This loaded low carb broccoli cauliflower salad with bacon is a great dish to take to a summer picnic or party. Easy to make, this keto broccoli salad is full of flavor from bacon, cheese and other delicious ingredients mixed in a mayo based tangy dressing that’s sugar free. One serving has only 1.9g net carbs per serving!
You might like this other keto salad: layered cobb salad!

I’m sure you’ve been to a family picnic and had the ever popular broccoli salad. It’s a creamy salad with a tasty combination of ingredients such as cheese, bacon bits and sometimes raisins and of course the broccoli. This has always been one of my favorite foods in the summer.
Well today I’ve made for you a loaded keto broccoli cauliflower salad with bacon recipe that will satisfy your craving for that popular broccoli salad. It’s has crunchy raw vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, a creamy sweet sugar free salad dressing and loaded with crispy bacon pieces , cheese and even pecans!
This is such a tasty salad that no one will know or care that it’s low carb. SO it’s perfect to take to family gatherings or a summer party. The delicious flavors also make a great low carb lunch or side dish. Best of all it has only 1.9g net carbs per serving!
Salad ingredients and substitutions.
The simple ingredients I used are fresh broccoli florets, fresh cauliflower florets, red onion, sharp cheddar cheese, bacon and pecans.
This simple homemade dressing is a combination of mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar and Swerve sweetener. And for the vinegar you could also try red wine or white wine vinegar.
You can use a different sweetener or sugar substitute if you are on a low carb diet like I am but if you don’t care about carb count you can use white granulated sugar.
I used fresh vegetables, both broccoli and cauliflower to give this a little more contrast. However you can use all broccoli if you wish or all cauliflower. I like red onion for color but you can use white onions or even green onions.
I added the pecans for extra crunch but you can eliminate them if you wish or another option is to use other nuts or seeds like crunchy sunflower seeds. But the bacon bits add great flavor but if you are vegetarian you can eliminate them.
For the cheese, I like sharp cheddar but you can try Colby Jack, Monterey Jack or even mozzarella cheese. But I prefer the flavor of sharp cheddar.
How to make this loaded keto broccoli cauliflower salad with bacon.
So this delicious salad is pretty straight forward. All of the ingredients are raw except the bacon and you can make it days in advance.
- Make the bacon slices any way you want. Once it’s done, place on a paper towel to absorb the excess grease. When cooled, chop or crumble and set aside.
- In the meantime, chop all the raw veggies (cauliflower florets, broccoli florets and red onion), pecans into bite size pieces and mix with the shredded cheddar cheese in a large mixing bowl or salad bowl.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar free dressing by combining the mayo, vinegar and Swerve sweetener.
- Toss the salad with the prepared dressing and then fold in the cooked bacon. You can season with salad and black pepper if you wish but the salad and cheese have plenty of salt for my taste.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to eat. You can eat this right away but it will soften a bit if you refrigerate it for a few hours. You can also make this the night before if you are bringing to a party or picnic.
Store leftover salad in an airtight container. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.
NOTE: I added pecans to give this salad more crunch but you can use pumpkin seeds, almonds or just omit them if you aren’t crazy about nuts.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This is a great dish to make ahead of time, even a day or so before a party. It won’t get soggy and will retain it’s crunch. I would mix in the bacon before serving though if you like crispy bacon.
What to serve with this low carb salad.
As I mentioned above this is the perfect side dish for a picnic, party or holiday gathering but you can eat this for a low carb meal like lunch or as a side dish for dinner.
Some low carb main dishes that would go great with this recipe is some from the grill like this Mexican marinated grilled chicken breast or this balsamic & garlic flank steak.
I also like these everything spice turkey burgers or this slow cooker barbecue chicken recipe. And if you have an air fryer try this easy rotisserie chicken pieces or even these keto chicken nuggets. All are delicious keto recipes and make a great weeknight meal.
Try one of these other 50 keto salad recipes!
There are so many low carb salad recipes on this site because as you may already know I am a big salad eater. It’s rare when I don’t have at least 1 salad a day. It’s also a great way to keep things low carb and still have great taste.
Two of my other low carb favorite recipes are my bacon blue cheese burger salad and my taco cobb salad. I have almost 50 keto salad recipes on this blog! So after you check out this keto broccoli salad, go check out the other delicious recipes!
