This Whole Roasted Cauliflower Recipe is easy to make and super tasty, thanks to a simple mustard and lemon rub and a hot oven. Bring this beauty to the table on a platter for a glorious vegan and gluten-free main dish or side, worthy of your holiday celebration or a casual weeknight dinner. I don’t bother with the extra and messy step of boiling it first and my whole cauliflower comes out perfectly crisp on the outside, tender on the inside.

Cast iron pan with whole head of cauliflower roasted to golden perfection and sprinkled with fresh thyme.

Stunning….and oh so tasty too! I could eat this entire whole roasted cauliflower with tangy tasty rub myself, it’s so good! Make a batch of chimichurri sauce or vegan gravy so drizzle on top..next level delish…so be generous and do give out the recipes when asked.

Ingredient Notes

Labeled ingredients for whole roasted cauliflower: cauliflower, olive oil, mustard, lemon, sea salt, garlic cloves and italian spices.

Olive oil: You could use water (instead of oil) to help incorporate all ingredients of the marinade together and then baste onto the head of cauliflower. The finished product won’t be as golden and crisp on the outside, but it will still be tender and tasty. If you do use water, turn the oven temp up to 425, and use convection.
Mustard, lemon, garlic: This recipe for whole roasted cauliflower relies on the tangy, tasty combo of these flavors.
Italian spices: If you don’t have a jar, mix it up yourself with a combo of any/all of the following dried spices: oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, sage.

Step by Step

First you’ll need to preheat your oven to 400 degrees. While the oven heats, prepare the head of cauliflower.

Head of cauliflower with knife, trimming the core out of the center.

Cut off the bottom of the cauliflower with the goal to have it sit flat while baking. Then, carefully slice into the core so that none of the florets fall off.

Head of cauliflower turned upside down with the core cut out and the scraps on the side of the cutting board.

You just want to trim away the really dense, hard middle so everything is edible once the cauliflower head has been roasted. Pull out the hard core, leaving the head intact.

Medium sized glass bowl with olive oil and lemon juice and clumps of ingredients: dijon mustard, pressed garlic, italian spices, lemon zest, sea salt.

Next step is to prepare the simple marinade. Whisk the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, pressed garlic, dijon mustard, Italian spices and sea salt together.

Glass bowl with a whisk, and a mustard, lemon herb mixture.

Keep whisking until everything is emulsified and very well mixed.

Cast Iron pan with whole head of cauliflower turned upside down, and a red silicone pastry brush basting on some marinade.

Place the prepared cauliflower upside down in a cast iron pan or a dutch oven. You can also use a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the marinade onto underside, pushing it into the crevices.

Cast iron pan with whole head of cauliflower and a red silicone pastry brush basting on lemon garlic herb marinade.

Flip the cauliflower over to rest on the core and continue basting until surface all has some marinade. Set the remaining marinade aside. Place in the preheated oven and set the timer for 30 minutes.

Cast iron skillet with a whole roasted head of cauliflower that's golden, and sprinkled with fresh thyme.

Carefully remove from oven, and use the remaining marinade to baste the top of the cauliflower. Return to oven and bake for another 20 minutes.

whole roasted cauliflower in a cast iron skillet, sprinkled with fresh herbs

Cauliflower is done when golden on the outside and tender when pierced with a fork. Check at the 50 minute mark. It may take as long as an hour total, depending on how large it is. Sprinkle with fresh herbs like thyme, oregano or chopped parsley.

Whole roasted cauliflower with herbs on a cutting board with large tongs.

Transfer to a cutting board or a serving platter to cut into wedges or steaks.

A wedge of a whole roasted cauliflower on a white plate. Golden on the outside, tender on the inside.

Serve warm or at room temperature. This roasted cauliflower dish also tastes great cold, straight from the fridge.

Debra’s Pro Tips

Whole roasted head of cauliflower on top of curly green kale on a white circular platter. A wedge has been cut and a spatula lifting out that piece.

CARVE IT AT THE TABLE….like a roast! Super fancy for the holidays! An awesome Thanksgiving Vegan Main Dish.
Slice into wedges or steaks to serve.
Make sure to wear a really good silicone oven mitt when you take the cast iron pan out of the oven. The heat will radiate right through a flimsy cloth one.
Chop leftovers into florets and serve on top of a salad.
Prep the cauliflower and baste with marinade in advance…up to the night before…and leave, covered, in the fridge. Then it’ll be SO EASY to pop into the oven.

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📖 Recipe

Golden brown whole roasted cauliflower, sprinkled with fresh herbs.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower Recipe

Author: Debra Klein

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with herbs. Easy to make and guaranteed to wow your guests. Serve it as an impressive vegan centerpiece or a gorgeous side dish.

5 from 62 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings Servings

Calories 116 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

▢ 1 large head of cauliflower

Marinade

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
PREP CAULIFLOWER FOR ROASTING: Cut cauliflower stem to be flush with the rest of the head. Pull off any remaining leaves. Then, carefully cut out the tough inner core, leaving the head in tact.
MAKE THE MARINADE: Whisk together olive oil, mustard, lemon zest and juice, garlic, salt and italian seasonings until emulsified.
Place cauliflower into cast iron skillet (or onto large rimmed baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper) core side up.
Brush marinade into bottom and lower sides of cauliflower head. Flip so it’s resting flat on the base and continue basting, getting the marinade into the crevices of the cauliflower. Set aside remaining marinade.
Place cast iron skillet into preheated oven. Set timer for 30 minutes. Leave oven on when timer goes off and pour remaining marinade over top of cauliflower, using brush to baste and catch the dripping marinade, pushing into crevices.
Place back in oven and roast for another 30 minutes, until golden and tender when pierced with a fork.
Cut the cauliflower into wedges or florets and serve warm or at room temp.

Notes

OIL: For an oil-free whole baked cauliflower, skip the oil, replace with water and turn the oven up to 425–convection bake.

LEMON: If no fresh lemon, use ¼ cup juice.

ITALIAN SEASONING: You can easily make your own with dried oregano, rosemary, basil, thyme, marjoram and sage.

ADVANCE PREPARATION: Prepare until step 5 and cover. Place in the fridge overnight until ready to cook.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 116kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 3gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gSodium: 265mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3g

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.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag me @dkhealthcoach or use hashtag #dkhealtcoach on Instagram so I can see it!!

Categories

Gluten Free Grain Free Rosh Hashanah Side Dish Thanksgiving Vegan Cauliflower

Comments

5 from 62 votes (55 ratings without comment)

Whole Roasted Vegan Cauliflower Recipe

Ingredient Notes

Step by Step

Debra’s Pro Tips

📖 Recipe