Harissa Roasted Cauliflower
Harissa roasted cauliflower is the perfect balance of smoky and spicy- it’s the perfect way to enjoy cauliflower if you’re looking for something different.
Making harissa paste at home is both cost effective and allows you to control the elements so if you like it more spicy or smokier its totally up to you. You won’t believe how easy it is to make homemade harissa paste!
This harissa roasted cauliflower is a showstopper for a dinner party and your guests will not believe it roasted in the air fryer!
This recipe is low carb, gluten-free, dairy free and naturally vegan so everyone can enjoy this vegetable centerpiece.
How to make roasted cauliflower
- Par boil the cauliflower
- Cover in the harissa paste
- roast in the air fryer in 10 minute intervals basting in between
- Check that its cooked by pushing a knife through the stem
- Serve and enjoy
Other recipes for roasted cauliflower
- Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Indian Butter Sauce
- Greek Style Roasted Cauliflower Steaks
- Turkish Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Why I love this air fryer roasted cauliflower recipe
Big Bold Flavour – Cauliflower has a mild flavour so it’s a perfect vessel for a big bold flavour like harissa paste. Harissa is the perfect spicy, smoky flavour to be paired with cauliflower.
Fast- In just 40 minutes you can have a whole big cauliflower cooked perfectly right the way through by par boiling then using the air fryer to finish off! Oven roasted cauliflower can take longer than an hour to cook.
Healthy– With only a few ingredients you can make your own preservative free homemade harissa paste. And cauliflower is packed with vitamins and fibre.
Perfect for Any Occasion – You can enjoy this as an impressive dinner party or bbq dish or even part of a weeknight meal, as it only takes 40 minutes to cook its suitable for any occasion.
What to make with cauliflower- I recommend to serve this cauliflower along side a protein such as Vegan Chicken Tenders with Ranch Dip and a carb such as Italian Style Dense Bean Salad or Greek style lemon and herb potato wedges. This dish also works so well as a BBQ dish along side some Cheese and Bacon Loaded Potato Salad and Vegan Chicken Satay Skewers.
Notes on the ingredients-
- Cauliflower– I used a pretty big cauliflower for this recipe. You can also do this as florets you’ll just need to reduce the cooking time of both the par boiling and air frying.
- Dried chillis- I used dried chillis and rehydrated them but you can use fresh chillis just be sure to remove the seeds and be mindful of how spicy you’d like it.
- Roasted red pepper- I used the jarred roasted capsicum for ease and speed but feel free to roast your own bell peppers until soft.
- Garlic cloves- Raw garlic is best for this recipe but you can also use jarred minced garlic. Feel free to add more in if you’re a big garlic lover.
- Tomato paste- Tomato paste adds a richness to the harissa paste and helps to bulk out the sauce. If you’re not a big spice fan reduce the chillis and increase the tomato paste.
- Lemon juice- Fresh or bottled lemon juice is fine.
- Spices- Cumin, coriander, smoked paprika- These are pantry staples that you probably have on hand. I always use smoked paprika as I love a smoky flavour but regular paprika is fine too.
- Olive oil- Olive oil helps to crisp up the cauliflower. Feel free to omit if you are oil free but the cauliflower wont be as crisp.
Q&A
Q- Can you freeze harissa paste?
A- Yes, i recommend portioning out the leftover harissa paste into an ice cube tray. Just thaw to reuse when needed. keep for up to 3 months.
Q- How to cook with dried chillis
A- If you have leftover dried chilis from this recipe you can rehydrate them in boiling water and chop up to use in cooking. Alternatively you can make them into chili flakes or chili powder by blitzing them in a spice grinder or blender.
Q- How long to roast cauliflower
A- As this recipe calls for par boiling and air frying the cauliflower the time needed to cook is less than if you roasted a raw cauliflower. For a big cauliflower using this cooking method it should only take around 40 minutes.
How to make the best roasted cauliflower
- Soak the chillis in boiling water
- Boil the cauliflower for 15 minutes
- Deseed the chillis
- Add all of the harissa ingredients to the blender
- Blend until smooth
- Brush harissa onto cauliflower
- Make sure to get the harissa in all of the crevices of the cauliflower
- Air fry in 10 minute intervals basting with more harissa inbetween
- Remove from the air fryer and crush with some more harissa
- Serve topped with some fresh parsley to garnish.
Don't have an air fryer?- This air fryer roasted cauliflower could also be an oven roasted cauliflower! Follow the same steps but it may take slightly longer in the oven.
Roasted harissa cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower
To make harissa
- 5 dried chillis
- 80 g roasted red pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1.5 tsp tomato paste
- ½ lemon juice
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Add the dried chillis to a bowl and soak in boiling water.
- Remove the outer leaves and as much stalk as you can without cutting any of the florets off.
- Add the cauliflower upside down into boiling water and boil for 15 minutes, flipping over in the water for the last 5 minutes. (It should be nearly cooked through).
- Drain the water and leave to dry.
- Remove the seeds from the chillis and add to a high speed blender cup with the rest of the harissa ingredients.
- Blend the sauce until completely smooth.
- Brush the harissa generously on the cauliflower top and bottom making sure to get into all of the cracks.
- Save some of the harissa for basting.
- Air fry on 180C for 10 minutes.
- Brush on some more harissa.
- Air fry on 180C for another 10 minutes and baste again.
- Air fry for a further 5-10 minutes and test that the cauliflower is cooked by putting a knife through to the core. It should be easy to push the knife through.
- Serve with more harissa and fresh parsley to garnish.
Cauliflower recipes I love from other bloggers
Chili Lime Roasted Cauliflower Recipe- by Inspired taste
Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic and Paprika - Veggie Desserts
If you liked this recipe be sure to check out some of my other recipes!
- Greek style lemon potato wedges
- Turkish Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Garlic and Black Pepper Broccolini
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