Crispy Roasted Cauliflower

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on Last updated

40 Comments

5 from 3 votes
4 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
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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

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Dinner, then Dessert

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.
Yield 4 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

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

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Cut the cauliflower into florets about the size of a ping pong ball.
  • Put into a large bowl and toss with oil and salt and pepper (I used 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, but you can season to taste.
  • Spread evenly onto a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 90kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 34mg | Potassium: 339mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 54.7mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 0.5mg

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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.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

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. Recipe was a hit with my husband. Made it exactly as written. Planning to try some of the variations next time.

    Reply

  2. 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 ,

    Reply

    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.

      Reply

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

    Reply

  10. 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.

    Reply

  12. 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.

    Reply

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

    Reply

  15. 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.

    Reply

  18. 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.

    Reply

  19. 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!

    Reply

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

    Reply

  21. 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.

    Reply

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

    Reply