
About this recipe
Whole roasted cauliflower is a delicious and healthy dish that can be served as a side or main course. It’s simple to make and requires minimal ingredients.
This whole roasted cauliflower recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and completely delicious. It is easy, flavorful, SO good, and a must-try. Can you believe that cauliflower is full of vitamin C? Who knew? Not only do lemons have vitamin C, but you must also eat all kinds of vegetables.
This easy-to-make dish is an impressive centerpiece for any meal. It combines the vegetable’s nutty flavor with the delicious roasting and chili oil.
This dish is also a great way to get your daily servings of vegetables, as the cauliflower is cooked entirely and left to soak up all the yummy flavors of the spicy dressing. This recipe is perfect for a healthy vegan or vegetarian meal; this whole roasted cauliflower is sure to be a showstopper every time.

ingredients
- Head of cauliflower
- Vegetable oil
- Toasted sesame oil
- Soy sauce or tamari sauce
- Maple syrup
- Sambal Oelek or other chili paste
- Cilantro chopped
- Scallions chopped
- Peanuts chopped; you could also use cashews, almonds, or sesame seeds.

How to choose the best cauliflower?
Look for a firm, heavy head with bright white florets; choose a tightly packed head with no brown or black spots.
The leaves should be fresh and green ( you can eat them too). Give the head a sniff; it should smell fresh and slightly sweet.

How to make whole roasted cauliflower head?
- With a pairing knife, remove all the leaves surrounding the cauliflower.
- Turn the cauliflower head upside down, and cut the thick part of the stem with the pairing knife. Do not cut very deep; you don’t want to loosen the florets. You need the tick part to keep them together.
- Season the inside and the outside of the cauliflower, the entire cauliflower, with the chili oil mix.
- Roast in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden and tender.
- Top with chopped peanuts, chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice.

tips & tricks
- I love to use my cast iron skillet for this recipe, but you can use an ovenproof baking dish or a Dutch oven.
- Halfway through the cooking time, drizzle the sauce in the pan over the cauliflower as if you were basting it. You don’t want to lose all those juices, oils, and flavors.
- Use any cauliflower color or even Romasco broccoli, which will taste amazing.
- This roasted cauliflower can be used as a side dish, main dish, or appetizer.
- Serve with steamed or fried rice, spring rolls, quinoa, roasted potatoes, or basil lentils.
- If the sauce sticks to the pan, soak the pan in water for a couple of hours.
- If the cauliflower head is taking longer than expected to cook, cover the pan with foil for 10 minutes, uncover and let it roast.

Frequently asked questions

Roasted cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral tasting oil you like to use
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon sambal Oelek or other chili paste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- With a paring knife or other small knife begin to cut the cauliflower greens. Cutting one at a time until you reach the stem of the cauliflower. Being careful not to cut more than needed, remove the thicker stem.
- Put on the skillet or pan you will use with cut part down.
- Mixing the remaining ingredients, cover the cauliflower with that mixture. Make sure all is well covered, use your hands to cover it very well and add the mix everywhere.
- Put it in the oven for about 30 min. or until the top is golden and when pinched with a knife it is soft.
Nutrition
information
Nutritional information of this recipe is only an estimate, the accuracy for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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