This roasted whole cauliflower is an easy, elegant side dish that goes with anything.
This roasted whole cauliflower recipe is brushed with seasoned butter and oven-roasted under a crispy parmesan cheese coating.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Savory seasonings and a cheesy crust give this whole roasted cauliflower recipe a flavor upgrade.
- Skill Level: The oven does all the work in this recipe. Make it do double duty alongside chicken or a meatloaf.
- Recommended Tools: A Dutch oven is perfect for roasting a whole cauliflower. Check for doneness by inserting a cake tester or metal skewer into the center before adding cheese in Step 5.
Ingredient Tips for Roasted Cauliflower
- Cauliflower: Look for whole heads that are fresh, firm, and free of blemishes. This recipe uses a 2 lb head. If you use a larger head, be sure to adjust the baking time.
- Butter Spread: Real butter always tastes best. Be sure the seasoned butter is melted so it gets into every nook and cranny of the cauliflower.
- Seasonings: Garlic, lemon zest, salt, and pepper are all it takes to make this recipe taste great, but chopped fresh herbs can be added too.
Favorite Variations
- For meal prep, double up on the buttery rub and bake the cauliflower with other root veggies like baby potatoes, carrots, turnips, or onions in the same Dutch oven.
- Feel free to substitute extra virgin olive oil for the butter, or drizzle some fresh lemon juice.
- Start with the basic garlic butter in this recipe, or season to match the menu. Go for a zesty Cajun or a spicy taco seasoning.
Try Serving With These Side Sauces…
Storing Roasted Cauliflower
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Wrap in plastic wrap and transfer to a zippered bag to freeze for up to one month.
- Cut leftover cauliflower into small pieces and serve under chicken curry or a stir fry.
More Crowd-Pleasing Cauliflower Dishes
Did you love this Whole Roasted Cauliflower? Leave us a comment and rating below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower 2 pounds
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Trim leaves from the base of the cauliflower.
- Combine butter, garlic, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Brush mixture over the entire cauliflower head.
- Place cauliflower in a large Dutch oven*, cover, and bake for 40 minutes or until tender.
- Uncover, sprinkle on parmesan cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes more, until the cheese is browned and crispy. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Notes
Optional: For softer cauliflower, add 2 tablespoons of broth or water to the bottom of the pan.
*If you don’t have a Dutch oven, this can be baked in a dish and covered with foil.
Test for doneness with a metal skewer.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 100 | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 214mg | Potassium: 301mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 362IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
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lets give it a try
This is delicous. The seasoninings and especially the texture of the csauliflower (fully cooked, bur a little crispy)- yum!
Mine did not brown well. First time to use this broiler, don’t believe it reached the right temper. It’s a keeper.
The recipe says it takes 1 hour cooking time, but according to the instructions it says between 48-50 minutes. I just want to make sure that the instructions are correct: 30 minutes with foil, 15 minutes uncovered, and 3-5 minutes after the cheese is added. I have never made this before, but a lot of other recipes I’ve seen have a much longer cooking time. Thank you.
Yes, that is correct Elizabeth. I hope you enjoy it!
I have never roasted cauliflower so I thought I would try this recipe even tho my husband does not like garlic.
While it was baking he said, “that smells really good”!
After he tried a slice I told him, “take the rest to your sister’s so they can try it” and he replied, “no! I want some more”!!
I will be keeping this recipe!!
Yay Kathleen, so glad he loved it!
HI Holly! I’m trying this tonight. After reading some of the comments I’ve decided to roast the cauliflower in my terra-cotta roaster in my oven instead of using foil. There was a comment that implied this was not a vegetarian friendly recipe. This is absolutely a vegetarian recipe (not vegan) being a vegetarian for over 30 years and cooking vegetarian meals daily I am excited to try your version. I am also going to try a vegan version for my vegan side. Substituting the butter with Olive oil and the parmesan with nutritional yeast. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Happy Cooking!!!
Let me know how it turns out Sheila!
i tryed this today and the cooking time was way off it took 90 mins to cook covered and at 60 mins i had to cut it up a bit for it to finish cooking ..but i did like it alot thanks for the share
I’m not sure why yours took so long to cook but I am glad you enjoyed the flavor!
I had the same experience—wound up increasing the oven temp, and still had to zap it in the microwave before returning to the oven with the cheese. I won’t be trying this one again.
I just made this and it’s just sooooo delicious! It was tender, flavorful, and I loved the zip from the lemon zest! I’ll be making this again many times!
So glad you loved it!
Sadly this was an epic failure. 45 minutes yielded a still completely hard head of cauliflower. Additional cooking time did not help. Even though there was lots of flavour in the melted butter, there was absolutely no flavour in the cauliflower itself.
How disappointing! Did you cover it with foil? Cauliflower should most certainly cook within the time/temperature in the recipe!
Cooking this tonight and very much looking forward to it! Although please check with your veggie friends before serving them this dish as Parmesan is not vegetarian!
Enjoy Anna!
I have been a vegetarian for over 30 years and Vegetarians do eat dairy and cheese (I eat cheese w/o rennet). This recipe is Vegetarian friendly. I have many vegan friends I cook with. Vegans consume absolutely No dairy or cheeses. So, if one is cooking for vegan friends you could easily substitute the butter with olive oil and omit the cheese or you could substitute parmesan with nutritional yeast. I just wanted to clear that up because sometimes people are confused about vegetarians via Vegans and what we eat.
Happy Cooking!!!
Parmesan cheese contains animal rennet . It is NOT suitable for vegetarians .
Just WONDERFUL.
Even without the black pepper and the parmesean.
Yum. Thanks.
So glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve gotten really into roasting cauliflower later so definitely need to this a try!
Your version on this recipe looks amazing! I’ve seen a lot of slow cooker and roasted cauliflower recipes here lately and no one’s looks as appealing as yours! I’ve just printed this recipe and I’m going to make it this week! This will go with so many main dishes!!!
Thank you for Pinning! :) Enjoy!
Oh yeah I can see how your roasted cauliflower would go great with pork tenderloin. In fact I would serve it too with sausages and maybe some mash potato at the side or sauerkraut and dumplings. =D Otherwise maybe salmon or or also prawns. I am all over your whole roasted cauliflower!!
Mmmm, your suggestions are making me hungry!
I’ve been wanting to try roasting cauliflower whole for a while now. Yours looks fantastic! Love that it gets nice and caramelized on the outside but nice and tender inside. YUM!
I love roasted veggies, but it’s never occurred to me to just roast it whole!
I don’t typically care for cauliflower, but between the garlic butter and the Parmesan, you just might convert me!
:) Enjoy Abby!!
I always chop mine up. Not again. This looks great!!
I am a huge cauliflower fan and I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for sharing.
Oh my word- this sounds spectacular!!! I’m literally drooling. I want to try this now!!!
I LOVE whole roasting cauliflower. It’s one of my favorite ways to eat it. I can’t wait to try this version!