Curried Cauliflower
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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!
My roasted curry cauliflower recipe was inspired by the popular hot bar dish at Whole Foods. I’m not ashamed to admit I would fill over half my takeout box with the cauliflower because it seriously tasted like candy to me.
When recreating this recipe at home, it came down to two things: using the right curry powder and adding enough oil to give each floret those gorgeous caramelized edges. I tested five curry powder blends, and ironically, the two most readily available options delivered the best flavor (Lawry’s and McCormick).
The end result is perfectly seasoned cauliflower with a crispy exterior and tender middle. Even my partner, who once claimed to be allergic to cauliflower (spoiler alert, he isn’t), can polish off a full serving on his own.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Just 4 ingredients. All you need is cauliflower, oil, and a few spices.
- The caramelized edges. They’re my favorite part. The florets become crispy and golden on the outside while staying tender in the middle.
- 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.
- It makes cauliflower exciting. It’s the veggie side that always disappears first at my dinner table.
Key Ingredients
Here’s what goes into curried cauliflower, along with my kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Cauliflower. One large head of cauliflower chopped into florets.
- Olive oil. To give the cauliflower extra crispness. 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
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.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Cut the cauliflower evenly. I try to keep the cauliflower pieces roughly the same size so they roast at the same rate and finish cooking together.
- Start with dry cauliflower. This is especially important. After washing the cauliflower, I pat it completely dry before seasoning. Excess moisture causes the florets to steam instead of developing those crispy, caramelized edges.
- No stacking. I always spread the florets into a single layer with a little space between them. If they’re piled on top of each other, they’ll soften instead of roast.
- Roast for color, not time. Every oven is different. If the cauliflower isn’t deeply golden around the edges when the timer goes off, keep roasting for a few extra minutes.
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, cooled cauliflower in an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Reheating: I prefer reheating the cauliflower in a 350°F oven or air fryer until hot and crispy around the edges again. I avoid the microwave, as it softens the cauliflower.
Frequently asked questions
You can, but fresh cauliflower will give you the crispiest results. Frozen cauliflower releases more moisture and won’t caramelize quite as well.
Yes. 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.
More cauliflower recipes to try
Curried Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower chopped into bite-sized florets, 900g
- 2 tablespoons olive oil 30mL
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon curry powder 8g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Pat the cauliflower dry, ensuring there is no moisture on it.
- 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 in an even layer on the baking tray and cook for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. The cauliflower should be golden brown and fork-tender.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally updated November 2022
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.