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Marinated Cauliflower “Potato” Salad

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raw vegan Marinated Cauliflower "Potato" Salad is great for a picnic

~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~

Ah, potato salad.  This traditional dish is one that I do indeed miss and get a craving for from time to time.  My mother makes a mean bowl of potato salad, but it has been years since I last enjoyed a bowl or two or three.

Now, I am not even hinting that this recipe tastes just like her potato salad, that would just be… wrong!  But, I will say, that this brings back the fond memories of mom’s famous dish.

The key ingredient in this recipe that replaces the famous spud is cauliflower!  I have learned that cauliflower is a very versatile veggie and it is gaining popularity.

I do have to say that I usually eat it lightly steamed because, in the raw form, it is a bit tough on my digestive system, but I made this dish with raw cauliflower for Bob, and he loved it.   He did share with me that it is very filling, so keep that in mind when you are trying to decide how much to make.

I also found that I had some extra sauce leftover which was fine., I just kept it in a bottle in the fridge.  On the second day of serving the salad, I added a bit more as it started to dry up a bit.  Then I thinned the rest out to use as a salad dressing.

Ingredients:

Yields 4 cups

Cauliflower marinade: 

Add-ins:

Sauce: yields 2 cups

Preparation:

Cauliflower: 2 methods
  1. Refrigerator Method:
    • Break the cauliflower down into bite-sized florets.  Place in a large bowl and add lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.  Toss until the cauliflower is well coated.
    • Place in a gallon-sized ziplock bag, press out the excess air and allow it to marinate overnight in the fridge.
    • This process made the cauliflower more crunchy, light and bright in flavor.
  2. Dehydrator Method:
    • Break the cauliflower down into bite-sized florets.  Place in a large bowl and add lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.  Toss until the cauliflower is well coated.
    • Place in a gallon-sized ziplock bag or a covered glass bowl, press out the excess air (if using a bag) and dehydrate at 115 degrees F for 8 hours.
    • This process made the cauliflower more on the soft side and seemed to be more savory in flavor.
  3. Place the cashews, zucchini,  lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, dill, turmeric, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and black pepper into a powerful or high-speed blender, combine, adding water as needed, until very smooth.  Place in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the salad.
  4. Place the cauliflower in a colander so the excess liquid can drain.  Be sure to do this over another bowl, plate or in the sink.
  5. In a medium-sized bowl add the onions, red pepper, celery, and chives.  Add the cauliflower.  Toss together.
  6. Add sauce and stir together, so everything gets coated.
  7. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.  This salad should last 2-3 days in the fridge.

34 thoughts on “Marinated Cauliflower “Potato” Salad

  1. Cynthia says:

    Sounds delish!

  2. Kathryn says:

    Thumbs up from me – made it today (fridge method) and it was tremendous. I couldn’t believe how yummy the sauce was, and the marinated cauli was crisp yet mellow.

    You’re a genius, Amie-Sue. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes.

    • amie-sue says:

      Thank you Kathryn… your very sweet. I am glad that you enjoyed this recipe as much as we did. Thanks for sharing! Have a happy and relaxing weekend… amie sue

  3. Bahaar says:

    Just made this. Tastes absolutely amazing. =) Next on my list to make is the dill crouton. Can’t wait. Thank you for the recipe.

  4. Sabrina says:

    I made this today and loved the lemony zucchini sauce! It’s definitely a keeper, not only for this cauliflower salad, but also as a sauce for pastas or other salads. Next time I would add nutritional yeast for a cheesey flavour!

    Also, thank you for all your raw recipes and detailed collection of tutorials. I appreciate all the hard work!

    • amie-sue says:

      Thank you for sharing Sabrina. I agree, it is a keeper and that sauce can be used for so many wonderful foods! Have a wonderful day, amie sue

  5. Igloo says:

    I have some chopped zucchinis and was wondering approximately how many cups I would need.

