Have you ever tried roasting cauliflower? This healthy, easily customizable vegetable side dish is surprisingly delicious. Ditch your basic steamed and boiled cauliflower. The easy method outlined below produces the best roasted cauliflower – tender, caramelized, sweet and delicious. I’ve also included a video so you can watch the whole process, step by step!
When you roast cauliflower, it’s transformed into something so tasty, you almost forget you’re eating veggies. All you need is a touch of oil, salt and pepper to turn ordinary cauliflower into something extraordinary. The dry heat of the oven makes the cauliflower perfectly tender, and the roasting pan caramelizes the flat surfaces and edges.
Before we dive into the recipe, here are a few important points about cauliflower.
Is Cauliflower Healthy?
Cauliflower is really healthy! Cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower are known to lower your risk of cancer, and nutritionists recommend that you eat them at least 3-5 times per week. It’s full of antioxidants, loaded with fiber, and brimming with anti-inflammatory properties. Even so, I was never too excited about cauliflower… until I discovered the magic of roasting.
How do you Cut Cauliflower for Roasting?
The key to getting the most flavor out of your roasted cauliflower is to make sure you have lots of flat surfaces on your florets. The more the flat edges come into contact with the hot baking sheet, the more caramelization you’ll achieve. Caramelization = flavor. I’ve provided instructions below for how to slice your cauliflower to ensure that you have lots of flat surfaces on your florets — this will maximize your caramelization.
How Many Florets are in a Head of Cauliflower?
It’s difficult to measure cauliflower florets (more technically known as curds) in cups because of their bulk and strange shape. I prefer to measure them by weight. Here is a rough guide that will tell you the weight of florets that differently sized cauliflower heads will produce. Keep in mind that each head of cauliflower is different, so this chart is a rough estimate:
1.5 lbs. cauliflower head = 1 lb. florets
2 lbs. cauliflower head = 1.5 lbs. florets
2.5 lbs. cauliflower head = 2 lbs. florets
3 lbs. cauliflower head = 2.5 lbs. florets
If you need to know how many cups of florets you’ll have, an average sized cauliflower (2 lbs.) will produce roughly 3-4 cups of uncooked florets. After roasting, the florets shrink up quite a bit.
How to Season Roasted Cauliflower
Olive oil, salt and pepper are really all you need to make mouthwatering roasted cauliflower. You can certainly add other ingredients to enhance the flavor; I’ve suggested a few ideas below. Parmesan cheese is popular. Garlic adds a lovely aroma. Italian seasoning, za’atar, turmeric, cumin, curry powder and cajun seasoning all give distinctly different flavors. Depending on the type of meal you’re making, you can enhance your roasted cauliflower with a variety of herbs and spices (smoked paprika is a favorite of mine). Feel free to get creative. However you dress it up, roasted cauliflower is downright delicious. Enjoy!
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How to Roast Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
NOTES
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Pull the leaves off of the cauliflower base. Cut off the lower part of the stem.
- Cut the head of cauliflower into four quarters.
- Slice each quarter into 6-8 pieces. You want as many flat surfaces as possible on each floret-- the flat surfaces caramelize best. Caramelization is the key to giving the roasted cauliflower flavor.
- Give all the florets a thorough rinse in a colander. Shake them dry.
- Spread the florets out in an even layer on the baking sheet. Reserve any small bits of cauliflower that have fallen away from the florets in a small bowl. (Please note - in this tutorial the baking sheet is lined with foil, but I no longer use foil for this process--I simply use a plain baking sheet).
- Drizzle the florets evenly with 1 tbsp olive oil. I use a measuring spoon of olive oil for this step, which makes it easier to gauge how much oil I'm using, rather than pouring straight from the bottle. Toss the florets to coat them fully with oil-- I use clean hands for this.
- Sprinkle the cauliflower florets evenly with salt and pepper. At this point, you can also sprinkle them with your choice of optional herbs or spices. Some ideas include - garlic, oregano, spicy red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, za'atar, turmeric, cumin, curry powder, or cajun seasoning. Sprinkle seasoning on to taste. If using parmesan or lemon juice, sprinkle those on at the very end of roasting.Place the baking sheet into the preheated oven and let the cauliflower roast for 10 minutes.
- While cauliflower is cooking, drizzle 1/4 tsp of olive oil into the small bowl of reserved cauliflower bits that have fallen away from the florets and toss to coat. You will add these to the sheet a little later so they won't burn.
- After 10 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Use tongs to turn over the florets, making sure that the florets with flat surfaces are pressed directly against the baking sheet. This will enhance caramelization.
