Cauliflower "Potato" Salad
All the picnic classics — creamy mustard dressing, eggs, celery, pickles and dill — with tender cauliflower standing in for potatoes.
Nutrition per serving
¾ cup- Net carbs
- 4.1g
- Calories
- 193kcal
- Protein
- 5.6g
- Fat
- 17g
- Total carbs
- 6.7 g
- Fiber
- 2.6 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Loaded (bacon & cheddar): Crispy bacon, sharp cheddar, green onions and sour cream in the dressing — the loaded-baked-potato salad that disappears first at cookouts.
- Whisk the sour cream into the dressing and leave out the pickles.
- Fold the bacon, cheddar and green onions in with the cauliflower, saving a little of each to scatter on top.
Egg-free (sour cream & dill): No eggs and no mayonnaise: a tangy sour cream and dill dressing keeps it creamy for anyone avoiding eggs.
- Skip the egg-boiling step.
- Make the dressing with sour cream instead of mayonnaise. It is thicker, so loosen it with an extra splash of pickle brine if it seems stiff.
Warm German-style: No mayo and no eggs: warm cauliflower tossed in a tangy bacon and cider vinegar dressing with mustard and parsley, served warm or at room temperature.
- Skip the eggs. While the cauliflower cooks, fry the chopped bacon in a skillet until crisp, lift it out and leave 2 tablespoons of fat in the pan.
- Soften the onion in the bacon fat for 2 minutes, then add the vinegar, broth, mustard, sweetener, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer, whisking.
- Toss the drained, still-warm cauliflower and the celery with the hot dressing, bacon and parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature rather than chilled.
- Salad
- Dressing
- Nice to have (optional)
- Salad
-
½ cup dill picklesleave out - Dressing
- Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
- Salad
-
3 large eggsleave out - Dressing
- Nice to have (optional)
- Salad
-
3 large eggsleave out -
½ cup dill picklesleave out - Dressing
-
½ cup mayonnaiseleave out - Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
Estimated cost $5.92 for 6 servings ($0.99 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Hard-boil the eggs: cover them with cold water by 1 inch (2.5 cm), bring to a boil, then cover, turn off the heat and let stand 11 minutes. Move to a bowl of ice water; once cool, peel and chop.
-
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and cook 5–6 minutes, until a fork slides in with just a little resistance — like a cooked potato, not mush.
-
Drain well and spread the cauliflower on a towel-lined sheet pan to steam off, then refrigerate for 15–20 minutes, until cool and dry to the touch.
-
In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, pickle brine, dill, salt and pepper.
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Add the cooled cauliflower, eggs, celery, onion and pickles and fold gently with a spatula until everything is coated, without mashing the florets.
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Cover and chill for at least 1 hour so the flavors meld. Stir, dust with paprika and serve cold.
Tips for success
-
The cauliflower must be cool and dry before it meets the dressing — warm or wet florets thin the mayo into a watery puddle. - Err on the side of undercooking; the florets keep softening as they sit in the dressing.
- Make the dressing with homemade mayo for extra richness, and serve alongside pulled pork or burgers.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 4 days in the fridge
- Doesn’t freeze well
Reheat: Serve cold
Prep tip: It tastes best after a night in the fridge, so make it the day before a cookout and stir in any liquid that collects.
Refrigerate up to 4 days. A little liquid may collect by the second day — just stir it back in. Not suitable for freezing.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosLoaded (bacon & cheddar)
FlavorCrispy bacon, sharp cheddar, green onions and sour cream in the dressing — the loaded-baked-potato salad that disappears first at cookouts.
- + 6 slices cooked bacon
- + ¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar
- + ¼ cup sour cream
- + ¼ cup green onions
- no dill pickles
5.3 g net · 317 kcal · 13 g protein · 27 g fat · ≈$1.36 per serving (+1.2 g net carbs vs the original)
Egg-free (sour cream & dill)
DietNo eggs and no mayonnaise: a tangy sour cream and dill dressing keeps it creamy for anyone avoiding eggs.
- mayonnaise → sour cream
- no eggs
4.7 g net · 71 kcal · 2.7 g protein · 4.1 g fat · ≈$0.89 per serving (+0.6 g net carbs vs the original)
Warm German-style
FlavorNo mayo and no eggs: warm cauliflower tossed in a tangy bacon and cider vinegar dressing with mustard and parsley, served warm or at room temperature.
- pickle brine or apple cider vinegar → apple cider vinegar
- fresh dill → parsley (fresh)
- + 6 slices bacon
- + 2 tbsp reserved bacon fat
- + ¼ cup chicken broth
- + 1 tsp granulated erythritol or allulose
- no mayonnaise
- no eggs
- no dill pickles
4 g net · 119 kcal · 5.7 g protein · 8.2 g fat · ≈$0.91 per serving (−0.1 g net carbs vs the original)
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