Paleo Roasted Cauliflower Recipe with Lemon-Tahini Sauce (2024)

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by ChihYu
May 8, 2019 (updated 11/11/21)
25 comments »

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5 from 20 votes

This Roasted Cauliflower Paleo Recipe with tahini-lemon cream sauce is quick, easy, and off-the-charts delicious! Try it for tonight – as a side, or as the main. And what about serving it as a healthy, low carb, and plant-based meal at a family gathering?

Paleo Roasted Cauliflower Recipe with Lemon-Tahini Sauce (2)

I decided to share a Paleo Cauliflower Recipe for this year’s mother’s day. I love cauliflower, particularly when they are roasted in the oven. The cauliflower florets taste extra umami delicious after being caramelized. For my Paleo Roasted Cauliflower Recipe, I pair it with a creamy and light lemon tahini sauce and with a hint of turmeric and cumin flavor. It makes a great side dish and is Paleo, Whole30, Keto, and Vegan friendly!

Paleo Roasted Cauliflower Recipe with Lemon-Tahini Sauce (3)

Paleo Roasted Cauliflower Recipe with Lemon-Tahini Sauce (4)

Paleo Roasted Cauliflower Recipe with Lemon-Tahini Sauce (5)

How can cauliflower be prepared?

From a whole cauliflower, slice off the bottom end so it can lay flat on your cutting board.
From the top of the cauliflower crown, slice it in half, then quarter.
Slice of outer-tier stems that are tough and fibrous.
Use a chef’s knife at angle cut to cut along the cauliflower core so that the florets can fall apart.
Save the inner tender layer of leaves and stems for later use.

What do you eat cauliflower with?

It’s easy to serve roasted cauliflower as a side salad or pair it with a creamy and rich sauce to make it more substantial. Roasted cauliflower is delicious on its own but if you want to make it extra special for mother’s day, for example, a tahini-lemon cream sauce with toasted pine nuts and chopped arugula will make an excellent roasted cauliflower salad.

What meat goes well with cauliflower?

Grilled shrimp, pan-seared salmon, my tempura-inspired fish taco fillets, almond flour crusted halibut or cod fillets are all excellent choices.

For a heartier pairing, creamy chicken mushroom casserole, simple herb roasted spatchco*ck chicken, and Vietnamese beef stew are great, too!

Paleo Roasted Cauliflower Recipe with Lemon-Tahini Sauce (6)

For more Paleo Cauliflower Recipes…

Paleo Cauliflower Gratin
Paleo Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice
Filipino Skirt Steak Cauliflower Fried Rice
Cauliflower Cream Chowder
Pineapple Cauliflower Fried Rice
Sauteed mushrooms with cauliflower recipe

Complete the Paleo Roasted Cauliflower Recipe with…

Japanese roasted lemon chicken
Crispy Turmeric chicken thighs
Paleo cashew chicken
Paleo Chinese Sesame Chicken
Paleo Mongolian beef
Paleo beef and broccoli
More Paleo main courses

Paleo Roasted Cauliflower Recipe with Lemon-Tahini Sauce (7)

If you give this Paleo Roasted Cauliflower Recipe with Lemon-Tahini sauce a try, be sure to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Every vote counts and it’ll help me and my blog tremendously. Thanks in advance!

Love what you see so far? I share many Paleo meals that are easy to prep and big on flavor. Subscribe to my blog – I Heart Umami – for weekly free new recipes!

5 from 20 votes

Paleo Roasted Cauliflower Recipe (Whole30, Keto, Vegan)

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

Servings: 4 people

Author: ChihYu Smith

This Paleo Roasted Cauliflower Recipe with tahini-lemon cream sauce is quick, easy, and off-the-charts delicious! Try it for tonight – as a side, or as the main.

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Ingredients

▢ 2-2.5 lbs cauliflower, dice to medium-large size
▢ 2-2.5 tbsp olive oil
▢ ½ tsp coarse sea salt
▢ ½+ 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Lemon-Tahini Sauce:

▢ 3 tbsp tahini, unsalted
▢ 0.2 oz. clove garlic, grated (about 1 medium-size clove)
▢ 3 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste
▢ ¼ tsp coarse sea salt
▢ ⅛ tsp cumin powder
▢ ⅛ tsp black pepper
▢ 3 tbsp water, or more to thin

Before serving:

▢ 2 tbsp raw pine nuts
▢ ⅓ cup baby arugula, roughly chopped
▢ Lemon juice, drizzle
▢ Olive oil, drizzle

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 450F.
Dice the whole cauliflower crown into medium-large size florets. In a large mixing bowl, combine with olive oil, salt, and turmeric powder. Gently toss to coat well.
Prepare a large unlined sheet pan. Once the oven reaches the temperature, place it in the oven for 5 minutes in the middle rack.
Carefully remove the sheet from the oven with an oven glove, pour and spread the cauliflower florets over the sheet. Use a tong to separate each florets and place them cut-side-down so they aren’t overlap with each other. Roast for 25 minutes total. Flip after 15 minutes.
In the meantime, make the lemon tahini sauce. Stir-well until creamy smooth. Add more water or lemon juice for thinner texture.
Lightly dry toast pine nuts in a skillet over a stovetop for about 1-minute. Toss often. Roughly chop baby arugula. Set them aside ready to use.
To serve, spread the lemon-tahini sauce over a medium-large size serving plate. Use a back of spoon to spread the sauce thin and evenly. Add roasted cauliflower on top of the sauce. Garnish with pine nuts and arugula and drizzle with more olive oil and lemon juice. Serve warm or in room temperature.

