Creamy Cauliflower Salad with Tomatoes
Mediterranean Recipe

Cauliflower is at its best from late fall to early spring. During cooler months, cauliflower flavors are sweeter and more flavorful, and have a firm texture that holds up beautifully in raw or lightly cooked salads.

In fall or late winter, even if tomatoes are slightly less intense, the creamy dressing and crunchy cauliflower still deliver comfort and balance.

Cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon, and garlic are all available in all supermarkets.

Farmer markets often offer fresher heads with tighter florets and better flavor.

Grocery stores are completely fine, but choosing a cauliflower that feels heavy for its size and has no dark spots ensures the best texture.

Cherry tomatoes are easy to find in supermarkets. Greek yogurt is stocked in nearly every dairy aisle, but choosing a full-fat or at least 2% version helps to get the dressing silky and reduces the risk of a watery texture. Any good-quality mayo works since it blends with yogurt to create a stable, creamy base.

The cauliflower can be swapped with Romanesco if you want to make this salad a visually striking version with a slightly nuttier taste.

If cherry tomatoes are unavailable in your area, grape tomatoes or even finely diced firm salad tomatoes work.

For the dressing, Greek yogurt can be replaced with sour cream for a richer but slightly tangier result.

If you avoid mayonnaise, you can increase the yogurt, though the dressing will be less silky.

Lemon juice can be replaced with white wine vinegar, but only in the same amount to avoid overpowering the salad.

Garlic is essential for aroma, though garlic powder can be used in a pinch at about one-quarter teaspoon.

This cauliflower salad works beautifully with many dishes. I served it with chicken pot pie in the Live Cooking session; you can watch both recipes.

If you want to make this salad a part of a Mediterranean-style main, serve it with Mediterranean Veal Cutlets, Mediterranean Shrimp Croquettes, or very easy Mediterranean Baked Trout.

For a lighter menu, it complements Poached Salmon in White Wine, or Foil Baked Sea Bream.

This creamy Cauliflower Salad is sturdy and does not wilt quickly, it is excellent for picnics, potlucks, and buffet-style gatherings.

For a dessert, you can serve Strawberry Blackberry Pavlova or Super Tender Mango Pavlova.

Here are my tips on how to make this salad perfect:

1. First, cut and divide the cauliflower into evenly sized small florets so every bite feels balanced.
2. Prepare the tomatoes by slicing them in halves or quarters, depending on their size, which helps prevent watery bites and spreads their sweetness evenly throughout the salad.
3. When it’s time to make the dressing, whisk the yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, grated garlic, salt, and pepper until completely smooth so the flavors blend.
4. Add the dressing gradually to the cauliflower and tomatoes, letting the mixture come together at your pace so you can control exactly how creamy you want the salad to be.
5. Always taste before serving and adjust the salt or lemon juice as needed, because cauliflower absorbs seasoning differently depending on its freshness and size, and those final adjustments make all the difference. 🙂

This cauliflower salad stores really well because cauliflower maintains its structure better than leafy greens. When refrigerated in an airtight container, leftovers stay fresh for about two days.

The dressing may thicken slightly as it rests, which actually improves the texture on the second day.

Usually, cherry tomatoes release extra moisture, so giving an extra stir before serving helps reincorporate the flavors.

This recipe is not suitable for freezing due to the dairy-based dressing, which separates after thawing. Storing it in the coldest part of the refrigerator and keeping it tightly sealed preserves freshness and prevents absorption of odors.

The tangy, creamy dressing and fresh vegetables make this cauliflower salad with tomatoes wonderfully drink-friendly.

Light white wines such as Vinho Verde, or Espumante (sparkling wine) pair excellently because their acidity mirrors the lemon in the dressing.

If you prefer something softer, sparkling water with a twist of lemon or cucumber enhances the salad’s freshness without overpowering the palate. Herbal iced teas, especially mint or chamomile, offer a mellow pairing that works well for warm-weather meals.