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This single serving Broccoli Salad is crisp, refreshing, and full of flavor, with a perfect balance of crunch, sweetness, and a creamy, tangy dressing. It’s easy to make, satisfying, and great as a light meal or side dish.
Enjoy this fresh, flavorful broccoli salad on its own for lunch or as a side with Broiled Chicken, Baked Salmon, or a classic hamburger.
Check out our other Single Serving Salad ideas!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Delicious and Satisfying: A flavorful, perfectly portioned salad that works as a meal or side.
- Easy to Customize: Adjust ingredients to suit your taste.
- Quick to Make: Comes together in minutes, great for any schedule.
- Easily Doubled: Need more? Just double the ingredients.
Broccoli salad is one of my favorite ways to turn simple ingredients into something truly delicious. Crisp broccoli, crunchy sunflower seeds, and a touch of sweetness all come together with a creamy, tangy dressing that ties everything together.
This single serving version is just the right size, easy to make, and packed with flavor. Plus, you can make it your own by swapping in your favorite nuts or seeds. It’s a quick, wholesome dish that I know you’ll love as much as I do!
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this simple broccoli salad recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Broccoli: Use fresh florets for the best texture and flavor—no need to blanch. Frozen broccoli isn’t recommended. Extra broccoli? Try it in Pasta Primavera, Vegetable Casserole, or Cashew Chicken.
- Cheese: Sharp cheddar works best. Use thick-shredded cheese rather than finely shredded for better texture. Leftover cheese? Add it to Broccoli Casserole, Shrimp and Grits, or Baked Black Bean Tacos.
- Dried cranberries: Swap with raisins if preferred.
- Bacon: One strip, cooked and chopped. If using pre-cooked bacon, choose real bacon pieces, not imitation bits. Use leftovers in German Potato Salad, Minestrone Soup, or Pasta Carbonara.
- Sunflower seeds: Adds crunch. Extra seeds? Stir into Morning Glory Muffins.
- Chopped red onions: Adds bite and texture. Use leftovers in Chicken Shawarma, Steak Fajitas, or Pickled Onions.
- Dressing ingredients: A mix of mayonnaise, sour cream, white wine vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt, and black pepper. For a lighter option, swap some or all of the mayo and sour cream with Greek yogurt.
Tip: How to Cut Broccoli into Florets
Slice off the broccoli crown near the stem, then break it into large florets. Snip the stems of each floret to create bite-sized pieces. This ensures evenly sized broccoli for the salad.
How To Make Broccoli Salad
These photos and instructions help you visualize how to make a small batch of broccoli salad. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, cheese, dried cranberries, bacon, onions, and sunflower seeds.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve chilled.
Expert Tips
- Prep ahead: This salad comes together quickly, so read the recipe, check the ingredient notes, and gather everything before you start.
- Cut broccoli into small pieces: Smaller florets coat better with dressing and soften slightly as they sit.
- Adjust to taste: Add more vinegar for tang or a little extra sugar for sweetness.
- Let it chill: The salad tastes great right away but is even better after an hour as the flavors develop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! This recipe yields one generous bowl. If you’d like to make a second bowl, just double the ingredient amounts.
Yes! It tastes even better after chilling for a bit, so making it a few hours in advance is a great idea.
It’s best eaten within 1-2 days for the freshest flavor and texture.
Yes! Feel free to add other vegetables, fruits, nuts, or seeds to customize your salad.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this small batch broccoli salad or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Broccoli Salad For One
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- ¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (thickly shredded)
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 1 strip bacon -cooked and chopped in ¼-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons chopped red onions
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
For the dressing
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, cheese, dried cranberries, bacon, onions, and sunflower seeds.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Serve chilled.
Notes
- Prep ahead: This salad comes together quickly, so read the recipe, check the ingredient notes, and gather everything before you start.
- Cut broccoli into small pieces: Smaller florets coat better with dressing and soften slightly as they sit.
- Adjust to taste: Add more vinegar for tang or a little extra sugar for sweetness.
- Let it chill: The salad tastes great right away but is even better after an hour as the flavors develop.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I did not have sunflower seeds. I toasted some pecans and chopped them. Oh my goodness! Was very yummy! Will use the pecans next time I make it.
Thank you for adding ideas for what to do with the leftover ingredients. I find this the hardest part about cooking for one. It’s not like you can make more salad and freeze it, so I rarely have them anymore since moving out.
I’m glad you found our tips for using leftover ingredients helpful. Cooking for one can be tricky, especially with items like salad.
As you might have noticed, we include ways to use leftover ingredients within our posts. Plus, we now have a Recipe Finder button at the top of each page. Just type in an ingredient, and you’ll see a list of our recipes that use it. This should help you make the most of your leftovers!
Really very good! I added more raisins to make it sweeter. Love how you have recipes available for leftover ingredients.
Thank you so much.
The crunch of the celery, the bite of sweet with a little chew of the cranberry an=ll dressed in a lovely dressing that is not overly sweet. YUM!
Terrific recipe