This Keto Broccoli Salad is made with raw broccoli, bacon, cheese, and jalapeno pepper. It has a delicious sweet heat profile that will have everyone at your next family reunion potluck asking for the recipe! With only 3 net carbs per serving, this is a side salad that is perfect for the keto diet.
Everyone loves a side dish that is easily portable. This salad fits that description perfectly. It is also a salad that will disappear quickly, so making a big batch recipe is highly recommended. Pack it up in a loved one's lunch for an easy keto lunch salad, or serve it alongside a Cilantro Lime Grilled Pork Chop!
Picnics and potluck salad recipes
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I ate Broccoli Salad at many family reunions in my childhood. It was always a favorite of mine. I loved the sweet tang of cranberry with the savory and salty flavor combination. I wanted to replicate the flavor and not lose that sweet, salty, savory flavor combination.
This Broccoli Salad is not your typical picnic salad. To make this keto-friendly, I omitted the dried cranberries to remove the sugars. And, I substituted chopped macadamia nuts in place of sunflower seeds. One serving of this keto side dish recipe has 2.67 net carbs per serving (rounded up, 3 net carbs).
The combination of smoky bacon, spicy jalapeno, cheese, and slightly sweet mayo salad dressing is totally delicious and satisfying. This particular recipe cured my craving and satisfied my addiction to the sweet heat combination that I love so much!
Ingredients needed to make this keto side dish
Powdered Sugar-Free Sweetener: Monkfruit is my sweetener of choice, and this brand is my go-to. I use a powdered sweetener due to the fact it dissolves better than a granulated one does.
Fresh Broccoli: I like to buy the entire crown and break it down into bite-sized pieces. You will need a total of 4 cups of broccoli pieces.
Macadamia Nuts: I went with this nut because it is one of the better nuts for keto. It is high in good fats and low in carbs.
Bacon: I love good thick-cut bacon. The flavor of the crispy salty fat that melts in your mouth is irresistible. Using thick cut in this recipe is recommended for that reason alone!
Jalapeno Peppers: You want just enough jalapeno to give the salad a tiny hit of heat. Feel free to adjust to your own heat tolerance.
Mayonnaise: If you are strict keto, then be sure your mayo is sugar-free.
Cheese: I always shred my own cheese and always use a mild or sharp cheddar.
Storage Bowls with lids: This is my very favorite set of storage bowls!
Recipe Tips
- To save time, buy pre-cut broccoli.
- You may still want to break the broccoli florets into smaller pieces but still makes it more convenient.
- Buy pre-shredded cheese. For some dieters, the little bit of starch on the cheese doesn’t matter to them. It really only matters to those who are following a very strict ketogenic diet.
- Use pre-cooked bacon instead of cooking your own. Just microwave the pre-cooked bacon per package instructions to make it crispy before adding to the salad.
Make this Keto Broccoli Salad your way
- Use roasted chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds in place of the macadamias.
- Make it dairy-free and omit the cheese. To make it visually appealing, add ½ cup shredded carrot to the salad in place of the cheese. Be sure to adjust the carb count accordingly
- If you prefer cooked broccoli, you can blanch the broccoli and let it cool before assembly.
- The sweetener is optional here. I added it to replace the little bit of sweetness you get with the cranberries in the original broccoli salad recipe. If your good without it, that's fine, just omit it.
- If you really miss the cranberries, you can use no sugar added dried cranberries. They will not increase the carb count by much.
Other low carb salad recipes to try
Strawberry Rhubarb Salad is a nice spring to summer recipe that is a great side dish for chicken.
Strawberry Fluff Salad makes a great side salad for picnics or just make a batch to enjoy for breakfast!
Grilled Asparagus Halloumi Salad makes a delicious light dinner salad recipe.
Marinated Tofu Salad is perfect for the low carb dieter who is also vegetarian.
*If you made this low carb Keto Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Jalapeno, please give it a star rating!*
Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Jalapeno
Ingredients
- 5 cups Broccoli Florets
- ½ medium Red Bell Pepper diced
- ¼ cup Jalapeno Pepper diced
- 3 scallions diced
- [8 slices cooked bacon chopped]
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 teaspoon Powdered monkfruit Sweetener
- 1-½ ounces macadamia nuts chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook and crumble the bacon for the salad.
