Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan Dipping Sauce — Even people who say they don’t like cauliflower will love this version! Oven roasted cauliflower is easy to prepare, and I’ve given detailed instructions on bake times and oven temperatures.
Best Ever Roast Cauliflower
Cauliflower is pretty trendy right now. But this isn’t a trendy recipe.
It’s a classic roasted cauliflower recipe. You know, the kind of recipe you actually make.
Recently I’ve seen recipes for cauliflower pizza crust, cauliflower florets made to be like buffalo wings, cauliflower puree that’s a stand-in for alfredo sauce, mashed cauliflower as a sub for mashed potatoes, cauliflower breaded and baked or fried for chips, and the list goes on.
Except I’m not that creative, I’m on vacation, and I eat tons of cauliflower exactly like this.
Drizzled with a little coconut oil, seasoned with smoked paprika or turmeric, and baked for about 20 minutes. It’s vegan, gluten-free, and full of flavor.
It’s filling, hearty, comforting, and stays al dente. There’s enough texture retained so it’s not at all mushy and has plenty of chomp factor.
The smoked paprika, along with the natural flavors that are brought out when you roast vegetables, make the cauliflower so tasty.
While I don’t mind the raw bitey-ness that raw cauliflower has, some people do, and roasting tempers and mellows it.
Normally I eat my vegetables fairly plain and basic, which some may call ‘boring.’ However, when it comes to vegetables, basic and ‘boring’ is what I always go back to.
But if you’re trying to twist someone’s arm to eat more vegetables, the easy, 30-second cauliflower dipping sauce can’t hurt. It’s made with with equal parts sour cream and shredded cheese.
I can demolish a head of cauliflower by myself. So good.
Ingredients for Oven Roasted Cauliflower
To make roast cauliflower in the oven, you’ll need:
- Fresh cauliflower
- Coconut oil
- Smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper
For the cauliflower dipping sauce, you’ll need:
- Sour cream
- Grated Parmesan cheese
How to Make Oven Roasted Cauliflower
This is such an easy roasted cauliflower recipe that’s easy to customize using your favorite spices. Here’s my preferred method for roasting cauliflower in the oven:
- Place cauliflower florets on a baking tray, arranged in a single flat layer.
- Evenly drizzle or massage with oil.
- Evenly sprinkle with smoked paprika, and optionally sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Roast at 375ºF until cauliflower is done to taste.
- Serve with the creamy Parmesan dipping sauce.
What Temperature to Roast Cauliflower?
I prefer roasting my cauliflower at 375ºF. A slightly lower temperature gives the cauliflower time to cook from the inside out before it starts to caramelize on the bottom.
How Long to Roast Cauliflower?
I find 20 to 25 minutes at 375ºF is perfect!
Can the Coconut Oil Be Substituted?
I love roasting vegetables with coconut oil and don’t think it makes the cauliflower taste like coconut at all. Use olive or another favorite oil if you’re concerned.
Can You Roast Frozen Cauliflower?
Technically, yes. You can roast frozen cauliflower straight from the freezer, just add a few minutes to the bake time.
However, I find that frozen cauliflower is mushy once roasted and doesn’t retain any bite or texture, which is what I love about classic oven roasted cauliflower.
Tips for the Best Roasted Cauliflower
To oil the cauliflower: I prefer to dip my fingers in the melted coconut oil and run my fingers over the florets so they don’t become over-oiled nor have oil pooling on the baking tray.
Roasting time: Note that the top side of the florets stays whiter while the base could be caramelizing/browning quite a bit, so make sure to check the undersides when testing for doneness. I don’t bother flipping it midway through roasting, although you could.
For the dipping sauce: You can use cream cheese or mayo, including vegan or lite versions, instead of sour cream. I had Parmesan handy, but most any cheese will work.
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Oven Roasted Cauliflower with Creamy Parmesan Dip
Ingredients
- 1 head of washed and trimmed cauliflower, broken into 1 to 2-inch florets
- about 1 tablespoon coconut oil, or your favorite oil
- about 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, or use turmeric, Old Bay, seasoning salt, grill seasoning, garlic powder, or your favorite spices or seasoning blend
- salt and pepper, optional and to taste
Dipping Sauce
- ½ cup sour cream, or cream cheese or mayo; use lite or vegan versions as desired
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, or your favorite shredded cheese; use lite or vegan versions as desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or with foil; set aside.
- Place cauliflower florets on baking tray, arranged in a single flat layer, not quite touching, if possible.
