With cauliflower, kale, chickpeas, almonds, and raisins, this cauliflower salad is a nutrient powerhouse! Plus it’s incredibly delicious and it makes a great side dish. Here’s how to make it in only a few minutes!
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Ingredients For Cauliflower Salad
This cauliflower salad recipe comes together with the following ingredients:
- From the pantry: slivered almonds, raisins, chickpeas, red onion, cumin, olive oil, salt, and pepper. I started pairing my healthy cauliflower recipes with this magical combo of ingredients when making curried cauliflower, and I haven’t looked back.
- From the fridge: cauliflower, kale, lemon juice, and cilantro. We’ll roast some, and massage the kale to get everything as tasty as possible. Be sure to measure your cauliflower florets (rather than just purchasing a head of cauliflower), this is the best way to get the dressing just right.
Tweaks + Modifications
If you’re looking for a totally different cauliflower salad recipe, know that you can chop up a head of cauliflower and turn it into just about any salad you’re craving. Some of our favorites include…
- For a raw cauliflower salad, try cauliflower tabbouleh.
- Make a cauliflower potato salad (just swap potatoes for cauliflower florets).
- Cut the carbs by skipping the raisins.
- Try different herb and spice combinations to better complement your main course. For example, cilantro can be swapped with parsley or mint, and smoked paprika can be added to your spices.
- Make a raw cauliflower salad with this recipe; if going this route I suggest using riced cauliflower.
How to Make Cauliflower Salad
A little bit of chopping, a little bit of baking, not much hands on time from you. Here’s how to throw this cauliflower salad recipe together in no time at all:
- Bake cauliflower, red onions, and chickpeas in oil, salt, pepper, and cumin.
- Massage your kale in a bit more oil.
- Toss your roasted cauliflower, chickpeas, and red onions together with the kale. We like to serve this as a cold cauliflower salad, so I’ll typically let it chill in the fridge before plating.
Serving Suggestions
As mentioned, I prefer to serve this as a cold cauliflower salad, which makes it the perfect light and refreshing warm weather salad. You can serve it alongside any of your favorite simple grilled proteins. Some of our favorite compliments include:
- Anything Mediterranean, like my Za’atar chicken, Mediterranean chicken marinade, or Mediterranean sea bass.
- I’ll often serve this as a lunch salad by simply mixing in shredded chicken or leftover grilled shrimp.
- Keep this cauliflower salad recipe light by pairing it with my broiled salmon or seared scallops.
Storing Tips
Store your leftover cauliflower salad recipe in an airtight container in the fridge. I like placing it in a large resealable baggie. I also like storing the slivered almonds on the side so they stay crunchy.
More Healthy Cauliflower Recipes
- Cheesy Cauliflower Rice
- Cauliflower Mac And Cheese
- Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Mashed Cauliflower
- Cauliflower Risotto
Cauliflower Salad
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 6 cups cauliflower florets about 1 medium head cauliflower
- 1/2 red onion chopped
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 cups kale leaves chopped into small pieces
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up.
- Chop the florets into small bite sized pieces. Place on a baking sheet, along with the red onion and drained chickpeas and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, black pepper, and cumin. Bake in preheated oven until the cauliflower just begins to soften but isn't too soft (a little crunch is good for texture!), about 12 minutes. Allow veggies to cool to room temp.
- Add the kale to a large bowl. Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Massage the kale until it becomes wilted.
- Add the cooled veggies and chickpeas, lemon juice, cilantro, almonds, and raisins and toss to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking, and enjoy!