Sunflower Crunch Salad
This sunflower crunch salad combines broccoli, crisp bell pepper, red onion, sweet dried apricots, salty bacon bits, and sunflower seeds, all coated in a creamy jalapeño dressing. Serve it as a side dish or a light meal on its own.
Never settle for store-bought packaged sunflower crunch again! This homemade version is bursting with fresh flavor and incredible texture. Plus, you’ll only need a few additional pantry staples to whip up a luxuriously creamy dressing that ties it all together. This salad is so tasty, even picky veggie eaters won’t be able to resist!
Think “good old fashioned broccoli salad” with added ingredients! My family loves this salad for any potluck, gathering, or even game day. It’s always the first to get devoured. Everyone commeents “how good the dressing is.”
What is a sunflower crunch salad?
This homemade sunflower crunch salad is inspired by the bagged versions you find at the store, but it’s way better. It’s loaded with fresh and vibrant veggies, healthy fats, and crispy bacon. The creamy jalapeño dressing adds an irresistible spicy kick – so good, you’ll want to lick it right off the spoon!
Why you’ll love this sunflower crunch salad
- It’s packed with colorful vegetables and loaded with contrasting sweet and salty flavors and textures.
- Crunchy and hearty, it stands up to the dressing beautifully and can be left to sit for an hour for maximum flavor infusion.
- Enjoy this sunflower crunch salad as a light meal or side dish.
- This salad is simple to assemble. Just prep the veggies, make the dressing, and toss everything together.
Ingredients needed to make sunflower crunch salad
- Broccoli: For crunch, bright color, and nutritional boost. You could use cauliflower instead, if you prefer.
- Red bell pepper: For more crunch, color, and nutrition.
- Red onion: Provides a lovely little bite.
- Dried apricots: The chewy, sweet dried apricots add another layer of flavor and texture to this salad.
- Bacon: Use thick-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled.
- Salted sunflower seeds: These add a nice crunch and healthy fats. You’ll need more for serving.
- Salad dressing: A combination of seeded and diced jalapeno, honey, garlic vinaigrette, mayonnaise, and freshly chopped basil.
How do you make sunflower crunch salad
Prepare the salad ingredients:
- Cut the broccoli into small, bite-sized pieces, removing stems if needed.
- Rinse and dry the red pepper, then dice it finely.
- Finely dice the red onion.
- In a bowl, toss together the onion, broccoli, red pepper, and sunflower seeds.
- Dice the bacon into small pieces, then cook them in a hot pan until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and let it drain on paper towels.
- Finely chop the dried apricots. Add half of the chopped apricots to the broccoli mixture.
Make the dressing:
- Carefully remove the seeds from the jalapeño, then finely dice it.
- In a bowl, combine the garlic vinaigrette with the diced jalapeño, mayonnaise, and honey.
- Whisk vigorously until the dressing is fully blended.
Assemble the salad:
- Add about half of the dressing to the broccoli mixture and toss thoroughly to coat. You can let the salad sit for about one hour so the broccoli absorbs the dressing, or you can serve it immediately.
- Just before serving, toss the vegetables again to coat them in the dressing. Add fresh basil, then top with the remaining dried apricots and the cooked bacon.
- Sprinkle with an extra handful of sunflower seeds and serve.
- The remaining dressing can be placed on the side so others can add more if they like.
Serving
Enjoy this sunflower crunch salad as a light lunch on its own, or top it with shredded chicken or tofu for an extra protein boost and a heartier meal.
Of course, this sunflower crunch salad also makes a knockout summer side dish. Pair it with Jalapeno Popper Burgers, Blackstone Grilled Cheese, Grilled BBQ Marinated Chicken, Traeger Pork Tenderloins, or Traeger Ribeye Steak.
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Salad storage: This sunflower crunch salad is best served immediately, although you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Keep in mind that the crunchy salad components will start to soften over time.
