This Herbed Cauliflower Salad is light, bright and fresh. It’s completely AIP, grain-free, paleo, Whole30 and vegan and totally customizable depending on the season.
This Herbed Cauliflower Salad is the perfect side! It’s made with raw cauliflower, crunchy cucumber, roasted asparagus and a variety of fresh herbs that add loads of flavor and totally customizable depending on the season and what you have on hand.
Cauliflower is high in fiber, full of nutrients including vitamins C, K, and B and a go-to for many in recent years as a substitute for rice, mashed potatoes and as a key ingredient in pizza crusts. But you don’t need to be a cauliflower fan to enjoy this salad!
One of the keys to this recipe is getting the cauliflower nice and fine so that it’s fluffy and easily absorbs the dressing. With incorporation of so many fresh herbs and a variety of crunchy and roasted vegetables, you’ll hardly believe the base of this salad is raw cauliflower. The dressing for this salad is intentionally light to allow the fresh ingredients to shine!
Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:
- Cauliflower
- Cucumbers
- Asparagus – not in season? try roasted broccoli
- Parsley
- Basil
- Mint
- Olive Oil
- Apple Cider Vinegar
Herbed Cauliflower Salad FAQs
Can I use frozen cauliflower in this salad?
I wouldn’t suggest using frozen cauliflower because of its high water content. You want to use fresh cauliflower so that it’s dry, crispy and crunchy.
Can I make this without a food processor?
If you don’t have access to a food processor, I’d suggest cutting the head of cauliflower into a few large sections and grating it one section at a time.
Can I store or make this salad ahead?
This salad holds together really well when dressed in advance, so it’s perfect for making ahead and/or using as leftovers. I love adding leftovers to a bed of spinach/greens to bulk it up and stretch it even further.
What can I pair this with?
This salad goes really well with grilled meats like Balsamic Glazed Chicken Wings or Mango Lime BBQ Chicken. It’s also a great side for lighter proteins like Fish en Papillote.
Looking for more tasty cauliflower recipes? Try one of my favourite summer recipes for Grilled Cauliflower Steaks
If you tried this recipe I would love if you would give it a rating and short review. Be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @healmedelicious.
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Herbed Cauliflower Salad (AIP, paleo, vegan)
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Herbed Cauliflower Salad is the perfect summer side! It’s made with raw cauliflower, crunchy cucumber, roasted asparagus and a variety of fresh herbs that add loads of flavour.
Ingredients
Salad
- 12–15 spears of asparagus or 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
- 1/2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 medium sized head of cauliflower
- 1 large cucumber, chopped
- 2 TBSP parsley, chopped
- 2 TBSP mint, chopped
- 1/4 cup basil, chopped
- 1/4 cup garlic scapes, thinly sliced
Dressing
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F or grill to medium heat.
- Begin by preparing your asparagus or broccoli. To do so, lightly coat the vegetable in olive oil and cook in oven or on grill just until cooked. You want to ensure it retains some crunch.
- Remove the outer leaves from the cauliflower head and chop into small florets. Working in two batches, place florets of cauliflower into food processor and pulse until it becomes rice-like in texture.
- Combine riced cauliflower with chopped cucumber, parsley, mint, basil and garlic scapes.
- Make dressing by whisking together vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, garlic powder and oregano.
- Toss salad in desired amount of dressing and adjust salt according to taste. Allow salad to sit a few minutes before serving for the cauliflower to soak up the dressing.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 274
- Sugar: 11g
- Sodium: 346mg
- Fat: 16.7g
- Protein: 12.5g
Keywords: cauliflower salad, summer salad, paleo, aip, vegan, cauliflower, cucumber, asparagus
Cauliflower and I don’t get along. Would you suggest subbing cauliflower with broccoli or celery root? I am not sure either would work.
You could try broccoli!
Could I use scallions or chives instead? I’ve never seen garlic scapes for sale. If so how much?
This would likely work. As I haven’t tried myself I cannot give you an exact measurement so would suggest you just eyeball it and adjust according to taste!