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Smoky Cauliflower & Potato Salad (You will Love the Mayo-Free Sauce That Goes With it!)

By Githu: Nutrition Coach

↓ Jump to Recipe

Smoky cauliflower & potato salad is a delicious way of combining Sweet & Irish potatoes into a low-carb vegan platter. I opted for a Mayo-free, vegan dish, and used onions roasted in smoked paprika to bring out a really rich flavor.

Paprika cauliflower potato salad

If you are a fan of potatoes, but want to eat them in healthy ways, then I've got you covered. Potatoes are always a great accompaniment to any meal, especially for vegetarian and vegan preferences. On that, note, feel free to take a peep at this potato salad to give you an idea of what you can do for an easy, light salad.

I received so much great feedback on my cauliflower recipe, that I thought I could try a combo of both cauliflower & potatoes. That's how this smoky cauliflower & potato salad was created. It's a fun, simple salad but you will need to prepare some of the ingredients in advance.

How to Roast/ Bake your Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes

The secret behind the delicious flavor in this smoky cauliflower & potato salad is in using some smoked paprika with the ingredients. Roasting your potatoes in smoked paprika will give them a smoky flavor that makes this salad really delicious.

Spicy paprika roasted potatoes with onions
  • To start with, choose small potatoes and sweet potatoes.
  • The best way to roast these potatoes fast is to cut them up into small chunks.
  • Chop up some onions as well.
  • Use a combination of smoked paprika and sumac spices to bring flavors. Smoked paprika smells so good that you'd eat a whole plate of these roasted potatoes.
  • Sprinkle the baking sheet generously with the spices.
  • Pour the veggies and add oil on top.
  • Using a spatula or your hands, mix the potatoes, onions, spices, and oil together
  • Spread the veggies on a single layer over the baking sheet.
  • Put them to roast in the oven and turn them after 20 minutes to roast the other side
  • Once the potatoes are ready, let them cool before you make the cauliflower & potato salad

How to Steam Cauliflower

We're in the fall season in France and this is when we've got a chance to get colored cauliflowers. They come in purple, orange, and green colors. Feel free to use white cauliflower if you don't have access to the other variants.

  • Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a large saucepan.
  • As the water is going, cut up a well washed cauliflower into florets. Cut the cauliflower florets from the cauliflower head carefully, and place them in the steaming basket.
  • Spread the cauliflower evenly in the steaming basket so that the steaming can take as short a time as possible. This ensures that the cauliflower cooks evenly and quickly, to preserve the nutrients in them.
  • Put the steaming basket with the florets in the saucepan of boiling water.
  • Let the water boil at a relatively high heat.
  • Check if the cauliflower is cooked by inserting a fork in one of the florets
  • Don't overcook them. You want the cauliflower florets to be firm but cooked for this salad. Over-steamed cauliflower will be mushy.
  • Turn off the heat as soon as the florets are ready.
  • Remove the steaming basket with the steamed cauliflower from the water, otherwise, the steam will continue cooking the cauliflower.
  • Let the steamed cauliflower cool before you can handle it.

How to Make a Vegan, Creamy Mustard Sauce

No mayo mustard sauce

For this cauliflower & potato salad, I wanted to make a creamy sauce without any mayo, yoghurt or cream. What I came up with was this creamy mustard sauce that's super delicious, and goes perfectly with the salad. Here's how to make it.

  • To substitute the mayo, use 1 or 2 steamed potatoes that you'll steam along with the cauliflowers. Make sure to cut these potatoes into small cubes so that they can steam fast.
  • When ready, pick out the potato cubes from the steamer, and mash them using a fork. Mash the potatoes while they're still warm.
  • Finally, add in some Dijon mustard to the mashed potatoes, along with some Olive oil, vinegar and salt to taste. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly until smooth. You can also add in some water to make the sauce lighter, as you desire.
  • I've included the full recipe at the end of this post; feel free to share, download or print it out.
cauliflower roasted potato salad

Smoky Cauliflower & Potato Salad - How to Blend it All Together

spicy cauliflower salad

Once you are done with the roasting and steaming, let the veggies cool before assembling this cauliflower & potato salad.

  • As you wait for the cauliflower and potatoes to cool, you can be chopping up the herbs.
  • In a large bowl, toss everything together to make this healthy delicious smoky cauliflower potato salad. 
  • This cauliflower potato salad can be a meal on its own because it's very filling. Alternatively, it makes a delicious side dish to a main meal.

