Whole Roasted Cauliflower With Tahini Sauce
This whole roasted cauliflower is not only delicious, but it’s also an excellent centre piece for a vegan or vegetarian Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year or Easter feast. The cauli is smothered in a spicy turmeric tahini sauce prior to roasting and served with more of the sauce and caramelised dates. It’s really quite easy to prepare and also makes a splendid side dish.
We dined on this particular whole roasted cauli on New Year’s Day along with a baked potato, sticky broccoli and carrot and swede mash. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it.
Dive Right In
- Veganuary
- Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Air Fryer Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Tahini Sauce
- How To Make Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- How To Serve Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Protein
- Other Cauliflower Recipes
- Keep In Touch
- The Recipe
Veganuary
Veganuary runs for the month of January and it’s the time to go vegan in the UK. Although I have no intention, at the moment anyway, of going vegan full time, it’s something I like to do every year.
Cutting down on dairy has got to be a good thing and although I eat a lot less of it throughout the year than I used to, I like to have a complete dairy-free month at least once a year.
Of course, it’s not just dairy. Going vegan also means giving up eggs and honey. This not only makes me more creative when it comes to vegan cooking, but I feel it’s good for my gut to take a break from eating animal products.
Whole Roasted Cauliflower
A friend recently enthused about a roasted cauliflower salad served with tahini sauce and slightly caramelised dates. Well I know cauliflower and tahini sauce go well together, but I’d never heard about dates as an accompaniment, never mind caramelised ones.
Anyway, the upshot was that I thought I’d give the dates a go. And wow, they really enhance this already delicious whole roasted cauliflower. They add an unexpected sweetness which contrasts wonderfully with the savoury cauliflower and tangy sauce.
The recipe is really quite a simple one. All you need is a cauliflower, some tahini sauce and dates, if you like that idea.
I steam the cauli before I roast it in the oven. This guarantees a tender cauliflower rather than a tough and unpleasant one. It does make the process slightly more involved, but it’s really worth the extra effort.
This method also means that you don’t need the expensive-to-heat oven on for so long.
Air Fryer Whole Roasted Cauliflower
If your air fryer is large enough, it’s an excellent way to roast a whole cauliflower. It’s a much cheaper way to do it. Use the same method as the recipe at the bottom of this post, but use your air fryer rather than the oven.
Set the air fryer to 200℃ (392℉) and “fry” for twenty five minutes, but check to see if it’s ready after twenty. It shouldn’t need as long as in an oven.
Tahini Sauce
You can simply roast a whole cauliflower with a brush of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. However, it becomes something altogether more interesting and delicious when you slather that cauliflower with a spicy lemony tahini sauce prior to roasting.
The tahini sauce recipe I use for this is a vibrant yellow one. Turmeric is the spice responsible for the colour, but it also adds flavour and anti-inflammatory qualities.
This yellow is enhanced with the grated zest of a lemon for flavour and the zippy juice to lift the sauce. Cauliflower really benefits from a few robust flavours.
Use an organic lemon if you can. If not an unwaxed one is better than an ordinary one. Scrub all of them before use, but use soap and water on an ordinary lemon.
Other than garlic, a little cumin and the additions already mentioned, the sauce is a fairly standard tahini sauce. However, I do like to add some hot sauce to mine. It’s entirely optional, but it gives the cauliflower a bit of a kick. I use my own homemade chilli sauce, but you can go with whichever is your favourite.
It’s a good idea to be generous with the tahini sauce. Make enough to coat the cauliflower as it roasts and enough to serve alongside it once cooked. My recipe covers you for both.
How To Make Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Whole roasted cauliflower is little different from any other roast. You need to baste it in fat to stop it drying out. In this case it’s a tasty tahini sauce.
Step 1. Prepare Cauliflower
Trim the cauliflower to create a flat base so that the it stands upright without falling over. But keep as many of the green leaves as possible. They crisp up in the oven and add a lovely crunch. Much like kale chips in fact.
Discard any outer leaves that are obviously past their best.
