Cauliflower Potato Salad Recipe

Cauliflower potato salad is another great recipe that uses cauliflower, which is low carb, in replacement of something else that’s high carb, like in this instance potatoes. It’s easy to make and delicious to eat and is the perfect faux potato salad!

You may wonder “how a mock potato salad made with cauliflower can taste like real potato salad?” I will say that even though it doesn’t taste exactly like the real thing, it is a very close second. 

I think it’s mainly the fact that both salads have all the same ingredients, except for the potatoes, such as the mayo, spices, mustard and bacon.

I think the bacon in this low carb potato salad just completes the deal…who doesn’t think that bacon makes everything taste yummy?!!

What is Cauliflower Potato Salad?

Cauliflower potato salad uses cauliflower instead of potatoes to make a substitute for the delicious summer salad that we are all used to eating. It’s a staple at picnics and parties in the summer along with a good side dish for your family to eat with hot dogs, hamburgers, BBQ chicken…etc.

To make keto cauliflower potato salad you can use all of the same ingredients that you would if you were making traditional potato salad, such as mayo, spices…etc.

Can You Eat Potatoes on Keto?

Potatoes are too high in carbs to eat on a keto diet plan and cauliflower is much lower.

1 Medium potato is 37 grams of carbs for which would push you way over the number of carbs allowed per day on Keto which is about 20-30. It’s certainly not a good usage of carbs for the day if you are looking to lose weight or stay healthy.

Is Cauliflower Potato Salad Healthy?

This Keto cauliflower potato salad, I’m happy to say, is a healthy and low carb recipe. It’s low in sodium, lower in calories than traditional potato salad, and the cauliflower itself is high in fiber and B vitamins. 

What’s nice about using veggies in replacement of other empty carbs like potatoes, rice, pasta…etc, is that they always come out as a healthier choice because, after all, you’re eating vegetables. 

It’s so nice that if you are looking to be healthy that there are other options and Keto cauliflower potato salad is one of those tasty options!

How Many Carbs are in Keto Potato Salad?

Our cauliflower potato salad has only 1.8 NET Carbs for ½ cup serving. If you have a cup there are only 3.6 NET Carbs. You can feel like you are indulging with no guilt!

What Ingredients are in Cauliflower Potato Salad?

Salad

• Cauliflower – This is obviously the main ingredient in this mock potato salad, which is a good substitute for high carb foods.
• Bacon – The most loved meat! The flavor of this is like none other and is everyone’s favorite.
• Scallions – A mild onion taste that adds just the right amount of flavor to add to the recipe.

Dressing

• Mayonnaise – A popular creamy ingredient that does not have any carbs and the perfect coating for this recipe.
• Salt and Pepper – Both of these common spices add so much flavor to foods that are otherwise bland.
• Paprika – A spice that is slightly spicy, just a small hint that adds just enough flavor.
• Mustard – This mustard can be the mustard of your choice, either dry mustard or a spicy brown or stone-ground mustard, even yellow mustard too. I would not recommend dijon mustard though.
• Dill – This herb gives the cauliflower potato salad a mild herb flavor and you can use dried or fresh, whichever you have or can find.
• Garlic Powder – In my opinion garlic makes so many things taste better, just a little goes a long way, feel free to add as much as you would like to for personal taste.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – The best vinegar to use in low carb recipes…it’s the healthiest. You can add white vinegar but don’t add balsamic or red wine if you are watching your carbs.

Fresh vs. Frozen Cauliflower

Fresh vegetables are always better than frozen, so in this case, making cauliflower potato salad with fresh cauliflower is also going to make your potato salad taste better.

Even after the cauliflower is cooked, the texture of fresh cauliflower will be more like potatoes than if you used frozen cauliflower.

