Irresistible Mandarin Broccoli Salad

This Irresistible Mandarin Broccoli Salad is not only the best broccoli salad ever, but I’ll go so far as to call this my favorite salad ever. I’m not exaggerating; this salad is beyond delicious and without a doubt the best broccoli salad I’ve ever had.

With crisp lightly roasted broccoli and savory bacon pieces, sweet oranges and tangy onion tossed in the slightly sweet dressing, this salad will be on my favorites list for a long time.

Best Broccoli Salad

I cook with broccoli often. It makes an appearance in everything from soups, to stir-frys to coleslaws in my kitchen.

Salads are one of my favorite ways to serve broccoli as a side dish. I’ve been making Broccoli Salad with Grapes as a staple accompaniment to all kinds of meals for several years. The crisp broccoli, sweet grapes and tangy dressing in that recipe have always been a hit.

As much as I adore that recipe, I have to say that this Mandarin Broccoli Salad is even better. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to share it with you!

I know it sounds like a whole lot of hyperbole for a side dish, but I made this salad three times in less than two weeks the first time I tried it. It is completely delicious each time.

And I promise, it’s not just me who loves this salad. I have served this to countless guests over the years, and (silently) questioned whether it was really as good as I thought it was. They have all raved over it. Even my broccoli skeptical children enjoyed it.

Every single person has agreed. From the laid back response, “wow” to the, “oh my goodness, what is this? I love it!”

The response every single time I have placed a big bowl of this salad on the dinner table has overwhelmingly positive.

Broccoli Bacon Salad

One of the ingredients that makes this Broccoli Salad stand out from the rest is the addition of cooked bacon. I like to cook the bacon in the oven at the same time as the broccoli to save time and effort.

Once the broccoli and bacon are cooked, they’re tossed with fresh slices of mandarin orange, chopped red onion and mushrooms. 

Don’t let the mushrooms in this recipe scare you away! I’ve served this salad to two die-hard mushroom haters and both of them loved it. The mushrooms add no flavor to the finished salad, but they add a fantastic texture that you’re going to love.

I’ve been making this recipe for over 5 years now and when this salad is in the refrigerator, I truly can not resist it. I will eat it breakfast, lunch, and dinner until it is gone.

My kids know that they’d better grab some as soon as I make it, because after that, it’s my own personal salad stash and I honestly don’t love sharing it. Just call me a broccoli salad hoarder.

Honestly? I am completely fine with that.

Broccoli Salad Dressing

While the broccoli and bacon are cooking in the oven, whip up an easy homemade creamy salad dressing.

The dressing for this salad recipe may look complicated at first glance but I promise you it’s no more difficult than adding a few ingredients to a pan and stirring them together. Eggs, sweetener (I like honey or sugar), dry mustard and vinegar are cooked together to form a thick dressing.

Mayonnaise stirred into the dressing adds the last bit of tang and creaminess that helps tie all the flavors together. Once the dressing has cooled, simply toss the prepared vegetables and bacon together with the dressing and serve!

This Broccoli Salad Recipe might require slightly more hands-on cooking time than your average dinner salad but it still comes together in just about 30 minutes.

Serve a hearty bowl of it as a full meal or a smaller portion as a side dish. If you’re anything like me, however, you won’t be able to limit yourself to one serving!

Salad Recipes

Best Broccoli Salad Recipe

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5 from 4 votes

Irresistible Broccoli Salad

Mary Younkin

Irresistible Mandarin Broccoli Salad = The. Best. Salad. Ever. With crisp lightly roasted broccoli and savory bacon pieces, sweet oranges and tangy onion tossed in the slightly sweet dressing, this Mandarin Broccoli Salad will be on my favorites list for a long time.

Recipe adapted from and with thanks to A Pretty Life In The Suburbs

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

Servings: 12 servings

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ SALAD DRESSING:
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 1/3 cup honey or white sugar both work well
• ▢ 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder cornstarch is fine as well
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• ▢ 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons water
• ▢ 1/2 cup mayonnaise I made this both with and without the mayo and both versions were good. The final verdict was in favor of the mayo. It adds a tangy element to the dressing and we liked that.
• ▢ SALAD:
• ▢ 6 cups broccoli florets cut slightly smaller than bite size
• ▢ 2 cups approximately 5 oz mushrooms, sliced thin and then cut in half, about 10-12 pieces per small button mushroom
• ▢ 1/2 cup raisins
• ▢ 10 slices bacon cooked and chopped small (I cook the bacon in the oven at the same time as the broccoli)
• ▢ 4 mandarin oranges peeled and separated
• ▢ 1/2 small red onion very thinly sliced

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. If you are cooking the bacon in the oven with the broccoli, now is the time to start it. You can spread it out on a large baking tray covered in foil and place it in the cold oven as you preheat it. 18-22 minutes later it should be done. Keep a close eye on the bacon towards the end of the cooking time.
• In a large bowl, drizzle olive oil lightly over the broccoli. Toss with your hands to coat. Spread out the broccoli in a single layer across a lightly greased or silpat lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until barely beginning to brown on the edges. The broccoli should be a bright green with a bit of crunch remaining. Let the broccoli cool completely before combining with the other salad ingredients.
• Make the dressing next, it will need to cool before tossing with the rest of the salad. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk eggs, honey (or sugar), arrowroot and mustard. Add the vinegar and water and whisk again. Cook until slightly thickened, stirring almost constantly. Remove from the heat and add the mayonnaise. Cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the cooled salad ingredients and then toss with the cooled dressing. This is delicious immediately, however it is even better after 3 or more hours rest in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 229 kcal | Carbohydrates: 19 g | Protein: 6 g | Fat: 15 g | Saturated Fat: 4 g | Cholesterol: 43 mg | Sodium: 210 mg | Potassium: 346 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 10 g | Vitamin A: 536 IU | Vitamin C: 49 mg | Calcium: 40 mg | Iron: 1 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave a comment below!

{originally published 8/22/11 – recipe notes and photos updated 08/26/19}