Cauliflower Salad
This cauliflower salad recipe features Mediterranean flavors and fresh herbs. It's crisp, satisfying, and delicious, and keeps well for days!
Posted by Kathryne Taylor on March 5, 2025
Craving a fresh salad with substance? This cauliflower salad recipe might be right up your alley. It’s crunchy, chewy, bold and unexpected. You’ll love this salad if you enjoy fresh Mediterranean flavors and reach for raw cauliflower on veggie trays.
Yes, this salad is made with raw cauliflower. The only cooking you’ll need to do for this recipe is toasting the almonds for a few minutes. The cauliflower soaks up the flavors in the vinaigrette during a 30-minute rest.
This recipe is slaw-like in texture, and like all good slaws, it keeps well in the fridge for days. I love to start my meals with a healthy salad that’s ready to serve. Not only is it delicious and nutritious, but it’s also a great practice for keeping blood sugar levels more stable.
I based this salad on my Greek broccoli salad, which is still one of my favorites. If you’re hesitant to try this cauliflower concept, start there!
Cauliflower Salad Ingredients
You’ll find the full recipe below. Here’s a rundown of the ingredients, plus notes and alternatives.
Raw cauliflower: Cauliflower varies in size, so be sure to choose a large one for this recipe. It should weigh over two pounds. If you have trouble digesting raw cauliflower, try chewing on some fennel seeds before or after your meal—it really helps.
Chopped almonds: Chopped almonds add crunch and color to this salad. Toasting them before stirring them into the salad brings out their nutty flavor. If you don’t feel like chopping almonds, use sliced almonds. You can also substitute roasted pistachios to skip the chopping and toasting step.
Fresh parsley and basil: For simplicity’s sake, use all flat-leaf parsley, or use half parsley and half basil for extra-fresh flavor. It’s up to you.
Sun-dried tomatoes: I love the sweet and tangy, umami flavors that sun-dried tomatoes bring to this recipe. Use tender sun-dried tomatoes from a jar (rinse before using) or a package. If your tomatoes are dry and tough, rehydrate them in hot water before chopping them.
Red onion: Raw red onion adds color, crunch and savoriness to the recipe. We’ll use just one-third cup to keep the recipe balanced. You could turn the leftovers into quick-pickled onions for another meal.
Feta cheese or Kalamata olives: These ingredients take the salad to the next level. Both options offer bold, salty, tangy flavors and a soft texture that contrasts nicely with the crisp cauliflower. Choose olives for a dairy-free, vegan recipe.
The dressing is bold and zippy with Italian vinaigrette vibes. You’ll need basic ingredients to make it: olive oil, red wine vinegar or lemon juice, garlic, dried oregano, Dijon mustard, salt and red pepper flakes (omit if you don’t like spice).
Watch How to Make Cauliflower Salad
More Hearty Side Salads
These salads are chewy, hearty and satisfying like this one. Since no leafy greens are involved, the salads store well for days. This blog offers many salads and cauliflower recipes if you want more.
- Celery Salad with Dates, Almonds and Parmesan
- Favorite Broccoli Salad
- Honey Mustard Brussels Sprout Slaw
- Seaweed Salad
- Simple Healthy Slaw
Please let me know how your cauliflower salad turns out in the comments. I love hearing from you.
Cauliflower Salad
This cauliflower salad recipe features Mediterranean flavors and fresh herbs. It’s crisp, satisfying, and delicious, and it keeps well for days! Be sure to buy a large cauliflower for this recipe. Depending on the serving size, the recipe yields 4 to 6 side salads.
Ingredients
Cauliflower salad
- 1 large cauliflower (about 2 ½ pounds)
- ⅓ cup roughly chopped almonds or sliced almonds
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil or additional parsley
- ⅓ cup roughly chopped tender sun-dried tomatoes
- ⅓ cup chopped red onion
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese or roughly chopped Kalamata olives
Dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
Instructions
- To prepare the cauliflower, use a chef’s knife to quarter it, then remove the core. Slice it as thinly as possible, then roughly chop the slices so they’re all bite-sized. Transfer the cauliflower to a medium serving bowl.
- To toast the almonds, warm them in a skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently and keeping a close eye on them until they’re fragrant and turning golden on the edges. Pour them into the bowl of cauliflower to cool.
- To the bowl, add the parsley, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, onion and feta.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until well blended. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss well.
- Let the salad rest for 30 minutes before serving so the cauliflower can marinate in the dressing. Taste, and adjust if necessary—add a splash of olive oil for more richness, or a teaspoon of additional vinegar for acidity, or a pinch of salt for more overall flavor. This salad keeps very well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days.
Notes
Make it dairy free/vegan: Use olives instead of feta.
Make it nut free: Substitute toasted pepitas or sunflower seeds for the almonds.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I am looking forward to making this. You converted me to raw salads with your broccoli salad a while ago and this promises to be wonderful as well. Thanks
Woohoo! I hope you love the cauliflower salad just as much. Fun fact, I just learned that raw broccoli is high in vitamin C, but it significantly decreases once cooked.
Delicious as usual! I love all your recipes!
Thank you so much, Karla!
Love this! Fresh and hearty too.
Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know!
Used cranberries instead of sundried tomatoes and now is our newest fav.
I haven’t made it yet. I can’t see why it wouldn’t be delicious… Going to do it this weekend and thank you.
I hope you loved it, Renne!
Sounds wonderful!
Print comes out in very small size letters – any way to increase them?
Many thanks!