Different Variations & Add-Ins

• In this cauliflower salad like potato salad recipe, we used ground mustard, but you could also use yellow mustard or dry mustard, which are both good. It’s a matter or personal choice because everyone likes different kinds of mustard. 
• In case you don’t like mayo you could use yogurt instead. 
• Hard-boiled eggs are a good addition to the inside of the keto potato salad or on top of the low carb potato salad.
• If you like white vinegar more, it can be used instead of apple cider vinegar.
• Sour cream can also be added to the mayo or to the yogurt, which will add some more creaminess.
• If you are looking for some cheese on your faux potato salad then feel free to add some shredded yellow or white cheddar…it’s a good combo with the bacon.
• Red onion can be added in addition to the scallions or in replacement to the scallions. It’s nice to have an option when you can’t find scallions in the store or when they are not in season they can cost $2 per bunch, a small bunch.
• One more addition that is good in summer salads is to add a little bit of celery, not too much but just enough to add a spark of flavor. In this cauliflower potato salad recipe, this would taste good.

Cheese Options

• Cheese would be a good addition to the mock potato salad, especially because of the bacon. Cheddar would be the best option, freshly shredded white or yellow. 
• You could add some crumbled blue cheese or crumbled feta cheese on top as a garnish.

Best Dressing for Keto Potato Salad

The best dressing that will resemble real potato salad is a combination of a creamy base, like mayonnaise, along with some kind of mustard, vinegar, and spices. You have a lot of flexibility with the exact ingredients as long as you stick with this formula.

How to Make Cauliflower Potato Salad

We are going to show you how to bring cauliflower from a fresh head of the versatile veggie to serving it out of a bowl as a delicious potato salad substitute.

The first step, as always, is to wash the cauliflower and then pat it dry with paper towels.

Cutting

The next step is to cut up the cauliflower in bite-size pieces for the mock potato salad.

1. Trim off any brown spots that might be there.
2. The next step is to cut the cauliflower in half and then in quarters.
3. Hold the quarter of the cauliflower vertically and use a knife to slice off the woody center. You will be surprised how the florets just fall right off.
4. If the florets are not small enough then you may have to cut them smaller.

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Tip – Make sure that your cutting board is big enough so that when you are cutting the cauliflower it doesn’t go all over the counter.

Cooking the Cauliflower

There are multiple ways you can cook the cauliflower for this recipe. We chose to boil it on the stove because it’s a fast and easy way to do it. Below are the instructions:

Stovetop 

Place the cauliflower in a large pot of water that has been salted and bring it to a boil.

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Cook it until the cauliflower is also tender with a fork, which will be around 7-12 minutes.

Once again keep your eye on it, and do not overcook because you can’t go backward. You don’t want your Keto potato salad to be mushy.

When it’s ready, drain the cauliflower in a colander and let it cool.

If you don’t want to boil your cauliflower, here are 2 other ways that you can cook it for Keto potato salad. Choose whichever is more convenient for you:

Microwave

1. Place the cauliflower that has been cut up in a large bowl that is safe for the microwave with 1 cup of water.
2.  Season it with some salt and then cover it with a paper towel and let the cauliflower steam until it is tender when you stick a fork into it, which will take about 4-5 minutes.
3. Do not overcook it because you can’t go back. 
4. Drain the water out and let it cool.

Oven

1. Put the cut cauliflower on a baking sheet and then drizzle some olive oil over the top to coat it and then season with salt and pepper. 
2. Bake the veggies at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. 
3. Check them for doneness along the way because once again you do not want to overcook the cauliflower. 
4. When it’s done, drain and cool.

Putting it Together

When it’s time to make the keto cauliflower potato salad, get a large bowl, a bowl that’s bigger than the one that you want to serve it in so that when you mix it together it will be easier to blend thoroughly. 

Put the cooked and cooled cauliflower in the bowl.

Cook the bacon. Check out our complete guide to cooking bacon in the oven for the best way.

Chop the bacon and add it to the cauliflower.

The next step is to chop the scallions and also add it to the bowl with the cauliflower and bacon.