Step 2. Steam Cauliflower
Cook the cauliflower so that the more fibrous base sits in boiling water and the florets above steam. This means they cook, but don’t get soggy and waterlogged.
Stand the cauliflower upright in a large pot in two to three centimetres (one inch) of boiling lightly salted water. Cover the pot and simmer for about fifteen minutes. You should be able to slide a knife easily into the base when it’s done. The florets, however, should still be holding together nicely.
If it’s not quite done, simmer for a further two to five minutes.
Carefully transfer the cauli to a colander, keeping the base on the bottom, and allow it to steam dry for ten minutes.
Step 3. Fry Dates
Whilst the cauliflower is cooking prepare the dates. First ensure there are no stones. Then cut each one into four or five rings. Fry in olive oil over a medium heat for two minutes, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to overcook them or they become hard like toffee.
Set aside to cool.
Step 4. Make Tahini Sauce
Whilst the cauliflower is steam drying prepare the tahini sauce.
Spoon the tahini into a mixing bowl. Grate in garlic and lemon zest. I use a microplane for this as it does such a brilliant job.
Squeeze in the juice from just half the lemon, then spoon in the salt and spices, including the chilli sauce if using. Stir everything together.
Finally whisk in warm water. Warm water helps to loosen the tahini and makes it easier to whisk. Add just enough to give the consistency of double cream. Taste test and add a little more lemon juice or hot sauce if you think it needs it.
Top Tip
Stir the tahini well before you take any out of the jar. The oil tends to separate if left for any length of time. Use a sturdy metal knife to stir and keep going until the tahini has emulsified.
Step 5. Baste Cauliflower
Line a suitably sized roasting tray or ovenproof dish with baking paper. This isn’t strictly necessary, but it does make washing up a lot easier later on.
Try to squeeze as many dates as you can into any crevices you find in the cauliflower. Both underneath and on top.
Turn the cauliflower upside down and drizzle some of the sauce through any cracks. Use a pastry brush to coat the underside. Then turn over and stand the cauli in an oven proof dish or roasting tray.
Generously cover the top and sides with the sauce. Drizzle some inside the crevices too, using a fork to gently prize the florets apart.
Step 6. Roast Cauliflower
Roast in the centre of a hot oven for thirty minutes or until the cauliflower is tender in texture and golden in colour. Brush the cauli head with a little more sauce after the first fifteen minutes.
Serve with any leftover dates, chopped parsley, a sprinkling of dukkah, fresh pomegranate seeds, if liked, and the remaining tahini sauce.
Top Tip
If you use a small or large cauliflower you’ll need to adjust the cooking times accordingly.
How To Serve Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Slice the cauliflower into steaks and serve alongside a jug containing the leftover turmeric tahini sauce. It serves four as a main course and six to eight as a side dish.
You can serve whole roasted cauliflower along with the usual roast accompaniments such as roast potatoes, honey butter glazed carrots and greens. These green beans with almonds are good, though they’re not vegan.
It also goes wonderfully well with a baked potato or sausages and mash. My sticky broccoli makes a fabulous contrast to both colour and flavour with both sweet and umami notes. Courgettes with yoghurt and za’atar also combine well.
Alternatively, for a lighter meal serve with a fresh green salad and maybe a carrot salad.
Leftovers will keep covered in the fridge for three days.
Protein
Whilst this whole roasted cauliflower is not packed with protein, there are sesame seeds in the tahini sauce. These are fairly high in protein. Cauliflower itself also contains a reasonable amount. But if you’re at all worried, sprinkle the cauli slices with dukkah or serve them with my chestnut and tempeh stuffing or vegan pigs in blankets.
Other Cauliflower Recipes You Might Like
- Aloo gobi (vegan cauliflower & potato curry)
- Bang bang cauliflower
- Broccoli cauliflower cheese
- Cauliflower rice with jerk sweet potato curry
- Roasted cauliflower with smoked paprika & cocoa
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this whole roasted cauliflower with tahini, please let me know how it went in the comments. I’d also appreciate it if you could rate the recipe. Do you have any recommendations or advice for making it? If you post pictures of your creations on social media, please use the hashtag #tinandthyme so I can see them.
