By Millie Peartree
Updated Oct. 11, 2023
- Total Time
- 55 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- 4(468)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Blackening cauliflower brings out its best, giving it deep color and flavor. What results is a dish that is delicious enough that you’ll want to eat it on its own, but also great as part of something bigger, paired with salmon, tossed in a salad, or set atop a grain bowl. While blackening cauliflower may seem complicated, it’s not. The florets are tossed with rich spices (smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, red-pepper flakes, thyme and sumac, if you like), then roasted at a high heat until the edges crisp up and darken. Double or triple this recipe and make it part of your meal prep; it keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 1cauliflower head (about 2 pounds), core and leaves removed, head cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 1teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1teaspoon kosher salt
- 1teaspoon onion powder
- 1teaspoon garlic powder
- ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- ½teaspoon dried thyme
- ½teaspoon black pepper
- ½teaspoon sumac (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
125 calories; 8 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 541 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place a rack in the center of the oven.
Step
2
Add cauliflower pieces to a large bowl with oil and all seasonings; mix together. Add the cauliflower florets to a 13-by-18-inch rimmed sheet pan in a single layer, spacing them out as much as possible.
Step
3
Bake on the center rack until deep golden brown and cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes, stirring halfway through, and serve.
Ratings
4
out of 5
468
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
Kate
Delicious and easy weeknight veggie side! Great spice blend. I cooked mine at 425 so as not to turn the cauliflower to complete mush, and it turned out blackened and crisp.
Jean
If I roasted cauliflower at 450 for 40 minutes it would be blackened into charcoal. I've made a variation of this recipe (without the onion and garlic powder-one tsp of each sounds like to much to me.) I heat my electric oven to 425 and roast no longer than 20 minutes. Roasted cauliflower with smoked paprika is yummy, but be aware of oven settings and timing. I honestly think this recipe is incorrect.
Caroliina
Air fryer instructions would be helpful for this, and any other vegetable that goes in the oven
Toby
Exactly how we prepare Southern Firecrackers, only using cauliflower instead of Saltines. This would work with any combination of dried herbs & spices. Cooking time depends on how toothy you prefer it of course, but once we went to the charred and creamy side we never looked back.
Carl
I make this sort of thing all the time, and Jean is correct that the cook time listed here is way too long.
Susan
My cauliflower was completely cooked after 20 minutes at 425 convection. For maximum browning, cut the cauliflower into slices about 3/4 inch thick and turn over after 10 minutes. I line the sheet pan with parchment for easy clean-up.
Karen
This kind of flavorful cauliflower (blackened, curried, or shawarma-spiced, and then roasted) makes one of my favorite sandwiches ever: Whole grain bread, spread with hummus (I use jalapeño hummus), then cauliflower, and if you want, a slice of melted provolone cheese. YUMMMM... :-)
moira
Cooked @400 for 30 minutes. Perfect!
Richard
And open fire, and InstaPot, crock pot, BBQ grill.... low calorie version, extra creamy version, deluxe party version....
Carol
Such a great dish. I use this as a base for vegetarian tacos - these are very popular at my house.
Crabapple
Garlic will burn and ruin the dish if added at the beginning. Taste-wise, garlic and onion powder are more than acceptable. If garlic and onion powder are anathema because they're processed, you could mince the garlic, mush it with salt (so that it releases its liquid), and let it sit in the oil you add to the cauliflower. (I'd fish out the garlic before adding.)
jennysorel
I recommend roasting at 450* for 30 minutes to get the right texture/crispness and nice roasted flavor.
mimi
In general, so excited to try this!To Lorne and others: I’ve copied a restaurant side dish that’s like this by roasting thinly sliced lemons along with the cauliflower and then drizzling on tahini mixed with lemon juice at the end. Keep an eye on the lemon slices if you do this. Thanks for the reminder!
LBrennan
Goodness. So delicious. 25 minutes at 400, we didn't have sumac. The cauliflower gets wonderfully tender with a vibrant flavor. A keeper for sure.
Theresa
Agree with other readers; time stated is too long. Roasted mine at 450 for 20 minutes and it still had a little crunch and was nicely browned. Delicious.
elizabeth
Add lemon zest on top! So yummy
Peter
A half-teaspoon red pepper flakes go a long way....A delicious dish that needs no cheese!
Em
Delicious, but I think I will be using only half the amount of salt the recipe calls for next time. The salt was a bit overpowering for my taste.
Angela
Cut the amount of salt in half and it will be 😘
Peter C. Herman
Following what others have said, I lowered the temperature to 425, and accidentally kept the dish in the over for nearly an hour. Utterly delicious, nonetheless. A great side dish!
Sharon
This is absolutely delicious. I made exactly as written, including sumac. I will be making this again and again.
C & E
We did half cauliflower and half carrots. Cooked at 450, it was done in 25 minutes. SO delicious!
Anna
Tried this twice with two of the largest cauliflowers I could find at Aldi- way too salty. But great flavor, overall.
Mollyo
Easy and delicious. I cooked it exactly as written at 450 and can report that it didn't turn into charcoal or mush, it was perfect.
linda
terrific. cooked 30 min at 450, came out tender and spicy.
Kristyn Jones
I made this with riced cauliflower and threw in garbanzo beans too. The seasoning was perfect, I loved this dish, easy and very flavorful! Will def make again. Thanks again, NYT, you never fail.
Janine Gross
Fantastic flavor! This is the best roasted cauliflower I've ever eaten. Other than cooking it at 425, I followed the recipe. Got raves at dinner.
Made 3/2023
Delicious and super easy! I did have sumac so I used it, and I cooked at 425 for 35 minutes.
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