The Ultimate Guide to Cauliflower Recipes

In this Ultimate Guide to Cauliflower Recipes, you will find hundreds of cauliflower recipes, plus tips and facts about your favorite coniferous vegetable.

A person can never have too many cauliflower recipes at their disposal. There's been a massive surge in cauliflower recipes in the past few years, with chefs creating everything from breakfast cauliflower recipes to dessert cauliflower recipes, and just about everything in between.

Cauliflower is quite the actor, being able to turn itself into creamy sauces, pizza dough and a near dead ringer for rice. Its powers of transformation are pretty awesome.

In this Ultimate Guide to Cauliflower Recipes, you'll find tons of recipes as well as information about how to buy and store cauliflower, why it's so healthy, why it turns brown and how to prevent that.

Make sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post to find some fun facts about cauliflower!

How to Buy and Store Cauliflower

When buying cauliflower look for white or pale beige heads that are free of any grey discoloration. The leaves should be tightly packed and not show any signs of yellowing.

Once you're home, make sure to put your cauliflower in the fridge right away. Warm temperatures will cause it to brown quickly. Store cauliflower in a perforated plastic bag (often the bag it came in) and make sure it is stem side down.

Why Does Cauliflower Turn Brown?

It's frustrating, to say the least when you bring home a big, beautiful, white head of cauliflower only to find little brown spots appearing all over it the next day. Frustrating? Yes. Dangerous? No.

The brown spots are places where the cauliflower has started to oxidize. These brown spots are safe to eat, but most people (including me!) like to remove them first. The easiest way to do this is by using a Microplane to shave off the color.

Note: if the area under the brown spot is soft and mushy that should be cut away. If you see black spots, it's time to toss the cauliflower.

When is Cauliflower Season?

Cauliflower can be grown year round, but it is best during the winter and spring. Have you ever had a bitter cauliflower? It was likely grown in the summer. Heat and sunshine bring out bitter flavors in cauliflower, whereas the chilly weather turns cauliflower sweeter.

If you're thinking of planting a few in your garden this year, make sure you have lots of room. Each head will take up at least 3ft of space!

Is Cauliflower Healthy?

Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C, just 1 cup of cauliflower contains nearly the same amount of vitamin C as an orange, which is half the recommended daily intake for women. It is also full of vitamin K (a strong anti-inflammatory), folate and B6.

Cauliflower is also very low in calories; there are only 25 calories in 1 full cup!

Studies have shown that glucosinolates, the compound in cauliflower that makes it smell of sulfur, may help prevent cancer. While it is not fully understood, one theory is that glucosinolates promote detoxification and help your body to remove carcinogens.

Fun Cauliflower Facts

1. The name ‘cauliflower' means ‘cabbage flower'. The part we eat is really just an underdeveloped flower.
2. China produces more cauliflower than anywhere else in the world.
3. Cauliflower was originally grown in Asia, around the Mediterranean Sea in the 1500s. It wasn't until the 1900s that it was finally brought to North America.

Favorite Cauliflower Recipes

Cauliflower Salad with Avocado Pesto Dressing

Creamy Cauliflower Hummus

Spinach Lemon Cauliflower Rice Risotto

Dreamy Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo

Paleo Cauliflower Fried Rice

Paleo Bacon Cauliflower Soup

Cheesy Irish Cheddar Cauliflower

Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower

Curried Chicken Cauliflower Rice Soup

Brown Butter Mashed Cauliflower

Whole Roasted Sesame Cauliflower

Roasted Turmeric Cauliflower

Skinny Bang Bang Cauliflower

General Tso's Cauliflower

Blackened Cauliflower with Rosemary Garlic Panko

Najib's Special Lebanese Fried Cauliflower

Curried Lime Cauliflower Bites