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Roasted Cauliflower

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My go-to roasted cauliflower recipe! It’s super easy to make and totally customizable with your favorite seasonings.

Roasted Cauliflower Recipe

Are you on Team Cauliflower?

Up until about five years ago, I admittedly wasn’t. I had sampled it on one too many boring raw veggie trays, tolerated it in lackluster frozen veggie mixes, and just didn’t think it was my thing. But then a friend introduced me to the magic that is roasted cauliflower.  And, as has been the case with many a veggie, roasting proved to be my gateway into becoming a full-on fan. I am downright obsessed with it now.

First off, roasted cauliflower is genuinely delicious. When the oven works its magic, crisp cauliflower caramelizes into sweet and savory and soft bites that I can happily pop nonstop like candy. It’s also an incredibly versatile roasted veggie, easy to customize with your favorite seasonings, or add to your favorite salads, pastas, soups, appetizers and more. And of course, it’s also a nutrient-rich cruciferous veggie, full of lots of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that you can feel great about.

And, it happens to be the starring ingredient in a new enchilada recipe that’s coming to the blog tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Before we get to the enchiladas, though, I thought I would pop in today with a quick tutorial for my go-to roasted cauliflower recipe. It’s incredibly easy to make. And even if you’ve never been on Team Cauliflower up until this point, I’d strongly encourage you to give it a try. If you’re anything like me, it might just turn into your new favorite thing. ;)

How To Cut Cauliflower:

Alright, first things first — here’s a quick video below for how to cut a head of cauliflower. The size of the florets here is up to you. Just try to make them uniformly sized (more or less) so that they will cook evenly.

Raw Cauliflower | Roasted Cauliflower Recipe

Basic Roasted Cauliflower Ingredients:

Once your cauliflower is ready to go, gather all of your ingredients together. For classic roasted cauliflower, you will need:

  • Cauliflower florets: Check.
  • Olive oil: Or whatever your preferred roasting oil may be.
  • Sea salt and freshly-cracked pepper: And lots of them.
  • Garlic powder: This is optional, but I always add it to my roasted cauliflower. (Or you could mince and mix in a clove of fresh garlic.)

Optional Extra Seasonings:

Honestly, the above recipe is how I roast my cauliflower 90% of the time, and it’s plenty flavorful. But if you’d like, feel free to add any other favorite seasonings to your roasted cauliflower recipe as well. Just about any flavor combo will work here, but some of my faves include:

Also, a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving is a great way to brighten up the flavors. Or I also love sprinkling on some cheese immediately after baking, or tossing the cauliflower with a handful of nuts for extra flavor.

The BEST Roasted Cauliflower Recipe

How To Roast Cauliflower:

To make roasted cauliflower, simply:

  1. Prepare your baking sheet. You can either grease a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper or foil. If you would like to use parchment, be sure to use a brand that can tolerate 400°F oven heat. (Brands vary with their heat tolerances. Regardless, whenever you are using parchment at higher heat, always be sure to keep a close eye on it so that it does not burn.)
  2. Toss the ingredients together.  Either in a large mixing bowl, or — if you’d like to have one less dish to wash — directly on the baking sheet itself, toss the cauliflower, olive oil, salt, pepper and any additional seasonings together until evenly combined. Spread the cauliflower florets out in an even layer on the baking sheet.
  3. Roast until lightly golden. Then roast for 25-30 minutes or until the baked cauliflower is tender and slightly golden around the edges. Remove from the oven, give it a quick taste to see if it needs to be seasoned with any extra salt and pepper, then…
  4. Serve! I love roasted cauliflower best when it’s hot and fresh out of the oven. But it’s also delicious when served chilled, like in a pasta salad.

How To Make Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower Recipes:

If you ask me, roasted cauliflower can go in just about everything — salad, pasta, soup, pizzas, frittata, dip, tacos, curry, enchiladas (coming soon!), and more. Here are a few of my favorite recipes on the blog!

Enjoy, everyone!

Roasted Cauliflower Recipe | 1-Minute Video

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Roasted Cauliflower Recipe

Roasted Cauliflower

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 25 reviews
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Description

My go-to roasted cauliflower recipe!  It’s super easy to make and totally customizable with your favorite seasonings.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 400°F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper* or grease with cooking spray.
  2. Spread the cauliflower out evenly on the baking sheet.  Then drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle evenly with the salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Toss gently to evenly coat the cauliflower.
  3. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until soft and lightly golden.
  4. Serve immediately.

Notes

*If using parchment paper, be sure to use a brand that is safe for baking up to 400°F.  And as always, keep a close eye on the parchment paper when baking at high heat to be sure that it does not burn.

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37 comments on “Roasted Cauliflower”

  1. The simplest and the best recipe ever! I bake some every time I need a side dish!

  2. My kids and I love roasted cauliflower! Even my non-veggie-loving kid happily eats it. My preferred way of prepping it is to cut the head into thin slices instead of chunking the florets—makes for more surface area on each piece that can get nice and caramelized. So good!

  3. I love roasted cauliflower. I figured out to do that after Brussels sprouts became edible by roasting. The only thing I ever put on my roasted veggies is the oil and cracked pepper. These days, perhaps a little salt, but I feel like the flavor of the veggie shines without additional flavoring.

