15 best cauliflower recipes
Thea Everett
Cauliflower is a vegetable that is just as happy to take the spotlight as it is the supporting role. Versatile, healthy, and cheap – it pays to have one in your fridge at all times.
Here we showcase cauli in all its forms: roasted whole, blitzed into a pizza base, tossed through pasta, or doused in cheese sauce. You’ll never be stuck with what to do with this brilliant brassica again.
The cauliflower basics
When is cauliflower in season?
Cauliflower is available all year round, and aren’t we glad! It’s harvested in summer between June and October and in winter between November and May, which is why it often features in a number of summer dishes as well as being a popular choice for a showstopping festive centrepiece.
How to choose your cauliflower
The biggest ones tend to have the most flavour, so opt for the largest you can find. There’s also LOADS of flavour to be found in the leaves, which taste brilliant when fried or roasted. Try sticking them in your cauliflower cheese the next time you make it!
Our best cauliflower recipes
Whole baked cauliflower with pearl barley
Roasting cauliflower brings out its natural sweetness. Here it is paired with pearl barley, wild mushrooms and Lincolnshire poacher cheese for a hearty well-rounded vegetarian main.
Sicilian-style cauliflower pasta
Cauliflower pastas are few and far between – but this Sicilian-inspired recipe uses pine nuts, tomatoes and currants which go beautiful with the nutty fried cauliflower florets. Use any pasta shape you like, but something tubular like penne, macaroni or tubetti would work really well.
Vegan potato and cauliflower burgers
Everyone loves a burger. This potato and cauliflower patty is flavoured with spicy curry paste and mustard seeds. Generous toppings of creamy fresh coconut yogurt and tangy tamarind paste are the finishing touches.
A vegetarian version of the luxurious beef wellington which sees a whole cauliflower get covered in a layer of flavourful, creamy mushroom pâté and cheddar before being wrapped up in a pastry coat. It will emerge from the oven with a golden cheese-topped crust.
Take cauliflower cheese to Spain with this impressive canapé. Crunchy on the outside but soft and cheesy inside, these croquettes are best served with a glass of cold beer!
This dish by Chetna Makan makes a wonderful veggie side or main as part of a curry-night feast. You can cool the cooked dish completely and keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days, for optimum flavour melding. Reheat in a pan to serve.
Cauliflower cheese gratin with leeks
How could we talk about our best ever cauliflower recipes without mentioning the quintessential British cauliflower dish: cauli cheese. This one by Debbie Major includes leeks, Cheddar, pepper and bay. In other words, it’s glorious.
Roasted cauliflower with veggie bagna cauda
Bagna cauda is an Italian dip that’s usually made with garlic and anchovies. Here we use miso for the umami element, and cover roasted cauliflower, lentils, rice and pickled walnuts in it. Who said salads weren’t exciting?!
Cauliflower schnitzels with paprika and sage sauce
Chicken schnitzels are all well and good, but have you tried a cauliflower schnitzel? These are coated in paprika-flavoured breadcrumbs and served with a creamy bean mash. Too good not to try.
Cauliflower in curry is always a winner. This simple vegan curry uses mango pulp, lemongrass and Thai curry paste. It’s ready in half an hour, and full of flavour.
Cauliflower pizza with goats cheese and broccoli
Instead of ordinary pizza dough, this base is made from cauliflower, parmesan and mozzarella. We top them with tenderstem broccoli, olives and goat’s cheese here, but feel free to swap out for your favourite toppings.
Pasta with roasted cauliflower and pesto
Pasta pesto, but not as you know it. The roasted cauliflower provides plenty of textural interest, while the lemon zest, raisins, and fried onions bring ample flavour.
Warm za’atar-spiced cauliflower, red onion, and rice salad
Za’atar and cauliflower are great friends. Add red onions and rice into the mix and you have a complete and easy midweek meal, that’s full of the good stuff.
A spicy Chinese favourite goes veggie in this recipe. There’s tingly spice from ginger, chilli and sichuan pepper, umami from the tamari, and nutty crunch from the peanut and sesame.
Whole roasted cauliflower with leeks and cheese sauce
A whole cauliflower makes for an impressive-looking centrepiece. Covering it in a layer of cheesy breadcrumbs and serving with a rich cheese sauce makes for a delicious one!
What’s your favourite cauliflower recipe? We’ve got dozens more here!
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