Low-Carb German Potato Salad

German Potato Salad is a traditional holiday favorite, and this salad that’s served warm also has bacon, shallots, and a mustardy dressing. And my low-carb version of this famous salad switches the potatoes for cauliflower for much lower carbs!

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Low-Carb German Potato Salad made with cauliflower is an idea that came from my brother Rand. He told me warm German Potato Salad is a traditional holiday food for several families he knows, and when we made this low-carb mock potato salad with cauliflower it was definitely a winner!

Like potato salad in America, German Potato Salad is a recipe where every family has their own version! So I looked at recipes all over the web and experimented with different ingredients to create the recipe you see here. The salad I ended up with has a generous amount of bacon and shallots cooked in bacon grease for lots of bacon flavor.

Besides the shallots we added sliced green onions for flavor and crunch. We steamed the cauliflower until it was soft and drained it well, and then finished the salad by warming the cauliflower again in the hot dressing. And if you’re trying stick with low carb foods during the holidays, maybe this low-carb version of German Potato Salad can become a holiday tradition in your family!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is ONLY a list of ingredients for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link that will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

• cauliflower
• thick cut bacon
• shallots (or red onion)
• green onion
• sea salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• bacon fat (see notes)
• Red Wine Vinegar (affiliate link)
• stone-ground mustard

Cooking the cauliflower for Low-Carb German Potato Salad:

For this recipe you want cauliflower that’s quite soft, but not mushy and you don’t want it to be wet when it’s added to the salad. I’d use a stovetop or electric vegetable steamer (affiliate link) and cook the cauliflower until it feels soft when you pierce with a fork. If you don’t have a steamer you can cook the cauliflower in a pot of boiling water. Whichever method you choose I would start to check after 6 minutes. And be sure to drain the cauliflower very well in a colander placed in the sink.

Does Low-Carb German Potato Salad keep in the fridge?

When we tested this recipe I managed to get some leftovers and I’m happy to say the salad kept well in the fridge and reheated beautifully in a non-stick frying pan.

How low in carbs is the German Potato Salad made with cauliflower?

This delicious mock potato salad made with cauliflower has only 5 net carbs per serving and 22 grams of protein!

How to Make Low-Carb German Potato Salad:

(This is ONLY a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Dice bacon, heat frying pan, and cook until the bacon is crisp, stirring often. Remove bacon to a plate covered with paper towels. Let bacon drain well.
2. Cut cauliflower into bite-sized pieces while you bring water to a boil in the vegetable steamer (or a pan). 
3. When water boils, add cauliflower and steam or boil for 7 minutes, or until cauliflower is soft but not mushy. (I would check after 6 minutes.)
4. Drain cauliflower well in a colander placed in the sink.
5. Chop up shallots to make 1/2 C. (See the shallot in the photo if you haven’t cooked with them before. They’re delicious but you can use red onion if you prefer.)
6. Thinly slice green onions. (Whoops I forgot to take a picture of that.)
7. Remove all but one tablespoon bacon grease from the pan, saving 2 tablespoons bacon fat for the dressing. Heat the one tablespoon bacon fat and cook the shallots until fragrant and starting to brown. Remove shallots to the plate with the bacon.
8. Add dressing ingredients to the pan and cook until it’s almost starting to boil.
9. Add the well-drained cauliflower into the pan with the hot dressing and cook 3-4 minutes, turning it over several times, until the cauliflower is steaming hot and well-coated with dressing.
10. Turn off heat, add bacon and shallots, and stir to combine.
11. Stir in green onions, season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, and serve hot or warm.
12. I think Low-Carb German Potato Salad would be a huge hit on a holiday buffet table. You could use a slow cooker to keep it warm.

Another tasty option for Potato Salad made with Cauliflower:

Check out Loaded Cauliflower Potato Salad if you like the idea of mock potato salad made with cauliflower. That recipe has been hugely popular!

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Yield: 6 servings

Low-Carb German Potato Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

This Low-Carb German Potato Salad is served warm like the traditional German salad and it's made with cauliflower, bacon, shallots, and a delicious mustardy dressing.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. cauliflower
• 12 oz. thick cut bacon
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots (see notes)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
• sea salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Dressing:

• 2 T bacon fat (see notes)
• 3 T red wine vinegar
• 2 T stone-ground mustard

Instructions

1. Dice bacon and heat a very large frying pan over high heat. I used a deep non-stick frying pan that was 12 inches across.
2. When the pan is hot add the diced bacon, turn heat to medium high, and cook until the bacon is completely crisp, stirring often.
3. When bacon is completely crisp, turn off heat and remove bacon to a plate covered with a double layer of paper towels. Let bacon drain well.
4. While bacon cooks, cut cauliflower into bite-sized pieces while you bring water to a boil in the vegetable steamer (or in a pan).
5. When water boils, add cauliflower and steam or boil for 7 minutes, or until cauliflower is soft but not mushy. (I would check after 6 minutes.)
6. Drain cauliflower well in a colander placed in the sink.
7. Chop up shallots to make 1/c chopped shallots. (The shallots are delicious in this if you can find them but red onion will work.) Thinly slice green onions.
8. Remove all but one tablespoon bacon grease from the pan, saving 2 tablespoons bacon fat for the dressing.
9. Heat the one tablespoon bacon fat over medium-high heat and cook the shallots until they are fragrant and starting to brown. Remove shallots from pan and put on the plate with the bacon.
10. Add the other 2 tablespoons bacon fat, the red wine vinegar, and the stone-ground mustard to the frying pan and cook over medium heat until it's almost starting to boil.
11. Add the well-drained cauliflower into the pan and cook 3-4 minutes, turning it over several times, until the cauliflower is steaming hot and well-coated with dressing.
12. Turn off heat, add bacon and shallots, and gently stir to combine.
13. Stir in green onions, season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, and serve the low-carb German Potato Salad hot or warm.

Notes

You need 3 or 4 large shallots, or use red onion if you prefer.

You can use olive oil instead of bacon fat for the dressing. Most of the fat in the bacon is discarded, so total fat shown in the nutritional information is higher than what you are actually going to eat.

This salad is delicious served hot or warm, and leftovers reheated beautifully in a non-stick frying pan.

I created this recipe with Kara after we looked at German Potato Salad recipes all over the web and experimented quite a few times to come up with a low-carb version with cauliflower that we thought was just right!

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 355Total Fat 25gSaturated Fat 9gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 60mgSodium 1079mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 4gSugar 4gProtein 22g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Low-Carb German Potato Salad made with cauliflower is a great dish for low-carb and Keto diets. This would be high in fat for the South Beach Diet, although you can definitely use less bacon or use turkey bacon if you wanted to try it that way.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes for more ideas like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This German Potato Salad made with cauliflower for lower carbs was first posted in 2019. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2025.