My broccoli Christmas salad is a delicious combination of fresh, crunchy veggies, cheese, and a creamy dressing. An easy to make side dish that has festive red, white, and green flavors and pairs perfectly with any holiday meal.

I have made many different broccoli salads throughout the years, so I thought it would be fun to create a festive version for the holiday season. This Christmas salad is filled with broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, and tossed in a creamy dressing.

One of my favorite things about this crunchy salad is the beautiful combination of red, white, and green colors. It looks so pretty on the table and it’s an easy way to add fresh vegetables to the holiday table.

If you would like more broccoli side dishes be sure to check out this broccoli apple salad, broccoli slaw with ramen noodles, and copycat Chicken Salad Chick broccoli salad recipe.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy to make holiday side dish. This recipe can be prepared in minutes. It’s also one that can be made ahead of time.
• Festive color. Red, white, and green color makes this a beautiful addition to your holiday table.
• Fresh and crunchy. A great, fresh side dish to balance out the heavier holiday sides.

Christmas Salad Ingredients

Make this festive broccoli salad with simple ingredients.

• Broccoli: Use fresh broccoli florets for this recipe. I like to cut them into small pieces.
• Cauliflower: Use fresh cauliflower florets. You will need one head of cauliflower.
• Tomatoes: Cherry or grape tomatoes add beautiful red color and great flavor to the salad.
• Green onion: Diced green onion adds more festive green color and mild onion flavor. You can substitute with sliced red onion if you prefer.
• Cheese: Shredded Monterey jack cheese is my go to for this recipe because of the white color and mild flavor. You can substitute it with pepper jack, white cheddar, or mozzarella cheese.
• Dressing: Mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper are used to make the creamy dressing.

How to Make Christmas Salad

Step one: Make the dressing by whisking together mayonnaise, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until combined.

Step two: Add the broccoli, cauliflower, green onions, tomatoes, and shredded cheese in a large bowl.

Step three: Pour the dressing over the broccoli salad and toss until fully combined.

Step four: Cover and chill in the refrigerator. This will help the flavors come together.

Heather’s Recipe Tips

• Use fresh vegetables for the best crunch and flavor.
• Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into small florets so that it’s easy to eat.
• Shred your own cheese. I find this gives you the best flavor. You can use pre shredded if you are in a pinch.
• Let the salad chill at least an hour before serving. This allows the flavors to come together.

Variations and Substitutions

One of the best things about the Christmas salad recipe is that you can easily customize it with a few additions or substitutions. Here are a few suggestions:

• Pomegranate seeds
• Red onion
• Sunflower seeds
• Chopped pecans

Frequently Asked Questions

Storage Instructions

Refrigerator: Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Make sure to stir the salad before serving.

Make ahead: This is a great salad to make ahead of time. Chop the vegetables and make the dressing up to a day ahead. Store them separately in the refrigerator and then toss together 1-2 hours before serving.

Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this recipe.

More Fresh Side Dishes

• Broccoli salad with raisins
• Broccoli and cauliflower salad with bacon
• Broccoli pasta salad