Share:
Try this simple crunchy raw cauliflower salad recipe full of anti-inflammatory foods for an easy light healthy lunch or dinner or share it with others as an extra healthy vegetable side dish!
Okay, let’s address the question we’ve all been asking for the entirety of our lives: Can you eat cauliflower raw? Never thought about that? Yeah, I’m the weirdo for thinking about life-changing questions. It’s called being an inventor, an entrepreneur, a visionary, an overthinker. You’re welcome, world.
Well, even if you’ve never questioned the edibility of uncooked cauliflower, you’ll know for sure after you try this crunchy, surprisingly tasty and anti-inflammatory raw cauliflower salad. And as you’ve figured out from the title – the answer is yes! You definitely can eat that white crunchy vegetable without torturing it with heat first.
I was actually pretty surprised at how good uncooked cauliflower tasted when I tried it a few months ago. I’ve had it fermented, I’ve had it roasted and as cauliflower rice, but never, ever raw. And then, everything changed. (cue dramatic music and imagine I’m turning around)
Raw cauliflower has this special crunch and is pretty neutral in flavor…a little bit like cabbage, but I find it less intense. I thought I would have like the biggest stomach ache from it – NADA. I felt amazing.
Then I remembered my friend telling me years ago, when cauliflower didn’t cost as much as a brand new car, that she used it all the time in salads raw.
– Don’t you get like…you know what? (I’m trying to be sophisticated here)
– No, we don’t. We’re superhumans and have stomachs of steel.
– Ah.
And that was the very first conversation I had with a chatbot. Ah, I miss my friends!
Cauliflower Salad Ingredients
Now, onto the raw cauliflower salad! Here’s what you’ll need:
Cauliflower. Use fresh raw cauliflower – for this salad you will need it to still be super crunchy and to have a good quality.
Olives and Pickles. I love, love, love both of these foods. They add some saltiness, some tanginess, just something different to make the salad a bit surprising. I used the smallest, crunchiest pickles I could find and they were spicy too. If you don’t like pickles, but like other pickled vegetables like jalapenos – you can use those in the salad too.
Avocado. No need for oil, the avocado serves a good purpose here and adds enough creaminess to the salad.
More Vegetables. Radishes, Jerusalem artichokes, scallions, parsley and a little bit of garlic are the vegetables I had at home and used in the salad. You can use what you have – tomatoes, cucumbers, other herbs and lettuce would be great here as well.
Lemon juice or ACV. I know ACV sounds like some kind of disease, but it actually stands for apple cider vinegar. I didn’t have any lemons at home, so I used some vinegar. Was great.
How To Make Cauliflower Salad
Making this easy raw cauliflower salad involves using plenty of anti-inflammatory foods and my favorite type of cooking: No cooking at all. Just some chop chop and toss toss. I sound annoying, I can see it. But I don’t care. I’m so fine with it.
Less judging, more chopping, please. Then throw everything into a bowl, add some salt and pepper, toss und da haben wir den Salat. As the Germans would say. It translates to there we have the salad.
A recipe and a lesson in German. You’re so welcome.
Can You Store It?
Yes. Just don’t add the avocado. Otherwise, it will oxidate and become brown and unpleasant. All the other things can stay.
You can also put this together as salad jars to have for 2-3 days ahead. Add the avocado right before serving and toss.
This Cauliflower Recipe Is Super Healthy
You heard the words raw cauliflower, so it’s pretty obvious – this salad is incredibly healthy. As a cruciferous vegetable, cauliflower is known for its ability to destroy antioxidants, to reduce inflammation, to activate detoxifying enzymes in your liver, to basically heal your body and prevent disease in every way possible.
Cauliflower is also super rich in nutrients from protein and fiber through vitamin C to potassium – this vegetable’s got all.
But what’s more, when you don’t cook cauliflower it has a much higher antioxidant capacity, which means its healing effects are even stronger. (source)
There’s more than cauliflower in this recipe though. There are Jerusalem artichokes, which can help to improve your gut flora. Then there are radishes, garlic and scallions that all have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and detoxifying superpowers.
And then there’s the avocado that’s full of fiber and healthy fats.
Furthermore, this salad is vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, soy-free, paleo and it’s alkaline too!
All in all, if you need to rejuvenate your body with vitamins, minerals, prebiotics, fiber and healthy fats – make this healthy salad this week.
More Healthy Cauliflower Recipes
Well, I hope you enjoy this delicious easy recipe for raw cauliflower salad made with simple anti-inflammatory vegetables and actually make it! Then, if you’ve got more cauliflower to use – try some of these tasty healthy cauliflower recipes:
- Spicy Ground Turkey Cauliflower Rice
- Cauliflower Fried Rice
- 10-Minute Mediterranean Vegetables
