Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need to create this fantastic creamy broccoli salad:

• Red Onion: Provides a sharp, peppery bite that mellows beautifully after a quick soak in vinegar. It’s crucial for depth of flavor.
• Rosé or White Balsamic Vinegar: This is my secret weapon for the onions. It infuses them with a delicate tang and removes their harsh raw edge, adding a sophisticated acidic balance to the rich dressing and cheese.
• Broccoli: Fresh, vibrant green florets are key. They offer a slightly bitter, earthy crunch and a wealth of nutrients.
• Cauliflower: The perfect companion to broccoli, offering a milder, slightly sweeter flavor and a contrasting texture.
• Ranch Dressing, homemade or high-quality store-bought: This is the binding agent and the creamy heart of the salad. Homemade ranch, with its fresh herbs and tangy notes, makes a noticeable difference.
• Aged White Cheddar: My personal chef’s twist! Unlike the traditional yellow cheddar, aged white cheddar provides a deeper, nuttier, and more complex flavor that truly elevates the salad.
• Black Olives: Sliced black olives contribute a wonderful salty, briny flavor that cuts through the richness of the dressing and cheese, adding an unexpected but delightful umami dimension.
• Bacon: Crispy, savory bacon pieces are non-negotiable for that irresistible smoky flavor and textural contrast. They add a salty, meaty crunch that makes this salad truly decadent.
• Kosher Salt: Essential for seasoning and enhancing all the natural flavors. Morton’s Kosher Salt is my preference for its texture and consistent salinity.
• Fresh Cracked Black Pepper: Adds a gentle warmth and aromatic kick, rounding out the flavor profile.

For precise measurements and detailed step-by-step instructions, please refer to the full recipe card located at the bottom of this post.

Expert Notes & Tips for the Best Salad

Making this creamy broccoli and cauliflower salad is generally straightforward, but a few expert tips can elevate your results from great to truly exceptional. These insights will help you refine your technique, save time, and ensure every bite is bursting with flavor.

• The Vinegar Soak for Onions: While not a traditional step for all broccoli salads, I strongly recommend soaking the diced red onions in vinegar. This process isn’t just about mellowing their raw bite; it also infuses them with a delicate acidity that beautifully cuts through the richness of the ranch and cheddar cheese, adding a bright, zesty counterpoint. Don’t skip it – it makes an amazing difference to the final product.
• Preparing Broccoli and Cauliflower Florets: If you’re starting with whole heads, aim to cut them into uniformly sized, bite-sized florets. This ensures every spoonful has a good mix of ingredients and a consistent texture. If you opt for pre-cut, bagged florets from the grocery store, I recommend giving them a quick trim. Often, the bottom cuts can brown a bit in the bag, so slicing those off and then breaking down any overly large pieces will refresh them and ensure optimal texture.
• My Favorite Bacon Shortcut: Cooking bacon from scratch can be time-consuming and messy, especially on a hot summer day. My secret shortcut? High-quality real bacon bits (I often find excellent ones at Costco). Don’t just toss them in cold, though. Warm them in a dry sauté pan on the stove over medium heat until they become crispy, much like freshly cooked bacon. You’ll notice they get a little foamy and darken slightly. Then, transfer them onto a paper towel-lined plate to cool to room temperature. This step renders out any excess fat, enhances their crispness, and saves a significant amount of time without compromising on flavor or texture. I usually freshen up about 2 cups of bacon bits for this recipe.
• The Importance of Resting Time: While you can certainly enjoy this salad immediately after tossing it together, I firmly believe it tastes significantly better after resting in the refrigerator for a few hours, or even overnight. This allows ample time for all the vibrant flavors – the tangy ranch, the sharp cheddar, the smoky bacon, and the pickled onions – to meld and harmonize, creating a deeper, more cohesive taste experience. Plan ahead for maximum flavor!
• Storage: Store any leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The flavors will continue to deepen, though the crunch of the vegetables might slightly soften over time.

Versatile Substitutions to Customize Your Salad

One of the beauties of this Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad is its adaptability. While I have my preferred ingredients for achieving what I consider the perfect flavor profile, don’t hesitate to make substitutions based on your dietary needs, preferences, or what you have available. Here are some ideas for customizing your salad:

• Onion Alternatives: While I prefer red onion for its sweetness and beautiful color after soaking, any color of onion would technically work. Yellow or white onions will offer a sharper taste, which some might prefer, but the red onion’s delicate flavor after its vinegar bath is truly special.
• Vinegar Variations: I’m completely in love with Rosé vinegar for its unique floral notes. If it’s hard to find, White Balsamic Vinegar is an excellent and more readily available substitute that offers a similar delicate acidity. In a pinch, apple cider vinegar could work, but be aware it will impart a stronger, more distinct apple flavor.
• Vegetable Swaps: While the core of this salad is broccoli and cauliflower, you could introduce other crisp vegetables. Consider adding shredded carrots for extra color and sweetness, finely chopped bell peppers for a mild crunch, or even sunflower seeds or dried cranberries for added texture and a touch of sweetness. If you’re looking for a beautiful visual pop, specialty grocery stores sometimes carry colored cauliflowers (purple, orange, green) that would be stunning in this salad.
• Ranch Dressing Options: I always advocate for using my homemade ranch dressing—it’s incredibly simple (just three ingredients!) and tastes infinitely better than most store-bought varieties. However, if you’re truly pressed for time or prefer convenience, a high-quality store-bought ranch dressing will certainly do the trick. My recommendation for store-bought would be Hidden Valley for its classic flavor profile.
• Cheese Choices: My secret to a richer flavor is aged white cheddar. However, if you prefer the traditional route, yellow cheddar (sharp or mild) is what this salad is most often seen made with. Tillamook is a fantastic brand if you go that way. Other cheeses like Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, or even a smoked gouda could offer interesting flavor twists.
• Black Olives – A Negotiable Ingredient: I know black olives can stir up a bit of controversy! If you or your family aren’t fans, feel free to omit them entirely. Alternatively, you could serve them on the side, or swap them for green olives for a different briny kick. This is truly the only ingredient I’d call genuinely negotiable.
• Making it Vegetarian/Vegan: To keep this salad vegetarian, simply leave out the bacon. For a vegan version, swap the ranch dressing for a vegan ranch alternative, omit the cheese, or use a plant-based cheese substitute, and replace the bacon with vegan bacon-less bits or smoked tempeh crumbles.

More of my Favorite Summer Salads to Enjoy

If you love this creamy broccoli and cauliflower salad, you’ll be thrilled to discover some of my other favorite summer salad recipes that are just as easy to make and equally delicious:

Another beloved side dish that often graces my table alongside this one is my Ranch Potato Salad. It’s absolute bliss served next to a perfectly grilled burger or any BBQ classic!

For something light, fun, and incredibly refreshing, you have to try my Snap Pea Salad. Whipped up on a whim, it captures all the crisp, fresh components of a grocery store veggie tray, earning it the affectionate nickname “snack tray salad.”

When you crave something light and fresh on a sweltering day, or even a healthy dessert option, reach for this vibrant Summer Fruit Salad. You’ll be amazed at how a simple drizzle of lemon juice and honey transforms a bowl of beautifully ripe seasonal fruits into something truly extraordinary.

For a perfect pasta salad that’s both light and bursting with flavor, my Pesto Pasta Salad offers a delightful Italian flair that’s always a hit at potlucks and picnics.

My most favorite, however, might just be my Tomato Feta Salad. It takes mere minutes to toss together and strikes a perfect, addictive balance of tangy and salty flavors that’s simply irresistible.