Roasted cauliflower recipe is a fast and easy recipe that turns this unassuming and versatile vegetable into a star. Your family will soon be asking for this delicious side dish all the time!

Cauliflower is such a versatile ingredient that can be cooked in so many different ways, like this Mashed Cauliflower Recipe and Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole Recipe, and Cauliflower Steaks.
You may have noticed that it has become a very popular vegetable, especially as a substitute ingredient in recipes. It now appears as pizza crust, cauliflower wings, and even cauliflower rice.
Like all fruits and vegetables, you need to make sure that the cauliflower is nice and clean before cooking it. You can get it cleaner by cutting it into florets first (see instructions below) before washing it.
- Cut cauliflower into florets (see instructions below)
- Fill a large bowl or tub (or your sink) with cold water.
- Place the florets into the water and let them soak for several minutes.
- After soaking, place them into a colander and rinse under a stream of cold water.
- Shake off any excess water.
- Pat dry the florets.
This Roasted Cauliflower Recipe is absolutely tasty and very easy to make. I think the best part of this recipe is that you can use any spice you like, such as:
- smoked paprika
- turmeric
- garlic powder
- freshly ground black pepper
- fine sea salt
- cauliflower
- extra virgin olive oil
I love hot spices. But if they are too strong for you, replace them with the ones you are used to. You can also add curry powder, red pepper flakes, chili powder, garlic cloves, and even fresh herbs such as rosemary and cilantro. If you like a cheese flavor, you can also add some Parmesan cheese on top of the florets before baking.
To cut the cauliflower into florets:
1. Pull all the leaves off the base of the cauliflower and cut off any excess stems.
2. Cut the head of it in half from top to bottom.

3. Cut each half piece in half through the core so that you end up with four quarters of the cauliflower.
4. Cut out the core by slicing between it and the florets. The florets should naturally separate; if any are too large, cut or break them into bite-sized pieces. Flat sides help with caramelization in the pan.

- Mix together smoked paprika, turmeric, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Set spice mixture aside.
- Cut the cauliflower into florets.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Spread the florets out into a single layer on an aluminum foil or parchment paper-lined sheet pan (rimmed baking sheet) and pour/drizzle olive oil on top of them. Toss the florets until they are all evenly coated with oil. Then sprinkle the spice mixture over the florets, and mix well to combine.
- Roast it until it is tender and golden brown.
You can prepare it ahead of time by cutting the cauliflower into florets and adding all the spices. Then, when it’s about 30 minutes before dinnertime, place it in the oven and bake it for about 25 minutes. Optional, you can also add some lemon zest and lemon juice on top of it before serving.

- To store: Place the leftover oven-roasted cauliflower in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days once it has cooled to room temperature.
- To reheat: Reheat leftovers in the oven, so they stay crispy.
I mentioned before how easy it is to incorporate cauliflower into other dishes, so now is your chance to try it for yourself. Check out this Cauliflower Fried Rice or this Mushroom Cauliflower Rice Skillet Recipe.
Or you can also try this delicious Cauliflower Casserole or this delicious Mashed Cauliflower Recipe.
This is the best side dish because it basically goes with any protein, such as salmon, chicken breast, seared steak, baked pork chops, and garlic butter shrimp. Hm… So good!! Also, you can serve it in tacos, making it a vegetarian or vegan meal.
This is a great recipe to serve for holiday parties as well because it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t like cauliflower, right?

Roasted Cauliflower Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 head cauliflower cut into florets
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, and preheat oven to 425°F. In a small bowl, add smoked paprika, turmeric, garlic powder salt and black pepper. Mix everything very well.
- Place the cauliflower florets on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Pour olive oil on top of the cauliflower florets and toss until everything is evenly coated. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the cauliflower, and mix well to combine.
- Roast for about 25-30 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender and golden brown. Garnish with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- When buying the cauliflower, make sure the head is firm, tight, and does not have yellow patches.
- You can buy pre-cut florets to save prep time.
- Make sure the florets are fully dry or they will not roast but steam instead.
- To store: Leftover roasted cauliflower in an airtight container for up to 4 days once they’ve cooled to room temperature.
- To reheat: Reheat leftover cauliflower in the oven, so they stay crispy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Serving size is 1/4 what?
This recipe serves 4 people. Thanks!
I cut a head of cauliflower in half, then cut up each half into flowerettes and put into separate bowls. I then mixed up the spices for this recipe and mixed everything together. The other half, I made a parmesan & garlic combo and mixed that all together. I used separate sheet pans and baked it till almost done, then turned the oven on broil and kept an eye on it for about 2 to 3 min. Soooo much YUM on BOTH !!! Thank you ! 😊
Awesome!
This was very easy to make and tasted great. I accidentally
added 1/2t of cayenne (everything else was 1/2t) and it still
tasted great.
happy to hear that!
Why did you change the recipe? It was great before.
Yes we did. We fixed few things about the recipe to be better! It was great before, now it’s perfect 😉
We make something similar but less spicy so the kids can also eat this. It’s super popular, especially with my daughter, who will eat it by the bowlful! I don’t put my cauliflower in a bowl of water before baking but might try that next time. Thanks for sharing!
You’re very welcome!
I’ve been looking for a cauliflower recipe for a long time and this is it! I mixed the cauliflower, oil, and spices in a bowl before putting it on a tray and I used a dark baking sheet and these came out soo good. I know this will be my go to cauliflower recipe for now on. Thank you so much!
That’s amazing. So happy to hear that!!
This is an great recipe. I added Parmesan cheese and onion powder…YUMMMMY!
Happy you liked it!
I can’t tell from the pictures and could not find it in the description or ingredients, is it topped with parsley?
Yes it is. I’ll add it on the recipe box. Thanks for pointing it out.
This was soooo easy and delicious! A huge hit with the family!
Happy you and your family liked it!
wow!!! more colorful and more yummy to my tougue. i tired and i admiredd about the taste.
I ❤️ it!
Happy you liked it
Have made this numerous times now, my refinement to this recipe is double all the spices and oil, and mix together in small dish. I then put all the florets in a large bowl, drizzle the spice mix over, give it a good shake to ensure even coverage, tip onto foil covered tray. This dish has taken over from Cauliflower cheese as our regular side dish on Sundays.
Yes I have made several times me and my hubby love it!
Awesome!
Very tasty. Making it again. Adding 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper.
That’s awesome!
Love this recipe. I added less than 1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper to spice it up.
Great!
Loved it. Added 1/8 tsp of Cayenne like others recommended and it was perfect.
Amazing! So happy you liked it 😉
love the flavors and when the cauliflower is crunchy they taste even better…its how I’ll be making it regularly.thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you loved the flavors! Thanks for trying the recipe and sharing your feedback! 😊