Linda
Hi Linda, yes, there is a way to make the letters bigger! Be sure to click the print button on the recipe card. Then, you’ll find options along the top to adjust the text size (choose the large option).
Thanks , we do Meatless Monday Meals so I Love new ideas for it. Nothing better than a Great Salad on a hot , sticky day in Central Florida!!!
I bet! Thanks, Cheri!
Loved this salad. It was bright yet substantive and depending on your zip-level, you can go light with either the sun-dried tomatoes or light on the vinegar in the dressing. Either way, the toasted almonds add a great crunch and warmth, and I subbed shredded parmesan for feta and enjoyed that.
Thank you, Sydney! I appreciate your review. Parmesan sounds like a great sub.
Made this tonight although didn’t have the sun dried tomatoes. It was excellent. My wife said this is now her favorite way to eat cauliflower. Another great recipe!
Fantastic! Thank you, Steve!
This was absolutely delicious! I made it for a potluck party and it was a huge hit. So simple to make and perfect flavors and textures. This will be my go-to party recipe this summer, since it requires no cooking. Another winner from Kate!
Hooray! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it. I was worried people would be skeptical of a cauliflower salad. :)
I made this for my family last night! It was delicious and everyone loved it… which means it’ll become part of our regular favorites! Thank you for your many delightful recipes!
Mary, thank you so much for letting me know! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the cauliflower salad!
Kate, just made this salad! Even freshly made, it is wonderful. Have I mentioned that you are always my starting point for recipes? And I’m constantly suggesting to friends that they add you to their list of great cooks/recipes.
We do still eat mainly chicken and fish, so that is the only time I look further.
By the way, your chocolate lava is to die for!
Nancy, thank you! I’m just delighted to hear that. :)
Delicious! I reconstituted dried basil and parsley, since I didn’t have fresh. Definitely making again.
Great! Thanks Judy!
Wow, this was delicious! So flavorful with a nice variety of textures. I made it for a potluck and everyone loved it and ate it all. I used the kalamata olives and roasted pistachio nuts option. It was so quick and easy to make. My sun dried tomatoes were in olive oil, so I used that oil for the dressing. This is a make again recipe and I recommend it!
I’m so glad to hear it, Carol! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. Love your sun-dried tomato oil idea.
Kate, this looks so yummy! However, I’m severely allergic to tree nuts. I was thinking possibly substituting with roasted chickpeas? Maybe peanuts..? Do you have any other recommendations?
Hi Flora! How about toasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)? Roasted chickpeas would be nice, too.
Delicious. The cauliflower-ness gets muted with all the other things, which could be a good thing if it’s not your fave.
I had everything on hand save the red onion. I had green onions, chopped a whole one up and I think it sufficed! The main flavors are the tomatoes and parsley anyway, which, yum.
Amazing salad!!!! I bet it will be even better tomorrow…….if it lasts that long!
Hooray, thanks Cindy!
Love this fresh tasting crunchy salad. I halved the recipe as the cauliflower I had was small. Thanks so much for sharing you wonderfully delish recipes!
I just made this salad last night but made the dressing the night before. Letting the dressing sit overnight allowed all the ingredients to blend together. It is a such a great salad. Fresh and full of flavour. I will be making this one over and over again. Five ⭐️
Anne-Marie, that’s great to hear! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your note.
Tried It!! A fantastic salad*** It’s the first of your recipes I’ve tried so far.
Great accompaniment for spaghetti, sandwiches, whatever. The almonds give a little protein crunch which is needed, at least I was glad to come across them. Forgot to toast them! Will give that a try next time. LOVE the sundried tomatoes. What a nice flavor and texture. Used black olives, quartered, and they were fine. Only had basil, as well.
It’s wonderful when you don’t want a pasta, but you get the heartiness of one. Our daughter tried it on Friday for their potluck.
Cauliflower is so great, versatile. Healthy.
I tried to stick as close to the recipe the first time as I could. Will be sure and use parsley some time. Also will try a carrot, coarsely grated. Garbanzos would be good, too. Extra lemon juice, garlic to stretch the dressing, give more volume to cover them. It’s going to be a staple for years to come. My husband LOVED it! I was surprised he was so happy with it.
Thank you for sharing this. Blessings!
Vickie, thanks so much for your note! I’m so glad you enjoyed my recipe and hope you enjoy more of them. Love your idea to add chickpeas. Toasting the almonds brings out a lot of flavor and little extra crunch!
Although I’m not a huge fan of cauliflower, I thought this was delicious!! I loved the combination of flavors, and particularly liked the richness that the sun dried tomatoes added. The leftovers stayed very fresh in the fridge for almost a week as I nibbled away at them. I tossed some with arugula to make a wonderful salad for lunch though I would have liked a little more vinaigrette. Next time I’ll make more dressing and keep it for this purpose.
Thanks Amy! It’s great to hear that you enjoyed this salad. Arugula would be a lovely addition. An extra splash of olive oil and vinegar might do the trick!
What nut alternative would you suggest to substitute for the almonds?
Hi Laura, I also enjoy this with pistachios instead of almonds.
love the pooch. will try recipe soon. you know dogs come first, right?
BEST cauliflower salad recipe of all time! I am an amateur cook and always follow a recipe “to a tittle” the first time I make it. Only then would I consider making any tiny changes / substitutions; with your recipes that is exceedingly rare. The careful balance of the toasted almonds, the kalamata olives and the sun-dried tomatoes tossed in the simple red wine vinaigrette was PERFECT!
Kate, your recipes are not only delicious, but quick and easy to make even for a novice like yours truly. Never made one from you that I did not like.
Thank you for the review, Mikko!