Make this flavorful and healthy turmeric oven-roasted cauliflower with tahini sauce to serve as a side or appetizer. Spiced with bright yellow turmeric and freshly ground cumin, which makes every floret delicious.
I never thought that just plain simple turmeric could elevate the flavors in cauliflower until I tried this dish. My friend makes delicious steamed cauliflower with just turmeric and salt, which I found so irresistible.
After trying her dish, I started experimenting with this cruciferous veggie myself. One such recipe is golden cauliflower soup, which is perfect for fighting winter and cold.
Here, I will share the recipe for oven-roasted turmeric cauliflower and tahini sauce to dip in the bites. These perfect caramelized cauliflower bites will elevate any main dish.
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What is special about this dish
- Very easy to prepare
- Prepared using minimal spices
- A perfect healthy dish to add veggies to the diet
- Serve it as a side or appetizer, or use it to make filling and wholesome buddha bowls
Ingredients
- Cauliflower – Preferably use organic cauliflower. I feel cauliflower is one of the vegetables that is heavily sprayed with pesticides to control pest attacks. As a hobby gardener in my small backyard, I can say this with my experience.
- Seasonings – I used roasted ground cumin, turmeric powder, and salt to flavor the cauliflower bites. I make my own fresh roasted cumin powder before adding it to the dish. However, you can also use a store-bought one.
- Tahini sauce – you will need good quality tahini, yogurt, lemon juice, and salt to make the dipping sauce.
- Cooking oil – use it to coat the cauliflower bites to get a nice crust upon oven roasting. I mostly use olive oil suitable for grilling and sauteeing in my recipes.
See the recipe card for quantities and more details.
Recipe variations
- Seasonings – you can also use garam masala or shawarma spice mix instead of ground cumin to flavor the dish.
- Prepare this roasted veggie dish with a mix of cauliflower and broccoli florets.
- You can skip making tahini sauce and serve just turmeric cauliflower bites.
- Prepare delicious soup using caramelized cauliflower florets. For the soup, don’t add cumin, and follow this golden creamy cauliflower soup recipe.
Preparation tips
Before cutting the cauliflower into florets, soak the whole cauliflower head in water with some salt and vinegar. This will remove traces of pesticides and pests, if any, trapped inside.
For this, take a bowl larger than the cauliflower head and fill it halfway with warm water. Then add 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar and 1-2 teaspoons of salt. Submerge the cauliflower upside down and let it sit for 10-15 mins. Thereafter, thoroughly rinse the cauliflower with clean water and cut it into florets.
How to make roasted cauliflower with tahini?
Step 1 – Cut cauliflower into florets
Clean the cauliflower as mentioned above and cut it into 1-2″ florets. Pat dry with a paper towel if there is any moisture left after rinsing.
Step 2 – Adding flavors
Preheat the oven to 425F. Meanwhile, place the florets on a baking sheet. Sprinkle turmeric powder, ground cumin, salt, and paprika. Drizzle some cooking oil. Mix everything well to distribute the seasonings evenly. Then spread the florets in a single layer on the baking sheet.
Step 3 – Baking in the oven
Place the baking sheet on the middle rack in a preheated oven. Bake the cauliflower for 20 mins, flip the florets and continue baking for another 5-10 mins or until desired color and texture develops.
Step 4 – How to make tahini sauce
While cauliflower is baking in the oven, prepare the creamy tahini sauce. In a small bowl, combine tahini with yogurt, lemon juice (or lime juice), and some salt. Add some water or milk to thin down the sauce as you like.
Serving suggestions
- Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, drizzle the tahini sauce over the roasted cauliflower, and serve warm as a side or appetizer. You can also serve the sauce as a dipping.
- Pair this caramelized cauliflower with spinach brown rice, golden turmeric rice, or homemade pita bread with roasted red pepper hummus.
- You also add them to these chickpea naan wraps or quinoa bowl.
Can I make it ahead of time?
This roasted cauliflower with turmeric tastes amazing when it is fresh. However, you can make them ahead of time and reheat them in the baking oven or in a frying pan before serving.
Alternatively, clean the cauliflower, prepare florets, and store them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Bake them just before serving. It will save you cutting and cleanup.
Helpful tips
- Buy organic cauliflower whenever possible. Do not buy one with any brown or black spots.
- Try to cut cauliflower into florets as even as possible. Even size florets will cook evenly in the oven.
- Mix the seasoning with the florets well. To get the flavors in each bite, try to coat every floret with the spices.
FAQs
Let the florets cool down completely. Store them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Also, leftover tahini sauce will last for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
No. Avoid using frozen cauliflower in this recipe. Frozen vegetables lose their structure upon thawing, which will not give you the caramelized and roasted texture upon baking.
Use nut milk or cashew cream instead of yogurt for making the sauce.
More Oven Roasted Recipes To Try
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments if you REALLY like this recipe. Thank You!
📖 Recipe
Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower With Tahini Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
Roasting cauliflower
- 1 large cauliflower head cut into florets
- ½ teaspoon turmeric or more
- ½ teaspoon paprika optional
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ tablespoon cooking oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Place cauliflower florets on a baking sheet. Sprinkle turmeric powder, paprika, ground cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Drizzle cooking oil and mix well to coat the cauliflower with seasonings evenly. Spread the florets in a single layer on the baking sheet.
Oven roasting
- Bake the cauliflower in the preheated oven for 20min. Flip or stir the florets and continue baking for another 5-10 min or more until they are caramelized to your liking.
Tahini sauce
- Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine tahini, yogurt, lemon juice, and salt. Mix well to prepare a creamy tahini sauce.
Notes
- Garnish with fresh cilantro for a pop of color and nice flavor in the dish. You can also drizzle some lemon juice to enhance the flavor.
- If you are vegan or want to make dairy-free tahini sauce, you can skip using yogurt. Tahini sauce will still taste great with other ingredients. Or you can use cashew cream instead.
- Adjust the consistency of the tahini sauce to your liking. You can keep it thick as a dipping sauce or make it like a dressing. Use milk or water to thin down the sauce.
- See the Helpful Tips section above for more tips.
Such an easy and tasty side dish to make. My husband and I love it so much!
This dish sounds delicious! I am always looking for new vegetable side dishes, so excited to give this one a try! Thanks for the recipe share!
Such a great-looking appetizer, looks absolutely delicious and is very yummy! The caramelized flavors are an amazing idea to bring out the amazing flavor and taste of this! I totally love it!
My husband loves cauliflower, and I’m always looking for new ways to make it. Saving this for later. I know he’ll love it!