Cauliflower

Our 12 Most Popular Cauliflower Recipes of All. Time.

March 26, 2019
Photo by Rocky Luten

It wasn’t long ago that recipes called cauliflower an underrated vegetable. Take this one by David Tanis, published in The New York Times in 2014: “Cauliflower,” he wrote, “is perhaps the least appreciated member of the large family of cruciferous vegetables.”

These days, though? It’s just the opposite.

A lot of its popularity has to do with cauliflower rice, or riced cauliflower—a clever doppleganger for anyone avoiding complex carbs. But cauliflower can be a lot more than that. It can be pureed into creamy soups, roasted whole, or fried for your new favorite sandwich. All of which to say, its versatility is unparalleled.

Here are 12 of our favorite ways to use it.


1. Spice Merchant Cauliflower Couscous

Photo by James Ransom

Who needs cauliflower rice when you could have cauliflower couscous? Bonus points for golden raisins, cashews, and za’atar.

2. Paul Pertolli’s Cauliflower Soup

Photo by James Ransom

Cauliflower, onion, and water equals soup? You bet. Just don’t forget to salt generously.

3. Dan Barber’s Cauliflower Steaks With Cauliflower Puree

This cauliflower has us like, “Steak who?” Plus, it comes with its own creamy dunking sauce.

4. Cauliflower Patties

Photo by Mark Weinberg

Lots of cheese, parsley, and garlic are just a few of the reasons why we’ll love these forever.

5. Alon Shaya’s Whole Roasted Cauliflower With Whipped Goat Cheese

Photo by James Ransom

Roasted cauliflower is the new roast chicken. (Especially when there’s whipped goat cheese alongside.)

6. Caldo Verde (Portuguese Soup With Cauliflower

Photo by James Ransom

Classic Portuguese caldo verde soup includes potatoes. This one swaps in—wait for it—cauliflower!

7. Whole Roasted Cauliflower With Turmeric-Tahini Sauce & Pistachios

Photo by Rocky Luten

Don’t let the long ingredient list intimidate you. This recipe hails from the restaurant ABCV, where over 100 people order the dish every night.

8. Fried Cauliflower Sandwich

Photo by James Ransom

“Crispy fried cauliflower, garlicky greens, salty-sour peppers, and gooey provolone cheese,” writes recipe author Laurie. Enough said.

9. Mustard Roasted Cauliflower

Photo by James Ransom

More than just mustard: There are also pistachios, green olives, and shallot (aka, a few of our very favorite things).

10. Cauliflower-Crust Pizza

Photo by Rocky Luten

One head of cauliflower turns into one A+ pizza crust. BYO pepperoni.

11. Orecchiette With Cauliflower, Breadcrumbs, Pancetta & Pepitas

Photo by James Ransom

Cauliflower loves pasta almost as much as we do. Here, it teams up with pancetta, breadcrumbs, and pumpkin seeds.

12. General Tso’s Cauliflower

Photo by James Ransom

If cauliflower can pretend to be rice, couscous, steak, and pizza crust, why not chicken? Serve this with a mountain of steamy white rice.

What’s your go-to cauliflower recipe? Share it in the comments below!

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • LinK29
    LinK29
  • jacqueline prajza
    jacqueline prajza
  • Denise
    Denise
  • lizatee
    lizatee
  • Dace Berg
    Dace Berg
Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.

9 Comments

LinK29 December 23, 2021
I once had a delicious cauliflower dish in a small French restaurant in Washington D.C. It was a whole steamed cauliflower which was then completely covered in a honey mustard of some kind that soaked into it and topped with a sharp cheddar cheese. It was then put under the broiler just enough to melt the cheese and served to the table whole. I have been making a poor imitation of it at home for over three decades so if anyone has ever seen a recipe I would love if you could share it!
 
jacqueline P. April 16, 2020
My husbands late grandmother used to make a dish with a steamed head of cauliflower that she would pour beaten eggs over. The heat of the cauliflower would cook the eggs as it ran through all the books and crannies. She would then slice the cauliflower into steaks and top with breadcrumbs sautéed in butter. Does anyone have a recipe for this?
 
Denise July 9, 2019
Love reading your articles! Your work is creative and explained in a way that makes the reader feel that they can accomplish the ideas you presented. Looking forward to trying a few of the recipes ! Thanks for opening my eyes....as well as filling our stomachs... lol.
 
lizatee April 15, 2019
All great ideas. Am adding the Roasted Cauliflower with Gremolata Bread Crumbs recipe from this forum (10/3/2010): https://food52.com/recipes/7015-roasted-cauliflower-with-gremolata-bread-crumbs. I can't recall just how many people I have sent the recipe to after sharing the dish (potlucks, Thanksgiving...)
 
Dace B. April 14, 2019
You missed the best tasting recipe for cauliflower ever. Brown some cream of wheat in dry pan. Melt some butter in another pan. Combine and pour over cooked cauliflower. Your welcome!
 
CN L. April 14, 2019
People, people, people ... his name is Paul BERTOLLI, the god of bringing out the essence the best in vegetables! This is without question (in my opinion) the best light - creamy & flavorful soup recipe ever created. I have made it so many multiples of times, used it on its delicious own & as a base for so many different things. It freezes just beautifully, can be used as a light pasta (or other) sauce & replacement for heavier cheese sauces. Try it!
I simply love Food 52. Thank you for doing what you do & continuing to show us new, innovative recipes & ideas with food. Thank you!
 
Lewinski T. April 14, 2019
How much time intensive is cauliflower pizza? Guessing that time x sacrificing pizza base flavour is not worth it but hopefully I will be a convert
 
Noreen F. April 8, 2019
How could you leave out Ottolenghi's Pomegranate, Pistachio and Cauliflower Salad??
 
David K. April 14, 2019
I agree - that is a monster prep of caul. And please, enough with the 'Of all time' headlines. Just say our twelve (or however many) favorites. Are you digging back to Etruscan times or the dark ages to source recipes? No.