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!

Tap stars to rate!

4.96 stars (46 ratings)

Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower Recipe

Prep: 40 minutes mins

Cook: 40 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Rate Recipe Print

• Pin

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.

4 servings

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.

Notes

The DIY tandoori paste is quite flexible. If you don't have all of the spices, don't fret. The most important spices for flavor are cumin, coriander, turmeric, and garam masala or curry powder. The paprika adds mostly color.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving = ¼ of the recipe, Calories: 215kcal (11%), Carbohydrates: 18g (6%), Protein: 8g (16%), Fat: 14g (22%), Saturated Fat: 3g (19%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 10mg (3%), Sodium: 403mg (18%), Potassium: 829mg (24%), Fiber: 5g (21%), Sugar: 8g (9%), Vitamin A: 396IU (8%), Vitamin C: 109mg (132%), Calcium: 157mg (16%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.