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An ultra healthy vegetable-filled snack or side, this roasted cauliflower is bursting with flavors like lemon, garlic, paprika, cumin, and coriander.
In the days before we started cooking, I didn’t pay much attention to cauliflower. It was one of those throw-away vegetables – the one that everyone passes up on veggie trays. I’ll admit, raw cauliflower isn’t quite as appealing as some of the other veggies on the tray. But it’s a whole different ballgame when you stick it in the oven. Roasting cauliflower brings out a flavor and texture that’s so delicious, it’s hard to resist gobbling up an entire head in one sitting!
At least, we think so. So to add to our current collection of roasted cauliflower recipes, here’s a Mediterranean-spiced version to add to your repertoire! We developed this spiced and roasted cauliflower recipe as a complement to our Mediterranean bulgur and chickpea salad, and they were the perfect match. This recipe would also work well as a side for a wide variety of main courses, or as a snack (it’s got that popcorn-like addicting quality).
Our favorite cauliflower recipe? Perfect Roasted Cauliflower
How to roast cauliflower
Roasting cauliflower is easy, and there are a few basic steps we always follow when roasting vegetables. First, it’s important that you chop the cauliflower into pieces of roughly the same size. This will ensure that the cauliflower pieces roast evenly and at the same rate. Once you’ve chopped the cauliflower, you’ll toss it in the olive oil and spices. We’ve found that 1 tablespoon of olive oil is enough for an entire head of cauliflower—remember, you want the cauliflowers slightly slick with oil, not drowning in the stuff!
The final and most important step to making roasted cauliflower is to turn your oven to a high heat. You’re looking for a slightly crispy, caramelized exterior and a fluffy, fully cooked interior. If your oven is set too low, the cauliflower will bake but won’t be properly roasted. Set the temperature too high, and the cauliflower will burn in minutes.
To brighten up this roasted cauliflower, we squeezed some fresh lemon juice over top of it. This step is totally optional, but it really does transform this dish!
Looking for more cauliflower recipes?
If you love this cruciferous veggie, here are some more cauliflower recipes to try:
- Cauliflower Shawarma Pita
- Cauliflower Casserole with Gnocchi
- Moroccan Spiced Cauliflower Soup
- Cauliflower and Tomato Coconut Curry
- Roasted Cauliflower with Apples and Dill
- Cauliflower Fried Rice
This spiced roasted cauliflower recipe is…
Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free.
Spiced Roasted Cauliflower
An ultra healthy vegetable-filled snack or side, this roasted cauliflower is bursting with flavors like lemon, garlic, paprika, cumin, and coriander.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Chop the cauliflower into bite-sized florets. Mince the garlic. Zest 1 lemon.
- In a large bowl, combine cauliflower, garlic, and lemon zest with the cumin, coriander, paprika, red pepper flakes, olive oil, kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper. Stir to coat evenly.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the cauliflower onto the sheet. Bake until tender, about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- To serve, squeeze over fresh lemon juice and if desired, add additional kosher salt to taste. Serve warm.
– I’m also in the camp that had no idea roasted cauliflower makes cauliflower taste 10x better. I can’t believe I’ve missed out for so long!
– My Mum doesn’t like lemon in savoury food or roasted garlic so I omitted them both, and I also omitted red pepper flakes (never seen them in the UK). Otherwise I followed the recipe as written and absolutely loved it!
– Next time I’ll chop the cauliflower larger than the pictures as mine were overcooked by 20-25 minutes in a fan oven, 25 degrees C lower than temperature stated in the recipe (after converting of course) as you’re supposed too. It would have been 5+ stars all the way otherwise :)
This recipe is the best. Goes great on its own as well as in a falafel sandwich! Yum!
We made this for Easter and everyone LOVED it and wanted the recipe. I freshly ground the coriander seeds and it was the perfect flavor. This one is definitely a KEEPER.
Oh hell YEAH! This is wonderful. I’m scarfing it down right now. Thanks for the recipe!
Woops, how did this come out only three stars? :-( I meant to give it five. Moderator, if you can fix this, please do! Otherwise, consider this my apology.
Haha! It came out as 5 stars now. THANK YOU!!! So glad you loved it :)
What happens if I don’t use the sheet paper and put it straight onto the baking sheet? Trying this recipe out now! Super excited :)
I hope it worked out! The parchment paper just helps the cleanup process :)
This is a fantastic recipe. We served it last night for 5 guests, and all of them asked for the recipe. This time around, we put all spices and oil (used 1-2TBS of oil) in a large plastic bowl with lid, and shook it all around. It coated the cauliflower more evenly.
Great, great, amazing recipe…for a sometimes bland vegetable. Thank you!
