Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad is one of the easiest side dishes to make and this version is LOW CARB! YAY! It's also one of those side dishes that are better the next day or even the day after that, so it's definitely a make-ahead kind of recipe.
I used to make a version of this salad all the time for my residents at the assisted living I owned when I had some leftover broccoli that I needed to use up, so I thought I'd try my hand at making a lower carb version.
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Jeff and I both LOVED it! We seriously couldn't tell it wasn't made with real sugar and I'm not usually one that likes the flavor of any artificial sweeteners in food. There always seems to be a weird aftertaste, but not this time!
Of course, I didn't write the recipe down because I wasn't planning on it ending up here. I should really know better by now! Anyway, I made it a few more times, wrote everything down and now I can share it with you!
Can I Make this Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad Keto?
Yes! I decided I really liked the sweet flavor of the Craisins®, even though they do add to the sugar/carb counts, but you can omit them!
Or, try drying your own cranberries with some artificial sugar and see how that goes. I think I'll give that a try next time!
The only two ingredients in this recipe that aren't considered keto are the onions and the Craisins®, so omit them or substitute them for something more keto-friendly and you have a nice Keto Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad!
How Long will this Last in the Refrigerator?
This salad is even better 1-3 days after you make it, but, after the 3rd day, I did notice it getting a little watery.
It will last 5-7 days, as long as your vegetables are fresh when you make it, but you might need to drain off some liquid and add a little more mayo to get it back to that creamy texture.
This salad won't freeze well, so I don't recommend trying that. If you don't think you will eat it all, you can easily cut back to half of a batch by cutting all the ingredients in half.
If you end up liking it as much as Jeff and I did, it won't last longer than 3 days! We found ourselves eating it as a little afternoon snack as well as a side dish for our lunch or dinner. It's that yummy!
Can I Make a Vegetarian version of Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad?
Absolutely! Simply omit the bacon and, if you want a little smokey flavor, you can add in a drop of liquid smoke.
You can also cut out the egg and bacon, and use a vegan mayo if you want to make a vegan version.
There are no rules with this salad, you can omit or add anything you like, so it turns out exactly the way you want it to.
Can I use Real Sugar or an Artificial Sweetener of my Choice?
Yes, absolutely. This recipe works great with using real sugar and you would add ¼ cup of white sugar in place of the Swerve I use.
As far as other artificial Sweeteners go, look on the package directions to see what the equivalent is compared to regular sugar. Swerve is a 1:1 conversion which makes it really easy, but not all artificial sweeteners are.
If you aren't sure how much to add, start out with just a teaspoon or two and taste the dressing. You can always add more before mixing the dressing with the broccoli & cauliflower salad.
Other Low Carb Recipes You Might Enjoy
Although my website doesn't exactly reflect this, Jeff and I try to eat as low carb as possible. I often take my favorite full carb recipes and turn them into a lower carb version and some of them have made it on my website.
Keto Broccoli & Cheddar Soup
Southwestern Turkey Burgers
Healthy Chicken Corn Chowder
Low Carb Pesto Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Guilt Free Shrimp Alfredo
Cauliflower Arancini Balls
Low Carb Salmon Patties
Broccoli & Cheese Soup Southwestern Turkey Burgers Healthy Chicken Corn Chowder Pesto Stuffed Pork Tenderloin Guilt-Free Shrimp Alfredo Low Carb Arancini Balls
How to Make Low Carb Cauliflower & Broccoli Salad
You will want to cook your bacon until it is crispy and let it sit on paper towels to drain the grease.
The BEST bacon cooking appliance that I have is the Ninja Foodi XL grill. It's unreal how evenly and fast the bacon cooks. I set it on 360℉/180℃ for 12 minutes and it was perfect. Keep in mind that I'm using thick cut bacon, so if you are using a thinner bacon, you will not have to cook the entire 12 minutes.
You will also want to hard boil 2 large eggs. I use the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper for this and they peel so nicely! I pressure cook with 2 cups of water on high for 4 minutes, with a natural release of 5-6 minutes and then put them in an ice bath until I am ready to peel them.
Prep the broccoli and cauliflower by cutting the florets into small, bite size pieces. We don't cook the vegetables in this recipe, so you don't want the sizes too big or the salad is hard to eat.
Dice the red onion (if using) into about ¼" dice.
Add the small broccoli & cauliflower florets, the diced onion, and craisins/dried cranberries to a large mixing bowl.
Peel and chop your eggs and add to the bowl. Crumble the bacon and add to the bowl. The bacon does add flavor to the salad when added before you chill it, but it does get softer. If you want really crispy bacon, add it just before serving.
Next, mix up the dressing by combining the mayo, apple cider vinegar, and Swerve or sugar and whisk to combine.
Pour the dressing over the broccoli & cauliflower salad and toss to combine. You can also add a few Tablespoons of sunflower seeds or even some chopped nuts if desired. Sometimes I add some diced fresh tomatoes.
Cover & refrigerate for at least an hour, but it is better when chilled overnight.
Serve & Enjoy!
Low Carb Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad
Ingredients
- 3 strips apple wood smoked bacon Thick Cut
- 2 large eggs hardboiled
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cup cauliflower florets
- ¼ cup red onion diced
- ¼ cup Craisins/dried cranberries
Salad Dressing
- 1 cup Mayonaise
- 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- ¼ cup Swerve white sugar replacement
Instructions
- Cook the bacon until it is crispy and let drain on paper towels. Hard Boil 2 eggs and let them sit in an ice bath until you are ready to use them or keep them cold in the refrigerator.
- Cut the broccoli and cauliflower florets into small, bite size pieces and add to a large mixing bowl. Dice onion into about ¼" dice and add to bowl. Add craisins.
- Peel & chop the eggs and add to mixing bowl. Crumble bacon and add to mixing bowl. *If you want the bacon to stay crispy, add it just before serving.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo, apple cider vinegar, and Swerve sugar replacement. Pour over broccoli & cauliflower salad and fold to combine.
- Cover & refrigerate at least 1 hour, but overnight is preferred.
- Serve & Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
ABOUT THE RECIPE AUTHOR, LOUISE LONG
Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.
Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and getting the most out of the Ninja Foodi.
Ninja Foodi Fresh & Healthy Meals
Seeing the need for easy, delicious, and high quality recipes, she is focusing all of her efforts creating recipes specifically for the Ninja Foodi. Her recipes are easy for the home cook to follow and provide step-by-step instructions.
Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.
She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can.
Kim Ortiz
Tried this today as a 'taste test' for Thanksgivng and its wonderful! It will be on our table. Waiting to hear if we can use Greek yoga instead of mayo. If we don't hear I'll try it and let you know!! 🙂
Louise
I haven't tried it with Greek yogurt yet, but it should work. It would be a different flavor, but it will work. I am so glad you enjoyed it! Happy Thanksgiving!
Robin L Ford
Hey Louise,
Can you sub low cal plain yogurt for the mayo? Can you add anything else so it taste more like mayo?
Louise
I'm thinking you could use the yogurt, I would probably use Greek yogurt because it's nice and thick. I'm not sure how to make it taste more like mayo though. Let me know if you figure something out.