- Dice and chop the broccoli florets, red bell and jalapeno pepper, peppers, and scallions. Toss together in a large bowl. Add the bacon and cheese.
- To make the salad dressing, In a medium bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and sweetener.
- Stir the salad dressing into broccoli salad mixture until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
Lisa
I’ve made this many times in the past few years. I take it whenever we have a potluck and it always disappears really quickly. I usually make it without the nuts because it’s cheaper that way and it still tastes great.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Lisa, thank you for sharing your experience with the recipe. I'm so happy to hear you enjoy the recipe! Shelby
Sheena
I l ov e this salad
Viv
I’ve been making this salad for a few months now. DELICIOUS! Even my family members not on keto have me make it! They all ❤️ It.
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Viv, thanks for letting me know! I am so happy your family loves this salad!
Adriana Wrenn
can I use Splenda for sweetener?
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Adriana, you can use splenda if you wish. However, if you are strict keto, it is not an approved sweetener. We are keto, but are considered more "dirty" keto and do use other sweeteners occasionally.
Jean | Delightful Repast
Looks great, though I would definitely prefer to use three teaspoons of sugar than three teaspoons of artificial sweetener. It comes to just over 1/3 teaspoon per serving. I'm not on keto, but I do carefully monitor my sugar intake and never have more than 6 teaspoons in a day from any source. Pinned!
Shelby
Hi Jean, absolutely, you do what is best for you! I actually reduced the sweetener to just 1 teaspoon when I made it this week. The longer we are on Keto, the less sweetener we use as we don't crave that sweet! Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I hope you make and enjoy the recipe!
Joyce
How big would you say a serving size is ?
Shelby
Hi Joyce, I am making this again this week so I will exactly measure, but my guess would be about 3/4 - 1 cup is a serving. Depending on how big you cut the broccoli. I'll come back and update after I have remade the recipe. Thanks for stopping by!
Shelby
Hi Joyce! I did make this again, and one serving size is 1 cup. I've updated my info for the post. Thank you!
Joan Morse
I used about half the recommended amount of sweetener and it was sweet enough for my taste. Also did not have the macadamia nuts so used shaved almonds instead. It was a hit with my husband also. Will definitely make again.
Shelby
Hi Joan, Happy to hear it! Thanks for stopping by and making my recipe!
Jenn, from KeenForKeto.com
Such a pretty salad! 🙂 My broccoli lovers are going to LOVE this. Thanks so much for participating in Keen for Keto's keto salad roundup, Shelby!
Whitney
Hi how many carbs is this?
Shelby
Hi Whitney, net carbs are listed in the recipe notes along with the rest of the nutrition information. This recipe has 2 net carbs. Please note that it depends on what ingredients you use as to how accurate nutrition information is and the information I provide is to be used as a guide only.
Jennifer
I wanted to use pre cut broccoli but wasnt .sure of how much to use if I halved the recipe or kept it whole?
Shelby
Hi Jennifer, I would think a package of pre-cut broccoli could be considered approximately the same amount as a head of broccoli. I hope you were able to try the recipe. I apologize I haven't had a chance to be on my website for a few days.
Jennifer Travis
Oh my! This is just SO good! I doubled the recipe, made 1/2 with the jalapeno and half without (for the kids and adults that didnt like the heat.) I cut the sugar amt in half and used 1 small red onion in place of the scallions. I will def be making this again in the near future and years to come! Thank you for your wonderful recipe!
Shelby
Hi Jennifer! Thank you for trying my recipe and for stopping by to share your experience! Happy you enjoyed it!
Jeanie
I've made this many times before and all of my family and friends have loved it, but I've made it the day we were to eat it. I'd like to know if I make it Wednesday for a Friday night church event would it be good?
Shelby Law Ruttan
Jeanie, If you want to make it ahead, hold off on adding the nuts and bacon until the day your going to your event. Everything else would be fine. Thanks for stopping by! Shelby