- Evenly drizzle or massage with oil. I prefer to dip my fingers in the oil and run my fingers over the florets so they don’t become over-oiled nor have oil pooling on the baking tray.
- Evenly sprinkle with smoked paprika, and optionally sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Bake for about 2o to 25 minutes, or until cauliflower is done to taste, noting that the top side stays whiter while the base could be caramelizing/browning quite a bit, so make sure to check the undersides, too. I don’t bother flipping it midway through roasting, although you could.
- While cauliflower is baking, make the dip by stirring together the sour cream and cheese in a small bowl; set aside until serving.
- Remove cauliflower from oven and serve with the dip as soon as it’s cool enough to eat. Cauliflower is best warm and fresh although can be kept airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; eat chilled or gently reheat as desired. Extra dip will keep airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Parmesan and Herb Roasted Potatoes— These herb roasted potatoes are sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and are made with seasonings you already have on hand. So easy to prep, and crazy delicious!
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I love roasted Cauliflower! The Parmesan dip sounds great! Pinned!
I think cauliflower was made to be roasted. One of my absolute veggie recipes. I love your dip! Yummy! = )
Thanks for pinning, Crystal!
YUM! I really do think that cauliflower is way underrated on it’s own. It doesn’t have to be all transformed to be amazing. Simple roasting is perfect! Although, I do admit to making cauliflower rice frequently. That stuff is so versatile and makes me feel like I’m eating tons of carby rice when I’m not. Win win!
Cauli rice is another one I forgot to add! I used to do that years ago more often. Kind of forgot about it but should do it again for the reasons you said!
Love the photo of the cauliflower just sitting on top of the dip! This is something I could eat all the time :)
Thanks for saying that! White/orange food and white dip, with weird vacation lighting, not a super easy shoot but whatever :)
Roasted cauliflower is one of my favorite dinners. Add in a few onions and Brussels sprouts and I’m a happy girl. I usually season with curry powder, turmeric, black pepper and olive oil. Now that’s what I want for dinner tonight!
That’s what I want for dinner, too! And with the Brussels. YUM! That’s another of my faves!
Roasted cauliflower is addicting, and I can only imagine that this dip makes it even more so!
Mmm, I’ve actually never liked cauliflower but this looks good!
I bet you’d like it this way!
I am a HUGE fan of cauliflower – I know I’d love this! It sounds great to me without the dip, but I’m sure the dip makes it that much better! :)
Averie- I hope you and your family had a wonderful Easter! That parmesan dip looks and sounds awesome! I love roasted cauliflower! To me it’s a great substitute for something like fries – so much healthier and still tastes great! Pinned :)
I’d totally prefer this to fries! For real. Something about cauliflower, weird, but I love the stuff! Thanks for pinning & hope you had a nice Easter, too!
That’s what I think when I see all the cauliflower creations–why mess with perfection? Roasted cauliflower is about as close to vegetable perfection as it gets. We eat our weight in the stuff. I’ll bet it’s fantastic with this parm dip, too!
why mess with perfection? Roasted cauliflower is about as close to vegetable perfection as it gets. <--- AMEN and my thoughts exactly!
I love roasted cauliflower…I sometimes use garam marsala or other curry spices and they come out with that same yellowish tinge that your turmeric does….so good and I’m with you I could demolish a head myself too.
At least we get our fiber in that way, right? :)
Roasted vegetables are the best and yours look gorgeous– love the last photo!! Must try that dip–it also sounds good for green beans, asparagus, parsnip fries….pretty much anything!
Thanks for saying you like it! It was so good I wanted to reach in and just keep dipping away :) And yes it’s a great little dip for anything from chips to veg. I mean, cheese + sour cream/cream cheese, you can never go wrong! :)
I have tried the cauliflower pizza crust – it’s good! The alfredo sauce…not so much.
I love roasted cauli and this sounds delish….especially that parmesan dip! Yum and pinned!
I’ve never actually tried it as alfredo sauce but thanks for LMK you have…ummm yeah, duly noted :) And thanks for pinning!
You know how I’d like to get into this dip…with a spoon;) though the cauliflower is gorg too!
Sometimes you’ve just gotta keep it simple right? Except now I’ll never be satisfied with roasted cauliflower without creamy parmesan dip, thanks a lot!! :) Looks great Averie.
Love this! We’ve always got cauliflower in the kitchen, and now I know what I’ll be doing with it next :)