- Sprinkle the reserved cauliflower bits onto the baking sheet.
- Return the baking sheet to the oven. Let the cauliflower roast for 10-20 minutes longer until tender. When it's ready you will be able to pierce it easily with a fork.
- The flat surfaces should be nicely caramelized at this point.
- If you plan to add parmesan cheese and/or lemon juice, now is the time. Sprinkle evenly to taste.Serve hot.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Note: nutritional information above is for 1 standard head of cauliflower divided into 4 servings, with 1/2 tsp salt added. Nutrition will vary based on size of cauliflower, amount of salt added, and any additional ingredients used.
Hi! Great recipe! I’ve done roasted cauliflower before, but your tip on cutting for optimum carmelization is priceless. The carryover here is, if you can bring your self to terms with not eating a batch fresh from the oven, is to make soup out of it when roasted this way. Just amazing!! So savory and versatile!! Thanks for your great recipe!
Agreed Denise! I use it in a variety of dishes where I used to use steamed cauliflower, it makes a big difference in terms of flavor.
My oven has a convection roast setting. Can I use this and at what temperature setting and for how long…???? I have never been on your site before. Convection cooking does differ from regular bake
Hi Myra, this convection oven calculator should help, you can keep it on hand and convert the cook time for any recipe: http://www.convection-calculator.com/
I just don’t see any mention of the temperature setting for the oven; my oven does not have a ‘roast’ setting. What temperature should the oven be set at for this recipe. Otherwise, this is a very instructive step-by-step recipe.
Stephan, in the first line of the recipe instructions it says preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
your matzos ball soup is the best ever and I have been making matzos balls for years…… thanks
Thank you Shirley! That is quite a compliment, I really appreciate it. 🙂
I have done this using cumin (or cominos as we call it around here). Kids love it. We also like cubed sweet potato treated in this way.
Looking for a recipe to roast Cauliflower from my CSA tub this week..that was quick & easy. This one was perfect!
Hello.
Love baked cauliflower.
Another way I bake it is to trim and wash a cauliflower head
dry it, then slather it totally with mayonaise then sprinkle
with powdered cheese and bake until the cheese blackens.
Finally cauliflower my husband not only ate, but devoured. There was none left. I sprinkled with Spike seasoning for my herbs. I plan to do this again and try some other seasoning suggested here. thanks.
Great to hear Tasch!
I just roasted a rather big cauliflower. It took longer than the time you stated – maybe by 20 minutes. But it is delicious and I will serve it to my company for Shabbat dinner. Thanks so much.
Oh, so simple and so good! Thank you for showing me how to cut up the cauliflower. My two year old is eating this now.
Just made this and it turned out great!! The only thing I would change is adding the minced garlic a little later in the cooking. It burns if it is added at the beginning.
I haven’t too much of an issue with the garlic burning (a few pieces blacken here and there, nothing major though). That said, ovens do vary in terms of heat distribution. You can certainly add it halfway through roasting to be safe, or even 5 minutes before removing it from the oven. Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I made your recipe last night and my wife loved it. Next time I’m going to ratchet up the oregano and add toasted almond crumbs at the risk of making it too crunchy. After 34 year of marriage she’s still Catholic but definitely a convert to cauliflower.
Roast with olive oil, a little parm, Spanish smoked paprika. Serve with warm Marcona almonds for a little crunch. Spectacular!!
I made a home made tomato sauce and pour it over the cauliflower some cilantro and brown rice for a healthy meal. Is super yummy!!!
I will try this roasted califlower recipe. Its really healthy food. Looks delicious
Any one know an old way of cooking cauliflower with vinegar and bread crumbs been looking for 20 yrs I know it was cooked in a foil pack in oven or BBQ
Can this be made ahead (like for Thanksgiving) and reheated in the microwave. Or perhaps under the broiler?
Hi Sheila– yes, it will reheat just fine.
this turned out pretty awesome. I love finding simple plant based recipes to add to my lot of recipes. I used nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan cheese. Next time I will try the bag idea.
Cheers,
Teresa
Just finished – I used extra virgin olive oil, pepper flakes, onion flakes, salt and pepper. Really good!
Awesome Larry! It’s my favorite way to make cauliflower. The roasting makes it so tender and flavorful… love that you added the pepper flakes. Spice it up!
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and then toss to combine. That is my favorite method for spreading oil and seasongs to every surface. It can be fun to get a loved one to sprinkle while you toss. I know how it sounds. So what! I ain’t changing it!
I’m trying this roasted califlower recipe tonight! Right Now! Gotta go!