Enjoy the deliciousness of this smoky cauliflower & potato salad, and let me know how your salad turned out.

Let's eat healthy and heal gut inflammation day-by-day, together. Thank you for being here, thank you for sharing...

My love to you, Githu.

spiced cauliflower salad

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📖 Recipe

Smoky cauliflower potato salad
Print Recipe
4.94 from 16 votes

Smoky Cauliflower & Potato Salad

This Smoky Cauliflower & Potato salad makes a delicious vegan meal or can be an accompaniment to your main meal. The best part is that the yummy sauce is made without Mayo, Yoghurt or Cream. The final result is a cauliflower salad using roasted sweet & Irish potatoes in smoked paprika.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time35 minutes mins
Course: Salad
Cuisine: anti-inflammatory, healthy, plantbased, Vegan
Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword: cauliflower recipes, cauliflower salad, clean eating, mayo-free, mustard sauce, vegan potato salad
Servings: 4 people
Calories:
Author: Githu
Cost: 10€

Equipment

  • vegetable steamer
  • large bowl
  • Large saucepan
  • baking sheet
  • knife
  • Chopping board

Ingredients

Smoked Paprika Roasted Potatoes

  • 3 medium potatoes
  • 2 small Sweet potatoes
  • 2 medium onions
  • 3 whole garlic with skin on
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika (depending on if you like it)
  • 1 teaspoon sumac (optional)
  • 1 hot pepper (optional)
  • 3 olive/coconut melted oil
  • pinch salt
  • fresh thyme

Steamed colored cauliflower

  • 3 cups colored cauliflowers of your choice, here I'd green, purple and white cauliflowers. Or just use white cauliflower
  • 2 small potatoes for the sauce
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • pinch salt

Potato Dijon mustard sauce

  • 2 steamed then mashed potatoes
  • 2 roasted garlic
  • 1 tablespoon baobab
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard sauce with seeds
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
  • pinch salt
  • 3-5 tablespoons cold water (you can use the steaming cauliflower water)

Extra ingredients

  • 1 lemon zest
  • fresh herbs of your choice ( here I added chives, dill, and thyme)

Instructions

  • Start by heating your oven at 190°C
  • Slice potatoes, sweet potatoes and onions into small bite size-pieces.
  • In a large bowl, put the spices with the salt then add oil. Whisk them together to mix well.
  • Put the sliced sweet potatoes, onions, and potatoes in the bowl with the spices.
  • Mix well, making sure to coat all the potatoes and sweet potatoes with spices
  • Put them in the oven to roast, after 15 mins, remove them from the oven, try to turn the potatoes and the sweet potatoes, then put them back in the oven for the next 5 mins
  • Remove them from the oven and let them cool
  • While the potatoes are roasting, steam your cauliflower and the 2 small potatoes.
  • I place my vegetable steamer in a saucepan, add the cauliflower florets, then pour boiling water over everything. I find it time-saving, since the water is already boiling, so the steaming starts immediately.
  • If you don't have a boiler to boil water, then boil water in a saucepan large enough to insert a steaming basket
  • Steam for 15 mins or till tender to your liking.
  • Let them cool.
  • During that time chop fresh herbs of your choice.
  • Now make the sauce,
  • Take the steamed potatoes and mash them using a fork in a small bowl
  • Add the roasted garlic and mash well
  • Now add the rest of the ingredients, adding water little by little till you get a creamy sauce
  • Assemble the cauliflower potato salad
  • In the large bowl, bring in the roasted veggies, the steamed cauliflower, and the sauce
  • Bring in the herbs
  • Grate the zest of the lemon on top of the cauliflower potato salad and mix everything gently
  • Taste for the seasoning, add hot pepper if you want to
  • Enjoy this cauliflower salad while still warm or store in your fridge if you'd like it cold
  • I sincerely thank you for sharing and pinning this recipe

Notes

  • I didn't include the cooling time, since this depends on whether you want to eat this salad warm or cold.
  • If the recipe makes up a little more salad than you need. simply store the extra in a sealed container in the fridge and consume it within 3 days.
  • I don't weigh my veggies, because we eat a lot of them here. The measurements are just a guide. Adjust according to how many people are being served this cauliflower potato salad or make more as meal prep.
  • I use a lot of smoked paprika, so feel free to adjust the quantity to your liking.
  • If you don't really like smoked paprika, go for sweet paprika instead.
  • Feel free to use other spices as well, according to what you love.