Notes

You can make the sauce 1 day ahead. Thin with more water or lemon juice before serving. Dice the whole cauliflower to florets also 1 day ahead to save time. I recommend roasting them on the same day.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 225kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 509mg, Potassium: 781mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 40IU, Vitamin C: 114.8mg, Calcium: 71mg, Iron: 1.9mg

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Paleo Cauliflower Recipe, Paleo Roasted Cauliflower Recipe, Roasted Cauliflower Salad, Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Tag @iheartumami.ny on Instagram and hashtag it #iheartumami.

5 to 10 grams American Appetizers Christmas/Winter Gluten-free Keto No Added Sugar Oven Paleo Salads Side Dishes Spring Thanksgiving/Fall Vegan Vegetarian Whole30

posted by ChihYu on May 8, 2019

25 Comments / Leave a Comment »

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25 comments on “Roasted Cauliflower Recipe With Lemon Tahini Cream Sauce”

Joni Renee Zalk — April 22, 2021 @ 12:28 AM Reply

HOLY COW. Amazing! I did add a can of garbanzo beans (I pulled off the outer shell), fennel because I had some laying about and therefore added more olive oil and salt. Pine nuts add crunch and the arugula adds freshness. So good. Can’t wait to make it again.
- ChihYu — April 27, 2021 @ 2:25 PM Reply
  
  Thank you!
Judy — December 29, 2020 @ 8:53 PM Reply
See Also
Juicy Instant Pot Chicken Breasts Recipe

The cauliflower recipe is healthy and delicious. And, the sauce is also applicable to other cooked vegetables. Indian Curry Seasoning mixed with some of the coating or with the tahini and lemon are possible. The original turmeric is good the way it is.
Beth — September 22, 2020 @ 9:26 PM Reply

Mmmmm! really good just with cauliflower and sauce. I didn’t take time to do any pin enuts and didn’t have arugula. And thanks for the tip about how to cut up cauliflower (quarter it first). It’s so much easier than the way I’ve been doing it for years.
- ChihYu — October 4, 2020 @ 9:03 AM Reply
  
  Thank you! So happy to hear!
Helen — July 3, 2020 @ 10:54 PM Reply

Loved it!! Thanks so much for such a great recipe. Easy to make and great side dish. Could also be a great main dish.
- ChihYu — July 8, 2020 @ 10:08 AM Reply
  
  So happy to hear! Thank you!
cinda — February 3, 2020 @ 7:32 PM Reply

WONDERFUL WAY TO ROAST CAULIFLOWER! Will share with fellow cauliflower lovers.
- ChihYu — February 4, 2020 @ 8:19 AM Reply
  
  Thanks so much, Cinda. So happy to hear!
Pearl MacManus — September 9, 2019 @ 4:43 AM Reply

I made this recipe and absolutely loved it. The only change I made was to steam the cauliflower lightly before roasting. The lemon/Tahini sauce is fabulous and luckily we had enough left over to serve with fish the following evening. I’ve recommended this recipe to a number of my friends because they need to know what they’re missing. Thanks.
- ChihYu — September 23, 2019 @ 3:54 PM Reply
  
  Thank you so much! So appreciate it!
Zuzana — May 19, 2019 @ 8:32 AM Reply

Can not wait to make it this week. What a great inspiration
STACEY CRAWFORD — May 16, 2019 @ 12:46 PM Reply

Wow, only you can make caulifower look so pretty & taste so good! I love the sauce!
Hope — May 15, 2019 @ 10:51 PM Reply

What a simple but delicious side dish! Loving the lemon tahini sauce – yum!
paleoglutenfreeguy — May 15, 2019 @ 4:40 PM Reply

Yesssss! I love ALL of these ingredients and they work so well together! This looks so great!
Raia Todd — May 15, 2019 @ 3:27 PM Reply

Roasted cauliflower is one of my favorite sides! The sauce sounds like a delicious, too!
heather — May 15, 2019 @ 9:20 AM Reply

This looks amazing!!! *heading to store for more cauliflower
Tessa Simpson — May 15, 2019 @ 8:49 AM Reply

I don;t use tahini nearly enough! I have to make this!
Kari - Get Inspired Everyday! — May 14, 2019 @ 7:49 PM Reply

This looks so flavorful and good, plus I’m always looking for new ways to use turmeric!
Renee D Kohley — May 14, 2019 @ 1:26 PM Reply

Ooo that sauce though! I’m not a huge cauli fan on it’s own but I would definitely eat it with that sauce! Thanks!
Joni — May 14, 2019 @ 1:10 PM Reply

Love the simplicity of this recipe yet SO much flavor! That lemon tahini sauce is so complimentary to the cauliflower!
Carol Little R.H. @studiobotanica — May 13, 2019 @ 4:39 PM Reply

I just love roasting cauliflower!
The sauce sounds like the perfect partnership!
Amy Sheree — May 13, 2019 @ 2:59 PM Reply

YUM!! I love a good cauliflower recipe! I can’t wait to try this!!
Megan Stevens — May 13, 2019 @ 12:25 PM Reply

Visually this is stunning. Plus the ingredients: I’ve been eating tahini daily lately, ever since I got back from Israel. It’s my favorite. I look forward to making this beautiful side dish!
Judy L Purcell — May 13, 2019 @ 12:19 PM Reply

That lemon tahini sauce sounds so good! Can’t wait to try it. I think it would taste good on all veggies.