Curry Roasted Cauliflower Salad
on Nov 28, 2023, Updated Aug 02, 2024
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This vibrant curry roasted cauliflower salad with chickpeas, cranberries and creamy yogurt dressing is sure to become a staple in your recipe rotation.
Whether you’re looking for a healthy and hearty salad for lunch, meal prep salad, yummy side dish or something to bring along to a potluck or get-together, this flavorful salad does it all.
This Broccoli Apple Salad, Zesty Italian Pasta Salad, Kale Peanut Brown Rice Salad, Wild Rice Salad and Quinoa Kale Salad with Roasted Vegetables are also great choices for make-ahead salads.
For more cauliflower recipes, Easy Cauliflower Chickpea Curry, Roasted Cauliflower Burrito Bowls and Creamy Cauliflower Wild Rice Soup are all delicious and easy to make.
Ingredients
For the Roasted Cauliflower Salad
- Cauliflower: You’ll need one large head of cauliflower or 2 small heads of cauliflower, though the amount doesn’t have to be precise. Mine worked out to roughly 8 cups of chopped cauliflower.
- Chickpeas: Canned chickpeas are good but you can cook your own if you prefer. You’ll need about 2 cups.
- Red Onion: You’ll need 2 small or 1 large red onion or enough to make about 2 cups of slices. Again, there’s no need to be precise.
- Oil: You can use any cooking oil you like such as avocado oil, grape seed oil or olive oil.
- Spices: You’ll need curry powder, cumin, garlic powder, ground ginger and cinnamon.
- Cranberries: Use dried cranberries or substitute raisins or chopped medjool dates.
- Cilantro: You’ll need fresh cilantro or you can substitute fresh parsley.
- Cashews: The cashews are optional but nice for extra texture and crunch. Purchase them toasted or toast them in a pan or in the oven over low heat until golden brown, or you could purchase dry roasted cashews. Pumpkin seeds, pecans, hazelnut, pine nuts or sunflower seeds would all work as well. Sesame seeds also make a nice addition or topping.
For the Creamy Dressing
- Yogurt: Any plain plant-based yogurt works as long as you like the flavour. I used Riviera plain coconut yogurt.
- Mayo: Use your choice of vegan mayo.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar works well though you could substitute lemon juice or even white vinegar if that’s what you have.
- Maple Syrup: Agave or honey are suitable substitutes.
- Curry Powder: Use a mild yellow curry powder.
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
Variations & Additions
This salad makes a great base for experimenting with different ingredients and flavours. Here are a few ideas:
- Add 1-2 cups roasted sweet potatoes or swap the cauliflower for sweet potato entirely.
- Add up to 1/2 cup grated carrot.
- Add diced red or green bell pepper.
- Serve topped with pomegranate.
- Add a couple handfuls of baby spinach, kale or arugula.
- Add up to 1/2 cup kalamata olives.
- Add 2-3 tbsp of additional finely chopped fresh herbs like parsley or mint.
- For alternative dressings, you can use the creamy tahini dressing from this Fall Harvest Salad, this Maple Dijon Dressing or Miso Tahini Dressing.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Roast cauliflower and chickpeas.
Add the cauliflower florets, chickpeas and sliced red onion to a large bowl with 1 tbsp of oil.
Next, add the spices over top and season with salt and pepper. Lastly, toss well to coat everything in the oil and spices.
Spread the mixture evenly between two baking sheets and roast for 28-30 minutes. Shake and rotate the pans halfway through baking.
Step 2: Make the creamy dressing.
Meanwhile, using the same large bowl you mixed the cauliflower in, add all of the dressing ingredients and mix until smooth and creamy.
Step 3: Mix the salad.
Once the cauliflower is done roasting, let it cool slightly then add it to the bowl with the dressing along with the remaining salad ingredients and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, if needed, and enjoy your beautiful salad.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. You can use frozen cauliflower and roast it from frozen without thawing it.
You could make this salad with sweet potato, squash or carrot instead of cauliflower.
