Crispy Roasted Cauliflower

Crispy Roasted Cauliflower is a quick side dish that is versatile enough to stand alone or be used as a topping in pasta, salads or on pizzas.

Roasted Cauliflower on baking sheet

Roasted Cauliflower

Crispy Roasted Cauliflower is a quick side dish most people never think of making. More tender and milder than roasted broccoli, roasted cauliflower is amazing baked simply or with a few ingredients added in.

I first started experimenting with roasting cauliflower about five years ago for a client. They had very restricted diets and needed a constant stream of unique chicken breast dinners. I started with this recipe and it was such a hit that soon I was getting requests for more and more meals to have roasted cauliflower.

Baked Cauliflower Variations

  • Sprinkle some grated Parmesan Cheese on top with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. You want to use the kind that comes in a shaker. Sprinkle a generous amount in, maybe a couple of tablespoons.
  • Add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to the oil mixture.
  • Roast the Crispy Roasted Cauliflower as written here but then drizzle over the finished pan with balsamic glaze.
  • Add in some Tabasco sauce to taste and toss with some Blue Cheese Powder for quick and easy “Buffalo” style roasted cauliflower.
  • Add some minced garlic, oregano and crushed red pepper for an Italian twist.

What Goes with Roasted Cauliflower? Everything!

I’d also make you guys a list of meals you can serve this with but the truth is this would work in almost any dish from a side dish to a pasta or salad mix-in — even a sandwich filling. Actually, on that note, if you were to slice the cauliflower into a steak instead of the florets and make it about an inch to an inch and a half thick and roast at the same time and temperature, you’d have an amazing veggie “patty” alternative. Just be sure to toss with some oil and flavor it well.

A quick last couple of Baked Cauliflower tips for you:

  • Do NOT toss out the stalk. Slice it up and roast it along with the florets, it is just as tender and delicious. Seriously, don’t waste it.
  • It may look like a lot of cauliflower before you roast it, but take it from someone who has made this dish over a hundred times in the last few years, you can start “tasting” it and before you know it half the tray is gone. Always make more than you think you’ll need, it will be a hit.

Baked Cauliflower out of the oven on baking sheet

5 from 3 votes
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Crispy Roasted Cauliflower

Crispy Roasted Cauliflower is a quick side dish that is versatile enough to stand alone or be used as a topping in pastas, salads or on pizzas. The perfect easy roasted vegetable.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword Roasted Cauliflower
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 90 kcal
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients

  • 1 pound cauliflower (a normal head of cauliflower)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Cut the cauliflower into florets about the size of a ping pong ball.
  3. Put into a large bowl and toss with oil and salt and pepper (I used 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, but you can season to taste.
  4. Spread evenly onto a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Nutrition Facts
Crispy Roasted Cauliflower
Amount Per Serving
Calories 90 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 34mg1%
Potassium 339mg10%
Carbohydrates 5g2%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin C 54.7mg66%
Calcium 25mg3%
Iron 0.5mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Crispy Cauliflower roasted in the oven

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. please tell me why my cauli didn’t come up crunchy when my oven was on 220 I’ve done it twice love the flavours but just not crunchy ,

    1. Oh no! If it wasn’t crisping up, maybe the oven rack that you placed them on was too low and needed to be moved up higher. Also, make sure that the cauliflower is spread out on the pan so it cooks evenly. Hope this helps for next time! Glad you enjoyed the flavor though.

  2. I don’t think i’ve ever had cauliflower like this but it looks super yummy! I’ll have to give it a try.

  3. I have been seeing many different recipes for cooked cauliflower recently. This one looks like the most delicious! I will have to bookmark this for dinner one night.

  4. This Crispy Roasted Cauliflower recipe looks so delicious and easy to make. I will have to try it this weekend. My family will love it.

  5. Roasted cauliflower is the best!! Roasting turns an otherwise “meh” vegetable into something truly delicious!

  6. I realized recently that most vegetables I never developed a taste for we’re just cooked badly. I’m not a huge fan of cauliflower, but this might change my mind! Roasting Brussels sprouts made such a big difference for my tastebuds.

  7. Oh my goodness, so simple, yet so delicious, I am sure. I love cauliflower, so I will totally be trying this recipe. Thanks for sharing.

  8. I LOVE Roasted Cauliflower. We eat it as a snack. I will cut up a few heads of Cauliflower, roast them and serve them up with a movie. Delicious!

  9. Cauliflower remains one of the most versatile ingredients in any cook’s arsenal. This recipe proves it! Looks divine! Crispy roasted, gorgeous!

  10. Simply roasted vegetables are by far my favorite. I especially enjoy the ideas of what else to make with roasted cauliflower other than eating it as is as a side dish.

  11. This is totally my fiance and my favorite roasted veg!!! Add a little sage next time for a totally different KICK IN THE MOUTH!! 🙂