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Home » Blog » Recipes » Whole Roasted Cauliflower (Whole30, Keto, Vegan)

Whole Roasted Cauliflower (Whole30, Keto, Vegan)

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Whole roasted cauliflower is a delicious, Whole30-friendly, keto, and  vegan side dish! Plus, this recipe only uses 3 ingredients!

An overhead shot of Whole Roasted Cauliflower in a cast iron skillet.

Haven’t yet spotted whole roasted cauliflower on a restaurant menu? Trust me: you will soon. Gorgeously crusted on the outside, tender on the inside, this visually striking preparation of cauliflower is popular among chefs for a host of reasons: it’s budget-friendly, ridiculously simple to make, and guaranteed to impress guests either as a centerpiece or side. Even your vegetarian friends will dig it!

A collage of the cooking steps to make Whole roasted cauliflower.

Personally, I like to season a whole roasted cauliflower head with just salt and olive oil so that it’s a blank slate that can be paired with my favorite sauces and herbs. With five roasted heads sitting in my fridge right now, I’m definitely going to be using a bunch of different flavor boosters, from pesto to marinara sauce.

Why so much leftover cauliflower? ’Cause this past week, I’ve been in the thick of testing this recipe. I tried a myriad of different techniques that I’d found on the web and in my cookbook collection to see which method delivered the biggest bang for the least amount of work. I used different techniques to prepare each cauliflower head—boiling the cauliflower first (too much work), roasting it in a preheated skillet with a separate pan of water in the oven (great crust, but not quite tender enough inside), and roasting it in a covered Dutch oven for the first hour (overly mushy and inconsistent browning on the outside)—until I came up with a crazy-easy method that results in a perfectly bronzed crust and tender center.

A shot of someone slicing Whole Roasted Cauliflower on a gray plate.

See? Testing pays off!

Ready to check out my recipe?

Time to make Whole Roasted Cauliflower!

Makes 4 side servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole cauliflower head (about 2 pounds)
  • ½ cup (or more) extra virgin olive oil or melted ghee
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Equipment:

  • Paring knife
  • Cutting board
  • 8-inch Cast iron skillet
  • Aluminum foil
  • Tongs

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375°F and place a rack in the middle position. Trim away the leaves at the bottom of the cauliflower head. Carefully cut off and remove the stem and tough core, but be careful to keep the head intact.

A closeup shot of the bottom side of a small head of cauliflower where the stem has been removed.

Rinse and pat dry the trimmed cauliflower head. Then drizzle olive oil or melted ghee all over it.

Pouring olive oil on top of a small cauliflower head.

With your hands, rub the oil on the surface (both top and bottom) until the cauliflower is well coated.

Two hands are massaging olive oil onto the surface of a small head of cauliflower.

Season both sides of the cauliflower liberally with salt. Make it rain!

A woman is sprinkling salt all over a whole cauliflower head coated with olive oil.

Place the cauliflower florets-side up on a cast iron skillet, and cover tightly with aluminum foil.

The seasoned cauliflower head is in a small cast iron skillet and aluminum foil is placed on top.

Put the skillet on the middle rack in the oven. Cook for 30 minutes, covered.

The foil-covered cast iron skillet with the seasoned cauliflower head is placed in the oven.

Remove the foil from the skillet…

The foil cover is removed and the cauliflower finishes cooking in the oven.

…and roast for an additional hour in the oven. Once the cauliflower is golden brown on the outside and tender on the inside, take it out of the oven. A knife should slide in and out without any resistance.

An overhead shot of Whole Roasted Cauliflower ready to take out of the oven. The surface golden brown.

Transfer the cauliflower head to a platter.

A pair of tongs remove Whole Roasted Cauliflower from the cast iron skillet.

Carve and serve as-is, or drizzle on your favorite sauce and fresh herbs.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower is sliced with a chef's knife.

Not too shabby for a three-ingredient recipe!


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).


PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Whole Roasted Cauliflower by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com
Print Recipe
4.73 from 59 votes

Whole Roasted Cauliflower

Whole roasted cauliflower is a delicious, Whole30-friendly vegan dish. It’s also budget-friendly, easy to make, and guaranteed to impress your guests!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time1 hr 45 mins
Total Time2 hrs
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gluten-free, keto, low carb, paleo, Primal, Vegan, Vegetarian, Whole30
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 275kcal
Author: Michelle Tam

Ingredients

  • 1 whole cauliflower head about 2 pounds
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil or melted ghee
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F and place a rack in the middle position. Trim away the leaves at the bottom of the cauliflower head. Carefully cut off and remove the stem and tough core, but be careful to keep the head intact.
  • Rinse and pat dry the trimmed cauliflower head. Then drizzle olive oil or melted ghee all over it. 
  • With your hands, rub the oil on the surface (both top and bottom) until the cauliflower is well coated. Season both sides of the cauliflower liberally with salt. Make it rain!
  • Place the cauliflower florets-side up on a cast iron skillet, and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Put the skillet on the middle rack in the oven. Cook for 30 minutes, covered.
  • Remove the foil from the skillet, and roast for an additional hour in the oven. Once the cauliflower is golden brown on the outside and tender on the inside, take it out of the oven. A knife should slide in and out without any resistance.
  • Transfer the cauliflower head to a platter. Carve and serve as-is, or drizzle on your favorite sauce and fresh herbs.

