Name: Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: 1 cauliflower (large (about 900 g)); 45 g ofghee (or olive oil, or duck fat); 4 tbsp ofolive oil (to serve with the fat above); fleur de sel; 1 lemon (for support)

appetizers side dishes baking slow cooking using up leftovers

Updated on 19 May 2025 by

ratatouille

10 reviews 4.5 : Very good

Diet

Vegetarian

Level

Elementary

Calories

161 kcal

Preparation

15 minutes

Cooking

2 hours

Here’s my recipe for whole roasted cauliflower, which I’ve adapted from the book Simple, Yotam Ottolenghi, Hachette Pratique, 308 pages—a book I highly recommend, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced cook!

Until now, I used to steam cauliflower and then sauté it, but I found this idea for roasted cauliflower interesting, especially since it’s so easy to make.

The cauliflower is coated in fat (oil, clarified butter, duck fat), and comes out of the oven tender, flavorful, and crispy… it’s truly wonderful! It can be enjoyed as an appetizer, a starter, or as a side dish with meat or fish.

Compared to the original recipe, I made a few adjustments regarding the choice of fat, replacing the butter with alternatives that are more stable during cooking. In any case, the cauliflower should come out just golden brown and not too burnt (it’s a bit too burnt for my taste in the photo, by the way!).

When it comes to cookable butter alternatives, you can easily make your own clarified butter, which will give you the aroma of cooked butter without any health risks.

Easy and delicious, this roasted cauliflower recipe is also a great way to use not only the florets but also the leaves of this vegetable, which are usually thrown away, even though they’re perfectly digestible and delicious when roasted!

If you’re serving this whole roasted cauliflower as an appetizer or starter, I recommend pairing it with the famous sesame green sauce, which goes wonderfully with it.

Enjoy, and thank you in advance for your comments!

For

people

Add to shopping list

1 cauliflower large (about 900 g)
45 g of ghee or olive oil, or duck fat
4 tbsp of olive oil to serve with the fat above
fleur de sel
1 lemon for support

Steaming cauliflower
- 1
  Wash the cauliflower and trim the leaves just enough to expose the head.
  Fill a large pot three-quarters full with salted water. Bring to a boil, then submerge the cauliflower in the water, head down.
  Cook for 6 minutes from when the water returns to a boil.
- 2
  Once the cauliflower is cooked, carefully remove it with a slotted spoon and let it drain in a colander for at least 10 minutes.
Preparing the cooking fat
- 3
  Melt your chosen cooking fat over low heat.
  In the photos, I used butter, but for your health, I recommend using clarified butter (available at grocery stores under the names ghee or smen) or duck fat, which are much more heat-stable than butter.
  Note: You can also easily make your own clarified butter and store it for a long time.
  Add the olive oil and stir.
- 4
  Preheat your oven to 160°C on the convection setting.
  Gently place the cauliflower in a baking dish, or directly on the baking sheet, and brush it with the fat you prepared earlier. Make sure the fat coats the entire cauliflower, and pour the remaining fat directly over it.
  Sprinkle a pinch of fleur de sel over the cauliflower.
- 5
  Place in the oven and bake the cauliflower for 2 hours.
  IMPORTANT: Every 20 minutes, remove the dish from the oven and baste the cauliflower with the cooking juices to prevent the top parts from burning.
- 6
  When it's done, check for doneness with the tip of a knife. The knife should slide through the cauliflower easily without any resistance. Serve with lemon wedges and green sesame sauce (optional).