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My roasted curried cauliflower needs only 4 ingredients and makes a fabulous side dish! Ready in 20 minutes, it’s crispy, crunchy, and addictive!
Looking for more vegetable side dishes? Try my sauteed broccolini, roasted potatoes and carrots, jicama fries, and bacon wrapped asparagus next.
There’s a reason why cauliflower is considered the kind of vegetables.
It is, without a doubt, one of the most versatile veggies. It takes well to a variety of seasonings and cooking methods. Currently, my family is obsessed with my roasted curry cauliflower.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Just 4 ingredients. All you need is cauliflower, oil, and a few spices.
- The best texture. Crispy and golden brown on the outside yet soft and delicious in the middle.
- Diet-friendly. It’s low in carbs and calories, AND it’s gluten-free and vegan!
- Virtually hands-off. Once you toss the florets in the spices, the oven does 99% of the work, so you can focus on the main course.
Ingredients needed
- Cauliflower. One large head of cauliflower chopped into florets.
- Olive oil. To give the cauliflower extra crisp. I prefer the flavor of olive oil, but any oil works.
- Curry powder. I keep it simple and use a store-bought spice blend, but you’re welcome to make your own spice mixture using turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon.
- Kosher salt and black pepper. To taste.
How to make roasted curried cauliflower
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Prep. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2- Season. In a large bowl, add the cauliflower florets and toss with the spices. Add olive oil and mix to coat the florets.
Step 3- Roast. Spread the cauliflower in a single layer on the sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until tender.
Air fryer option!
Want to use your air fryer to make curried cauliflower instead? It’s almost identical to my air fryer cauliflower: Add a single layer of the cauliflower in a greased air fryer basket and air fry at 200C/400F for 12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Cut the cauliflower into even-sized pieces. So they cook evenly.
- No stacking. Otherwise, the cauliflower won’t get equal access to heat and can become mushy.
- Oven makes and models differ. If your cauliflower isn’t golden brown around the edges, keep it in there longer!
- Add aromatics. Toss in one tablespoon of freshly minced garlic or ginger.
- Serve with a sauce. If I have time, I like mixing a little tahini with extra virgin olive oil and smoke flavor, then drizzling it on top.
Ways to use curry cauliflower
While curry roasted cauliflower makes a wonderful side dish, you can jazz it up in a variety of ways. Here are some ideas:
- Cauliflower curry. Add it to a chicken curry or make a curry from scratch and fold in the roasted cauliflower.
- Add it to fried rice. Finely chop the curried cauliflower and toss it through curry fried rice.
- Make cauliflower soup. Swap out the cauliflower in my roasted cauliflower soup for this curry-fied version!
- Add chickpeas (or potatoes!). Toss a can of drained chickpeas into the cauliflower before roasting it.
- Turn it into a salad. Use these roasted cauliflower florets in my cauliflower potato salad.
Storage instructions
- To store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to five days.
- To freeze: Place the cooked and cooled cauliflower in an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to six months.
- Reheating: Either microwave the cauliflower or reheat it in the oven until crispy.
Frequently asked questions
Avoid overcrowding the baking dish and leave some room between each floret so they can cook evenly and completely. This guarantees the cauliflower is always crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
To prepare the cauliflower for roasting, slice it in half. Then, cut each floret off piece by piece. For the larger pieces, you can cut them in half. Cutting the vegetable this way ensures the florets remain intact.
More cauliflower recipes to try
Curried Cauliflower
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cauliflower and toss through the salt, pepper, and curry powder. Add the olive oil and, using your hands, mix well to ensure all florets are coated with the spices and the oil.
- Add the cauliflower on an even layer on the baking tray and cook for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally updated November 2022, updated and republished July 2024
Never have I ever eaten off the Whole Foods hot bar… looking at this makes me feel like I may be seriously missing out on something!
What! Please tell me you have one near you!
You know how deep my love of cauliflower is. It knows no bounds, and I cannot wait to try this.
Next time, do me a favor and mix a little oil, vinegar, some green onions and blue cheese together. Pour it over your roasted cauliflower when it comes out of the oven. Best thing ever. I have cauliflower haters who love this.
Can I tell you a secret….my next copycat recipe is the Whole Foods Sicilian Cauliflower which is oil, vinegar and parmesan cheese. Blue cheese would be better. Omg. I want blue cheese now.
I don’t think I’ve EVER cooked with curry. I guess this is a good time to start?
Dude. First you dismiss German food and now curry?! LAUREN!
I heart cauliflower – especially curried cauli. My mom makes hers with a spicy curry sauce but I’m liking this spice version! Now to head out and buy some garam marsala…
Omg. Spicy curry sauce? Please share the recipe that sounds insane!
