A classic sweet broccoli salad with crispy bacon and chewy unsweetened dried cranberries. It's low carb and paleo friendly with no added sugar.
I'm always looking for ways to lower the carbs for recipes that I enjoyed before going low carb. One of the dishes that's often served at family gatherings in the summer is broccoli salad.
Although there are several different versions, I prefer the one with sweet dressing, crunchy bacon, and chewy cranberries. It's similar to the salad I posted here, but this one has unsweetened dried cranberries and no cheese.
Sunflower seeds and cranberries have about the same amount of carbs per volume. So, you can sub one for the other in this sweet broccoli salad if you wish. But, the sunflower seeds do add in some healthy fat.
I like to use the same amount of each in the salad, but if you like cranberries add more and less sunflower seeds. You can also reduce or omit the onion. However, it doesn't add many carbs per serving.
I used a chopped red onion, but it's totally optional. It adds color and flavor without adding a lot of carbs so it's worth the minimal carbs added.
To sweeten the dressing in this sweet broccoli salad, I used a blend of stevia concentrated powder and monk fruit concentrated powder. But, you can certainly use any low carb sweetener you prefer.
I've moved away from erythritol based sweeteners for a few reasons. One is that it typically comes from corn so it may contain trace amounts and I'm sensitive to corn products. Another is that I'm very sensitive to it when it passes in urine as it has a similar "cooling effect" because it doesn't get digested and passes relatively unchanged.
I also like that concentrated sweeteners like stevia and monk fruit are completely carb free without any sugar alcohols. There are some recipes that are difficult to make without the bulk of erythritol like frosting. So, I do still use bulk sweeteners like Swerve on occasion.
I served this sweet broccoli salad to the guests at our Fourth of July cookout. There were only a few low carbers at the picnic, but the salad was enjoyed by all.
I'll definitely be making the salad again this summer. It's one of my favorites and it's great for packing in a cooler for lunch at work. It's pretty filling so it can be a meal in itself.
I got about nine cups of salad from the recipe so I figured about one cup servings. Most people won't take a full cup if it's a large cookout with tons of food.
You can easily get twice as many servings as stated as it fills up a medium bowl. But, you can easily adjust the recipe as needed.
This salad is one of many low carb side dishes perfect for picnics and BBQs. And, it's super quick to prepare. From start to finish, it shouldn't take longer than ten minutes.
I like to use broccoli florets that are already washed to save time. But, it shouldn't take a lot of time to wash and cut a bunch of broccoli.
I hope you enjoy this fantastic summer salad as much as I do. Do you have a favorite variation of broccoli salad?
Keto Low Carb Sweet Broccoli Salad Supreme Recipe
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Recipe
Sweet Broccoli Salad Supreme
Ingredients
- 20 ounces broccoli florets
- 16 slices no sugar bacon cooked crisp
- ¾ cup sunflower seeds
- ¾ cup sugar free dried cranberries
- 1 cup red onion chopped (optional)
- 1 cup avocado mayonnaise
- ⅛ teaspoon stevia concentrated powder
- ¼ teaspoon monk fruit powder
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
Instructions
- Combine broccoli, bacon, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and onion (if using) in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together avocado mayonnaise, stevia, monk fruit, and vinegar.
- Stir mayonnaise based dressing into broccoli mix. Chill several hours before serving.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Notes on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Copyright
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Melanie
Hi. The list of ingredients calls for 16 slices of bacon. Is that correct?
Lisa MarcAurele
The recipes uses 16 cooked bacon slices of regular thickness.
Christopher L Schwinn
Thank you for sharing this. I just tried this out tonight. I couldn't find any cranberries without added sugar at the store, but I did find a bag of mixed dried berries and raisins without, which I use instead, and it was great. The only thing I would have less of is the onion. I will try 3/4 cup next time. Maybe even a half cup. I felt it overpowered the dish just a little bit with a full cup.
Nicole
Delicious! I used Swerve to taste and I had Trader Joe's roasted and salted pumpkin seeds on hand so used those and no cranberries. I also added a little cheddar and ate it with a hard boiled egg for lunch. Thanks for the great recipe!
April
Hello! If I don't have the Stevia, can I use Swerve? If so, how much?
Thanks!
Lisa
You'll have to taste test, but I'd try about 2 tablespoons (more or less).