Whole roasted spicy tandoori cauliflower garnished with pickled onions, buttery pistachios, and crunchy-sweet pomegranate seeds is a show-stopper vegetarian dish for family meals and parties. Served with cooling cucumber raita this tasty and visually inspiring meal is ready in under 20 minutes.
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Inspiration
Last year I had the pleasure of dining at ABC V, Jean-Georges’ vegan restaurant in Manhattan. One dish that visually took my breath away was the whole roasted cauliflower. It had a brilliant yellow hue and was topped with little gems of pistachios, pomegranate, dried olives, and more.
As I started this year’s Thanksgiving preparation, I wanted to create a visually appealing side dish, but it looks like this dish can actually hold its own as a main! My version has hearty tandoori flavors with a cooling cucumber raita. A perfect main dish for a Vegetarian Thanksgiving Menu.
Are you looking to experiment with Indian cooking? This dish is a must-try!
I love that with the help of an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker and an air fryer, this stunning dish can be cooked in just 20 minutes. A perfect main dish for your holiday table.
Ingredients
- Cauliflower - a medium-sized fresh whole head of cauliflower
- Spices - turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, ground cumin, and coriander
- Yogurt - creamy whole milk yogurt or Greek yogurt works best for the marinade and the cucumber raita
- Cucumbers - small Persian cucumber
- Garnish - cilantro, pomegranate, pistachios, and pickled onions
How to Make Tandoori Cauliflower
- Trim cauliflower leaves and steam. Make turmeric and salt brine.
- Add 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot insert. Place the trivet inside the Instant pot and place cauliflower on top of the trivet. Apply salt and turmeric brine liberally over the cauliflower. Turn the cauliflower head upside down and pour over the leftover brine. Steam the cauliflower in the Instant Pot for 1 minute. Quick release and take out the cauliflower on a platter.
- Make the tandoori spice blend and generously coat the cooked cauliflower with the marinade and place it in the preheated air fryer. Air fry at 400 F for 5 minutes or roast the cauliflower in a preheated oven.
- Place the air-fried cauliflower on a medium-serving platter. Pour Cucumber Raita around the cauliflower. Garnish with cilantro, pistachios, pomegranates, and pickled onions. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice top.
Serving
Cut the cauliflower into thin steaks and serve with cucumber raita, pickled onions, and a lemon wedge.
More Ideas to Garnish Tandoori Cauliflower
✓ chopped cilantro
✓ pomegranate
✓ roasted pistachios
✓ sliced almonds
✓ cashews pan-fried in ghee
✓ pickled onions
Tips
- Brush the turmeric and salt + water brine all over the cauliflower, also turn the cauliflower head upside down and pour over any remaining brine.
- Spread the marinade on the top as well as the underside
- The pressure cook time for whole cauliflower (trimmed weight): For 1 to 1.5 lbs steam for 1 minute, for 1.5 to 2 lbs steam for 2 minutes, and for less than 1 lb steam for zero minutes.
Variations
- Vegan whole cauliflower - substitute yogurt with vegan yogurt for both marinade and raita. Check out this article on the best dairy-free yogurts
- To adjust the spice levels, add more or less Kashmiri red chili and garam masala
- You can also bake the cauliflower in the oven on a baking sheet.
- Before serving cut the cauliflower into ½-inch steaks and broil for 5 minutes to get a crispier texture
More Thanksgiving and Holiday Recipes
Want to serve this gorgeous roasted cauliflower for the upcoming holidays? Here are some of my favorite recipes to make a complete holiday meal:
Recipe
Whole Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower head trimmed (2.12 pounds before removing the leaves and stems, 1.3 pounds after)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for basting
Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons yogurt
- 1 to 3 teaspoons kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic grated
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Raita:
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 2 small persian cucumbers peeled and grated
- 1 garlic clove grated
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Garnish:
- 2 tablespoons roasted pistachios rough chopped
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds or cranberries/raisins
- 2 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped
- pickled onions
- 4 Lemon wedges
Instructions
Step 1: Brine and Steam the Cauliflower
- Add 1 cup water to Instant Pot.
