This Baked Cauliflower Head is bursting with flavors and nutrients. It’s coated with a delicious blend of spices and baked until tender and golden. You can serve it as a main course with a salad or a side dish with your favorite protein. This roasted whole cauliflower recipe is easy to make with only five ingredients and 10 minutes of prep time.
A Baked Cauliflower Head is, as the name of the recipe implies, a whole cauliflower roasted in the oven without cutting it. It’s a great way of making a feature dish that both tastes delicious and looks the part.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I love cauliflower recipes for so many reasons. First, cauliflowers are low-carb, low-calorie, and great healthy, fulfilling vegetables available almost all year round. Next, you can pretty much make any dish from cauliflower.
It’s an excellent base for cauliflower pizza crust or delicious on its own. Check my roasted cauliflower or steamed cauliflower for inspiration. This is a great way of using cauliflower. You can serve this Whole Roasted Cauliflower as a side dish to my Broiled Pork Chops or Oven Baked Pork Chops or vegan main dish for a family gathering.
Ingredients and Substitutions
All you need to roast a whole head of cauliflower are:
- Head Of Cauliflower – Use a large cauliflower. If yours is smaller, you may need less oil.
- Avocado Oil or olive oil
- Lemon Juice – fresh or bottled.
- Cumin – for flavor.
- Dried Oregano and Dried Marjoram – or rosemary.
- Salt and Pepper – season to taste.
- Garlic Powder and Onion Powder – You can also used crushed garlic.
- Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese – Or vegan Parmesan cheese alternatives.
How To Roast Whole Cauliflower In The Oven
If you don’t know how to enjoy cauliflower, you will be surprised by how flavorsome this Whole Roasted Cauliflower is! Plus, it’s super simple to prepare.
- Before you start, cover the bottom of a large cast-iron pan with parchment paper. This step is optional. You can also spray some cooking oil at the bottom of the pan. However, I found it easier to pull out the cauliflower from the pan using the hanging parts of parchment paper. Plus, the paper makes the cast-iron pan easier to clean later. Set aside. You can also use a large 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish. Cover the bottom with oiled parchment paper. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a small bowl, stir oil and spices: lemon juice, cumin, dried oregano, dried marjoram, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Set it aside.
- You don’t need to cut the cauliflower for this recipe. Instead, flip the cauliflower head upside down and cut out the tough outer green leaves using a small sharp knife. Discard the green parts or use them later in a cauliflower soup.
- Rinse the cauliflower head to remove any dust and impurities. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel, so the oil mixture sticks well to the florets.
- Now, place the cauliflower head upside down, feet facing you.
- Pour half the marinade inside the cauliflower core so it drips down along the core.
- Hold the core and rotate it, so the marinade gravitates inside the cauliflower head. Flip over and place the cauliflower head, foot down on the cast-iron pan.
- Using a pasty brush or hands, rub the remaining oil mixture all over the top of the cauliflower head.
- Close the cast-iron pan with its lid and place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven. If you are using a baking dish, place the cauliflower in the center of the baking dish and cover it with a large piece of foil to tent the dish and encase the cauliflower.
- Bake the cauliflower head for 40 to 60 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until you can easily insert a pick in the thicker part of the cauliflower. The cauliflower flesh must be soft and not hard in the middle, meaning the cauliflower is cooked through.
- Remove the lid or the foil. Sprinkle shredded parmesan cheese on top of the cauliflower and keep baking uncovered for 10 minutes until golden brown. You can switch to broil mode to add a lovely grilled look on top of the cauliflower.
Serving Cauliflower Head
Remove the baked cauliflower head from the oven and serve it with some of the following on top:
- Tahini Sauce
- Drizzle of lemon juice
- Toasted Sliced Almonds – simply dry roast sliced almonds on a baking sheet at 180C for 5 minutes.
- Fresh Herbs like chopped parsley or coriander
- Sea Salt
- Chili Flakes
Best dishes to pair with roasted cauliflower head:
Carine’s Tips
Making this recipe is quite easy, but I have a few tips and tricks to make it even easier and tastier every time.
- Use A Dutch Oven – To keep the cauliflower moist, cook it in a large Dutch oven with the lid on. Otherwise, you have to put foil on the cauliflower and keep it moist with liquid.
- Pour The Sauce Inside The Cauliflower – The more sauce goes inside the florets, the better it tastes, so take your time when pouring sauce and flip the cauliflower to make sure it reaches everywhere.
Storage Instructions
This whole baked cauliflower is quite large to store in the fridge. The best is to cut the head into small chunks, place them in airtight containers, and refrigerate them for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze the baked cauliflower for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge the day before and reheat it in the microwave or saucepan.
