Amish Broccoli Salad

Published: Oct 24, 2022 · Updated: Oct 24, 2022 by Kevin Williams | 66 Comments

Amish Broccoli Salad, happens to be one of our top three most popular recipes ever! As the summer salad season approaches, this beautiful broccoli salad recipe is definitely a keeper! The recipe comes from an Amish woman in Navarre, Ohio.

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🥦 Ingredients
🥗 Instructions
🥗 Perfect Salad Pairings
✔️ Full Recipe

Navarre is at the northern edge of Ohio's "Amish archipelago." Some of you may know Navarre as home to the Nickle's Bread bakery, the smell of which permeates every corner and crack of the town. The rolling hills and temperate climate of this part of Ohio make it ideal for growing gardens full of broccoli, some of which can be used in this delicious salad recipe. Give it a try!

Broccoli Salad

Amish cooks and gardeners are avid cultivators of broccoli. Here are some tips from Clemson University's agriculture extension department for growing broccoli of your own:

Packman is an early season broccoli cultivar. In a planting of Packman, most of the main heads will be ready for harvest at the same time. Packman produces many side shoots.
Everest is resistant to head rot and downy mildew.
Premium Crop is a mid-season cultivar that produces large main heads on a large plant. This cultivar produces few side shoots.
Southern Comet is similar to Packman.

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea, Italica Group) is a cool-season vegetable that prefers average temperatures of 65 to 75 F for best growth. Cole crops will "bolt" or produce a flower stalk if exposed to a prolonged cold period of 10 or more continuous days of temperatures between 35 and 50 F following a favorable growing period. The larger the plants are at the time of exposure to the cold period, the higher the incidence of bolting. However, sensitivity to bolting depends on the variety. When planted in the spring, broccoli must be planted early enough to ensure that it is harvested before temperatures become too hot.

A Delicious Spring Salad!

This broccoli salad is one of my favorite salads because it just melds these wonderful sweet and savory flavors together. And, FYI, the salad does fine a day or two later. In fact, I think after having 24 hours for flavors to meld, this broccoli salad tastes better the next day than it does the day of (but either day tastes great!)

You can really try a lot of variations with this. But good, crisp bacon is a must.

Give it a try and you'll be amazed that broccoli salad can be so good! Some people like to toss in raisins and or cranberries.

I have heard from many readers who like to toss some raisins into the salad and you can do that. I have never done it. I'm not a huge raisin fan. I like the recipe just the way it is listed below, which comes directly from the Amish cook in Navarre!

🥦 Ingredients

1 head broccoli, chopped
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ pound bacon, fried and crumbled
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

🥗 Instructions

Combine the chopped broccoli and cauliflower in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, and salt to make a creamy dressing.
Add the dressing to the broccoli–cauliflower mix, stirring to evenly coat the vegetables.
Stir in the bacon and the cheese, reserving a small amount to sprinkle on top of the salad just before serving.

🥗 Perfect Salad Pairings

Amish entrees that go great paired with broccoli salad:

> Amish Barbecued Hamburgers

> Amish Grilled Chicken

✔️ Full Recipe