How to Roast Cauliflower
Published Feb 27, 2018 | Last Updated May 16, 2026
Roasting at high heat creates more flavor and texture. I could live the rest of my life without steamed or raw cauliflower. But once it goes into a 475-degree oven and turns a little brownish-black and crispy, well, it just becomes something completely different and I want to devour it all straight from the baking sheet.
One of my cooking clients recently told me that she is becoming a cauliflower fan because of me. She has been on a very restricted diet and was not eating potatoes for a while and continues to stay away from rice. So on the evenings that I make the rest of her family something with potatoes or rice, I roast cauliflower for her. I either cut it into florets or I put it in the food processor after roasting to give it a mashed potato-like texture. This created a flavor that she hadn't experienced before.
You may think cauliflower is a boring vegetable with no strong flavor or color. And when steamed it is bland. This is where the cooking technique comes in.
Why Roast Cauliflower
Roasting at high heat creates more flavor and texture because the high heat caramelizes the natural sugars and creates crispy edges . I could live the rest of my life without steamed or raw cauliflower. But once it goes into a 475-degree oven and turns a little brownish-black and crispy, well, it just becomes something completely different. This method of cooking creates caramelization (the dark brown bits) and the flavor of the cauliflower changes to something buttery and nutty, without it being drenched in butter.
I hope you will give this a try.
Ingredients for Roasted Cauliflower
1 head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds),
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or just enough to drizzle and lightly coat the vegetable
2 teaspoons salt (my favorite is Real Salt)
How to Roast Cauliflower
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil.
Heat oven to 475 degrees and place one of the shelves on the lowest spot in the oven.
Trim cauliflower down to medium to bite-size florets. How the florets look isn't important, but having them all around the same size is, or they will cook unevenly.
Place cauliflower on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
Toss the cauliflower around on the sheet to make sure they are all coated with some oil. Sprinkle with salt and place on the lowest shelf in the oven.
Roast for 10 minutes, and then check to see how they are doing. They should be sizzling and the bottoms should be turning brown. The picture below is the browning you are looking for.
If they are not browning yet, toss the pieces on the pan a little, turning them over, and place back in the oven and check again in 5 minutes. Pierce with a fork to test for doneness. You want the cauliflower to be slightly soft where the fork easily pierces through, but not mushy. They are extremely hot and will continue cooking once you remove them from the oven.
The picture below shows more darkened edges, and this is closer to how I like it. Stick close to the oven and pull them out when they are browned and crispy.
Once the cauliflower has the beautiful, crispy brown edges, remove from oven, place in a serving bowl and serve.
And if you eat dairy, then add some grated parmesan at the end and let it melt, like in this recipe from Bon Appetit.
Checking your Oven Temperature
This is a great moment to pause and talk about checking your oven temperature. When I first shared this recipe for roasting cauliflower with a coaching group I was in, one of the women tried it and commented that her cauliflower never got the crispy edges. If you find that your cooking does not come out the same as the recipes you are following, its possible that your oven is not the same temperature. Even though the readout on your oven says a certain temp, that does not mean the inside is actually that temp. Place a thermometer in your oven like this and check that your oven temp matches the display. Then your roasting will turn out better!
Printer-Friendly Recipe
Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or just enough to drizzle and lightly coat the vegetable
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil.
- Heat oven to 475 degrees and place one of the shelves on the lowest spot in the oven.
- Trim cauliflower down to medium to bite-size florets. How the florets look isn't important, but having them all around the same size is, or they will cook unevenly.
- Place cauliflower on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
- Toss the cauliflower around on the sheet to make sure they are all coated with some oil.
- Sprinkle with salt and place on the lowest shelf in the oven.
- Roast for 10 minutes, and then check to see how they are doing. They should be sizzling and the bottoms should be turning brown. If they are not browning yet, leave in the oven and check again in 5 minutes.
- Pierce with a fork to test for doneness. You want the cauliflower to be slightly soft where the fork easily pierces through, but not mushy. They are extremely hot and will continue cooking once you remove them from the oven.
- Once the cauliflower has the beautiful, crispy brown edges, remove from oven, place in a serving bowl and serve.
MORE cauliflower recipes:
Cauliflower Salad with Dairy-Free Dill Dressing
Gluten-Free Curried Cauliflower Fritters
Golden Cauliflower Soup
*Please note, some of the links on this site are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I can earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. All of the products on my site are actually used by me. I do not recommend anything that is not in my own kitchen and used in these recipes. I am showing you what I use and providing easy links to those products so that you may get the same great results in your own kitchen.