This low-carb cauliflower salad is a great side dish for summertime – or anytime. Cauliflower is so versatile and takes on any flavor profile so very easily adapted to fit your mood. This loaded cauliflower salad recipe is bursting with crispy bacon, crunchy green onions, a hint of vinegar, and a creamy salad dressing. Move over potatoes, there’s a new summer salad in town.
A great Potato Salad Alternative
Finding ways to curb summer salad cravings with low-carb alternatives can be challenging to say the least. If you’ve grown up eating potato salad, nothing will ever exactly replace that flavor memory for you. All we can do is work to reprogram our palates to enjoy new twists on those old carby summer classics. To do that, we have to recreate those flavor memories in new low-carb alternatives.
Loaded Cauliflower Salad does just that. It gives you the texture and flavors of your favorite potato salad in a new low-carb form.
Ingredients And Tools
Cauliflower is a great vehicle because you can vary this recipe almost endlessly to come up with new flavor profiles and cauliflower will easily adapt to about anything you can imagine.
Main ingredients
- Cauliflower
- Mayo
- Sour Cream
- Vinegar
- Bacon
- Green onions
- Sugar, optional – used to balance the acidity of the vinegar
- Seasonings & Spices
Tools
- Mixing Bowl [paid link]
- Rubber Spatula
- Pan for steaming
- Knife
How to Make Cauliflower Salad
If you prefer, you can take the extra time to roast the cauliflower before making this salad or even leave the cauliflower raw for an extreme crunch. My family prefers it steamed with an “al dente” texture so that it has the same chew as potato salad.
This salad goes great with barbecue and burgers or anywhere you would traditionally serve potato salad.
- In a large skillet, bring about water to boil. Add cauliflower, cover pan, and steam until tender, about 2-4 minutes depending on desired texture, ie. soft or al dente. Drain and set aside to cool
- Cook bacon until crispy, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, then chop.
- In a large bowl, whisk [paid link] together sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard (optional), vinegar, and garlic powder. Add cauliflower and fold gently to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then fold in bacon and green onions. Serve warm or cold.
- Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days.
Special tips: How to Prepare Cauliflower
To Cut Cauliflower
- Use either one large head of cauliflower or one large bag of prepared cauliflower florets in the fresh produce section. It should be noted that this salad also works with frozen cauliflower florets. My family prefers fresh florets to frozen but frozen does work in a pinch.
- If starting from a whole head of cauliflower, you will need to cut the cauliflower into smaller bite-sized pieces. Be sure not to cut it too small – you’re aiming for 1 to 1-1/2 inch pieces ideally. To start breaking down the whole cauliflower remove the outer lower leaves and remove the thick stem piece. Once you cut that down, the florets will start to come apart into florets. If they are too large, cut them down into smaller chunks making sure to keep the pieces fairly uniform in size so they cook evenly.
- If you start with bagged cauliflower florets, they should come pre-washed and ready to eat. At this point, all you need to do is look for any large pieces that need to be cut a little smaller to keep them uniform as described above.
FAQs
Can Cauliflower Salad be Made ahead?
Yes, absolutely! It’s even better once the flavors meld.
How long does Cauliflower Salad last?
Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days.
Other Great Salad Recipes
- Apple Pecan Blue Cheese Salad with Apple Vinaigrette Dressing
- Mexican Macaroni Salad
- Easy! Creamy Potato Salad with Olives, Dill Pickles, & Eggs
- Super Creamy Egg Salad – The BEST egg salad ever!
- How to make an easy ahi poke salad [Tuna Poke Bowl]
- Tomato Basil Cucumber Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Broccoli Salad
Serving Ideas
This salad goes great with barbecue pork, burgers, hot dogs, bratwurst, or anywhere you would traditionally serve potato salad.
Keto-Friendly Loaded Cauliflower Salad
Equipment
- Skillet, Large
- Knife
- Measuring Cups [paid link]
- Measuring Spoons [paid link]
- Mixing Bowl [paid link], Large
Ingredients
- 1 Large head cauliflower, cut into florets cut into 1 to 1-1/2 inch florets
- 6 slices Bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1/4 cup Sour Cream
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
- 1 tsp Sugar optional – used to balance acidity of vinegar
- 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Mustard optional – regular or dijon. We use Grey Poupon. Use more or less to taste.
- 1/2 tsp Granulated Garlic , or garlic powder
- Salt Sea salt or Kosher, to taste
- 1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper , more or less to taste
- 3 Green Onions (Scallions) sliced
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool. Once cooled crumble or chop to desired bacon-bit size.
- While the bacon cools, bring 2 cups of water to boil in a large skillet or covered pan. Add cauliflower, cover, and steam until tender, about 2-6 minutes depending on desired texture, ie. soft or al dente. The time will also depend on the size of your cauliflower floret. Drain and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk [paid link] together sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard (optional), vinegar, sugar, and garlic powder. Add cooled cauliflower and fold gently to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then fold in bacon and green onions. Serve warm or cold.
Notes
Special tips: How to Prepare Cauliflower
To Cut Cauliflower- Use either one large head of cauliflower or one large bag of prepared cauliflower florets in the fresh produce section. It should be noted that this salad also works with frozen cauliflower florets. My family prefers fresh florets to frozen but frozen does work in a pinch.
- If starting from a whole head of cauliflower, you will need to cut the cauliflower into smaller bite-sized pieces. Be sure not to cut it too small – you’re aiming for 1 to 1-1/2 inch pieces ideally. To start breaking down the whole cauliflower remove the outer lower leaves and remove the thick stem piece. Once you cut that down, the florets will start to come apart into florets. If they are too large, cut them down into smaller chunks making sure to keep the pieces fairly uniform in size so they cook evenly.
- If you start with bagged cauliflower florets, they should come pre-washed and ready to eat. At this point, all you need to do is look for any large pieces that need to be cut a little smaller to keep them uniform as described above.