Then proceed to make the dressing. 

• Tip – Make sure the bowl is large enough to mix the salad thoroughly without it difficult to blend.

Dressing it

Get a smaller bowl to make the dressing for the keto cauliflower potato salad.

Mix the Mayonnaise, Salt, Black Pepper, Paprika, Ground Mustard, Dill, Garlic Power, and Apple Cider Vinegar together in the bowl.

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Blend the dressing until smooth.

Pour the dressing over the top of the cauliflower and now stir it all together making sure to thoroughly blend well.

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Best Tips Low Carb Potato Salad

If you have never made cauliflower salad like potato salad before, we are going to share some of our best tips with you to help it come out right.

• Make sure when you are cutting the cauliflower that you use a large cutting board so that it doesn’t go all over the counter.
• Use a large enough bowl to mix up the keto cauliflower salad so that you will have enough space to blend everything up well.
• Use salt when cooking the cauliflower so that it will soak into the veggie, just as you would if you were using real potatoes.
• Try to cut the pieces of cauliflower close in size so that they will cook the same instead of some pieces being under-cooked and some over-cooked. Consistency, while making mock potato salad, is the key to make it similar to real potato salad.
• Once the cauliflower potato salad is put together and blended well, stick it in the refrigerator to make it really cold which will make the dressing cling to the cauliflower better, and the longer it sits in the fridge the more the flavors will blend together to become a good faux potato salad.

Other Diets This Recipe is Good For

• Gluten-Free – None of the ingredients in this mock potato salad have gluten in them.
• Nut-Free – There are no nuts in cauliflower potato salad.
• Dairy-Free – By sticking to this recipe there is no dairy in this salad.
• Paleo – This cauliflower potato salad can be a paleo favorite if you use paleo-approved homemade mayo instead of regular store-bought.
• Vegan – If you make a substitute for the bacon and mayo it can be a vegan recipe. There is something called vegan bacon that would work well. Also, make sure you use a vegan mayo instead of regular mayo since that would contain eggs.

What Goes Good with Keto Potato Salad?

The things that you would normally eat with potato salad are the same things that you can eat with our keto potato salad.

• Hamburgers
• Hot Dogs
• Steak
• Ham
• Kielbasa
• BBQ Ribs
• Fried Chicken
• Chicken Nuggets
• Garlic Pork Chops
• Meatloaf
• Chicken Wings

Making Low Carb Potato Salad Ahead

Cauliflower potato salad is best when made ahead of time. It gives all of the spices and other things to really soak into the cauliflower to achieve the mock potato salad taste and texture. It’s best if you can chill it for a few hours, and even overnight before serving.

How to Store Cauliflower Potato Salad 

The only place that you can store your low carb potato salad is in the refrigerator, especially because of the mayonnaise. Once it’s mixed up, it is best to put it in the refrigerator right away, not to waste any time so that it doesn’t spoil.

You can cover it with plastic wrap and leave it in the bowl in your refrigerator or move it into a large plastic container that is airtight to preserve its freshness. It will stay fresh for 4-5 days. 

I don’t like to keep foods with mayonnaise for too many days because it’s more sensitive, it can spoil quicker than some foods.

Can You Freeze It?

Regular potato salad does not freeze well, and the same is true with this keto cauliflower potato salad. The mayonnaise and the cauliflower do not freeze well, they get mushy and you won’t like the consistency.

More Cauliflower Recipes

• Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
• Loaded Keto Cauliflower Casserole
• How to Make Cauliflower Rice
• Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

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More Keto Salad Recipes

If you’re in the mood for some other Low Carb Salad Recipes then try our:

• Keto Broccoli Salad
• Spinach Salad Recipe with Bacon
• Easy Keto Egg Salad
• Best Keto Tuna Salad
• Healthy Low Carb Chicken Salad

They all are Keto-friendly and low carb, and will be a hit at your next meal!