They are sure to keep you cool and fill you up this summer.
This loaded keto broccoli cauliflower salad is very filling and tasty. The creamy dressing goes so well with the crunchy veggies and salty bacon. I ate it for lunch and dinner a few days in a row. So I give to you yet another low carb salad for a family picnic (seems to be an unplanned theme this week!).
The nutritional information for 1 serving is: 235 calories / 22.6g fat / 4.8g carbs / 2.9g fiber / 5.2g protein = 1.9g net carbs
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad with Bacon Recipe
This loaded keto cauliflower broccoli salad recipe is a great dish to take to a summer picnic or party. Easy to make and only 1.9g net carbs per serving!
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Swerve, or other sweetener
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 cups broccoli florets (raw)
- 3 cups cauliflower florets (raw)
- ½ red onion, chopped
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 8 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled
- ½ cup raw pecan pieces
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the bacon any way you wish, let it cool and chop or crumble. Set aside. Note I used ½ pound bacon. You can use more or less if you wish.
- In a small bowl add the mayonnaise, Swerve and apple cider vinegar. Whisk to combine.
- Chop the raw broccoli florets, raw cauliflower and onion into bite sized pieces and add to a large salad bowl along with the cheese and nuts.
- Pour the salad dressing int the salad bowl and mix well. Fold in the bacon or if make a day ahead of time, save the bacon for just before serving to keep it crispy.
- Refrigerate until ready to use. It will soften if you refrigerate it for a few hours however you can eat it right away too. It will just be crunchier.
Notes
The nutritional information for 1 serving is:
235 cals / 22.6g fat / 4.8g carbs / 2.9g fiber / 5.2g protein = 1.9g net carbs
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 235Net Carbohydrates: 1.9gg
Elisabeth says
How many cups is a serving?
Denise says
Hi Elizabeth, A serving is roughly 1/2 cup but it’s actually a bit more. I would go with a 1/2 cup to be conservative. Hope you like it!
Steph says
Can I use regular white vinegar instead of apple cider?
Denise says
Hi Steph, yes you can. I hope you like it!
Nancy Ivie says
How many points for 1/2 cup?
Denise says
Hi Nancy, I’m not sure what you are asking for. If you are asking for weight watcher points I’m sorry I just don’t know that.
There are 12 servings in this recipe and each one is about 2/3 cup and the nutritional information for 1 serving is:
235 cals / 22.6g fat / 4.8g carbs / 2.9g fiber / 5.2g protein = 1.9g net carbs
So a half cup would 176 cals / 16.9g fat / 3.6g carbs / 2.2g fiber / 3.9g protein = 1.4g net carbs.
Hopefully my math is right (LOL) and that this helps.
Tam says
Perfect hot day quick salad thanks for sharing it ..I added a little ranch packet to dressing turned out great
Denise says
Hi Tam, what a great idea!
Missy says
I made this tonight and it’s so good. I used more bacon because, why not? I also put 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in the sauce. I didn’t have swerve so had to use monkfruit. Thank you for this go to dish!
Denise says
Hi Missy, so glad you liked it! Yes more bacon is always good with me. 🙂
Maggie says
Hi first time to try this recipe, looks good. Can I make it the night before?
Thanks Maggie
Denise says
Hi Maggie, yes you can! I hope you like it.
Chloe Hyde says
Has anyone tried making this with Ranch instead of the dressing given? I tired this recipe but wasn’t a fan of the dressing. It was ok..but not something I wanna make again. I’m thinking about trying the ranch.
Denise says
Hi Chloe, I love ranch dressing and I think this would be great with it! Let me know if you try it and how it came out. Maybe someone else will pipe in with ideas.
Michele King says
I’ve had this salad made with ranch and it was delicious.
Denise says
Thanks Michelle, so glad you liked it!
Jagruti Dhanecha says
There are days when I just want to indulge in low carb food, that is filling and nutritious.
Kylie | Midwest Foodie says
This looks perfect for my next backyard barbeque!! I’m always looking for new side dishes and this one looks amazing. Thanks for a great recipe!
Natalie says
I absolutely love this. It look so light and so delicious. I bet my meat-lover husband will love this too. It has bacon and he loves anything with bacon. It’s actually perfect way to get him to eat more veggies. Saving this!