Roasted Cauliflower Shawarma is tender and flavorful, crispy and satisfying. Cauliflower wedges are basted with cozy shawarma spices and oven baked to perfection.
Serve on top of a bed of hummus or baba ganoush, sprinkle on some toasted nuts or herbs, add in a few mediterranean sides like eggplant salad, falafel balls or roasted carrots…and bingo….a mediterranean mezze platter with a delicious vegan shawarma twist!
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I love some good plant-based shawarma and make this tofu shawarma recipe quite often. We were recently in Philly…and I ordered cauliflower shawarma at a restaurant called Laser Wolf…and let’s just say I was instantly smitten in a deep dive sorta way.
So, here I present to you my insanely delish version of that memorable meal. Make as many or as few of the mediterranean sides and vegan dips I recommend to go with below. Or just eat it as is…core, leaves, and all! It’s flavorful and tender, crisp and satisfying…you’ll be jonesing for the warm cozy flavors soon, just like me!
This easy recipe uses my homemade no-salt shawarma spice mix (hello 2 minute investment in yumminess…with simple ingredients from your spice pantry.) and just a couple other things I’m sure you have on hand.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Cauliflower: Look for a head that is tightly compacted, without bruising or spots and leaves that are green without wilting.
- Shawarma spice blend: You can use my easy shawarma seasoning recipe that uses cumin, turmeric, coriander, garlic powder, paprika, cinnamon , allspice, black pepper and sumac.
- Garlic: fresh garlic will bring more flavor to the finished dish, but use garlic powder or granules (not garlic salt) in a pinch.
- Lemon: if you don’t have fresh lemon, use an extran pinch of sumac for that bright citrus flavor.
- Olive oil: if you’re looking for a no-oil cauliflower shawarma, use water to make the paste. The finished product will be just a bit less crispy on the outside, but it will still have amazing shawarma flavor and the cauliflower and leaves will be tender after baking.
- Salt: I added a bit of salt to the recipe since my spice blend is salt free, but if your spice blend already has salt or if you’re on a low-sodium diet, simply omit the salt.
- Cayenne: It adds just a bit of heat. If you like a spicy cauliflower shawarma, use a bit more, or add a squirt of sriracha, crushed red pepper or chili powder with adobo to the shawarma paste.
How to make Cauliflower Shawarma
Preheat oven to 425 and line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.
Add juice of lemon, olive oil, pressed or grated fresh garlic, shawarma spice and cayenne pepper to a small bowl. If your shawarma seasoning doesn’t contain salt, then add that too.
Whisk until everything is well incorporated, and a thick paste is formed.
Trim the bottom off the cauliflower, leaving any fresh leaves intact.
Cut through the core to halve the head of cauliflower.
Cut through each half of the cauliflower so you have 4 pieces. The core will hold the florets and the leaves together.
Use a pastry brush to thoroughly coat each ¼ cauliflower with the shawarma paste.
Lift up any leaves to be sure the shawarma paste is in every nook and cranny. Also, turn each piece to cover the side that lays flat on the baking sheet.
Bake in preheated 425 oven for 30 minutes, until crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. The leaves will be tender and delicious too.
The shawarma paste will help the cauliflower become crispy.
Serve on a bed of hummus or baba ganoush, sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and fresh herbs.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- Interestingly, the roasted leaves of the cauliflower are my favorite part…look for fresh cauliflower with bright, vibrant leaves and only trim off the outer dirty leaves. The remaining leaves will be tender and flavorful after roasting.
- Drizzle hummus with Trader Joe’s Chili Onion Crunch before adding the roasted cauliflower and toasted pine nuts on top. Trust me….next level yum….it’s perfectly spicy and addictive.
Serving Suggestions
- Set up a DIY bar so everyone can make their own cauliflower shawarma bowls. Supply some fresh pita and don’t forget to include some chopped fresh veggies for color and crunch.
- Snack boards are so fun and this cauliflower dish fits in beautifully with all the mezze platter condiments listed below.
- Turn it into a delicious vegan meal with pickled red onions, toasted pine nuts, hummus, baba ganoush, eggplant salad, grain-free tabbouleh, dairy-free tzatziki, baked falafel and cabbage salad. Pick a few of these mediterranean sides and go for it!
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📖 Recipe
Roasted Cauliflower Shawarma
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 3 cloves garlic pressed
- 1 tablespoon shawarma seasoning
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 and line rimmed baking tray with unbleached parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, juice from one lemon, pressed garlic, shawarma spices, salt and cayenne pepper. If you use store bought shawarma seasoning mix that contains sodium, then skip the salt.
- Trim off outer leaves and stem from cauliflower. Leave tender leaves that are crisp and vibrant. Cut through the core, halving the cauliflower and then halve those pieces so there are 4 large pieces that are held together by the intact core. If some florets fall off, that's ok.
- Use a pasty brush to coat cauliflower pieces with the shawarma paste and place onto prepared baking sheet.
- Roast in preheated 425 oven for 30 minutes, until crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.
Notes
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
T Sisk
Absolutely delicious! I made this last night and it was so flavorful! I will definitely make this again!
Debra Klein
Yay! I agree, the flavor on this shawarma cauliflower is extraordinary. Glad you enjoyed it.
Aidel
delicious and so easy to make. It often gets eaten straight from the baking tray
Debra Klein
Oh…I hear that! Happens at our house too…everyone loves the crispy bits of shawarma cauliflower that collect on the tray.