This cauliflower salad recipe goes with all your grilling favorites. It’s creamy, flavorful, and packed with classic potato salad ingredients. You won’t miss the spuds with this perfect keto side dish. And it’s dairy-free and paleo!
Grilling season is here and everyone is getting together for easy backyard parties and barbecues. And they’re bringing popular summer sides like potato salad. But you don’t eat potatoes, so what do you do?
You bring this keto cauliflower salad, of course! What a silly question.
This cauliflower salad recipe features all the great flavors and mix-ins of the potato salads you used to love as a kid, with a fraction of the carbs.
And because it’s so light and fresh, you can indulge in even more of it. SCORE!
Classic cauliflower salad for summer
Cauliflower salad has any number of possible twists and variations. It can be roasted, marinated, or lightly steamed. And you can play with the dressings and flavors to suit your tastes.
But this recipe takes its cues from the classic potato salad served frequently in the summer. It’s packed with hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, and some crispy bacon for good measure.
All tossed together in a large bowl for creamy summer salad perfection.
Ingredients
This delicious keto side dish is made with fresh ingredients available everywhere. You will need:
- Cauliflower florets
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Celery
- Bacon
- Green onion
- Mayonnaise
- Dijon mustard
- Lemon juice
- Paprika
- Salt and pepper
How to make creamy cauliflower salad
1. Hard-boil the eggs
Bring the water to a full boil before adding the eggs, the lower them in carefully with a slotted spoon. Set the timer for 12 minutes.
While the eggs are cooking, set up a bowl with water and ice. Once the eggs are done, transfer them straight to the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Give them 10 minutes to cool and they should peel quite easily.
Chop 2 of the eggs for the salad dressing, and slice the third egg for garnish.
2. Cook the cauliflower
Cauliflower cooks much faster than potatoes, so you want a light touch here. Don’t even leave the kitchen, it will be done in a flash!
Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and place in a large saucepan filled about halfway with water.
Bring to a boil and and cook only about 2 to 3 minutes before checking with a fork. You don’t be only just fork tender because it will keep cooking a bit once it’s off the stove.
Immediately drain in a colander and let it cool completely.
3. Put it all together
Place the cauliflower, chopped egg, bacon, celery, and green onion in a large bowl and toss to combine.
Add the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, and paprika and stir until everything is nicely coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and then garnish with the sliced egg and some additional paprika.
Place the salad in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes or so before serving.
Storage information
Keto cauliflower salad is always best fresh, but the leftovers are good for several days. Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Want more keto summer salad ideas?
- Keto 7 Layer Salad
- Chopped Greek Chicken Salad
- Salmon Avocado Salad
- Easy Green Bean Salad
- Sriracha Broccoli Coleslaw
- Buffalo Chicken Chopped Salad
Creamy Cauliflower Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large head cauliflower cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 ribs celery sliced
- 6 slices cooked bacon chopped
- 2 medium green onions white and light green parts only, chopped
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium high heat, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Gently lower the eggs into the water and boil about 12 minutes.
- While the eggs are cooking, fill a medium bowl with ice and water. Once the eggs are done, quickly transfer the eggs to the ice bath. Let sit 10 minutes before peeling. Chop 2 of the eggs and slice the third.
- In another large pot, place the cauliflower florets and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil and cook until the cauliflower is just fork tender, about 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and let cool.
- In a large bowl, combine the chopped eggs, cauliflower, celery, bacon, and green onions, and toss to combine. Add the mayonnaise, Dijon, lemon juice, and paprika. Stir until well mixed and the cauliflower is well coated.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the sliced egg.
Carol says
I find the smell of cooked cauliflower very off-putting… like sulphur. How do you manage that and what causes it?
Pam B says
Thank you for your tips. I tried to make something like this last year and it was a watery mess. This time I cut florets small, put in a colander after cooking . Let it drain until cool. Then I made it using my usual ingredients except potato. It tasted very close to usual. I made it the day before use to allow the flavors to meld.
Charlie says
I made this. My wife makes a great potato salad and I was looking for something low carb that I could replace potato salad with, and this is it. I made it pretty much as written except I added a handful of chopped onion, 2 Tbs pickle relish, and a Tbs of cider vinegar. I cooked the cauliflower in my instant pot on high pressure for 0 minutes. I really liked this cauliflower salad.
Carolyn says
I am so glad to hear it!
Laura Pizziketti says
I just made this and it will be my go to summer grilling side dish….the hardest part of these recipes is that dang cooling time!!
Lynne says
So good!