Make a bit of magic in the oven with this easy roasted cauliflower…so perfect on its own, and downright restaurant worthy with a 5 minute maple tahini sauce. Dare you not to eat the whole thing yourself!
In this house, I have a saying: when in doubt, roast it. There is some kinda magic in letting vegetables kick back in the oven until they turn luxuriously golden brown and crisp at the edges while their previously-crunchy interior transforms into something more tender, a touch sweeter and VERY crushable.
But cauliflower doesn’t always turn out the way you want it, does it? Sometimes it tastes steamed, bleh. Or it doesn’t get brown. Until now…because after writing three cookbooks and developing hundreds of plant-based recipes, I’ve finally landed on my no-fail method for getting the best out of your oven roasted cauliflower…and it is ridiculously easy, I promise!
Roasted with garlic powder and a bit of coriander, these savoury, umami-packed florets taste as good as potato chips (and yes, I’m a dietitian who expects her vegetables to taste as good as chips because I want you to crave them.) The roasted cauliflower would be delish on a salad (maybe my kale caesar?!?) or in a wrap. Or, if you’re looking for a showstopper of a side dish, add a swoosh of my sweet and earthy tahini sauce to the plate before you pile on the florets.
Whether a Tuesday night or a special holiday meal, this roasted cauliflower makes an awesome vegetable side because it’s naturally vegan, vegetarian, nut and gluten free so more people can enjoy it.
Already a major cauliflower fan? You might fall head over heels for shawarma-spiced cauliflower pitas in my latest plant-based cookbook, Plant Magic.
How to make the actual best roasted cauliflower you’ve ever eaten
First up, you only need to add 3 ingredients to your shopping list to make the cauliflower – cauliflower, garlic powder and coriander – and if you want to make the sauce, make sure you’ve got tahini, maple syrup, lemon, garlic, and chile flakes too. I’m assuming you’ve got oil, salt and pepper, as usual.
- Next: here’s how to cut the cauliflower. Slice off the core so you can start breaking the head into florets. If the florets are a reasonable size (like 2-3 inches), all you need to do is slice each floret in half. You want a nice flat edge for better surface contact with the pan for good browning. Otherwise, cut the pieces into 2-3 inch florets and then halve.
- Then, get to seasoning: make sure your cauliflower is pretty dry and toss the florets with oil, coriander, garlic powder, salt and pepper. If your cauliflower is quite small, you might be happier with just 1 tbsp of oil but trust me…you don’t want to skimp on the oil. It’s essential for flavour and browning.
- Now, let’s bake: 425F (220C) for 20 minutes, flip if you want more even, all over browning, then pop ‘em back in for another 10-20 minutes. How big your pieces are will determine your baking time…and I promise, this is one area of your life where patience really is a virtue! Let them have the time they need to get brown, and watch closely after the initial 20 minutes.
- To parchment, or not to parchment? I bake pretty much everything with parchment, as it makes clean up so much easier…but you do get some extra lovely caramelization if you skip it. It’s up to you! Another hot tip: don’t overcrowd your florets on the pan…or they will steam instead of brown.
Once you get the hang of this method, I encourage you to make this recipe your own…add some chickpeas to the roasting pan for extra plant-based protein. Swap coriander for curry powder, or try Old Bay!
Why cauliflower is so, so good for you…
As a member of the cruciferous veggie family, cauliflower boasts special sulfur-based phytochemicals called glucosinolates, which have been shown to have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties…would those be maximized raw? Yep, but I’ll eat like one piece of raw cauliflower vs a whole head of it roasted so I’ve chosen my side, ha.
The phytochemicals are where cauliflower really shines, but 1 cup of cooked cauliflower also contains roughly 3 grams of fibre (we ALL need more for a healthy gut!), along with small amounts of iron, zinc, potassium, calcium, choline and folate.
More nourishing roasted vegetable sides:
- Crispy Smashed Broccoli with Nutritional Yeast
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Almond Parm
- How to roast beets
- Warm Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad with Arugula
Easy Roasted Cauliflower with Maple Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
Easy Roasted Cauliflower
- 1 med-large head cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- freshly cracked pepper to taste
Maple Tahini Sauce (optional but delicious)
- ½ cup tahini
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic grated or finely minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried chile flakes
Optional garnish
- finely minced herbs parsley, cilantro or mint are all nice
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425℉ (220℃). Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (or skip parchment for even better browning but tougher clean up!)
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Slice off the bottom core of the cauliflower, so you can start breaking the head into florets. If the florets are a reasonable size (like 2-3 inches), all you need to do is slice each floret in half. You want a nice flat edge for better surface contact with the pan for good browning. Otherwise, cut the pieces into 2-3 inch florets and then halve them.
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Make sure your florets are pretty dry and add them to a boil with the oil, coriander, garlic powder, salt and pepper and toss well to coat. If your cauliflower was small, you can get away with 1 tbsp but otherwise, don’t skimp on the oil as it is essential for flavour and browning.
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Arrange your florets on the baking sheet cut side down…make sure not to overcrowd otherwise they’ll steam instead of roast.
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Bake for 20 minutes, flip if you want more even browning or DO NOT flip if you want them extra browned on the cut side. Bake for 10 – 20 minutes more, checking every 5 minutes until they are nice and browned.
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While they bake, if you want the sauce, add the tahini, water, maple syrup, lemon juice, garlic, salt and chile flakes to a bowl and whisk…or you can use a blender jar and immersion blender which is what I do.
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To serve, I spread a generous amount of tahini sauce on the bottom of my serving plate, and then pile the cauliflower on top. If you’re feeling fancy, you can sprinkle with some finely minced parsley, cilantro or even mint.
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