Roasted cauliflower is a tasty and easy side that has just a few simple ingredients. This side dish is made with only 5 ingredients but you can always try adding more flavor with parmesan cheese, spicy sauce, or other spices and seasonings. It will take you 5 minutes to prepare cauliflower and 20-25 minutes to roast it.
Cauliflower is a great vegetable so get extra to make Cheesy Ham and Cauliflower Soup or Parmesan Cauliflower Crisps.
Table of Contents
Cauliflower is a great vegetable to have on hand. Besides having lots of health benefits, it’s very versatile.
If you want a fast and easy side dish, it’s easy to cut a head of cauliflower into florets, mix it with some seasoning, and roast it in the oven. Roasting cauliflower at high heat brings out a lot of its natural flavors that’s why it’s not necessary to add a lot of seasoning. (You can just as easily roast whole cauliflower too!)
Most of the time, I simply add olive oil and season it with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Besides making it into a simple side dish, cauliflower is easily transformed into a pizza crust, tortillas, rice, or just a snack. Substituting cauliflower for bread, pasta, and rice is a healthy gluten free alternative and it helps lower calorie intake.
While lowering calories and carbohydrates, cauliflower helps add a good amount of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants to your diet while tasting great. (You can find a full list of health benefits of cauliflower in the article from the Mayo Clinic.)
Ingredient Notes and Tips
Cauliflower – Try to avoid cauliflower heads that have any dark spots. If you do have any dark spots, you may still be able to salvage the vegetable by slicing off the brown spots with a knife, but it’s best to get a purely white cauliflower head.
Olive Oil – use olive oil that has a light and mild taste and high burn point. You can also use avocado oil, it’s a great substitution for olive oil.
Seasoning – simple combination of salt, black pepper, and garlic powder will give it lots of flavor and will go with every main dish. Check the section below to see more flavor options.
How To Make Roasted Cauliflower
Preheat oven to 425° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper if needed.
Start by cutting off and discarding leaves and stem off of the head of cauliflower. Wash it, pat it dry, and cut cauliflower into florets.
PRO TIP: try to cut the florets into as qual sized pieces as you can so they cook evenly.
Combine cauliflower florets with oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a mixing bowl. Mix until all cauliflower is evenly seasoned.
Spread seasoned cauliflower on a baking sheet in one even layer and make sure the baking sheet is big enough not to crowd the vegetables.
PRO TIP: if your pan is not big enough to spread the cauliflower in one even layer, with plenty of room in between, use two pants. Do not overcrowd the vegetables of they will steam instead of roasting.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. (Add a few minutes if you want the cauliflower softer or take away a few minutes if you want it to remain crunchier.) Give the veggies a quick toss in the middle.
Additional Flavor Options
After making this easy roasted cauliflower a few times, you may feel like you want some different flavors. Great news is that you can add a while lot of different flavors here.
Parmesan cheese – try adding some dry, grated Parmesan cheese while mixing with olive oil and seasoning.
Ranch seasoning – You can omit all the seasoning and simply mix it with a packet of ranch dressing seasoning mix. (Make sure you use a large head of cauliflower.)
Seasoning mixes – some other seasoning mixes to try would be Italian seasoning , Cajun seasoning, dry rub, any many other of your favorite seasoning mixes.
Buffalo – toss cauliflower florets in some buffalo winger sauce or sriracha sauce for a spicy touch. Buffalo cauliflower is great served with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Even though it won’t be the same texture as freshly out of the oven, you can reheat leftover roasted cauliflower. I find it best reheated on stove-top, in a preheated pan. Make sure to preheat the pan all the way, add a little bit of oil, and sauté roasted cauliflower just until it heats through.
You can definitely prep the cauliflower florets ahead of time and then roast it when you’re ready! Prepare the cauliflower florets right up to the step of baking and then wrap the mixing bowl in a plastic wrap airtight and refrigerate for about a day. (You can also transfer the prepped cauliflower into an airtight food storage container.)
Absolutely! Depending on the size of the air-fryer you have, you can do it in one batch or divide it into two batches. (You don’t want to overcrowd it too much.) Prepare the cauliflower florets per the recipe, up to the step of cooking. Spread the cauliflower florets in the air-fryer and cook it at 390°F for 15 minutes. Make sure to shake/toss the florets every 3 minutes to ensure even cooking.
More Cauliflower Side Dish Recipes
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE leave a 🌟 star rating! Let me know how you liked it by leaving the 📝 comment below or share and tag me on social media @willcookforsmiles. DON’T FORGET to subscribe to my newsletter!
Easy Roasted Cauliflower Recipe
Ingredients
- 32 oz head of cauliflower
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. (Depending on the type of your roasting pan, you may need to lightly grease it.)
- Cut off and discarding leaves and stem off of the head of cauliflower.
- Wash it and pat it dry.
- Cut cauliflower into florets. (Smaller florets will cook faster and preferred for better roasting.)
- Combine cauliflower florets with oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a mixing bowl. Mix until all cauliflower is evenly seasoned.
- Spread seasoned cauliflower in a baking sheet in one even layer and make sure the baking sheet is big enough not to crowd the vegetables.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. (Add a few minutes if you want the cauliflower softer or take away a few minutes if you want it to remain crunchier.)
Notes
- To Cook In Air-Fryer: Depending on the size of the air-fryer you have, you can do it in one batch or divide it into two batches. (You don’t want to overcrowd it too much.) Prepare the cauliflower florets per the recipe, up to the step of cooking. Spread the cauliflower florets in the air-fryer and cook it at 390°F for 15 minutes. Make sure to shake/toss the florets every 3 minutes to ensure even cooking.
- Reheating: I find it best reheated on stove-top, in a preheated pan. Make sure to preheat the pan all the way, add a little bit of oil, and sauté roasted cauliflower just until it heats through.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in January 2019.
Ella says
Love this! Make it just about 1x per week.
LyubaB says
Nice! 🙂