Allergy Swaps
Below are some ingredients swap ideas to help you adapt this recipe if needed.
- Gluten-Free – All the ingredients in this recipe are gluten-free.
- Low FODMAP– Skip the onion and garlic powder. Instead, you can use other spices, like paprika, turmeric, or coriander.
- Low-Sodium – You can skip the salt in the recipe.
- Lemon-Free – Use lime juice or skip it if you don’t like it.
- Oil Alternatives – Any oil works for this recipe. High smoke point oils smoke less at high temperatures. They are, therefore, healthier oil choices for roasting vegetables. This includes avocado oil or grapeseed oil.
- Dairy-Free – Replace the parmesan with nutritional yeast or dairy-free parmesan cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are my answers to your most common questions about how to roast a whole cauliflower head.
Yes, you can air-fry a whole cauliflower head. First, make sure the head fits the air fryer basket.
Next, cover the bottom of the air fryer basket with foil – it makes it easier to pull out the whole head of cauliflower at the end and reduce cleaning time.
Finally, air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 35 to 50 minutes. The baking time depends on the size of the head. When it becomes easy to insert a thin toothpick or knife blade in the center of the cauliflower, it’s ready to remove from the air fryer.
Yes, you can meal prep the whole cauliflower the day before and rewarm it in the oven before serving. Or, you can marinade the cauliflower with the oil mixture up to 24 hours before.
Store it in the fridge and bake before serving.
You can use this recipe with white cauliflower, purple cauliflower, or green cauliflower. Keep in mind that colored cauliflower varieties are smaller in size, and therefore they bake faster.
More Cauliflower Recipes
Here are some more recipe options to cook with cauliflower:
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Cover the bottom of a large cast iron pan with foil or parchment paper. It’s optional but makes it easier to clean.
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Remove the green outer leaves from the cauliflower and cut the cauliflower foot to make it flat. It should stand still on its foot on a flat surface.
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Rinse and dry the cauliflower. Set aside.
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In a mixing bowl, stir all the marinade ingredients.
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Turn the cauliflower head upside down, feet facing you. Pour half of the sauce and wait for it to drip down the core of the cauliflower. Rotate the head, so the sauce spreads around the inside of the cauliflower.
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Flip over and place it on a large cast-iron pan.
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Brush the remaining sauce on top of the cauliflower head using a pastry brush- you can also massage it by hand, if it’s easier.
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Close the lid and bake the cauliflower for 40 to 60 minutes. Depending on how thick your cauliflower is, it can take more or less time. Insert a knife in the center. If it’s tender in the center, it’s ready.
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Remove the lid and sprinkle some Parmesan Cheese if used.
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Keep baking uncovered for 10 minutes, then serve.
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Serve with toasted sliced almonds and freshly chopped herbs as a side to chicken recipes like cast-iron chicken breast, gluten-free meatballs, or Greek yogurt ranch dip.
Note 1: Dairy-free Parmesan or two tablespoons of nutritional yeast if vegan.
Serving: 1 servingCalories: 114.2 kcal (6%)Carbohydrates: 10.8 g (4%)Fiber: 3.4 g (14%)Net Carbs: 7.4 gProtein: 3.1 g (6%)Fat: 7.7 g (12%)Saturated Fat: 1 g (6%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.1 gMonounsaturated Fat: 5.1 gSodium: 263 mg (11%)Potassium: 486.2 mg (14%)Sugar: 5.1 g (6%)Vitamin A: 610 IU (12%)Vitamin C: 68 mg (82%)Calcium: 42.1 mg (4%)Iron: 1.2 mg (7%)Magnesium: 26.7 mg (7%)Zinc: 0.5 mg (3%)
About The Author
Carine Claudepierre
Hi, I’m Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook, and founder of Sweet As Honey.
I have an Accredited Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness obtained in 2014 from Well College Global (formerly Cadence Health). I’m passionate about sharing all my easy and tasty recipes that are both delicious and healthy. My expertise in the field comes from my background in chemistry and years of following a keto low-carb diet. But I’m also well versed in vegetarian and vegan cooking since my husband is vegan.
I now eat a more balanced diet where I alternate between keto and a Mediterranean Diet
Cooking and Baking is my true passion. In fact, I only share a small portion of my recipes on Sweet As Honey. Most of them are eaten by my husband and my two kids before I have time to take any pictures!
All my recipes are at least triple tested to make sure they work and I take pride in keeping them as accurate as possible.
Browse all my recipes with my Recipe Index.
I hope that you too find the recipes you love on Sweet As Honey!
