Easy and delicious side salad packed with veggies, bacon, grapes and almonds, then drizzled with a homemade sweet creamy dressing. Both adults and kids devour this salad! Tequilaberry Salad is perfect for a BBQ or quick weeknight side dish.
**I originally shared my Tequilaberry Salad recipe on my website back in 2017 and it has since been one of the most popular recipes on my website! So, I figured it was time I updated the pictures. It was much needed.**
Over the years, I’ve had lots of variations of side dishes consisting of broccoli or cauliflower mixed with a creamy mayonnaise dressing. This Tequilaberry Salad variation introduced to me by my sister-in-law, Sarah, a few years ago and it is delicious! She generously shared the recipe with me so that I could share it with all of you 🙂 In true Rachel fashion, I made a couple minor tweaks by adding grapes and almonds for added crunch and flavor!
What is Tequilaberry Salad?
Let me give you a little back story on this recipe. Tequilaberry Salad originated at restaurant called Tequilaberry's that was in Coon Rapid's, Minnesota. The salad pretty much became Minnesota famous.
Although, this recipe is a slightly different variation than the original Tequilaberry's Salad. The original recipe didn't include broccoli, grapes or almonds. When the salad was introduced to me it was made with broccoli, and I decided to add added the grapes and almonds for additional crunch and flavor. But, hey, that's what cooking and baking is all about, tweaking recipes to make them your own. Without that creativity, eating would be pretty boring.
Since I originally shared this recipe back in 2017, it's been very popular on my Pinterest. So, I wanted to introduce you to who I now call Pinterest Paul. Well, Pinterest Paul saw my recipe on Pinterest and was VERY upset that it wasn't exactly as the original Tequilaberry Salad from the restaurant. He basically thinks I'm a fraud because my recipe includes broccoli, grapes and almonds. Well, Pinterest Paul, the salad is great and people love it, so I will continue to make it with broccoli, grapes and almonds.
So, if you're looking for the exact original recipe, you're going to have to look elsewhere 🙂 But, I highly recommend giving my version a try!
How to Make Tequilaberry Salad.
Lettuce. I used iceberg lettuce, but romaine would also work great.
Broccoli. Just one head of broccoli cut into small, bite-size pieces.
Cauliflower. Half a head of cauliflower cut into small, bite-size pieces.
Bacon. One pound of bacon, cooked then crumbled. Uncooked, it looks like a lot of bacon, but, as you know, bacon cooks down a lot.
Grapes. I like to cut the big ones into quarters and small ones in half.
Toasted almonds. Either sliced or slivered, whichever your store carries.
Mayonnaise. This is the base of the sauce.
Apple cider vinegar. Gives the sauce a nice tang. You can also use white vinegar.
Sugar. Just regular granulated sugar to lightly sweeten the sauce.
Shredded parmesan. Also for the sauce.
Salt & pepper.
Tips & Tricks.
How to cook bacon in the oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil. Crease the tinfoil so it goes up the sides of the baking sheet. This prevents the bacon grease from running off the tinfoil onto the baking sheet. Lay the bacon in a single way over the tinfoil and bake at 400 degrees F for about 12-17 minutes. When you're done, toss the tinfoil with the bacon grease and you're left with a clean baking sheet!
Serve the salad immediately after you add the dressing. Just like any salad, the lettuce will get soft and wilted if it sits for too long after it's mixed with the dressing.
How to make Tequilaberry Salad ahead of time. Add all of the salad ingredients expect for the dressing and the grapes to a large bowl, cover and store in the refrigerator overnight. Mix together the dressing in a separate bowl, cover and store in the refrigerator overnight. When you're ready to serve, add the grapes and mix the dressing into the salad.
More delicious summer side dishes!
Strawberry and Goat Cheese Pasta Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
Creamy Italian Ranch Pasta Salad
Tequilaberry Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped into small pieces
- 1 head broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
- ½ head cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup grapes, halved or quartered
- 1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
- ¼ cup toasted sliced or slivered almonds
Dressing:
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Add all of the salad ingredients to a large bowl. If desired, set aside crumbled bacon and almonds for garnishing.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.
- When you're ready to serve, mix the dressing into the salad. If desired, garnish with more crumbed bacon and toasted almonds.
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