    By the way, I love your recipes!!!

    Thanks!!

  6. Igloo says:

    Also, can I sub the ground mustard with liquid mustard?

    • amie-sue says:

      Hello Igloo,

      I used liquid mustard, its called “ground mustard” sorry for the confusion. If I had used powdered, I would have referred to it as mustard powder. Thanks for asking though! Have a blessed day, amie sue

  7. Janice says:

    Amie Sue, I brought the cauliflower salad to a raw potluck last night – it was a huge hit! That’s a recipe that you can count on. Thanks so much

    • amie-sue says:

      Good evening Janice, that is fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing. What an encouragement. :) Have a blessed up and coming week, amie sue

  8. Serena says:

    Hi Amie Sue, i’m in love of this recipe, but i have a problem!
    I really nedd ur help to fix it and find a good solution.
    I don’t have the zipbag and i cant take the air out.
    And my dehydrator (right?) isn’t big enough to get in a covered glass bowl!
    My dehydrator is done with large and high plate with a hole in the middle…i know it’s a problem…don’t tell me… :(
    But what if if put on my dehydrator plate the cauliflower with his marinate and cover it with some plastic film? I can put down the film with some apple or similar…
    Or what if i “cooked” the cauliflower in double boiler? (i cachted this word on google…but i’m sure in french is bain marie, it’s when u boil some water and get worm the food in a bowl over the other)

    Well i really hope in ur help!!!
    Thanks, and i love your new idea about meshup recipe!!!

    • amie-sue says:

      Good day Serena…

      You can surely “steam” the cauliflower to soften it. The heat might get a bit to warm to remain raw, but I don’t feel that there is anything wrong with lightly steaming some veggies. Another thought is that you could place the cauliflower on the trays and dehydrate until they start to soften. Just don’t over dry to where they shrivel up into tiny nuggets. :) Then place them in a bowl with the marinade and let them soak over night. That would perhaps help them to soften.

      You are doing your best with what you have and I applaud you for that. :) Have a great week! Keep in touch, amie sue

  9. agne says:

    Hi Amie,
    that looks like my type of recipe :)
    just wondering, is it possible to replace cashews with macadamia nuts or pine nuts?
    thats the only nut my son is not allergic to..
    thank you very much :)

    • amie-sue says:

      Hello Agne,

      You could use almonds or macadamia nuts… I suppose pine nuts might work but I don’t use them so you can experiment with them. The cashews give the sauce a great neutral flavor so the other ingredients shine, plus it makes the sauce creamy. So just be aware that other nuts or seeds will change the flavor. Have a great evening, amie sue

  10. Victoria says:

    WOW! This was a great lunch for me. I tried this recipe with dehydrated cauliflower.

    I really love the sauce, I halved the recipe- and ended up with a lot left over- probably because I only had 1 cauliflower head available.

    The sauce is a winner! I want to try your sauce as a “sandwich spread” on one of your bread recipes. :)
    Have you tried this as a sandwich spread?
    I will let you know how that goes.

    peace and blessings!

    • amie-sue says:

      Hello Victoria,

      Thanks so much for sharing this. :) The sauce is amazing, I agree. I bet it is great on a sandwich. I thinned it a bit and used as a salad dressing and that was amazing too. So many options… gotta love that!

      Do keep me posted. It is nice to hear from you Victoria. Have a blessed evening, amie sue

  11. linda says:

    High Amie-sue
    where is that other potato salad recipe I saw a few weeks ago, you have the cherry tomato egg salad, and there was a pic of another potato salad recipe or picture, I would love that one please. By the way I love all your recipes.
    thank you
    linda

  12. Meta Pope says:

    Absolutely delicious! When I set the bowl of cauliflower in the dehydrator what should I cover it with? I just used parchment paper because I didn’t have a glass top to use and I didn’t think I could use aluminum foil. What is the purpose of this? I freeze a lll your salad dressings and mayonnaise because there is just one of me and I can’t use it up fast enough. I prefer to do this rather than cut the recipe in half. Can I freeze your salads?
    You spend so much time creating these delicious dishes and making them look so good to eat with your pictures. You can tell that you love what you do and I do too. Blessings to you, Meta

    • amie-sue says:

      Hello Meta…
      You can cover the dish with plastic wrap if you want. You could use parchment paper but it would just blow around unless you taped it to the bowl. I don’t use tin foil with my foods. What is the purpose of covering it? To lock in the “heat” and help it “cook” down a but.