Absolutely! The flavours only improve with time so feel free to make it a few hours up to a day in advance.
It can also be stored in the fridge up to 4 days but if you’re making it for an occasion I’d prepare it no more than 1 day in advance.
Leftovers can be enjoyed cold, at room temperature or warmed briefly in the microwave.
Though you could safely freeze this salad it’s not recommended due to the texture change after freezing and thawing.
Technically, yes, but you may need to do it in 2-4 batches depending on the size of your air fryer. Avoid overcrowding the basket. Roast the veggies and chickpeas at 400 F for 10-15 minutes, or until tender and golden.
Cooking Tips
- Try to cut the cauliflower and red onion into evenly-sized pieces so they roast evenly.
- Use a high temperature for roasting. The recipe calls for roasting at 425 F so be sure to follow that to achieve caramelization of the red onion and caulilfower.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. Use two pans to roast the cauliflower-chickpea mixture. You want the pieces to have some space so they roast and caramelize rather than steam and get soggy.
- Make in advance. If you have time, try making this salad a few hours before serving so the flavours really have time to meld together. It’s totally fine to enjoy it right away too though!
Curry Roasted Cauliflower Salad
Ingredients
Roasted Cauliflower Salad
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces (8 cups, 735 g)
- 1 540 ml can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 red onion, cut into ½-inch slices (2 cups, 205 g)
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup dried cranberries, 70 g
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ cup toasted cashews, optional (70 g)
- salt and black pepper
Yogurt Dressing
- ½ cup plain vegan yogurt, 125 g
- 1 tbsp vegan mayo, 15 g
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 30 mL
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp curry powder
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat the oven to 425 F. Chop the cauliflower and red onion and open, drain and rinse the can of chickpeas.
- Prepare for Roasting: Add the chopped cauliflower, chickpeas and red onion to a large bowl with 1 tbsp of oil. Sprinkle the curry powder, cumin, garlic powder, ginger and cinnamon over top. Season with salt and pepper then toss to coat.
- Roast Cauliflower, Chickpeas and Onion: Divide the mixture evenly between two baking sheets, spreading it out in an even layer. Roast for 28-30 minutes, tossing the mixture and rotating the pans halfway through, until the cauliflower is tender and chickpeas are slightly crisp.
- Prepare Dressing: While the cauliflower is roasting, to the same large bowl add all of the dressing ingredients and whisk until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Mix Salad: Let the roasted cauliflower and chickpeas cool briefly. When just warm, add to the bowl with the dressing along with the cranberries, cilantro and cashews and mix well.
- Serve: Transfer to a serving platter or individual bowls and top with more cilantro, if desired.
Stunning! Cannot wait for lunches tines now. I’m the envy of all who sees it!
Made this for dinner tonight on a bed of spinach-it was delicious!! I think next time I will try a chopped up apple instead of the dried cranberries. Don’t get me wrong the cranberries are great in it, I just like to experiment. This will definitely be in the rotation!
Sounds great with apple, thanks for sharing!
I love This salad I add celery and French green beans make it once a week keeps very well
Thank you
This is delicious. I used pine nuts instead of cashews and I added some moroccan tofu. Without the yogurt dressing – it’s good- and with it – Delicious!
SO GOOD! I didn’t bother with the cashews but otherwise made as written. Definitely will be a staple!
SO good. I’ve never made a yogurt dressing and it ROCKED the dish! I substituted 2 cups of cooked quinoa for the chickpeas but other than that, followed the recipe. YUM!
Made this right away and it was a hit all around – even with the teens. Thanks for another great recipe!
I went out on a limb making this and it disappoint! My 11 year old son even loves it! It was easy to make and I’m playing around with different variations tonget readybfoe the holidays. Thanks for such an awesome recipe. I look forward to exploring more and adding to our collection of delicious healthy food. Happy Thanksgiving!!
Loving this! This will be my lunch for the week.
Ok so I made this last night and it was AMAZING! Seriously this dish will be in rotation in our household. It was delish!