Broccoli Crunch with Bacon Salad (Whole Foods Copycat)
If you’ve ever had the Whole Foods Broccoli Crunch with Bacon Salad, then you know how delicious it is! This copycat version tastes just like the real thing, but made right at home. It’s fresh and tasty and budget-friendly.
When you’re out shopping, sometimes it’s really easy (and fun!) to grab a meal out. However, this can get really expensive, really fast.
The ingredients are sometimes questionable with fast food, though snagging a salad from the Whole Foods salad bar is a healthier option.
Let me show you how to make this delicious salad at home so it’s ready and waiting for you.
Broccoli Salad Recipe Benefits
- Healthy, whole food ingredients will fill you up. Easy to make ahead and enjoy all week.
- You control the fat, sugar, and salt.
- This copycat version of the Whole Foods Broccoli Crunch with Bacon Salad is much easier on the wallet than grabbing ready-made salad at Whole Foods Markets.
Ingredients
- Broccoli contains lots of fiber and is a vegetable that many enjoy. If you’ve never had raw broccoli florets in a salad, then it’s time you tried it! It has a crunchy texture that is really satisfying.
- Raisins add a natural sweetness and chewy texture.
- Bacon is a treat and when you cook it to perfection and crumble it, a little goes a long way.
- Cashews bring salt and fat as well as a touch of protein.
- Honey brings everything together with the just-right level of sweetness.
- Mayo coats everything and is the perfect salad dressing.
- Red onion adds even more flavor.
Note: there are two Broccoli Crunch Salads available at Whole Foods Markets. This is the copycat version of the one with bacon. The other one has a poppyseed dressing without bacon.
Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Steps
Step One
Combine chopped ingredients in a large bowl and toss.
Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.
Step Two
Add dressing ingredients to a small bowl and stir to combine.
Step Three
Pour dressing over the salad and toss to combine in a big bowl.
Step Four
Serve immediately, or chill for later!
I hope you love this broccoli salad recipe as much as I do!
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
- This recipe can easily be doubled if you want more servings.
- If you don’t like spicy food, feel free to leave out the cayenne pepper.
- This recipe can be made vegan by using a vegan mayo and using a tempeh bacon instead of real bacon. Use maple syrup instead of honey.
- You can alternations to this recipe based on ingredients you have at home. Feel free to add black pepper, sour cream instead of mayo, sea salt, red cabbage, or even crunchy sunflower seeds. Try this Light and Easy Broccoli Salad.
Recipe FAQs
The flavor profile won’t be the same, as honey is key to the copycat, but you can use maple syrup. There are some great vegan mayos with better ingredients out there. You can either select a vegan bacon option or leave it out entirely.
This will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for three days. The broccoli holds up nicely to the dressing so feel free to make this on Sunday and enjoy for a few days!
You can use either or both! The version found at the grocery store uses the florets, but you can also use the stems. Just be sure to wash, peel, and chop the stems into bite-sized pieces before adding them to your salad.
More Healthy Copycat Salad Recipes You Might Like
- Costco Quinoa Salad
- Chick-fil-A Kale Salad
- Costco Chicken Salad
- Erewhon Kale Salad
- Whole Foods Curry Chicken Salad
Don’t Miss These Broccoli Recipes!
Whole Foods Broccoli Crunch Salad (Copycat)
If you’ve ever had the Whole Foods Broccoli Salad, then you know how delicious it is! This copycat version tastes just like the real thing, but made right at home. It’s fresh and tasty and budget-friendly.
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 4 cups broccoli florets, chopped into bite-sized pieces (from about a medium head of broccoli)
- 1/2 red onion, minced
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled (about 4 slices; see notes for vegan option)
- 1/4 cup cashews, chopped
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped broccoli, onion, raisins, bacon, and cashews. Toss to combine.
- Then, in a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey, and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
- Serve immediately, or cover and chill in the refrigerator before serving.
Notes
- This recipe can easily be doubled if you want more servings.
- If you don’t like spicy food, feel free to leave out the cayenne pepper.
- This recipe can be made vegan by using a vegan mayo and using a tempeh bacon instead of real bacon. Use maple syrup instead of honey.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 289
- Sugar: 8.3 g
- Sodium: 262.1 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.8 g
- Fiber: 2.3 g
- Protein: 5.7 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
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About the Author: Carrie Forrest has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition. She is a top wellness and food blogger with nearly 10 million annual visitors to her site. Carrie has an incredible story of recovery from chronic illness and is passionate about helping other women transform their health. Send Carrie a message through her contact form.
Perfect! Absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for sharing!!!!
Yay, so glad you enjoyed!!!
This tastes better than the crunch available in the Whole Foods counter likely because you make it especially for you – not made by an employee as one of his many daily mundane tasks.
The Whole Foods recipe has poppyseed dressing in it too. Do you have any idea about how much I should add to the above recipe to make it work?
This one is a copycat version of the one with bacon which does not have a poppyseed dressing.
The recipe from Whole Foods as of yesterday has both bacon bits and poppyseed dressing. Do you know how to make the poppyseed dressing? Also what do you recommend substituting bacon for, if one doesn’t want the added salty food?
I did some research and it looks like they sell two different types of broccoli crunch salad. One has bacon and one has a poppyseed dressing. Interesting that you had one that had both! Maybe they are re-formulating the recipe? I’ll have to keep an eye on it and see which version they end up serving. If you don’t want to use real bacon, I’d use tempeh bacon (or just leave it out if you don’t want the salty flavor).
I made this salad today (along with the peanut butter chicken😋)
This is a hit! I love the fresh and healthy focus in these recipes.
Do I have to cook the broccoli for this or is it ok to be eaten raw?
Either way is fine!
One of my favorite meal prep salads! It’s so filling and satisfying.