- Make ahead: Make the salad dressing and store it in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a week. I prefer to keep my homemade dressings in mason jars (especially to show off their pretty vibrance), but any sealable jar or airtight container will work. It’s normal for the fats to solidify in the fridge – just bring the chilled dressing to room temperature and give it a good shake or whisk before using again.
- Double the recipe: Easily increase the salad ingredients and dressing to serve a larger crowd.
- Taste to test: Taste the dressing before adding it to the salad. Easily adjust the flavor with extra honey for sweetness, vinaigrette, mayo, or jalapeno depending on what is needed to suit your preferences.
- Shake before use: Shake the salad dressing jar vigorously for at least 30 seconds to ensure the dressing doesn’t separate too quickly.
- Drizzle just before or let sit: You can dress the salad ingredients with this creamy salad dressing just before serving or you can let the salad sit for an hour to absorb more flavor.
Variations:
- Use different veggies: You can make this sunflower crunch salad with cauliflower or other veggies you have on hand. Just chop them and toss with the rest of the ingredients.
- Include grains: Add cooked quinoa, rice, or farro for a heartier salad.
- Include plant-based protein: Mix in chickpeas, white beans, black beans, or lentils.
- Vegetarian sunflower crunch salad: Omit the bacon entirely for a vegetarian version.
- Meaty twists: Toss in shredded chicken or pork for a complete meal.
This jalapeno salad dressing is what ties everything together in this crunchy sunflower salad. Be sure to also try my Pineapple Salad Dressing, Caesar Salad Dressing without Mayo, or Orange Juice Salad Dressing.
More crunchy salad recipes you may want to try:
- Kale Crunch Salad
- Asian Crunch Salad
- Mandarin Crunch Salad
- Summer Crunchy Romaine Salad
- Greenhouse Salad
Get the Recipe:
Sunflower Crunch Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 6 cups chopped broccoli, small pieces
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- ½ large red onion, diced
- 1 ½ cups dried apricots, diced
- 6 strips of thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup salted sunflower seeds, plus more for serving
For the dressing:
- 1 jalapeño
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 12 ounce your favorite garlic vinaigrette
- 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
- ¼ cup fresh chopped basil
Equipment
- Large Salad Bowl
Instructions
- Cut the broccoli into small, bite-sized pieces, removing stems if needed.
- Rinse and dry the red pepper, then dice it finely.
- Finely dice the red onion.
- In a bowl, toss together the onion, broccoli, red pepper, and sunflower seeds.
- Dice the bacon into small pieces, then cook them in a hot pan until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and let it drain on paper towels.
- Finely chop the dried apricots. Add half of the chopped apricots to the broccoli mixture.
- Carefully remove the seeds from the jalapeño, then finely dice it.
- In a bowl, combine the garlic vinaigrette with the diced jalapeño, mayonnaise, and honey.
- Whisk vigorously until the dressing is fully blended.
- Add about half of the dressing to the broccoli mixture and toss thoroughly to coat. You can let the salad sit for about one hour so the broccoli absorbs the dressing, or you can serve it immediately.
- Just before serving, toss the vegetables again to coat them in the dressing. Add fresh basil, then top with the remaining dried apricots and the cooked bacon.
- Sprinkle with an extra handful of sunflower seeds and serve.
- The remaining dressing can be placed on the side so others can add more if they like.
Notes
Sandy’s tips:
- Salad storage: This sunflower crunch salad is best served immediately, although you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Keep in mind that the crunchy salad components will start to soften over time.
- Make ahead: Make the salad dressing and store it in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a week. I prefer to keep my homemade dressings in mason jars (especially to show off their pretty vibrance), but any sealable jar or airtight container will work. It’s normal for the fats to solidify in the fridge – just bring the chilled dressing to room temperature and give it a good shake or whisk before using again.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
In your description of the Sunflower Crunch Salad, you use the words pan fried broccoli and the directions don’t say anything about frying the broccoli.
Not pan fried. Fixed description but the recipe is correct! Thanks for the note!