Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower with Tahini Yogurt
Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower = the BEST cauliflower recipe ever! The DIY tandoori paste is made with yogurt and staple pantry spices and is so flavorful. Serve the delicious cauliflower with an easy to make tahini cilantro sauce for a healthy and crazy delicious side dish recipe.
Calling all cauliflower lovers! I've found my favorite cauliflower recipe and I'm sharing it with you today. This roasted tandoori cauliflower has won my heart.
Calling this my fav cauli recipe is a big thing. There are no less than 14 cauliflower recipes on this blog, and that doesn't include recipes that call for things like cauliflower rice as a side. We're kind of cauliflower obsessed over here. Are you the same?
You need this tandoori cauliflower in your life because:
- The warm Indian spices + the roasted cauliflower are all things dreamy.
- The DIY tandoori paste is super easy to make but leaves you feeling like the master of your kitchen.
- You can batch make the tandoori paste to make it even easier to eat tandoori cauliflower all week long.
- The tahini-based dipping sauce is kind of insane. Its gentle flavors are the perfect match for the boldly spiced cauliflower.
See that marinating cauliflower up there? That's what it looks like when the tandoori paste nestles its way into every cauliflower nook and cranny it can find.
After mixing some yogurt (or vegan yogurt, your choice!) with a few Indian spices and some lemon juice, you pour that DIY tandoori paste over the cauliflower. Give the bag a little shake then set it aside to marinate.
I like to make the tahini sauce as early as possible to give the flavors time to meld. The sauce definitely gets better after about a half hour of rest. ← I get better too if I've had a half hour to rest.
When you're ready to pop it in the oven simply dump the cauliflower onto a baking sheet (lined with parchment if you like easy clean up) and put it in your oven.
Just before you serve your tandoori cauliflower extraordinaire, squeeze some lemon over top. It'll take it to the next level. 🙂
If you love this Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower as much as I do, make sure to give it a 5-star review in the comments below!
Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower with Tahini Yogurt
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
DIY Tandoori Paste
- ¾ cup yogurt, vegan, if needed
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon EACH: coriander and paprika
- ½ teaspoon EACH: cumin, fennel, turmeric, garam masala or curry powder, chili powder, salt
- 2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
- 1 inch piece of ginger, finely grated
- Juice of ½ lemon
The Tandoori Cauliflower
- 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- Minced cilantro and lemon slices, to serve
The Tahini Cilantro Sauce
- ½ cup yogurt
- ¼ cup finely minced cilantro
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 clove garlic, very finely minced
- A generous pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together all the DIY tandoori paste ingredients.¾ cup yogurt, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon EACH: coriander and paprika, ½ teaspoon EACH: cumin, fennel, turmeric, garam masala or curry powder, chili powder, salt, 2 cloves garlic, 1 inch piece of ginger, Juice of ½ lemon
- Place the cauliflower florets in a bowl and pour in the DIY tandoori paste. Mix the cauliflower so that it is completely covered in the tandoori paste. Set the bowl aside for a ½ hour or in your fridge for up to 24 hours.1 large head of cauliflower
- Make the tahini cilantro sauce while the cauliflower is marinating. In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt, cilantro, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Add enough water to thin it to a dipping sauce consistency, about ⅓ cup water.½ cup yogurt, ¼ cup finely minced cilantro, 2 tablespoons tahini, Juice of ½ lemon, 1 clove garlic, A generous pinch of sea salt
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Empty the bowl of marinating cauliflower onto the baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes, tossing halfway through.
- Serve the tandoori cauliflower with cilantro and lemon slices and the tahini cilantro sauce on the side.
I’ve made this multiple times to go in Tikka Masala simmer sauce (which never have enough spices in them) and it is delicious!!!! However a few florets are always eaten right off the sheet pan. Thank you for this recipe! It helps us along on our quest for vegetarianism
Hello, I will be making this recipe tonight.( I’ll let you know how it comes out). I need to express my appreciation for you listing the ingredients under the instructions for each section. I think that’s priceless. I believe that no other recipe sites have that feature. Blessings debby
Hello. Is the fennel supposed to be whole fennel seed, fresh fennel, or something else?
We use ground fennel seed. 🙂
Amazing, delicious, healthy Indian side. Easy to make and thank you for sharing this recipe!
I made this last night as a side dish, I have to say it was stunning and would definitely serve this at a dinner party.
Would highly recommend. Delicious
Made it and loved it! It’s much better on the grill. (We did a side by side comparison.). Need a protein to go with though. I did an Indian chicken recipe I’ve made several times which is excellent but the flavors were too much the same and both very rich.
This is a truly delicious way to serve cauliflower. The spices are perfect and the yogurt gives it perfect moisture. I make this dish often As a side to any protein.
This dish is absolutely amazing! I made it with so delicious coconut yogurt and it turned out so well. Even my husband who does not like cauliflower LOVED this. Thanks for the great recipe!
This recipe is so good it even made my veggie-resistant parents come back for more. Tonight I’m seeing friends for the first time in a year and this is what I’m making them.
Can this be served or adapted as an entree?
Sure!
Absolutely Brilliant I must say , I made it today for the football games and I must say they were magical . Hats off, and a sincere thank you for sharing!
I made this with soy yoghurt and it turned out wonderfully! Thanks so much for sharing I will definitely make it again.
That’s wonderful to hear, Anna!
We made this with cubed potatoes instead of cauliflower and it was delicious. Cubed the potatoes and roasted at 400 for about 50 min. A huge hit!
Good idea on the potatoes. I’ll have to try that!
Is it possible to make this on a pan instead of an oven?
It wouldn’t turn out exactly the same but it would still be tasty. 🙂
Hands down, this is the BEST cauliflower recipe I’ve ever had!! I make it weekly.
That makes me so happy to hear! Hooray!
I used a ripe avocado instead of yoghurt (because I didn’t have any plain) and it was sooo good!!! Great alternative.
That’s such a great idea!
I am going to make this to eat this week. Wanted to ask, why is the marinating for up to 24 hours? Does the cauli go limp after or something? I thought the longer you marinate the better. Thanks. xxx
I haven’t tested marinating it longer but I suspect you can. 🙂
This is undoubtedly the BEST cauliflower recipe out there! I’ve very recently entered the kitchen and this is SUPER easy… even for a noob like me!! I love it! Thank you! <3
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that!
This is definitely the best roasted cauliflower recipe I’ve ever made! And the sauce…don’t even go there! Insanely delicious! I make about 5 times the quantity!
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit!
Best ever!
Thank you so much!
What kind of yogurt? I’m assuming plain ‘flavored’ yogurt but would it be Greek yogurt or normal yogurt?
Thank you 🙂
The thicker the yogurt the better for this recipe! So yes, Greek-style plain yogurt. 🙂
Excellent recipe! Thank you, we loved it and will make it often.
I’m so happy you like the recipe!
Best cauliflower ever. Next time I’m doubling the recipe as I could have eaten the whole batch myself lol.
I totally could, too!
Fantástic tandoori paste. We used it to marinate some turkey breast chunks and cauliflower, then pan fried it because of the meat… really delicious and flavourful. SO love your recipes, thank you!
Such a great idea to add turkey breast to the recipe! I’m going to do that next time. 🙂
Deliciosa
Thank you so much!