20 Healthy Cauliflower Recipes to Try Tonight

Cauliflower is, in our opinion, one of the most underrated vegetables. It is hugely versatile and can work with almost any dish.

It gained notoriety a few years ago as a low-carb alternative to rice, but since then innovation has only grown.

We have rounded up our favorite cauliflower recipes that are easy, healthy, and perfect for tonight’s dinner.

Jump to:

• Healthy Cauliflower Recipes
• Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower
• Delicious Fluffy Cauliflower Gnocchi
• Creamy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
• Cauliflower pizza
• Cauliflower steak
• Roasted cauliflower
• Aloo gobi
• Cauliflower soup
• Cauliflower and chickpea pilaf
• Cauliflower burgers
• Coconut and lime baked cauliflower tacos
• Burritos made with cauliflower rice
• Cauliflower nachos
• Cauliflower Bolognese
• Kung Pao cauliflower
• Mashed cauliflower
• Cauliflower risotto
• Roasted Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese
• Curry Roasted Cauliflower
• Herb Cauliflower Rice
• 📖 Recipe
• How long has cauliflower been around?

Healthy Cauliflower Recipes

Cauliflower is a powerhouse of nutrition. It contains high amounts of fiber, vitamins, and minerals with relatively few calories. It is a cruciferous vegetable and contains high amounts of glucosinolates and isothiocyanates.

These are antioxidants that have been proven to slow the growth of cancerous cells.

It is also high in an essential nutrient known as choline. This is used in the body to maintain cell membranes, support your metabolism, and synthesize DNA.

Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

This recipe does include broccoli, but is also loaded with cauliflower and could be made with just cauliflower if you prefer. It is tasty, easy, and definitely a healthy addition to any meal as a side dish.

Delicious Fluffy Cauliflower Gnocchi

Gnocchi never fails to be a hit, but if you are watching the number of carbs you eat, then it can be a really tough addition to your menu. This recipe makes deliciously fluffy gnocchi while keeping the base almost entirely made of cauliflower!

Creamy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

This is a bit higher in calories, but you can easily update it with lower-calorie options for the dressing and keep all of the flavors. I love that this is a fresh and cold option!

Cauliflower pizza

This is a lower-carb alternative to traditional pizza. The standard wheat dough base is replaced with one made of cauliflower. There are many recipes on the internet to make this.

Pizza is not a wholly unhealthy food type and so this is a healthy alternative. To further boost the health benefits, you can eliminate cheese and processed meats as toppings.

All you need to do is pulse cauliflower in a blender until it is finely ground. Microwave for a few minutes and strain the liquid out through a cloth before forming into a crust.

Cauliflower steak

Cauliflower steaks are super simple to make and hugely satisfying. Simply cut a whole head of cauliflower into thick slices and season well.

You can fry them in a pan for the full steak experience, but this works better if you prefer your cauliflower al dente.

For best results, we recommend covering your cauliflower with a drizzle of olive oil, seasonings of your choice, and baking it in the oven until tender.

Roasted cauliflower

There are no limits to how creative that you can get with a roasted cauliflower. We love coating it in a thick spread or paste.

Tahini combined with spices and lemon juice makes a delicious crust that turns crispy when baked. This gives cauliflower a whole new vibe, and you will shock your family with how good it is.

There are also many recipes that involve stuffing the cauliflower prior to baking. This recipe uses a herbed kale and chestnut paste to fill in the crevices between cauliflower florets.

Aloo gobi

Aloo gobi is a traditional Indian dish made of potato (aloo) and cauliflower (gobi). They are cooked in a heavily spiced tomato sauce until tender.

This is a perfect dish to serve to vegetarians and vegans and makes a hearty fall dinner. It can also be served as an accompaniment to more meat-based curries.

Cauliflower soup

There are hundreds of cauliflower soup recipes flying about, all of which will taste different. Whether you want a warming, spiced soup or a creamy and indulgent offering, there’s a recipe out there to suit your desires.

This is an ideal dinner, particularly when served with fresh crusty bread. The soup is light, making it ideal for a summer lunch.

Cauliflower and chickpea pilaf

This is a rice based dish that is often cooked in a single pot, meaning that you have greatly cut down on the amount of dishes you have to clean afterwards.

This can be a stand alone dish or can be served as a side for a meat-based dish. The protein content in this pilaf is relatively impressive at 16g per serving.

There are also 8g of fiber per serving, making it a good, balanced dinner for vegetarians and vegans alike.

Cauliflower burgers

There are hundreds of ways to incorporate cauliflower into burgers. If you are veggie, vegan, or just looking to cut down on your meat intake, this could be the perfect burger for you.

They are bulked out with quinoa, making them a good source of protein.

These burgers are suitable for freezing, and we recommend serving them with green sauce, cilantro and lime slaw, chipotle mayo, and lashings of cheese.

