Loaded Roasted Cauliflower Salad Recipe

Free: Healthy Freezer Meals Recipe Ebook

Get It Now

This post may contain affiliate links, which help keep this content free. (Full disclosure)

This post is sponsored by Boiron. All opinions are my own and I only share products I personally love. Thanks for supporting the brands that make this site possible!

This loaded roasted cauliflower salad recipe is a medley of smoky, creamy, and cheesy tastes… a lot like a loaded cauliflower casserole, but in salad form! It’s perfect as a side for summer grilling, but the hearty ingredients are also available all year round.

Even though this creamy cauliflower salad is a total crowd-pleaser, I know there’s one reason why people might steer clear from cauliflower — the gas and bloating! Luckily, there’s a natural solution for it: Gasalia.

With plant-based active ingredients and tablets that melt away without water, Gasalia is an easy solution to keep on-hand when you want to enjoy foods that can cause discomfort. And (my favorite part), it contains no artificial colors, sweeteners, flavors, or preservatives. Take it before or after meals, and start enjoying cauliflower again!

Learn More About Gasalia Here

(Including stores near you that carry it!)

What Is Cauliflower Salad?

Like other conventional salads, salad with cauliflower includes fresh vegetables and a creamy dressing. The difference is that it uses cauliflower instead of lettuce!

Plus, this loaded cauliflower salad recipe takes this dish one step further with smoky, tangy toppings – chopped bacon, shredded cheddar, and sour cream!

Loaded Cauliflower Salad Ingredients

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for this cauliflower bacon salad, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

For the cauliflower:

• Cauliflower – Use a fresh head of cauliflower with densely packed florets and no blemishes or browning. Cut it into bite-sized florets.
• Olive Oil – I prefer extra virgin, but use whatever olive oil you have on hand, or even avocado oil.
• Salt & Pepper

For the cauliflower salad dressing:

• Mayonnaise – Make your own mayo or use your favorite store-bought brand.
• Sour Cream – I prefer full-fat sour cream for better flavor, but any kind will work.
• Dijon Mustard – Look for a sugar-free one if you can, but any dijon variety works here.
• Garlic Powder
• Salt & Pepper

For the add-ins:

• Cooked Bacon – You can make bacon in the air fryer, bake your bacon, or even microwave your bacon to cook it even faster!
• Cheddar Cheese – Get it pre-shredded to save more time.
• Green Onions – Sliced thinly, for that classic “loaded” flavor!

How To Make Cauliflower Salad

This section shows how to make cold cauliflower salad with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

• Prep cauliflower. Toss florets with oil and seasonings.

• Roast. Arrange cauliflower evenly on a baking sheet and roast until tender and browned. Cool completely.

• Make dressing. Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a bowl.

• Mix. Add cooled cauliflower and add-ins to the bowl, and mix everything together. Enjoy immediately, or chill for at least 2 hours to let flavors develop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is cauliflower salad like potato salad?

It depends. Salads with cauliflower have many variations, but could mimic potato salad if they used other traditional ingredients like chopped celery, hard boiled eggs and paprika.

This cold cauliflower salad with bacon is more akin to a baked potato than traditional potato salad. But if you’re looking for something more similar to a traditional potato salad, try cauliflower potato salad instead.

How to make cauliflower salad without mayo?

This cauliflower salad with mayonnaise dressing is the best way to serve it. If you must avoid mayo, full-fat Greek yogurt would be the best substitute.

Is cauliflower salad keto?

Not always! Some salads add sugar to the dressing or use higher-carb add-ins. However, this salad is a keto cauliflower salad because it uses naturally low carb ingredients and no sugar.

Storage Instructions

• To store: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
• To meal prep: Chop cauliflower into florets, prepare dressing separately, and combine them with add-ins only when you’re ready to serve.
• Avoid freezing this salad, as flavors and textures will change too much.

What To Serve With Roasted Cauliflower Salad

This cauliflower cheese salad pairs perfectly with easy proteins — especially grilled ones!

• Juicy Burgers
• Grilled Shrimp Skewers
• Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs
• Crispy Baked Chicken Legs
• New York Strip Steak

More Hearty Salad Recipes

Skip the lettuce and try these satisfying salads instead!

• Cold Roast Vegetable Salad
• Creamy Cucumber Radish Salad
• Keto Broccoli Salad With Bacon
• Horiatiki Greek Salad
• Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad

5 from 17 votes

Loaded Roasted Cauliflower Salad Recipe

This loaded roasted cauliflower salad recipe is bursting with smoky cheese, crispy bacon, crunchy green onions, and a creamy dressing. Ready in 30 minutes!

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Total: 30 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings: 4 (adjust to scale recipe)

Convert:

US Customary – Metric

Un-save Recipe Save Recipe Go Ad-Free

Recipe Video

Tap on the image below to watch the video.

Like this video? Subscribe to my YouTube cooking channel for healthy recipes weekly! (Click the bell icon to be notified when I post a new video.)

Review Print

Pin

Ingredients

Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.

Roasted cauliflower:

• 1 head Cauliflower (cut into small bite-sized florets) ▢
• 2 tbsp Olive oil ▢
• 1/2 tsp Sea salt ▢
• 1/4 tsp Black pepper ▢

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup Mayonnaise ▢
• 1/3 cup Sour cream ▢
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard ▢
• 1/2 tsp Garlic powder ▢
• 1/2 tsp Sea salt ▢
• 1/4 tsp Black pepper ▢

Add-ins:

• 6 slices Cooked bacon (crumbled or chopped) ▢
• 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese (shredded) ▢
• 1/4 cup Green onions (sliced) ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C).

2. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower florets with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

3. Arrange the cauliflower in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until tender and browned on the edges.

4. When the cauliflower is done, cool completely.

5. Meanwhile, wipe down the bowl from the cauliflower. Add all the dressing ingredients and whisk together.

6. Add the cooled cauliflower, bacon, cheese, and green onions. Mix together with the dressing.

7. You can serve immediately, but for the best flavor, chill for 2 hours before serving.

Last Step: Leave A Rating!

Rate this recipe

Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our Facebook support group, too – I’d love to see it!

Readers Who Liked This Easy Recipe Also Made:

• 
  Roasted Cauliflower Parmesan Recipe
• 
  Keto Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe
• 
  Cheesy Loaded Cauliflower Casserole
• 
  Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipe

Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 cup

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 387

Fat 34.8g

Protein 11.2g

Total Carbs 9.3g

Net Carbs 5.9g

Fiber 3.4g

Sugar 3.6g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keywords: broccoli cauliflower salad, cauliflower salad recipe, loaded cauliflower salad, roasted cauliflower salad

Calories: 387 kcal

Want to save this recipe?

Create a free account to save your favorite recipes!

Sign Up To Save Recipes

© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