Roasted Cauliflower
This is my go-to method for making roasted cauliflower! A delicious and easy veggie side to just about any meal or perfect to make as part of meal prep!
Published May 24, 2016. Last updated March 16, 2021.
Let’s just be honest with one another.
Veggies can be a touchy subject in a lot of households. With kids. With adults. Vegetables, while super duper awesome for us, often are the one food group that gets the cold shoulder from people of many ages. They are sometimes bitter and have a funky texture or appearance.
Vegetables don’t always make loving them easy, but I promise that it is a relationship worth pursuing (and encouraging your stubborn little ones to embrace as well).
My secret weapon to making vegetables delicious
Roasting!
Ohhhhhhh, roasted vegetables are so amazing. The lovely caramelized edges. The al dente texture. The lovely flavor the cooking oils infuse into the vegetables. Heavenly. For real. I roast every veggie I can get my hands on (some more successfully than others). I highly promote introducing a new vegetable roasted to kiddos (or veggie-iffy adults) for the first time. It will absolutely be a more positive experience for them…but I’m also a bit biased.
And this roasted cauliflower is one way to make cauliflower exciting, flavorful, and definitely bring out the best in this common household veggie!
This recipe is super easy, adaptable (look below for all the different herbs and spices I suggest to help it be extra appealing to your crew), goes well with some many things and can instantly make any meal veggie-loaded!
Plus, roasted cauliflower is great as part of meal prep and reheats super easily when you need a veggie in your life and on your table fast!
Jazz it up!
This roasted cauliflower recipe is all kinds of delicious but also pretty standard. No fanfare or wild flavors, but you can TOTALLY bring some personality to your cauli by adding some different complimentary herbs and spices before roasting!
Some flavors to consider adding to this roasted cauliflower to make it extra magical are:
- chili pepper
- cardamom
- coriander
- cumin
- curry powder
- dill
- garam masala
- ginger
- nutmeg
- paprika
- thyme
- turmeric
Serving and pairing suggestions
I personally love to make this roasted cauliflower recipe as a super easy and tasty side dish to a weeknight dinner. But you can totally use it in oodles of different ways to make favorite dishes and meals veggie-loaded!
Here are a few ideas of to serve this roasted cauliflower or what to pair it with so that you see the magic and potential behind this simple staple veggie recipe:
- Pasta. Cauliflower goes really well with pasta dishes, so throw this roasted cauli over some cooked pasta with your favorite sauce and BOOM, easy, flavor veggie-loaded dinner is made!
- Curry dishes. You will often see cauliflower in curry recipes, but if you don’t…add it! You won’t be sorry.
- Cheese. Grate a little parmesan over the top of the roasted cauliflower or chop it up and add it to mac and cheese…..cheese makes veggies better, in my book.
- Mediterranean food.
- French dishes.
- Sour cream.
- Shell fish. Mussels and scallops, especially.
Tips for success
Do not crowd the florets on the baking sheet. Let me just say that again, nice and loud….DO NOT CROWD THE FLORETS ON THE BAKING SHEET! For real. I know it is tempting to squeeze everything onto one baking sheet to make dinner come along faster and minimize dishes. However, when you crowd the veggies (any veggie, not just cauliflower) on the baking sheet, the water will release from them as they cook and steam one another instead of roast. So, give the florets some rooms so that they get that lovely roasty flavor. See the picture about how much room to give them.
Use a big baking sheet. I got sick of multiple baking sheets and so I invested in a nice big one that I now bake pretty much everything on. It is worth the money and kitchen space! Plus, it’ll help make room for all those veggies to roast to perfection.
Line your baking sheet for easy clean up. It makes such a difference! Seriously, who wants more dishes at the end of a busy day? Not me! I like to use this parchment paper.
Check out How to Cut a Cauliflower
Other easy veggie sides to help veggie-load your life
- Easy Roasted Radishes
- Roasted Carrots and Potatoes
- The BEST Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- How To Roast Beets
- Easy Veggie Fried Rice
- Parmesan Kale Chips
- Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
- Instant Pot Corn On The Cob
- Instant Pot Artichokes
Did you try this roasted cauliflower and now you’re hungry for more? I’ve got you covered!
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Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets and washed & dried
- 1.5 tablespoons avocado oil or melted coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400℉. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Toss with a large spoon a few times to evenly coat the florets with the oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Evenly spread out the cauliflower florets onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Do not crowd!
- Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and turn the florets over. Return to oven and roast for 10-15 more minutes or until tender and the ends of the florets start to turn a golden brown.
- Enjoy warm! Allow leftovers to cool completely before storing in your fridge for up to 3 days.
