Crunchy Cauliflower Rice Salad is a fresh and colorful summer salad. It’s packed full of crisp veggies, cauliflower rice, and tossed in a simple mustard, cilantro, and lemon dressing. Sprinkle crunchy pistachios on top and dig in!
This Crunchy Cauliflower Rice Salad has everything you want in a summer salad. You can throw it together in minutes and serve it for quick lunches, afternoon picnics, pool parties, or summer barbecues. Bonus: it’s healthy, keto-friendly, vegan, low carb, and gluten free!
While this riced cauliflower salad is vibrant and fresh all on its own, it’s also very easy to customize. Swap the veggies for your seasonal favorites, make it extra filling by adding meat, omit the nuts, or try different salad dressings. Your taste buds will be so happy!
If you’re a fan of delicious, yet simple keto recipes, then you have to try my Keto Steak and Cauliflower Rice Meal Prep and Keto Chicken Cobb Salad recipes as well!
Ingredient notes
- Cauliflower rice - Feel free to make it yourself or buy pre-riced cauliflower instead. I like to use a blend of purple and orange cauliflower to pack the salad with antioxidants and fun colors.
- Vegetables - The recipe only calls for cucumbers and carrots but you’re welcome to get creative and add even more!
- Pistachios - This is where the salad gets its crunch. When ground into small pieces, pistachios add a warm, salty, and buttery nuttiness.
- Spring greens - A pre-packaged blend of greens or a mixture of your favorite leafy greens will work. I recommend using watercress, frisée, arugula, mache, spinach, or microgreens.
- Homemade cilantro dressing - This easy salad dressing is made with olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, fresh cilantro, and seasoned with salt and pepper.
How to make cauliflower rice
Opting to make your own homemade cauliflower rice instead of storebought? There are two easy methods:
- Place the raw cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until it reaches a rice-like consistency.
- Grab a box grater and shred the cauliflower by hand into very small pieces.
How to make a crunchy cauliflower rice salad
When it comes to making fresh, tasty, and healthy recipes, it doesn’t get easier than this keto cauliflower salad. You can toss it together in just 5 steps:
Step 1: Chop the cucumbers and shred the carrots. You want these veggies to be similar in size to the riced cauliflower. Set aside.
Step 2: Use a mortar and pestle to crush the pistachios to your liking. Set aside.
Step 3: Add the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, cilantro, salt, and pepper to a mason jar. Make sure the lid is screwed on tight and give everything a good shake to combine.
Step 4: Assemble the salad toppings by tossing the cauliflower, cucumbers, carrots, and pistachios together in a bowl.
Step 5: Add a layer of spring greens to a large platter and top with the cauliflower mixture. Drizzle the homemade dressing on top, garnish with fresh cilantro and more pistachios, then enjoy!
Tips and tricks
- Don’t have a mortar and pestle? You can leave the nuts whole or use a rolling pin to crush them instead.
- Want to make it ahead of time? Prep the cauliflower rice, vegetables, and dressing, and keep them in separate storage containers in the fridge until it’s time to assemble and serve.
- To store, keep the leftover raw cauliflower salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Variations
There are a ton of ways to customize this fresh cauliflower salad! Use any of these suggestions to make it your own:
- Add different veggies: Like bell peppers, brussels sprouts, broccoli, snow peas, or cherry tomatoes.
- Nut alternatives: Walnuts, cashews, slivered almonds, pine nuts, or sunflower seeds would make an excellent pistachio substitute.
- Nut free: Simply omit the pistachios or replace them with wonton strips, roasted chickpeas, toasted pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or croutons.
- Add some protein: Turn this light and refreshing salad into a hearty meal by adding herb roasted chicken, hard boiled eggs, canned chickpeas, turkey, diced ham, or cooked shrimp.
- Switch up the dressing: Dress the salad with a simple mix of olive oil, herbs, and vinegar/lemon juice or use a low carb Caesar dressing, green goddess, or ranch dressing instead.
Looking for more refreshing salad recipes?
- Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Shrimp
- Watermelon Feta Salad
- Quinoa Chickpea Salad
- Tropical Summer Fruit Salad
- Green Tuna Salad
Crunchy Cauliflower Rice Salad
Ingredients
- ½ head purple cauliflower
- ½ head orange cauliflower
- 4 mini cucumbers or 1 large English cucumber
- 3 cups spring greens (see notes)
- 1 cup shredded carrots chopped
- ½ cup pistachios crushed
Dressing
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon mustard
- ½ cup cilantro finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Grate cauliflower using a box grater, on the largest setting to make the cauliflower rice. Alternatively you can chop cauliflower with a knife or buy pre riced cauliflower. Set aside
- Chop cucumbers really small and give the shredded carrots a rough chop too. Everything should be in small pieces and easy to eat.
- To crush the pistachios use a mortar and pestle. You can also place the pistachios in a bag and the bag on a tower, and crush them with a heavy item. Of course you can leave them whole if you like.
- Place dressing ingredients in a jar and shake really well to combine.
- When you are ready to put together the salad, add the cauliflower, cucumber, carrots and pistachios to a large bowl and toss well to combine.
- Add a layer of spring greens to a platter or salad bowl. Top with cauliflower mix then add in dressing. Top with more pistachios and fresh cilantro.
Notes
- Watercress
- Frisée
- Arugula
- Mache
- spinach
- microgreens
Tips and tricks
- Don’t have a mortar and pestle? You can leave the nuts whole or use a rolling pin to crush them instead.
- Want to make it ahead of time? Prep the cauliflower rice, vegetables, and dressing, and keep them in separate storage containers in the fridge until it’s time to assemble and serve.
- To store, keep the leftover raw cauliflower salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Jamie says
I love how colorful this salad is with the purple and orange cauliflower! It's delicious and so pretty!
Silvia Ribas says
Thanks so much Jamie!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
Oh wow, this looks so delicious. My family is going to devour it!
Silvia Ribas says
Ohhh that's so good to hear. Thanks Shadi!
Irena says
What a gorgeous salad! I am totally making it next time I shop for some cauliflower. Can't always get the purple one but they do come up once in a while and I never know what to do with it. I feel like the color deserves something special, like this salad.
Silvia Ribas says
Right? the purple cauliflower needs a special display. The color actually fades when cooked, so no... raw it is!
Vanessa says
I'm always looking for new salad ideas and this one was delicious! Love the crunch!
Silvia Ribas says
Thanks Vanessa!
Liza says
What a terrific recipe! The combination of flavors and the textures of the cauliflower, veggies and crunchy pistachios is just divine. Love the cilantro dressing, too. Another winner from Garden In the Kitchen!
Silvia Ribas says
Well, thank you Lisa, I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Marcia Ehrhart says
How much riced cauliflower do you use if you buy already rice cauliflower?
Silvia Ribas says
Hi Maria - it really only depends on how much salad you want to make. Generally a 12oz bag will do. But I have only seen the white cauliflower already riced, have not seen the other colors pre-packaged available. But again, the recipe is flexible, you can use only white cauliflower and make as much as you like. hope this helps
Marcia Ehrhart says
thank you, your reply is helpful. I know I won't get the purple cauliflower but when busy the pre-riced cauliflower is great