Like a good coleslaw recipe, a reliably delicious and easy potato salad recipe is a great staple to have in your repertoire – for potlucks, picnics, impromptu guests, or just quick weeknight dinners. But if you’re trying to get and stay healthy, inflammatory carb-heavy potatoes are not your friend…

Enter faux-tato salad! Replacing problematic potatoes with health-boosting cauliflower gives you a just-as-awesome-tasting side dish that is way better for you, and keeps you on plan with your low carb / Keto / Dr. Emily-approved eating! 😄

The secrets to making this faux-tato salad just like the “real thing” are:

  • chop up the cauliflower into fairly small chunks (like you would with classic potato salad)
  • steam the cauli until it is nice and tender (this makes the flavor milder and more like potatoes)
  • mix in the dressing while the cauliflower is still hot, allowing the flavor to get into the cauli more completely, so your taste experience is just like a classic potato salad (no hint of cauliflower here!)
  • and finally, if there’s time, put the assembled salad in the fridge (covered) for at least 1 and up to 24 hours to give the flavors even more time to develop and meld.

Even if you aren’t a big fan of cauliflower, give this one a try. I think you’ll be very pleasantly surprised at how delicious this is, even for non-cauliflower-lovers! And if you love cauliflower, then you’ll love this dish as another healthy, tasty way to enjoy an old favorite.

This salad is low carb, CleanKeto, and – if you leave out the celery and the paprika – on plan for my popular and powerful program, Dr. Emily’s 10-Day Detox!

Fauxtato Salad

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cleanketo, detox, keto, low carb, paleo, whole30
Servings: 8 cups
Calories: 171kcal
Author: Dr. Emily Franklin

Ingredients

Salad

  • 1 small head of cauliflower, diced (~6 cups once chopped)
  • 3 stalks celery, minced (1/3 cup) (leave out while doing Dr. Emily's 10-Day Detox)
  • 3 large eggs, hard boiled and chopped
  • ½ cup scallions, thinly sliced

Dressing

  • cup Paleo mayo (such as Chosen Foods or Primal Kitchen)
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp stone-ground mustard
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika (leave out while doing Dr. Emily's 10-Day Detox)
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric

Instructions

  • Steam the cauliflower until tender. (Do not boil - this will make it too wet/soggy, and not absorb the dressing flavors well.)
  • Meanwhile, combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
  • Put all ingredients together in a large bowl and mix well until thoroughly combined.
  • If there's time, cover and refrigerate the salad for at least 1 and up to 24 hours before serving, to allow the flavors to develop and meld = more delicious! But if there isn't time, no worries, it'll still be great.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 171kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 353mg | Potassium: 171mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 302IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg