Skip to Content

45 Cauliflower Recipes To Make The Most Of Your Favorite Versatile Veggie

Cauliflower is SO much more than just a low-carb substitute.

By
cauliflower tacos topped with cabbage, cilantro, and sour cream sauce beside a bowl of sour cream saucepinterest
PHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: BARRETT WASHBURNE

If a vegetable were to have a fan club, cauliflower would be it, and Team Delish would absolutely be the president of it. Star of the veggie aisle for several years thanks to its magical powers as a low-carb substitute, cauliflower is more than capable of shining all on its own too. While we’ll forever sing its praises for replacing everything from pizza crust to bread (like in our cauliflower grilled cheese), it makes for a delicious plant-based alternative, and can easily be turned into everything from appetizers to impressive main dishes (like our brown sugar BBQ roasted whole cauliflower). Whether you’re trying to cut down on gluten, eat less meat, or just get more veggies into your diet, we’ve got a recipe for you. Check out our 45 cauliflower recipes for ideas!

If you’re not a cauliflower convert yet, you’ve got to start with the basics. Roasting cauliflower until it’s soft and lightly caramelized, with deliciously crispy edges, brings out its sweet and nutty notes—we dare you to not eat it all straight off the sheet pan. Think of it like a blank canvas, ready to take on whatever flavors you like.

Craving Italian? Try it with Parmesan or mozzarella, like in our cauliflower Parmesan, our cauliflower baked ziti, or our garlicky roasted cauliflower pasta. Need an easy weeknight dinner? Try our cauliflower tacos, our loaded cauliflower bake, or our cauliflower "mac" and cheese. Looking for a quick snack? Try our Parmesan cauliflower bites, our air fryer Buffalo cauliflower (truly, Buffalo and cauliflower are a match made in heaven), our cauliflower hummus, or our honey-garlic cauliflower. Looking to impress? Try our bacon-wrapped stuffed cauliflower, our chicken fried cauliflower, or our balsamic glazed roasted cauliflower. Trust us, cauliflower can stand up against even the fanciest of steak or chicken dinners. 😍

Want more even vegetable inspiration? Check out our favorite zucchini recipes (another low-carb dynamo), our top Brussels sprouts recipes, and our best butternut squash recipes too.

1

Cauliflower Tacos

cauilflower tacos topped with cabbage, cilantro, and sour cream sauce beside a bowl of sour cream sauce
PHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: BARRETT WASHBURNE

Looking to spice up taco night? Call in the roasted cauliflower. Loaded with crisp cabbage slaw and drizzled with a tangy lime crema, these richly spiced meatless tacos promise to shake up your weeknight dinner routine for good.

Get the Cauliflower Tacos recipe.

2

Aloo Gobi

aloo gobi
PARKER FEIERBACH

Aloo gobi is a classic vegetarian Indian dish translating to potatoes (aloo) and cauliflower (gobi). It's a one-pot, super-simple, comforting dish that's ready quickly—serve it as a side or over rice as a main.

Get the Aloo Gobi recipe.

3

Brown Sugar BBQ Whole Roasted Cauliflower

brown sugar bbq whole roasted cauliflower
PHOTO: ROCKY LUTEN; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON

If you love whole roasted cauliflower, then you have to try our brown sugar BBQ version, which is perfect for when you're craving summer BBQ flavors without the meat.

Get the Brown Sugar BBQ Whole Roasted Cauliflower recipe.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
4

Roasted Cauliflower

closeup of roasted cauliflower
ANDREW BUI

Cauliflower is one of our favorites to roast because, flavor-wise, it's very much a blank canvas. You can keep it simple with just salt and pepper, or go nuts with a custom spice blend. Our recipe adds just a touch of color and zesty flavor with Old Bay seasoning, but feel free to get creative!

Get the Roasted Cauliflower recipe.

5

Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole

broccoli cauliflower casserole topped with scallions
Erik bernstein

There’s your average casserole and then there’s this cheesy loaded broccoli cauliflower casserole. Filled with plenty of veggies and feel-good flavors, there’s something in this dish for everyone. We packed it with enough veggies to make an easy weeknight casserole for leftovers throughout the week or as the perfect potluck side.

Get the Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole recipe.

6

Nashville Hot Cauliflower

nashville hot cauliflower
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

Nashville hot chicken may be king in the land of regional American food, but Nashville hot cauliflower is coming to steal the crown. Coated in hot sauce-spiked buttermilk batter, fried to golden brown perfection, and drizzled with the iconic spicy oil, this vegetarian dinner is crispy, flavorful, and so delicious that its status as a “vegetarian entrée” is almost beside the point.

Get the Nashville Hot Cauliflower recipe.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
7

Cauliflower Tots

cauliflower tots
Parker Feierbach

These cheesy nuggets of joy might be better than the real thing. We've included an oven-baked version as well as an air-fryer version below—both are great, but we're in love with how golden the air fryer version gets!

Get the Cauliflower Tots recipe.

8

Cauliflower Parm

cauliflower parm delishcom
Park Feierbach

Chicken Parmesan is absolutely incredible, but it can be a bit heavy. When you're trying to be healthy, but are really craving good Italian food, make this vegetarian cauliflower dish. You won't be disappointed.

Get the Cauliflower Parm recipe.

9

Cauliflower Rice

how to make cauliflower rice
Parker Feierbach

Cauliflower rice is all the rage, as a replacement for rice without the carbs. Luckily, it's super easy to make at home. A food processor is the quickest way, but if you don't have one, a box grater works just as well. We love it as fried rice, cheesy Mexican rice, and especially cheesy cauliflower bread, but you can use it almost anywhere you would use regular rice.

Get the Cauliflower Rice recipe.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
10

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

cauliflower pizza crust
Parker Feierbach

Possibly our favorite use of cauliflower as a culinary master of disguise is in pizza crust. It might sound crazy, but it can be a delicious and healthy alternative to the classic. In this easy, gluten-free pizza recipe, you're basically making cauliflower rice as the base for your crust.

Get the Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe.

11

Garlicky Roasted Cauliflower Pasta

garlicky roasted cauliflower pasta
Lucy schaeffer

In this recipe, cauliflower gets mashed into a paste to create a light sauce for the pasta that adds a ton of flavor. It's simple, light, and perfect for summer when you want comfort without being weighed down by something overly rich.

Get the Garlicky Roasted Cauliflower Pasta recipe.

12

Roasted Cauliflower Salad

roasted cauliflower and mixed green and romaine salad topped with tomatoes, shaved carrots, and an avocado dressing
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

This warm cauliflower salad is simple but hearty and full of color and vegetables. It's good enough to be a main dish (even if you don’t think you’re a salad person) but is also easy enough to make a great, simple side. The roasted cauliflower is perfectly spiced with just a little bit of heat, and the creamy avocado dressing helps balance everything out.

Get the Roasted Cauliflower Salad recipe.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
13

Buffalo Cauliflower Kebabs

buffalo cauliflower kebabs with peppers and celery
PHOTO: ANDREA MONZO; FOOD STYLIST: SPENCER RICHARDS

These Buffalo cauliflower kebabs put all your favorite flavor from classic Buffalo wings onto skewers–and they're vegetarian to boot! Glaze the kebabs with more Buffalo sauce, grill until the cauliflower is tender, then drizzle with blue cheese dressing.

Get the Buffalo Cauliflower Kebabs recipe.

14

Giardiniera

giardiniera
Andrew bui

This pickled Italian relish is endlessly versatile. Try it on sandwiches, tossed into a hearty salad, or in place of olives in your martini. Serrano chiles can be very spicy, so opt for a pinch of red pepper flakes instead if you’re heat-averse.

Get the Giardiniera recipe.

15

Chili Garlic Fried Cauliflower

chili garlic cauliflower
Joel Goldberg

This recipe was very loosely inspired by our Korean fried chicken wings, but nothing about this recipe is really traditional at all. The cauliflower florets are battered in a tempura-like batter, which does aid in a wing-like crispy coating, but you're still going to want to eat these right away—the crunch factor diminishes quickly!

Get the Chili Garlic Fried Cauliflower recipe.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
16

Chicken Fried Cauliflower

chicken fried cauliflower vertical
Ethan Calabrese

We know, we know, frying cauliflower kinda defeats the purpose of it being a vegetable and all, but it's SO DAMN DELICIOUS. We took note of how chicken fried steak is prepared and modeled this recipe after that. (Vegetarians, we see you, and you're welcome.)

Get the Chicken Fried Cauliflower recipe.

17

Best-Ever Cauliflower Soup

cauliflower leek soup vertical
Ethan Calabrese

Cauliflower soup on f(LEEK). 😂 Vegetarian? Skip the bacon.

Get the Cauliflower Leek Soup recipe.

18

Green Goddess Soup

green goddess soup
Joel goldberg

While most Green Goddess salad dressings rely on mayonnaise and one to two herbs for their creaminess and pale green color, we achieve the same flavor profile by using kale, cauliflower, 4 different herbs, and just a touch of Greek yogurt. The result? A vibrant green soup that’s pretty much a garden in a bowl.

Get the Green Goddess Soup recipe.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
19

Cauliflower Baked Ziti

cauliflower baked ziti
Parker Feierbach

Don't miss out on Italian pasta just because you're cutting carbs. OK, fine: There's not actually any ziti in this recipe. But you honestly won't even notice. The roasted cauliflower does a solid job of replacing the pasta, trust us.

Get the Cauliflower Baked Ziti recipe.

20

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower

air fryer buffalo cauliflower with homemade dip
PHOTO: JOEL GOLDBERG; FOOD STYLING: LENA ABRAHAM

This cauliflower is the perfect answer when you have Buffalo wings on the brain, but need to eat more vegetables. All the Buffalo flavor you love coat these florets, which are then air-fried to perfection. It all comes together when you dip one into our perfectly creamy blue cheese dressing (but feel free to go with ranch dressing if you prefer!).

Get the Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower recipe.

Watch Next
 
preview for Delish Section: Holidays - Valentine's Day
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Best Healthy Recipes

grilled hot dogs in between grilled zucchini topped with avocado salsa

43 Healthy Grilling Recipes

spinach in a bowl topped with sliced apples, sliced almonds, red onions, and crumbled feta

Spinach Salad

skewered and grilled zucchini planks topped with herby whipped ricotta and crunchy toasted walnuts

39 Grilled Vegetable Recipes

hollowed out cucumber circles with veggies in the middle

57 Best Healthy Snacks For Work

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below