Perfect for a hot summer day spent by the pool or any time you’re grilling out! This Loaded Cauliflower Salad has all of the fixings for a loaded baked potato, but we’ve swapped in healthy cauliflower and we’re serving it cold like potato salad.
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I am all about the summer salads…partially because summer means sunshine and warmth and partially because most salad recipes are simple to toss together.
Plus, a lot of these salads make for some great leftovers and there is nothing better than cooking once and eating twice!
This loaded cauliflower salad is a riff on our family’s favorite baked potato salad.
We took everything we love about that recipe and swapped the baked potatoes for healthy, low carb cauliflower.
This is similar to our classic cauliflower potato salad, but with a cheddar, bacon, and sour cream twist!
Ingredient Notes:
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Cauliflower – You’ll want to use fresh cauliflower here. I buy bags of already chopped florets in the produce section, but you can also chop it yourself. Frozen cauliflower is not a great option for this recipe.
Sour Cream – It’ll add more creamy flavor along with the mayo.
Mayonnaise – If you hate mayo (there are a lot of you out there, haha) feel free to swap it for more sour cream.
Vinegar – We use white distilled vinegar here, just a bit to cut the richness of the dressing.
Salt & Pepper
Bacon – Fry it up and crumble it or make bacon in the air fryer to keep things easy and mess free! This loaded cauliflower salad just wouldn’t be the same without it.
Cheddar – We like it cubed, but shredded also works.
Green Onions – Chives also work well.
This is a quick and easy recipe, especially if you’ve got some pre-cooked crumbled bacon.
It’s not quite potato salad but this loaded cauliflower salad makes a good substitute with similar textures and a creamy dressing.
This side dish is simple to throw together and it keeps nicely for a few days, so you can make it ahead or serve it multiple days in a row. Love that.
How To Make Cauliflower Salad:
Steam – You’ll want to start by cutting the cauliflower into small pieces and then you’ll just add it to a bowl with a bit of water, cover it tight, and microwave it just enough to soften it up a bit. We don’t want the cauliflower fully cooked and mushy – it should still have a bit of bite.
Dressing – Let the cauliflower cool and mix up the creamy cold salad dressing. You’ll combine sour cream, mayo, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Pour that over the cooled cauliflower along with the bacon, cheddar, and green onions.
Chill & Serve – We like to let this set in the fridge for an hour or two to let all the flavors meld together and make sure everything is good and cold. Try serving this cold summer salad with some baked chicken drumsticks or some low carb meatloaf.
FAQs:
Cauliflower is never going to taste exactly like a potato. It’s just not starchy and won’t have that same flavor or texture. However, this is a very good swap for potato salad. While no one will be fooled, it’s delicious anyway. Hard to go wrong when there is bacon, cheddar, and sour cream involved!
I’ve never tried it so I’d recommend using fresh cauliflower florets whenever possible. If frozen is all you’ve got, it’ll probably still work fine but the texture may not be the same after thawing the cauliflower.
If you’re starting with a whole head of cauliflower the easiest way to prepare it is to start by cutting it in half. Cut those in half to end up with four quarters. Finally, cut the core out of the quarters and then break into florets. You’ll then chop the florets into smaller pieces for the salad!
You can keep this salad in the fridge well covered for about 3 to 4 days.
More Summer Salad Recipes:
- Avocado Chicken Salad
- Keto Egg Salad
- Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad
- Low Carb Chicken Salad
- Keto Broccoli Salad
- Big Mac Salad
- German Cucumber Salad
Loaded Cauliflower Salad
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
- 8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup cubed cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped chives or scallions
Instructions
- Chop the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and place in a large microwave safe bowl.
- Add 2 tablespoons of water to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap.
- Microwave for 4 minutes. Let sit for 2 minutes and then carefully remove the plastic wrap and drain water from the bowl.
- Let cool for 20 minutes.
- Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, and pepper to a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Pour the sour cream mixture over the cauliflower. Add the bacon, cheddar, and chives to the bowl. Stir well to combine.
- Place in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Brit Gore says
Has anyone ever tried using sausage instead of bacon? Thought of making for a church event tomorrow but no time to run out for bacon.
Lisa says
My husband couldn’t stop eating it!
Karly Campbell says
Love to hear that!
Betsy says
Was surprised how good this salad was, I tweeked just a little with dressing, a little sugar, garlic powder and 1 tablespoon sweet relish. Will make again.
Karly Campbell says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Donna Mann says
I loved this so much. Made it exactly as instructed except I placed the whole head of cauliflower in a pan and boiled for a few minutes came out perfect. Will make it again.
Raymond Kitamura says
Plastic wrap to cover food and heat up in a microwave is not the best choice. It’s toxic. There’s got to be another choice in lieu of plastic wrap.
Karly Campbell says
There is microwave safe plastic wrap that is safe to use, especially if it’s not directly touching the food. However, you can cook the cauliflower however you’d like.
Kathy says
Can you just leave the cauliflower raw
Karly Campbell says
Sure, it will just be crunchy, so won’t have that potato salad vibe as much.
LL says
I made this and kept the cauliflower raw, which I prefer because love the crunch. It is a keeper and delicious
Melodie says
Can I cook this a day before?
Karly Campbell says
You can, however cauliflower often has more of a smell after it’s sat in the fridge for a bit, so keep that in mind.
Melodie says
Thank you. I did decide to wait and make the same day. This was very helpful excited to make this recipe and try out!
Lorraine Newton says
Could I use frozen cauliflower?
Karly Campbell says
You probably could, but I’m not sure how tasty it would be.
Sher says
I don’t have a microwave! So can I just steam the cauliflower for a few minutes?
Karly Campbell says
Sure!
Andrea L Behrend says
I eat dips with sour cream in them but I can’t taste it. I hate sour sour cream. Can you taste the flavor of the sour cream in this?
Karly Campbell says
I don’t think this tastes strongly of sour cream, but it’s not a flavor I feel strongly about so it’s hard to say.
Andrea L Behrend says
TY
karen Pecore says
why do you cook the veg first I have salad like this its not cooked and no cheese buy broccoli
Karly Campbell says
We cook it to soften it up to mimic potato salad.