I think she uses a jarred one :-X But I’ll ask & get back at ya!
You’re right – the hot bar/salad bar at the Toronto Whole Foods does suck! I much prefer the one closer to me in Oakville. Especially this one time when they had the more glorious roasted butternut squash. I haven’t seen it there since that one time though!
And I don’t think I’ve ever seen curry roasted cauliflower there either. I love roasted cauliflower though so this looks like a winner!
Wait, you guys have ANOTHER whole foods? Who knew Canada was so good!
Gotta love the charred part – it’s the best!!
I kind of lived in Whole Foods when I was in NY. Though I always went for the salad bar – and spent about 2/3 of my vacation money there…..
Seriously, it eats into your pocket!
And now…. I want to go walk to Whole Foods…… Mmmmmmm and spend $100 on Cauliflower alone!
I need to move to LA just for it. And you.
WHOLE.FOODS.BRUSSELS.SPROUTS. i can’t even put into words how they get them so effing tender and tasty. i’m also a big fan of their simple grilled salmon. as everything else they serve, lets be honest. but so funny you say you eat it cold because i eat my work lunch every day cold (even though there IS a microwave). maybe i’m 50% lazy and maybe we are 50% genius because cold roasted cauliflower is my beyoootch. I’ve been roasting mine with salt, pepper, garlic powder and buffalo sauce and ughhh so perfect! i need to try this one next even though i don’t have garam marsala dangit! although frieda’s produce just sent me purple, orange and green cauliflower so i’m ready to take down about 3 heads this week.. #beatthebloat
DUDE. I have a recipe JUST for you coming up 😉
Um. Cold roasted veggies > normal ones. That is a fact.
Be still my beating heart….I love any and all cauliflower along with brussels sprouts, and broccoli but cauli comes first even before kabocha.
Love this recipe (: And my whole foods has it occasionally but who needs them when I can stock up on purple, orange and romanesco cauliflower varieties…even yummier!
Noooooo not broccoli haha! Wow, you guys get COLOURED ones? Do they taste any different?
I live in NY and have still never been to Whole Foods >:-( My favorite roasted veggie is squash. After baking in the over with a bit of maple syrup and oil, it tastes like candy. However, I don’t like roasting squash outside of the cooler months, do I’d say my most frequently roasted veggie is the sweet potato. It’s not a day off from work without some sweet potato oven fries!
Oh yum! I’ll have to try it that way!
WHAT?! You didn’t like Toronto’s hot bar?! I don’t blame you. It wasn’t my favourite that day either…except for the mashed potatoes. Those were wonderful.
I love roasted sweet potatoes but cauliflower comes in at a close second! Like you, I usually just use oil, salt and pepper but this copycat version sounds AMAZING. Must try. I love when it gets a bit burnt and crispy just like how you’ve got it in your photos. HOT DAYUMN. GIMME SUMMA DAT.
True. If it wasn’t for the butter and cream, it would have been fail whale.
Confession- I actually burn them way more, but they would look like a bushfire.
Thank you for reminding me that I haven’t been to a Whole Foods hot bar since I was in Minneapolis, which was over a year ago. Jerk. (I kid). I can’t remember if they had the cauliflower when I went…apparently I’m missing out?
Favourite roasted veggie = sweet potatoes. Although for non-potatoes….broccoli.
Imagine if Canmore opened up a WholeFoods…that would make me move there!
Perhaps this coming year will be the year I try to reconnect with cauliflower. Or I guess more appropriately, connect. Never was a huge fan of it, but mostly that was when I ate it raw. Definitely open to this recipe, and I’ve always wanted to try cauliflower subbed mashed potatoes. We should start a campaign to measure potatoes and cauli’s in poods. That’s way more fun.
Mate, that is so weird to us Australians- I think the whole country was taught to eat broccoli and cauliflower cooked- never raw!
Second favourite veggie?! Reeeeaally?! I’m not the biggest fan — or at least my stomach isn’t — so you can keep all the cauliflower. I’ll steal the potatoes 😛
same. yet i love the curry ones at whole foods. It’s so tempting! I want to eat it all, but my husband won’t like later if i do. haha. 😉
Hahaha. Sometimes it’s worth it.
NOOOOO. You may have ONE french fry. ONE.
This looks like a better way to eat cauliflower! My stomach only sometimes likes it (argghhhhhh) but I do enjoy it from time to time. Whole Foods hot bar=magical…can’t wait for another recreation!
Thanks Druga! Oh that’s like me and broccoli. ONLY small doses.