This Cauliflower “Potato” Salad recipe is packed with all the regular “potato” salad ingredients – green onion, hard-boiled egg, and pickle – but with tender cauliflower instead of potato.
»Looking for more great side dishes? Try these Keto Grilled Radishes and these Low-Carb Alternatives to Potatoes.
That’s right. It’s “potato” salad style, but with no potatoes. The cauliflower takes the place of the tender potatoes in this recipe. You might like the way cauliflower takes the place of potatoes in this corned beef hash as well.
If you love potato salad, but have given up potatoes, whether you’re on a low-carb diet, a no-starch diet, or just don’t like them, you’ll love this alternative salad that uses low-carb cauliflower in place of the potatoes.
Ever summer, I get a huge craving for potato salad. It was one of my mom’s specialty recipes. She made it for every outdoor cookout, 4th of July, memorial day – you name it. Everyone loved her recipe. But when I started a keto lifestyle, I gave it up because I couldn’t eat the potato. Now, I’m back to loving this recipe again – cauliflower to the rescue!
Ingredients in Cauliflower Potato Salad
There aren’t a lot of ingredients in this salad, but it does take a bit of prep because you have to pre-cook the cauliflower and the eggs. Here’s a list of the ingredients you’ll need:
- Cauliflower
- Eggs
- Green onion
- Celery
- Bacon
- Pickles (and juice)
- Mayonnaise
- Yellow mustard
- Salt & pepper
How Much Cauliflower?
I use one medium head of cauliflower that weighs about 2 lbs. Cut into bite-sized pieces, it equals about 4 cups. If you’re starting from cauliflower florets, you need about 1 lb of cauliflower (that’s the yield of a 2-lb cauliflower after it’s been trimmed and the stalk removed).
What About the Pickles?
The pickles and their juice is a major part of this recipe. It gives the salad a nice zestyness that is missing from so many potato salad recipes. Unless you don’t like pickles, don’t skip this ingredient. I use dill pickles, with no sweetness to them. Sweet pickles or relish is not the same.
If you don’t like pickles and want to leave them out, substitute with 1-2 teaspoons of white vinegar to give the zesty salty bite of the pickle.
How to Make Cauliflower “Potato” Salad
Boil & Drain the Cauliflower
Place the cauliflower pieces into a pot of lightly boiling water. Boil for 8-10 minutes, until the pieces are tender. You want them to have no crunch left, but not be so soft that they crumble easily.
Drain the cauliflower into a strainer and run it under cold water to stop the cooking. Place the cauliflower in the refrigerator until chilled. It takes about 15 minutes.
Boil & Cool the Eggs
Cook the eggs in a pot of boiling water for 12 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking. You can leave them in a bowl of ice water to chill or put them in the refrigerator to chill. Once cooled, peel and chop the eggs.
Combine Chopped Ingredients With Liquid Ingredients
Add the celery, crumbled bacon, onions, pickles, mayonnaise, pickle juice, yellow mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix together.
Add Mixture to Cauliflower
In another large bowl, add the cauliflower and carefully stir in the mayonnaise mixture to combine. I do it this way to reduce the amount of stirring you do, because you don’t want the cauliflower to fall apart in the salad. Taste and season with additional salt, if you want. I tend to add more salt because I like it a bit more seasoned.
Add Hard Boiled Eggs
Lastly, add the chopped hard-boiled eggs and carefully fold them into the salad. If you stir too much, the egg yolks will disappear into the dressing.
Chill the salad for at least 20 minutes before serving. This helps to lock in the flavors and bring it to the proper serving temperature. I actually think the salad is even better the next day, so don’t worry if you have left overs.
Try using the Instant Pot or the Air Fryer to “hard” boil the eggs. Both ways are quick, easy and hands off.
How Many Carbs?
The best thing about this salad is that the cauliflower adds very little carbs to the dish. You’ve just avoided more than 30 grams of carbs by substituting cauliflower for the potato. Now, each serving of this salad is just 3 net grams of carbs. How great is that!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it Better to Boil or Steam the Cauliflower?
Either boiling or steaming the cauliflower works just fine. I boil it just because it’s super easy to do and I don’t have to get out the steamer basket, but use whatever method is best for you.
Can I Make This Ahead of Time?
Yes, you can make the Cauliflower Potato Salad ahead of time. As I mentioned earlier, I think it actually gets more flavorful after a few hours or a day in the refrigerator.
When you’re ready to serve it, stir it again and add a bit more mayonnaise or a teaspoon or two of water to loosen it up if it’s dried out a bit.
What to Serve With This Dish?
This side dish goes well with a lot of different main dishes. Here are a few of our favorites:
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Keto Cauliflower “Potato” Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups cauliflower cut into bite-sized pieces equal to one medium head
- 3 eggs hard boiled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1 dill pickle finely chopped
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons pickle juice
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt + more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the cauliflower pieces into a pot of lightly boiling water. Boil for 8-10 minutes, until the pieces are tender. Remove from heat, drain, and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Place the cauliflower in the refrigerator until chilled.
- Cook the eggs in a pot of boiling water for 12 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Once cooled, peel and chop the eggs.
- Add the celery, crumbled bacon, onions, pickles, mayonnaise, pickle juice, yellow mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix together.
- In another large bowl, add the cauliflower and carefully stir in the mayonnaise mixture to combine. Taste and season with additional salt.
- Add the eggs and carefully fold them into the salad.
- Chill the salad for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- This salad has 3 net grams of carbs per serving.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Laura is dedicated to a low-carb lifestyle after losing 52 pounds on the keto diet. As many of us do, she struggles with her weight and has found that one of the only diet lifestyles that allows her to maintain a healthy weight is a low-carb diet. She shares her favorite low-carb recipes here that are both easy to make and full of flavor, so you don’t even miss the carbs.
I love the replacement of cauliflower in this dish substituted for the potatoes. Great for a low-carb cookout side dish.
Genius idea! Will give this ‘potato’ salad a go at the weekend!
What a great idea! I also use pickle juice as a secret ingredient in cold salads and it adds just the right amount of zing to this one.
Love this low carb version of potato salad!! Now I can enjoy one of my summertime favorites completely guilt free!
Such a clever spin on a classic! I can’t wait to try this salad!