This cottage cheese egg and cauliflower salad is a high-protein twist on classic egg salad, packed with creamy, tangy flavor. Plus, it's low in carbs, calories and fat!

If you love egg salad but want a healthier, high-protein option, this cottage cheese egg and cauliflower salad is for you! It's flavored with fresh dill and crunchy dill pickles, creating a tangy and zesty twist on the classic that's both delicious and nutritious.

This high-protein egg salad has all the creamy texture of a traditional egg salad but with a lighter, healthier twist. Mayonnaise is swapped for cottage cheese, yet you might not even notice since it’s just as delicious.

It comes together with just a handful of ingredients including hard-boiled eggs, steamed cauliflower, chopped dill pickles, Dijon mustard, red onion, fresh dill, and cottage cheese. Blended cottage cheese creates a smooth, creamy base, while steamed cauliflower adds fiber, texture, and bulk.

It’s an easy-to-make lunch or dinner ready in just 20 minutes. Serve it over a bed of greens, in a low-carb wrap or pita or enjoy it on its own!

Key Ingredients

Hard-boiled eggs: We typically hard boil eggs in the air fryer or Dash Rapid Egg Cooker, but you could also boil. See instructions for all further below.

Cauliflower: We love adding cauliflower to this egg salad to give it more bulk, so the salad is more substantial. Plus, it makes it more of a meal. Before adding, we steam small, bite-size florets in the microwave until tender.

Low-fat cottage cheese: We use a low-fat cottage cheese (2% milkfat) in this salad since we found little difference in taste between the low- and high-fat cottage cheese when done. However, you can use a higher-in-fat cottage cheese if you like as it only slightly reduces the level of protein.

Red onion: Red onion adds a mild crunch to the salad. To reduce the bite of the onion, we strongly recommend soaking in cold water for 10 minutes.

Unsweetened, vanilla almond milk: To slightly thin the cottage cheese dressing for the salad, we add a few tablespoons of unsweetened vanilla-flavored almond milk. We prefer unsweetened almond milk since it's low in carbs and calories, but you may substitute with another type of low-carb milk if you like.

Chopped dill pickles or dill relish (no added sugar): Pickles add a tangy crunch and dill flavor to the salad. You can use a dill relish (no sugar added) or finely chop whole dill pickles.

Fresh dill: Adds a bright, herby freshness that enhances the flavors of the pickles. We use just a tablespoon but feel free to add more if you're a dill lover.

Dijon mustard: Adds the right amount of tang and sharp flavor in the salad. A must!

PREPARING HARD-BOILED EGGS

In terms of preparing hard-boiled eggs, there are a few options. You can buy hard-boiled at eggs at the store or simply prepare at home. Here are a few easy ways to make at home:

• Dash Egg Cooker: We love using our Dash Rapid Egg Cooker to make hard-boiled eggs. It's so quick and easy to use, and you can forget about the eggs as soon as you put them in to cook. After the alarm goes off on the cooker, the eggs are done and perfectly cooked to your liking.
• Air Fryer: This is our second favorite way to prepare hard-boiled eggs. We simply follow these instructions and they turn out perfect every time.
• Boil: Of course, you can boil the eggs until just right temperature. Simply follow these easy, step-by-step instructions.

How to Make

STEP 1: Prepare hard-boil eggs (with one of the above methods). After eggs are cooked and cooled, peel and roughly chop them. Light season with salt and pepper. Soak sliced onions in cold water for roughly 10 minutes (to remove bite).

STEP 2: In a large, microwave-safe bowl, add trimmed cauliflower florets and 1 tablespoon of water. Place a microwave-safe plate or top over the bowl and microwave for 3 to 4 minutes until tender. When done, remove, drain and dab excess water with paper towels. Lightly season with salt and pepper.

STEP 3: In a food processor or blender, pulse together cottage cheese, almond milk, mustard, chopped dill, salt and pepper. Pulse until smooth.

STEP 4: In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese mixture, chopped eggs, diced onion, finely chopped pickles (or dill relish) and steamed cauliflower. Toss until fully combined. Serve immediately or store in fridge in an air-tight container until ready to serve.

How to Store

Store leftovers in fridge promptly after serving. Store in airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days. Before serving leftovers, give it a good stir.

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If you try this recipe, we would love to hear your feedback! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag @lowcarbsimplified on your photo of this recipe on Instagram or Facebook. We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

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