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Reader Interactions

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  1. Manju

    March 02, 2020 at 2:52 pm

    I love Potatoes. Am not a big fan of Cauliflower, though. Still I am going to try it. Looks yummy!

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 03, 2020 at 9:09 pm

      Manju, I appreciate your efforts in wanting to try this recipe. Spice it with your favorite spices but add smoked paprika too, I am sure you'll love it. Thank you for being here.

      Reply
  2. Chirpy Brains

    March 02, 2020 at 3:04 pm

    5 stars
    Wow!! It looks totally delicious in pictures. Very healthy and easy to make. Will definitely try this recipe!!

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 03, 2020 at 9:08 pm

      Thank you Chirpy, I hope you'll love this recipe... beautiful week.

      Reply
  3. Sandra Joseph

    March 02, 2020 at 3:18 pm

    What a beautiful dish! I'm sure it tastes amazing as well!!!

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 03, 2020 at 9:06 pm

      Thank you Sandra, It is really delicious. Give it a thought..

      Reply
  4. Amanda

    March 02, 2020 at 4:51 pm

    This looks amazing! I'm not a huge cauliflower person, however this looks delicious. 🙂

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 03, 2020 at 9:06 pm

      Hi Amanda, I am glad you stopped by. Have you tried spicing your cauliflower? please give it a chance. Looking forward to hearing your opinion....

      Reply
  5. TherapyRDx

    March 02, 2020 at 5:17 pm

    5 stars
    this is gorgeous! I have a bundle of cauliflower in my fridge and I am going to use ASAP to make this recipe 🙂

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 03, 2020 at 9:04 pm

      Hi TherapyRDX, I hope you will enjoy it... thank you for being here

      Reply
  6. Mariyam

    March 02, 2020 at 6:49 pm

    5 stars
    This vegan recipe is so healthy. I’m a picky eater and stay away from veggies but this looks yummy!

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 03, 2020 at 9:03 pm

      Mariyam, thank you for stopping by. I know it's not that easy for you. I hope one day you'll love eating veggies. I have in mind. stay well.

      Reply
  7. Cyndi

    March 02, 2020 at 7:20 pm

    This looks delicious! I have never tried colored cauliflower.

    Reply
  8. Raksha

    March 02, 2020 at 7:23 pm

    This looks amazingly delicious, I will try.

    Reply
  9. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine

    March 02, 2020 at 8:58 pm

    Smoked Paprika is EVERYTHING!

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 03, 2020 at 9:00 pm

      Rebecca, I agree with you on this one. Thank you for coming here. soon...

      Reply
  10. Life Mag

    March 03, 2020 at 5:46 am

    I love cauliflower so much! It's deliciously healthy. Thank you very much for this recipe,I will definitely try this on weekend. 🙂

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 03, 2020 at 8:59 pm

      Thank you Life Mag. I hope you'll love this recipe... let me know. Beautiful week.

      Reply
  11. siennylovesdrawing

    March 03, 2020 at 12:12 pm

    love this recipe as I love salad & cauliflower always my favourite
    Gonna try my hand of making a plate soon
    cheers
    siennylovesdrawing

    Reply
  12. Jasmine Watts

    March 03, 2020 at 5:08 pm

    Look really delicious but how do we determine if it is a high carb or low carb. people say potato is a high carb

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 03, 2020 at 8:58 pm

      Hi Jasmine, you are right, potatoes are high carbs which are starchy, meaning they don't make your blood spike after eating them, however, they have to be eaten with their skin and avoid adding unhealthy sauces. Besides, this salad uses both sweet potatoes and potatoes. I hope I answered you.

      Reply
  13. Hackytips

    March 03, 2020 at 5:09 pm

    Not a fan of Potato but this is looking yum 🙂

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 03, 2020 at 8:37 pm

      Hackytips, thank you so much. this salad has sweet potatoes too, I hope you love those. Good time over there...

      Reply
  14. Dominique

    March 03, 2020 at 5:28 pm

    4 stars
    I am not a big fan of potato salad but this one looks intriguing! Made with roasted potatoes? I am in!

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 03, 2020 at 8:36 pm

      Hi Dominique, yes I mixed sweet potatoes and potatoes for more flavors, I hope you like it if you give it a try. Thank you for coming here.

