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This veggie-rific variation on the classic summer side dish, Cauliflower “Potato” Salad, will surprise even the biggest cauliflower hater!

Vegetarian, Gluten-Free

Ready in 25 minutes

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Cauliflower is one of my absolute favorite veggies. And this is a super fun way to use it! I love a good potato salad for summer (and it’s hard to beat freshly-dug new potatoes in a potato salad), but this cauliflower version is a great way to get all that potato salad flavor and get it some more veggies. You’d think that this would taste “cauliflower-y,” but the flavorful mix-ins and creamy dressing mask any cauliflower flavor—it just tastes like potato salad!

cauliflower potato salad

Typical potato salad has a super thick dressing made with a ton of mayo, but I made this dressing out of half protein-packed Greek yogurt and half mayo. 

cauliflower potato salad

The key to making this cauliflower “potato” salad is to not overcook your cauliflower. Just like potatoes, overcooked cauliflower becomes a starchy, mushy mess. You want the cauliflower to just be fork tender—no crunch, but not so tender that it falls apart when you stir it up with the dressing. It took about 12 minutes to get there steaming it.

Enjoy!

Cauliflower “Potato” Salad

Cauliflower “Potato” Salad

Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 22 minutes

This veggie-rific variation on the classic summer side dish, Cauliflower "Potato" Salad, will surprise even the biggest cauliflower hater!

Ingredients

  • 1 large head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
  • 6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
  • 2 large stalks celery, diced
  • 1/2 large red onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup chopped dill pickle (or dill pickle relish)
  • 1/3 cup mayo
  • 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon mustard
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Steam cauliflower until fork tender—about 12 minutes. Remove cauliflower from steamer and run under cold water to stop cooking. Drain well, and combine in a large mixing bowl with the eggs, celery, red onion and dill pickle.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, Greek yogurt, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over cauliflower mix, and toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 211Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 192mgSodium: 360mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 11g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.

© Cassie Johnston
Cuisine: American / Category: Side Dishes
Cauliflower "Potato" Salad

What’s your favorite way to eat cauliflower?

Cassie is a holistic nutritionist, cookbook author, and all-around food lover. She grew up cooking dinner with her parents every evening, and her passion for home cooking has been strong ever since. Cassie is the author of two published cookbooks (Cooking with Greek Yogurt and Chia, Quinoa, Kale, Oh My!) and dozens of recipes published in major magazines and newspapers. Cassie has been sharing her award-winning recipes on Wholefully since 2010. She loves dark chocolate, homegrown tomatoes, motorsports, and anything that sparkles. She lives in Indiana with her family on a small homestead.

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10 Comments

  1. I’ve found that roasting the cauliflower (instead of steaming) makes a far superior salad. Give it a try!

    Reply

  3. Oh man, cauliflower used to be a no-go for me. In the past couple of years though, it has become one of my favorite veggies! Never thought to make it into a potato salad type of dish, sounds great!

    Reply

  4. I love Cauli too – my fav way to eat it is in a Broc & Cauli salad (you may have had before, I find most people just make with Broc and I find it so much better with both!)
    1 Broc and Cauli cut up and uncooked in a bowl
    Shredded cheese (I use marble, and I just add by eyeballing)
    1/2 Pack of bacon (I use turkey to try and cut down fat)

    Dressing:
    1 Cup Mayo
    1/4 cup sugar
    1 tbsp vinagar
    This is by memory – to be honest I don’t measure. I also think you could experiment with making it healthier but I haven’t yet).

    Super yummy and always a hit at parties!

    Reply

  5. Great idea! Cauliflower is my favorite vegetable of all time, so I can eat it a ton of different ways. I like roasting it with curry powder and cumin, and then serving it with a simple homemade tahini + lemon juice sauce. I’ve also ordered cauliflower “steaks” at restaurants, which are becoming popular vegetarian options. I had a great one in Connecticut served with mushroom broth and toasted almonds. It’s so versatile!

    Reply

  6. I’m allergic to potatoes myself, and truly missed potato salad this summer! I loooove this GENIUS replacement! <3

    Reply

  7. Looks so yummy! Think I might take this to my niece’s birthday party this weekend!

    Growing up, when my parents had people over for bridge night, they used to ship us kids upstairs to watch a movie on the tiny black and white TV that they had in their bedroom (a rented movie with a rented VCR, no less!). My mom used to make us ‘popcorn’ to eat while watching the movie, which was actually just chunks of raw cauliflower. Sometimes there was dip, sometimes there wasn’t, but it was a real treat to get to eat ‘popcorn’ while sitting on mom and dad’s bed. I still like it just raw and crunchy. 🙂

    Reply

  8. I love, love, love roasted cauliflower. But this also sounds really good…it’s definitely going on my “to try soon” list. 🙂

    Reply

  9. You know I definitely do not make enough things with cauliflower! But I would love to try this instead of a heavy potato salad!

    Reply