You are so welcome! We’re so glad it was a hit! This is a favorite of ours :)
Made this for dinner tonight, it was delicious! I was eating it as I dished up dinner, and as I cleared away afterwards! My 22 month old daughter loved it too, she ate all of hers before anything else on her plate, then some of mine. Seriously good! Kinda hoping my husband doesn’t like it when he gets home…
So glad you enjoyed this — and your daughter too! I love hearing about recipes that kids eat up! We don’t have any (yet!), but I imagine it will be an interesting challenge learning how to please both kids and adults when that time comes. Thanks for writing!
As I type this, I am eating the cauliflower in this recipe. All I can say is DELISH! It is FABULOUS! My daughter wanted some but I don’t think there is enough to share. LOL!
Haha! I, too, find that cauliflower always seem small when they are roasted…
I found your recipe via Pinterest and tried it out tonight – so delish! It was the perfect amount of spices and will be on rotation in my kitchen from now on. Thanks for sharing! :)
I’ve been meaning to make this dish forever and I finally did today. Turns out I should have made this so much sooner because people could not stop eating and since it’s cauliflower no one felt guilty for the indulgence!
Strangely though my baking time was half of the 40 minutes you guys put down. I guess that’s due to the fact I have a hot-air oven. I already took 10% off the temperature (200 Celsius) to account for that fact but after 20 minutes mine were already perfect. My oven’s a monster…
With under 5 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes of baking I think this recipe will become a staple in my house – I’m already thinking of my next herb combination. Thank you guys for the inspiration!
Made this tonight with some chunks of chicken breast (my family wont give up meat yet) it was fantastic!
We’ve made this recipe twice now with beautiful results. Last night we threw in some parsnips with the cauliflower and it was great! Thanks!
i need to give this one a good go.
sounds so good and i do not like cauliflower but really want too.
Delicious! Made this for a side for dinner and it was great! the squeeze of lemon over the top is a must. thanks!
I make an almost identical dish and we call it “popcorn cauliflower”, not sure where we got the name from but this is my favorite way to serve this veggie!
I continually wonder how I lived half a century without eating roast cauliflower! It is so good! A little lemon juice, and little garlic, a little Parmesan cheese, whatever suits you, and now I can try your recipe. So good and soooo good for you!
Just made this….and wow….loved it…..want to save some for lunch tomorrow….but it does not look like that is going to happen. Can I just say how amazing the house smells right now? Good call…thanks!
Cauliflower has always been dear to me. I think it must e up there with green tea with regards to its health benefits. It’s not only the healthy side that makes this veg so interesting, it is also mathmatically very interesting as it has a distinct fractual dimension: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cauliflower_Fractal_AVM.JPG
I”ve had some really good versions but this one certainly looks worthy of a crack. I normally have it as my main veg in a chicken casserole as it seems to do well no matter how you cook it. I think I will mix the spices you talk about here and add them to my casserole. Don’t worry though, I’ll try them on their own too :)
I love roasted cauliflower too – and your recipe for it with the spices and flavours you’ve picked looks delicious, I need to try this!
One of my favourite ways is to roast it until golden, with a liberal dose of olive oil, sea salt and pepper, then once it’s ready, crumble feta over it along with shredded mint and lemon juice – a link to my recipe here if you fancy a look!
http://bit.ly/rpaiN5
Really pleased I found your blog – lovely posts and photography! x
Looks amazing!! I’m definitely giving this recipe a try.
Oh! Remind me to pick up some cauliflower at the grocery this weekend! Yum!
First time in your blog and it’s SO beautiful! The photos .. the recipes. Glad to find you.
You are right about cauliflower.. i won’t call it my favorite but when roasted it kind of brings out it’s true color and can get you addicted to it :)
Ooooh, I do love roasted cauliflower! I honestly think I could eat an entire head to myself done like this :D The flavorings on yours sounds delicious!
This cauliflower recipe looks delicious. I usually toss my cauliflower in olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin or red pepper before baking, so I’m looking forward to trying this refreshing twist on one of my favorite vegetables.
I had never tried roasted cauliflower (and wasn’t a fan of cauliflower at all) until we saw your recipe for it. And then we fell in love. I’ve come to the conclusion that roasted ANYTHING is delicious. Can’t wait to try the new combo of flavors.
We’re so glad we could open your eyes! Hopefully you enjoy this take on it too :)
I agree, raw cauliflower is pretty blah but roasted cauliflower is absolutely amazing! This looks delicious!
I absolutely love roasted cauliflower! I cut the head into “planks” for more surface area, and the cauliflower caramelizes beautifully. The flavors you used in this recipe sound delicious paired together, and I’m looking forward to trying some of the other recipes you linked to as well.
Loved it ! Have u used coriander dry seeds or green leafy coriander?
We are using dried and ground coriander seeds for this recipe. We would say ‘cilantro’ if we were using leafy coriander. Let us know if you try it out.
Roasted cauliflower is the best! We can’t get enough of it in my house. I can’t believe that my mom use to serve it up to me steamed and plain. Yuck!
I love what you have done here. I am definitely going to make this and try some of your other cauliflower recipes as well.