      Can you freeze my salads. Hmm, it would depend on what it was and what was in it. I don’t recommend it since the textures can change, they can become watery and the taste could fade. I don’t every freeze mine so I can’t say for sure how each one would react to it.

      Thank you Meta for your sweet and kind words. What a wonderful thing to wake up to! Blessings, amie sue

  13. Meta Pope says:

    Forgot to ask you. What kind of spicy stone ground mustard do you like? You mentioned it in the “cauliflower potato salad.”

    • amie-sue says:

      I don’t really have favorite Meta. I always prefer to make my own when possible. If I buy it, which isn’t often, I look for brands that are organic and use simple, pure ingredients… no fillers! amie sue

  14. Maureen says:

    Someone posted this recipe on one of the raw, vegan Facebook groups that I subscribe to. When I first saw it, I skeptically thought, “yeah, right, sure”, then I saw that it was a Nouveau Raw recipe and got very excited and hopeful, and I couldn’t wait to try it. Amie Sue, you never cease to amaze me!! Marinating the cauliflower and putting it in the dehydrator gave it a perfect, almost potato-like texture, maybe not as soft, but close, and even better, in my opinion! The sauce was great and made the entire dish taste so much better and fresher than any potato salad I’ve had in the past, and believe me, I’ve had many! This is a fantastic recipe and one that I’ll be making over and over again! Thanks for another great one!!

    • amie-sue says:

      That is soooo cool Maureen. You really know how to put a smile on my face. I appreciate that you shared that with me and trusted the recipe to give it a try. :) But even more thrilled that you enjoyed it! My mom always made the best potato salad growing up so I am working hard to match up to it. hehe Many blessings and enjoy your weekend. amie sue

  15. gracefulheather says:

    We are really enjoying this recipe! Made it twice, each time using the dehydrator method, and it’s come out great. Since it’s currently winter, I really enjoy it warm from the dehydrator, but it’s equally delicious cold. Left overs are great for school lunch, too! Thanks, Amie Sue!

    • amie-sue says:

      Oh I know what you mean… warming foods are in order when you live in cold temps or even suffer from digestive issues. I am thrilled that you are enjoying the recipe. I always love your feed-back. Blessings and joy, amie sue

  16. Rhondy says:

    Hello Amie ,

    I have set this recipe aside to prepare several time. However , have never as of yet managed to make it.

    However,that is about to change as I will be in the kitchen tomorrow preparing it.

    I have read all the wonderful reviews and am looking forward to making it and sharing it with family and friends .

    Is there a nut that I might substitute for the cashews. Will peeled almonds or sunflower seeds be a good replacement?

    Lastly, in your photo of the salad there appears to be cherry tomatoes, but in the actual ingredient list I did not see tomatoes. Should tomatoes be included?

    Thanks you for your kind sharing.

    Will let you know who the recipe turns out.

    • amie-sue says:

      Good day Rhondy,

      I am happy to hear that the day has come to try this recipe. You can use peeled almonds since they are of the same color and close in taste (both being fairly neutral)… sunflower seeds can be used but they change the flavor of the dish.

      I added the tomatoes last minute for a pop of color. I love the dish either way. Often times you see pimentos in potato salad and the cherry tomatoes reminded me of that red pop of color. :) You can add them if you wish.

      Keep me posted on how it turns out and what nut you used. blessings, amie sue

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