Coconut and lime baked cauliflower tacos

Everyone loves a taco, but it can be easy to fall into the trap of eating the same fillings every time.

If you are looking for a new spin on taco fillings, we recommend trying this crispy coconut and lime baked cauliflower tacos.

The crunchy coating is reminiscent of a fish taco and the coconut and lime flavors will make you feel as though you’re on a tropical holiday. This recipe is oil free and baked, making it a healthy alternative to traditional taco fillings.

Burritos made with cauliflower rice

Cauliflower rice gained notoriety back in the mid 2010s as a low-carb alternative to traditional white and brown rice. If you are not on an Atkins, or other low carb diet, many people still prefer normal rice over cauliflower rice.

This is largely due to the fact that most people make cauliflower rice incorrectly, and do not use it appropriately.

Cauliflower rice cannot appropriately replace rice as a side dish, but works amazingly well as a substitute in other dishes.

Making burritos with cauliflower rice is one of our favorite ways to utilize it, as the other flavors inside the burrito will carry the dish nicely.

Cauliflower nachos

This dish only needs one pan to make, and is a healthy, delicious alternative to classic nachos. You will need to cut your head of cauliflower into small florets and bake them in the oven for around 15 minutes, until they are tender and roasted.

Once they are sufficiently cooked, add some nacho chips onto the pan. Cover the chips and cauliflower with grated cheese, refried beans, salsa, and any of your favorite toppings.

Place the tray back into the oven until the cheese has melted and then remove from the oven. Top with more salsa, avocado, and anything else that takes your fancy.

Cauliflower Bolognese

There are hundreds of recipes online for cauliflower bolognese. One of our favorite recipes is a meatless bolognese sauce made with cauliflower and red lentils.

You would be surprised by how closely this mimics the texture of meat, and how little you will miss it in this hearty dish. This bolognese has a huge amount of fiber and many nutrients from the vegetables.

It can be frozen for up to 2 months at home.

Kung Pao cauliflower

This is a sticky, spicy, stir-fry that will satisfy any cravings that you may be having. If you have a desire for Chinese takeout but are searching for a healthier alternative, look no further.

The Kung Pao sauce has the ideal balance of sweetness, saltiness, and spiciness. This recipe that we have found is gluten free, vegan, low fat, and oil-free.

Even better, there are only 8 steps involved in the recipe, making it a breeze to cook. The dish can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days without deterioration in quality.

Mashed cauliflower

If you are on a low-carb diet, it is safe to assume that at some point you have had a craving for mashed potatoes.

There’s something intrinsically comforting and safe about a bowl of fluffy and steaming mashed potatoes, and this feeling can be hard to recreate.

In those moments where nothing else will do, now there’s an alternative that you can eat without ruining your diet. Mashed cauliflower is the ideal low carb side dish, provided you make it correctly.

Seasoning is absolutely vital, or you will end up with a bowl of bland mush. We recommend incorporating garlic, onion, and salt to really kick the cauliflower up a notch.

Cauliflower risotto

Risotto has a reputation for being time consuming to make and involving a lot of effort on your behalf.

This recipe can be cooked in the oven, meaning that a lot of the hard work is taken out of it.

You will be free to have a relaxing glass of wine left over from the recipe while it cooks, and honestly, what more could you ask for? This risotto is jam packed with cauliflower and flavored with lemon and pepper.

Roasted Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese

This is another delicious and kid-friendly option that is loaded with cauliflower but still plenty cheesy. I love that this recipe is so flavorful and a great way to hide vegetables in the kid's menu.

Curry Roasted Cauliflower

If you are tired of being boring, this curry-flavored option is a great choice. It pairs well with a ton of different entrees but is loaded with the classic Indian curry flavor you love.

Herb Cauliflower Rice

It doesn't get any better than this. The ultimate in healthy cauliflower recipes, cauliflower rice definitely is top on the list of favorites. This version is packed with flavor from herbs and is sure to be an ideal side to any favorite protein.

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How long has cauliflower been around?

A plant known as cyma was mentioned in Pliny’s Natural History as early as the 1st century AD. This was described as a variety of cabbage but appears to be referring to what we have come to know as cauliflower.

During the Middle Ages, cauliflower had a close association with Cyprus. This is because 2 Arabian botanists claimed this is where the plant came from.

In Western Europe this link remained strong until the mid 16th century. The French ruled Cyprus and introduced choux fleurs to France from Genoa in the mid 16th century.

The Italian name for cauliflower is cavolfiore, which is where the English cauliflower is believed to have originated from. This literally translates to cabbage flower.

By the time of Louis XIV the cauliflower had become a staple ingredient in French cuisine.

In 1822, the British began to introduce the vegetable to India. There are believed to be around 80 different North American varieties of cauliflower.