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If you’d like more vegan recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Whole Roasted Cauliflower. PIN IT.
Whole Roasted Cauliflower With Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 medium sized cauliflower
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 deglat noor dates stoned and sliced into rounds
- 4 tbsp tahini
- 1 organic lemon zest and juice
- 1 plump clove of garlic or two smaller ones – grated or minced
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp chilli sauce (optional) or use 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 6-8 tbsp hot water
Instructions
- Discard any outer leaves of the cauliflower that are past their best. Trim the main stalk to create a flat base so that the it stands upright without falling over. Try to keep as many of the green leaves as possible.1 medium sized cauliflower
- Bring 2-3 cm (about 1 inch) of water to the boil in a large deep saucepan. Add a pinch of salt.1 pinch sea salt
- Place the cauliflower in the pan with the stem on the bottom. Cover with a lid and steam for fifteen to twenty minutes or until a knife slides into the stalk with little resistance. The water needs to boil gently whilst the cauli is cooking.
- Meanwhile, fry the dates in the oil over a medium heat for two minutes. Stir occasionally. Be careful not to overcook them or they will become hard like toffee.8 deglat noor dates, 1 tbsp olive oil
- Set the oven to 220℃ (200℃ fan, 425℉, Gas 7).
- Carefully transfer the cauli to a colander, keeping the base on the bottom, and allow it to steam dry for ten minutes.
- Meanwhile make the tahini sauce. Place the tahini into a medium sized mixing bowl. Grate in the garlic and lemon zest. Add the salt, spices and hot sauce, if using. Give a brief stir, then squeeze in the lemon juice from just one half and stir again.4 tbsp tahini, 1 organic lemon, 1 plump clove of garlic, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp sea salt, 1 tsp chilli sauce
- Add the warm water, a little at a time, whisking as you go until the sauce has the consistency of double cream. Taste test and add a little more lemon juice or hot sauce if you think it needs it.6-8 tbsp hot water
- Try to squeeze as many date slices as you can into any crevices you find in the cauliflower, both on top and underneath.
- Turn the cauliflower upside down and drizzle some tahini sauce into any cracks or crevices. Brush the florets with the sauce to cover completely.
- Line a medium sized roasting tray or ovenproof dish with baking paper. This stops the pan getting encrusted and makes cleaning up later on easier. Transfer the cauli, stem side down, into the roasting pan.
- Again drizzle some of the sauce into any crevices on top. Use a fork to gently prise the florets apart. Brush the top and sides with the sauce so that everything is covered.
- Roast in the oven on the middle shelf for about 30 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender all over and the top golden and bronzed in places. Brush the top with a little more sauce after the first fifteen minutes.
- Transfer to a serving plate and scatter with chopped parsley, a sprinkling of dukkah and fresh pomegranate seeds, if liked.
- Slice into steaks and serve with any leftover dates and the remaining tahini sauce.
It was delicious. Thanks for your sharing!
Glad you liked it Liz and thanks for letting us know you did. Merry Christmas.
I have never tried roasting a whole cauliflower before, but I adore roasted florets! The sauce and additional flavours sound incredible too. Saved and pinned so I don’t lose the recipe xx
Thank you Kate. Roasting a cauliflower whole gives it more a sense of occasion. Obviously not needed all the time, but really good for high days and holidays.
Looks delicious. I love cauli and tahini!
Agreed, they go exceptionally well together.
This roasted cauliflower recipe was so good! Thanks for sharing it!
Really pleased you enjoyed it Erin. Thanks for letting us know.
omg this cauli with spicy turmeric tahini sauce is next level. SO delicious and flavourful and still pretty healthy!! printed
Hope you enjoy the cauliflower as much as we do Nancy.
I absolutely love this roasted cauliflower! It’s full of flavor and a perfect plant based main dish!
Thank you Katie. Whole roasted cauliflower is one of my favourites too.