurt. If not using cow’s milk,
could sub any type of yogurt.
I made this for dinner last night following your weekly meal plans and it was a huge hit. I’m wondering though, why did I simmer the raisins in the OJ? What’s the purpose behind that? Thanks!
I love broccoli salad. I have never soaked my raisins in orange juice, though. I will have to try it this way sometime. I have also made it with craisins instead of raisins. I do put chunks of cheddar cheese in mine also.
This sounds like such a yummy recipe. I love broccoli salads and so does my mother-in-law, I might just have to make this for mother’s day this weekend. 🙂
I just made a similar version of this two days ago so funny. The orange juice is a great idea.
Ah, the beloved Southern potluck – The Baptists always put on a good spread 😉
It’s hard to make broccoli appealing but this recipe does just that. Beautiful salad.
Oh yum Carrie!!!
Wow, this looks great! I love this healthy version of one of my favorite childhood salads. And the pictures are beautiful!!
This is one of my favorite salads and the second time I’ve seen it just this morning. I guess that means I really have to make it!! I love your fresh take on it, and the carrots and sunflower seeds make it even better! Looks delicious!
This is one of my favorite salads, but I would never have thought to make my own salad dressing!
Love the sunflower seeds on this salad!
Hello lunch, yum! Good thing dad lives right around the corner from work ;D
I haven’t had this in a long time. What a wonderful memory trigger…I really need to make this again. It’s a great addition to a potluck or barbecue.
* Your reminder to make this again 😉
I am bringing this dish to a paleo potluck today. So yeey! Spot on. I still love it. Made it for my last birthday party as well, and I think maybe even with Christmas (same month).
I made this tonight it was fabulous. Left the honey out and glad i did since that would have been too sweet for me. But otherwise a rock solid recipe.
I was just curious about the cooking of the broccoli for 2 minutes. Is that long enough to remove most of the oxilates that inhibit mineral/vitamin absorbtion? I thought most broccoli salads were raw, so just wondering if that was why the addition of cooking the broccoli, or if that’s just the way some people like it.