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My easy Cauliflower Rice Salad is a flavorful and light side dish complete with Greek salad-inspired toppings and a vinaigrette! Ready in under 15 minutes from start to finish, this is an easy side dish salad you are sure to love.
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Best Riced Cauliflower Salad
My favorite dishes to experiment with during warmer weather are side salads! There are so many possibilities for what you can combine, and a good, light salad side dish is always a welcome addition to any main course.
This riced cauliflower salad is a testament to how delicious side dish salads can be! Using cauliflower rice and the same flavors as a traditional Greek salad, it is truly tasty. Not to mention, it's so easy to make!
Everyone I mention it to - who hasn't made it yet - is surprised to learn how simple it is to rice cauliflower for a salad. If you have yet to make riced cauliflower salad, you will be pleasantly surprised at just how little effort it takes. Learn how to make it following my Greek cauliflower rice salad recipe, and you can customize it however you like to enjoy your favorite salads with crunchy and delicious cauliflower rice.
Cauliflower Rice Salad FAQs
Cauliflower can be washed and cut into florets up to 3 days in advance before making cauliflower rice salad. Additionally, you can rice it ahead of time to have it ready to use in the salad.
There are three varieties of cauliflower you can use to make cauliflower rice salad - the typical white cauliflower, orange cauliflower, or purple cauliflower. Each one will lend your salad a more colorful look and slightly different taste. Orange cauliflower is more sweet and mild than white cauliflower, while purple cauliflower is a gorgeous purple color and cooks very quickly - more quickly than white cauliflower! You can use any variety of cauliflower for cauliflower rice salad, and I recommend trying them all.
Cauliflower Salad Ingredients
- Cauliflower or pre-made cauliflower rice
- Olive oil
- Baby arugula
- Cherry or grape tomatoes
- Green onions
- Feta cheese
- Pitted olives (optional)
- Fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper
For the vinaigrette, you will need:
- Lemon juice
- Red wine vinegar
- Dried oregano
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Cauliflower Rice Salad
- If using a head of cauliflower, first remove the florets, then place them in a food processor. Pulse until it reaches the size of grains of rice. Transfer the cauliflower to a microwaveable bowl and add olive oil with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Microwave, loosely covered, for 2.5 minutes, and allow to cool while you prepare the rest of the salad. Alternatively, follow our directions on How to Make Cauliflower Rice for more preparation options.
- Once the cauliflower rice is cooled, top with baby arugula, sliced tomatoes, diced green onions, crumbled feta cheese, pitted olives, and fresh parsley.
- Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, and salt and pepper. Taste and adjust as needed. Drizzle with vinaigrette, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- If making ahead of time, you can prepare the cauliflower rice 2-3 days in advance.
- The dressing may also be prepared ahead of time (up to 2 weeks).
- I recommend not mixing the salad until ready to serve, or at least leaving it dry until serving, then dress. If you plan on having leftovers, store the cauliflower rice separately from the other ingredients and only dress served portions of the salad.
Best Side Dish Salads
Try more of the best side dishes:
- Mediterranean Bean Salad
- Asian Slaw
- Rocket Salad with Pear
- Black-Eyed Pea Salad
- Burrata Salad
- Easy Potato Salad Recipes
- Spinach Salad Recipe
Salad Dressings for Riced Cauliflower Salad
- Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing
- Honey Balsamic Dressing
- Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
- Vietnamese Salad Dressing
If you like rice, try my Instant Pot Rice, Mushroom Risotto, Homemade Rice-a-Roni, or guide on How to Cook Rice Perfectly!
Did you try this recipe? Let us know in the comments below, and leave a rating! We love to hear from you.
Easy Cauliflower Rice Salad
Equipment
- 1 Food processor or box grater, for ricing cauliflower
Ingredients
Cauliflower Rice Salad
- ½ medium cauliflower equals 12 ounces or about 1.5 cups once riced; or use premade Cauliflower Rice
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 cup baby arugula
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes; halve or quarter if large
- 3 green onions diced
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional: ¼ cup pitted and sliced olives
Red Wine Vinaigrette
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- If using a head of cauliflower, first remove the florets, then place them in a food processor. Pulse until it reaches the size of grains of rice. Transfer the cauliflower to a microwaveable bowl and add olive oil with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Microwave, loosely covered, for 2.5 minutes, and allow to cool while you prepare the rest of the salad. Alternatively, follow our directions on How to Make Cauliflower Rice for more preparation options.
- Once the cauliflower rice is cooled, top with baby arugula, sliced tomatoes, diced green onions, crumbled feta cheese, pitted olives, and fresh parsley.
- Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, and salt and pepper. Taste and adjust as needed. Drizzle with vinaigrette, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- If making ahead of time, you can prepare the cauliflower rice 2-3 days in advance.
- The dressing may also be prepared ahead of time (up to 2 weeks).
- I recommend not mixing the salad until ready to serve, or at least leaving it dry until serving, then dress. If you plan on having leftovers, store the cauliflower rice separately from the other ingredients and only dress served portions of the salad.
- Try making cauliflower rice salad using your favorite salads as a base!
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