Jalapeño Cheddar Broccoli Salad.

by Jessica May 18, 2026

This jalapeno cheddar broccoli salad is my favorite twist on the classic! Crispy bacon, sharp cheddar, pickled jalapenos, roasted pepitas and a jalapeno ranch dressing make this extra delicious. It’s amazing at summer BBQs and parties!

It’s cold summer salad time!

This jalapeño cheddar broccoli salad is ridiculously flavorful, crunchy and packs a punch for any summer party that you have coming up.

With memorial day just days away, it’s time to get our menus ready!

Every year at this time, I love to share some new and exciting summer party salads. They tend to be a slightly modern twist on a classic or something I’ve thrown together accidentally on purpose that just works.

Dishes like these are ones that not only work for backyard BBQs and pool parties, but also easy summer side dishes and leftover lunches. They tend to be no-cook, no fuss and they are extra delicious!

Also, ridiculously satisfying.

Here’s my little 2026 twist on that classic broccoli salad!

First, jalapeno ranch. Ohhhh this is so fabulous. I use my greek yogurt ranch recipe and add fresh jalapeno peppers. The flavor is incredible – the peppers make the dressing taste so “garden fresh” – you know when you may have walked through your grandparents summer garden as a child? You can smell the hot sun on tomatoes and peppers? This is that kind of flavor. Incredible!

I use a small blender (my life line every week) to make this and it stays great in the fridge. It can be made a day or two ahead of time. And it can also be made with dried or fresh herbs, depending on what’s in your house!

Here’s the thing: I can’t make the broccoli salad without bacon, so there is a little bit of cooking involved. Again, this part can be made ahead of time. I prefer to bake my bacon these days, so I put it on a sheet pan for 20 to 30 minutes in a 400 degree F oven.

The result is perfectly crispy, crunchy bacon. Sometimes I will do this the day before and store it in the fridge. Allowing it to come to room temp or even quickly reheating it brings back the crunch in the best way possible.

Freshly grated sharp cheddar is a must. You have to freshly grate it! It’s so much softer and makes the salad 100 times better. I like to use orange cheddar here for the color alone – nostalgic vibes, you know? But as long as it’s sharp, the color does not matter.

A tiny bit of diced red onion is key too. This adds some excellent crunch! It also marinates in the dressing a bit with the broccoli so it loses some of the spicy bite.

For extra crunch, I throw in roasted pepitas. They add such a wonderful texture that can’t be matched. And the flavor is so much better here than, say, a walnut or almond. It makes the whole thing taste special. And extra crunchy!!

Finally, some pickled jalapenos. It’s up to you if you’d like to use a sweet and hot version for a touch of the candied flavor. I love pickled anything and tend to get mild jalapenos since I am a giant baby. But hot ones work too, if that’s what you prefer.

This whole bowl gets mixed up together and let me tell you: wowza. The flavor is incredible, the texture is even better! And it all gets more flavorful as it sits in the fridge. You can enjoy the leftovers for a few days and be in absolute heaven.

It’s crunchy, spicy, cheesy and so, so satisfying.