Video

Tried this recipe?Mention @nomnompaleo or tag #nomnompaleo!

Nutrition

Calories: 275kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 27g | Fiber: 3g
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Holly Masclans says

    August 17, 2020 at 12:09 am

    5 stars
    It takes an hour and a half so I usually make this on a weekend and have it out for the kids to nibble on. Better to make in cooler months, but such a favorite I still make it in the summer.

    Reply
    • Heidi says

      October 12, 2020 at 1:21 pm

      This looks amazing!
      Would any alternatives to a cast iron skillet work? I gave all of mine away when we get our convection stove.

      Reply
      • Michelle Tam says

        October 12, 2020 at 4:30 pm

        Any oven safe pan will work!

        Reply
  2. Diana Artemis Yee says

    January 2, 2021 at 10:13 pm

    Excellent idea! We had a foot-long cauliflower, so it made for a beautiful presentation!

    Reply
  3. Victoria O'Hara says

    January 29, 2021 at 1:43 am

    5 stars
    Easy and delicious. Thanks for the perfect recipe. I found it didn’t take as long with smaller heads.

    Reply
  4. Ima says

    February 14, 2021 at 2:10 am

    5 stars
    I ate the whole thing! I didn’t mean to. I kept picking at it while my chicken was roasting and I ATE THE WHOLE THING! I will never look at cauliflower the same way. Delicious!

    Reply
  5. Kelley says

    June 12, 2021 at 5:04 pm

    5 stars
    Hey Michele, I finally tried this! The outside of mine didn’t crisp quite enough and the inside was over cooked/mushy. Still yummy but not quite right. For next time, any suggestions? Maybe cook covered for less minutes? Higher temp with foil off? I think my oven is calibrated correctly. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      June 13, 2021 at 3:23 am

      I would cook less time covered and maybe broil for the last few minutes. It doesn’t get crispy, per se. It just browns!

      Reply
    • JNOz says

      July 26, 2021 at 4:07 pm

      This looks excellent. I’m going to give-it-a-go. I’m thinking that preheating the cast iron thoroughly at 375 roasting for 1hr may do the trick…

      Reply
      • JNOz says

        August 2, 2021 at 1:14 pm

        Done. I also put the cauliflower on a small round roasting rack from my multi-cooker. Very happy with the result – tender-crisp, al dente, and nicely browned head of cauliflower.

        Reply
  6. Veronica Bonilla says

    July 13, 2021 at 11:11 pm

    5 stars
    My first recipe review ever because this was a hit at dinner and I liked it very much. I love the simplicity of the ingredients, the procedure is so easy and the result is fantastic 👏 👌 thank you

    Reply
  7. GraftonReed says

    August 6, 2021 at 7:00 am

    5 stars
    Very nice. My family loved it. Experimenting with sauces now.

    Reply
  8. Gen says

    October 3, 2021 at 12:37 am

    5 stars
    So yummy, we make it all the time! When it’s hot out we cook on the grill (in cast iron pan on a pizza stone). Need to keep an eye on the temp and it goes a bit faster–you have to really watch that the bottom doesn’t burn. but nice to cook without heating up the house!

    Reply
    • Carey Berndt says

      June 7, 2022 at 2:27 am

      I was wondering if you could cook it on the grill! Do you set the cast iron pan on a pizza stone? Or did you mean cast iron pan OR pizza stone?
      Thanks! Carey

      Reply
      • Gen says

        August 6, 2022 at 11:44 pm

        we put the cast iron pan on the pizza stone. I think it helps keep the bottom from burning.

        Reply
  9. Dawn Vivirito says

    October 26, 2021 at 6:44 pm

    5 stars
    Favorite sauces in addition to the mentioned pesto and marinara?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      October 27, 2021 at 3:58 am

      Sesame Ginger Dressing: https://nomnompaleo.com/sesame-ginger-dressing

      Reply
  10. Jenny says

    January 6, 2022 at 10:46 pm

    What are your favorite sauces to use with this?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      January 7, 2022 at 5:57 am

      Pesto is delicious!

      Reply
  11. Sue says

    January 12, 2022 at 11:53 pm

    5 stars
    This turned out so good. Love the crispy parts best. Did have some challenges cutting out the core but turned out great

    Reply
  12. Sue says

    January 12, 2022 at 11:56 pm

    5 stars
    Yummy. Turned out good and the crispy parts…so good. Struggled a bit cutting out the core but it all worked out. Thanks you for a great simple recipe. I don’t think it even needs any sauce

    Reply
  13. Sue says

    January 12, 2022 at 11:57 pm

    5 stars
    So good. Love the crispy parts!

    Reply
  14. Maureen says

    August 18, 2022 at 11:15 pm

    Has anyone tried this in an air fryer or is the cast iron pan key to all that yumminess?!

    Reply
    • Regina Chan says

      August 19, 2022 at 7:57 pm

      I’ve never tried it in an air fryer but I have baked in a regular sheet pan (instead of cast iron) and it turned out great still!

      Reply
  15. Diana says

    October 29, 2022 at 8:09 pm

    5 stars
    This is the only way I make cauliflower since I found this recipe a few years ago. So much easier than cutting off the stalks and turns out better as well because there are’t smaller parts that get get burned, while other parts are too hard.

    Reply

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