  4. Can I use non stick foil instead of parchment paper and then spray the cali with olive oil?

  5. A few years ago my husband and I were in Napa and had THE BEST roasted cauliflower at a little pizza place- olive oil, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes and capers! Life changing! I’m excited about these enchiladas!!

  6. I seriously love just about any vegetable roasted!!! :)

  7. Best ever! Florets were brown and crunchy around the edges, but the centers were soft and creamy! Just a lovely flavor overall. EVOO, salt, and pepper, that’s all! I’ll never cook cauliflower any other way.






  8. This recipe is delicious. I lightly greased the baking sheet with olive oil instead of using the parchment paper my daughter-in-law is both gluten free and soy free. This is a good solution as vegetable spray and vegetable oil contain soy






  9. This recipe is delicious! I lightly greased the baking dish with olive oil rather than using the parchment paper. My daughter-in-law is gluten free and right now soy free. Greasing the pan with olive oil solves the problem since both vegetable spray and vegetable oil contain soy.






  10. Made this a few times and making it again tonight. We love cauliflower this way! I like that the oven temp is only 400 (rather than 450 like some other recipes) and it’s easy and SOOO delicious!!!






  11. Roasted Cauliflower tasted great. It was quick and easy. Better than expected. JeanMarie






  12. Was easy to make. Quick. Another option for delicious cauliflower.

  13. This was easy & tasted great. I normally steam my cauliflower, then fry in pan with a little butter, but was looking for something healthier. The kids didn’t complain either. And it also tastes great as a cold snack the next day!






  14. Tried the Baked Cauliflower recipe using salt (red color) & pepper, Italian Seasoning, and Garlic Powder. I did not have any Olive Oil so substituted Canola Oil instead. It turned out perfect and so easy to fix! I also fixed a port chop with Shake and Bake. A perfect meal for one! Thanks.

  15. I tried your recipe this evening using salt (Hawaiian?), pepper, Italian Seasoning and Garlic Powder. I substituted Canola Oil in place of Olive Oil. It was SO SIMPLE to make and turned out very tasty. It’s simple to fix — changing an ingredient or two can give you a variety of tastes. Love it! :)






  16. Added a touch of oregano and smoked paprika. Was delicious. Just used a dark baking sheet.






  17. Thumbs up from all the family. Easy and still moist!






  18. Love all of your additional seasoning suggestions! Za’atar is one of my favorites. But honestly, evoo, salt, pepper, lemon just never gets old.






  19. Just perfect!! I have a tough audience and dinner was a breeze tonight. I skipped the garlic salt. Thank you.






  20. Just tried this recipe, and frankly, I am very surprised!
    I was desperately looking for inspiration to accommodate my cauliflower, not sure what to do with it. I just knew I didn’t want to use it to make a soup, that was all.
    Brillant idea to add garlic powder, it works very well! Thank you!! Will do it again!






  21. Delicious and easy-and far less than the roasted cauliflower I used to buy at WF BUT I have to turn the florets over halfway through. Mine don’t come out looking like the photo(s) if I don’t. Only the “underside” of the florets brown (unless I turn them over).






  22. Made this for the first time today the reviews were spot on! So easy to make and very delicious sent recipe to both my Mother and Brother






  23. This was so easy and so very tasty. I will seek out more veggie recipes because re-educating my brain to not eat flesh. My Dr is already pleased with my health reversing and preventing life style illnesses. So thank you.

  24. Made this tonight! Thanks , Ali for a great recipe. Didn’t know cauliflower could taste so delicious !






  25. Cut cauliflower so it will lay flat on cookie sheet. Put cauliflower in bag with avocado oil or olive oil Abd salt and pepper and a little garlic.
    I like to add pepperoni peppers. Sounds strange but really good.

  26. This is the best of all the best!!!






  27. Just a heads up ..I’m not sure who remembers the classic Sci-Fi book by Ray Bradbury, (movie, too) it’s title is Farenheit 451. It’s about a world that has banned books. The title is the temperature at which paper ignites. Cheap parchment mare scorch, but will not burn until that temp is reached.






  28. Simply delicious!






  29. Good but was way to salty for my taste. Next time I will add half the salt.






  30. Can you use frozen cauliflower for this recipe?

  31. Lemon-infused EVOO, salt, pepper, za’atar, smoked paprika. Oven-fried chicken tenders. Then all tossed in Frank’s hot sauce + melted butter. Blue cheese dip and celery sticks accompaniment.






  32. I love it!!!!






  33. This was so simple and tasty! I was hoping to have leftovers to try cold on a salad tomorrow but no luck on that end! Thank you as always for sharing Ali!






  34. I made this for my family and we all loved it! Including my 9 year old son, who is a picky eater.
    Thank you for the recipe!






  35. The cauliflower turned out just the right consistency. But — and I realize this will vary a lot from person to person — it was several orders of magnitude too salty for me. Like drinking a margarita made with ocean water. Like “get some diesel and a couple of Michelins to start a tire fire in my kitchen so the sprinklers will kick in and I can get a steady stream of water” salty. Next time I will try with 1/8 or 1/4 the amount of salt requested and just put a sprinkle on the finished product if it’s not salty enough.






  36. So simple and tasty!