Golden and delicious roasted Chili Crisp Cauliflower is a fast and easy side dish or tasty appetizer with loads of flavor and a crispy, crunchy texture.
Want to elevate Roasted Cauliflower? This Chili-Crisp Roasted Cauliflower recipe is so good, and it couldn’t be easier! There is so much potential here with chili-crisp cauliflower: eat it as a snack, serve it as a side dish or appetizer, or add it to rice bowls!
Make your own homemade Chili Crisp with our easy recipe, or use store-bought (Trader Joe’s carries it)! It is so tasty that you’ll find many ways to use it. We’ve found that crispy roasted cauliflower perfectly soaks up the umami-packed essence and delightful spices of chili crisp- such a great combo!
Why You’ll Love this
- Quick & easy! Only 10 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes in the oven.
- So many ways to enjoy. Serve this roasted cauliflower as a side dish, appetizer or snack, or add it to a rice bowl!
- Unbelievable flavor & texture. Crunchy, crisp texture and spicy, umami flavor!
Chili Crisp Cauliflower Ingredients
This recipe comes together with a handful of simple ingredients!
- Cauliflower – use a whole head of cauliflower or cauliflower florets.
- Chili Crisp – use store-bought or make your own chili crisp!
- Toasted sesame oil – for a toasty, earthy flavor.
- Extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- Rice vinegar for a little punch.
- Soy sauce or gluten-free liquid amino acids.
- Garnishes: minced green onions, chopped roasted peanuts, fresh basil leaves, or fresh parsley or cilantro.
*See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make Chili Crisp Cauliflower
Preheat the oven to 450F.
Step 1: Prep the cauliflower. Cut it into 1-inch slices and use your hands to pull apart the florets. The stems are okay to keep, and the flat edges will help with browning.
Step 2: Toss with oil. In a medium bowl, toss the cauliflower florets with sesame oil, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Step 3: Roast. Spread the cauliflower onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Broil for 2-3 minutes for extra crispiness, but keep your eye on it!
Step 4: Serve. Transfer the roasted cauliflower to a serving dish and sprinkle with rice vinegar and a little soy sauce. Drizzle chili crisp over top.
Step 5: Garnish. Add minced green onions, chopped peanuts, and fresh herbs. Serve immediately!
FAQs
Chili crisp is a spicy, flavorful chili oil with “crispy bits” that originates from the Sichuan province of China, used as a condiment. Made with dried chilis, dried onion flakes, spices and aromatics, it adds a zippy crunch and depth to almost everything. Try our easy recipe!
Add to eggs and avocado toast, mix with other types of roasted vegetables, toss with noodles, drizzle on rice bowls, soups, and stir-fries. The possibilities are truly endless, and it is something you will always want on your table!
Be mindful of using the exact amount of oil listed in the recipe. Cauliflower is a tough vegetable, so it can be tempting to add more oil to the pan, but the veggie absorbs liquid when roasting and will turn mushy if too much oil is used.
Cut it into 1-inch slices first, then use your hands to pull apart the florets. Stems are okay! This method allows there to be a flat edge of the cauliflower, which helps to brown it.
Storage
The Chili Crisp Cauliflower can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
If you are not serving all of the roasted cauliflower right away, add the chili crisp only to the portion you are eating. Chili crisp is best served fresh. Store the cauliflower separately.
To reheat leftovers, you can reheat in the microwave, but we prefer the oven. Preheat the oven to 325F and place on a baking sheet until warm all the way through. This works even better in a toaster oven!
Health Benefits of Cauliflower
- Rich in nutrients: Cauliflower is abundant in vitamins and minerals, providing a significant amount of vitamins C, K, and B6, along with folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, manganese, magnesium, and phosphorus, all while being low in calories.
- High in fiber: Fiber is crucial for digestive health and may reduce the risk of several chronic diseases. Cauliflower is a great source of dietary fiber, which can aid in maintaining a healthy digestive system.
- Contains antioxidants: Cauliflower is rich in antioxidants like glucosinolates and isothiocyanates, which can help to protect against the risk of cancer by neutralizing harmful free radicals in the body.
- High in choline: Choline is an essential nutrient not plentiful in many foods. Cauliflower is a good source of choline, which plays a significant role in brain development and the production of neurotransmitters necessary for a healthy nervous system.
- Can be anti-inflammatory: The antioxidants in cauliflower, such as indole-3-carbinol and sulforaphane, have anti-inflammatory effects that may help reduce the risk of inflammatory diseases.
Love this recipe? Please let us know in the comments and leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below the recipe card.
More recipes you may enjoy
Chili Crisp Cauliflower
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
Golden and delicious roasted Chili Crisp Cauliflower is a fast and easy side dish or tasty appetizer with loads of flavor and a crispy, crunchy texture. Vegan & Gluten-Free.
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 –2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- soy sauce to taste ( or sub gluten-free liquid amino acid)
- 2 tablespoons Chili Crisp (make your own or use store-bought!)
Garnishes: minced green onions, chopped peanuts, fresh basil leaves, fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Cut the cauliflower head in 1 inch slices and then pull apart the cauliflower florets (use the stems too!), this creates flat edges, a flat surface results in better browning on the pan.
- In a bowl toss the cauliflower florets with sesame oil, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Roast for 20 minutes on a baking sheet. Broil for 2-3 minutes if you want extra crisping (watch like a hawk!).
- Arrange cauliflower in a serving dish. Sprinkle with rice vinegar and a little soy sauce if desired. Drizzle liberally with chili crisp.
- Sprinkle choice of garnishes: minced green onions, chopped peanuts, fresh basil leaves, fresh parsley and serve immediately.
If you are not serving all of the cauliflower right away, only add chili crisp to the portion you are going to eat. Chili crisp Cauliflower is at its best crunchiness when served fresh.
Notes
Check out our delicious recipe for chili crisp!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 84
- Sugar: 4.3 g
- Sodium: 256.6 mg
- Fat: 3.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.4 g
- Fiber: 5.6 g
- Protein: 4.6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
My husband and his family are very veggie-adverse, and they loved this! Spicy and delicious, this will be added to our favorite ways to enjoy cauliflower, and will use the chili crisp in multiple other dishes! Thank you!
Awesome to hear this Rusty!
Cutting the cauliflower into flat pieces! So smart, mind blown. 😃
Ha! Awesome Chris.
Made this last week and wow! Where has this been all my life? I went the quick route with Trader Joe’s Chili Onion Crunch. I was a bit heavy handed with the Chili Crunch spread. The kids were not as fond of the heat but that just meant more for me. Such an easy and pretty dish.
Great to hear this Amy!
Made this two evenings ago but it was so delicious I had to go out and buy another cauliflower yesterday so we could have it again. SO good and that was without toppings. Thanks!
Great to hear Barbara!
I live in Canada. What the heck is Chili Crisp??
A delicious mix of spices, onion flakes and chile flakes infused in oil. We have a recipe, you can put chili crisp in the search bar.