      Reply
  15. Anshul

    March 04, 2020 at 3:16 am

    Wow. I am not a big cauliflower fan but I guess this is something that I'll love to try.

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 13, 2020 at 3:13 am

      Anshul, I am grateful that you want to try this recipe. I hope you'll love it... thank you for wanting to try something you don't like that much... love you.

      Reply
  16. Joanna

    March 04, 2020 at 1:24 pm

    5 stars
    This dish doesn't only sound delicious but it looks very good as well. I like that you used so many colorful ingredients. Sumac is an interesting choice of a spice, definitely giving this salad that citrus tangy taste.

    Reply
  17. aisasami

    March 04, 2020 at 2:02 pm

    5 stars
    My mom is the Queen of Making Potato Salad for my dad's work parties. I have to give her this recipe to change her potato salad this year.

    Reply
  18. Ting

    March 04, 2020 at 4:07 pm

    i love the colours! it looks so appetizing and healthy!

    Reply
  19. Traci

    March 04, 2020 at 4:36 pm

    I love finding new ways to cook cauliflower, thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 13, 2020 at 3:12 am

      Traci, thank you for being here. I hope you'll try this cauliflower recipe soon... love you, kisses.

      Reply
  20. Jamie

    March 05, 2020 at 9:57 am

    That's an interesting twist on potato salad and so healthy! We definitely need to try this soon.

    Reply
  21. Gloria

    February 22, 2021 at 9:48 pm

    5 stars
    This sounds like a winning combination. The perfect fall salad. Love roasting veggies. The only way we serve them.

    Reply
  22. Marta

    February 23, 2021 at 3:35 am

    5 stars
    I've never thought to make potato salad with cauliflower. I'm loving the smokiness of this recipe.

    Reply
  23. Bernice Hill

    February 23, 2021 at 8:29 pm

    5 stars
    What a gorgeous salad! Great trick on the creamy vegan dressing too...great flavours and textures here as well.

    Reply
  24. Jenny

    February 23, 2021 at 10:58 pm

    5 stars
    This cauliflower potato salad is gorgeous; I love the colors! I am a big fan of cauliflower, so I am definitely trying it. Thank you so much for the great recipe!

    Reply
    • Githu

      February 25, 2021 at 8:19 pm

      Hi, Jenny. I am happy that you love cauliflower. You'll love this recipe.

      Reply
  25. Veronika

    February 25, 2021 at 9:11 pm

    5 stars
    Look at these beautiful colors! This salad will be a great addition to a house party or a Summer BBQ cookout. So much flavor in one bowl!

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 02, 2021 at 2:38 am

      Thank you very much Veronika

      Reply
  26. Beth

    February 26, 2021 at 1:26 am

    5 stars
    I love everything about this salad: the colors, the nutritional balance, the easy prep. I can't wait to add this to our regular meal planning. Smoked paprika and sumac are such a great way to get that smoky, savory flavor.

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 02, 2021 at 2:39 am

      Hi Beth, I totally agree with you, sumac and smoked paprika do make this cauliflower stand out.

      Reply
  27. Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer

    February 26, 2021 at 10:55 pm

    5 stars
    What a beautiful recipe! Those colors are stunning and just draw you in! I'm loving the spiced mixture too! That smoked paprika is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 02, 2021 at 2:50 am

      Lori, I am glad that you like this salad, thank you.

      Reply
  28. Tammy

    February 28, 2021 at 8:02 pm

    5 stars
    This looks so colorful and so delicious! What a wonderful idea for potato salad..cannot wait to give it a try!

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 02, 2021 at 2:47 am

      Thank you so much, Tammy.

      Reply
  29. Addison

    March 01, 2021 at 2:19 am

    5 stars
    This potato salad will be on repeat this summer! I love the fresh flavors in this dish. So yummy!

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 02, 2021 at 2:46 am

      Addison, I am glad that you'll be making this salad. Can't wait for summer to come.

      Reply
  30. Moop Brown

    March 01, 2021 at 2:58 am

    5 stars
    Wow, this salad looks so colorful, flavorful and tasty. I also really appreciate how easy to make it seems as well!

    Reply
    • Githu

      March 02, 2021 at 2:45 am

      Thank you so much, Brown.

      Reply

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Catherine here. I'm a Certified Holistic Health & Nutrition Coach and Food as Medicine.

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