- Place the cauliflower head on the trivet and place the trivet inside the Instant Pot
- Mix salt and turmeric in 2 tablespoons of water and brush it all over the cauliflower. Turn the cauliflower over and evenly pour any remaining brine on it.
- Then place the cauliflower back on the trivet with the stem down. Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Pressure Cook for 1 minute followed by quick release and open the Instant Pot.
Step 2: Marinate and Roast
- Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl. Apply the marinade on the steamed cauliflower using a brush or silicone spatula. You can also turn the cauliflower over to get any remaining marinade under the cauliflower. Then place the cauliflower back on the trivet with the stem down. Apply the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over the cauliflower.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 F. Place the marinated cauliflower in the air fryer. Air fry at 400 F for 5 minutes. You can also roast in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 3: Raita
- In a bowl, add finely grated cucumber, salt, grated garlic, ground cumin and cilantro. Add yogurt and mix well.
Step 4: Plating
- Place the cauliflower in a medium serving platter. Pour Raita around the cauliflower. Garnish with cilantro, pistachios, pomegranates and pickled onions. Add lemon wedges to the side.
- Cut into ½ inch steaks while serving.
Video
Notes
- Boil 1 cup of red pearl onions in 2 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of salt for 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the onions and rinse once
- In a small saucepan add ½ cup water, ½ cup apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup sugar, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon black peppercorn, ½ teaspoon fennel seeds and bring it to a boil or until the sugar dissolves
- Place the drained onions in a jar or glass bowl. Pour the vinegar water over it. Allow it to come to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving
Nutrition
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Pallavi Korde says
The receipe looks too good and a must try. My only concern is can't it be made in a pan or pressure cooker. Can u pls add recipe for pan. Thanks
Archana says
Hi Pallavi, You can steam in the pressure cooker or stovetop in a stainless steel colander. For stove top, you can check for doneness, using a wooden skewer. It should go in smoothly. For pressure cooker cook just until the pressure cooker builds the pressure and turn off before the first whistle. Then carefully remove the whistle. Hope this helps.
Nithiya says
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was a hit!
Archana says
Thank you for your lovely feedback!
Lacey says
I tried this recipe along with pickled onions for thanksgiving dinner and it was a hit!! I loved that it was super easy and the cauliflower was so soft. The only difference was mine didn't turn out as pretty (orange/red/tandoori color) as yours even though I used Kashmiri mirch.. What brand did you use?
Archana says
Thank you! I use swad brand Kashmiri red chili. I also use around 3 teasonns as we like it a bit spicy.
Vishakha says
Made it for Thanksgiving, it was a super hit !
Archana says
Thank you so much for the feedback!
Madhu Krish says
I tried this recipe. Super easy and quick. I baked it in the oven. Only issue was that the tandoori masala did not seep into the inside or cauliflower. As a result, the outside was flavorful but inside part was bland. How do I make sure that flavor is distributed throughout?
Thank you!
Archana says
Check my detailed notes where I mention to put the cauliflower upside down so the marinade can go all the way in.
Deepthi says
Hi , this recipe came out great. Thanks for sharing. As posted by another person on this page, the masala did not seep in and I was unable to turn the cauliflower upside down as it was brittle and felt it would crack. Any suggestions?
Deepthi says
Hi , this recipe came out great. Thanks for sharing. As posted by another person on this page, the masala did not seep in and I was unable to turn the cauliflower upside down as it was brittle and felt it would crack. Any suggestions?
Archana says
I am glad you enjoyed the flavors. Cauliflower is pretty hardy, so next time spread half of the marinate with the cauliflower upside down and half over the top.
MZ says
I'm planning on making this for a potluck - for baking it in the oven (instead of the crisp lid), how long should I bake it for and at what temp?
Archana says
So you will still pressure cook the cauliflower in the Instant Pot. Then finish in the oven by baking at 400 degree F for 5 to 10 mins.
Tarun says
The flavors were great. However, the salt was too much. 2 teaspoons of salt in the initial steaming with turmeric and 1 teaspoon with tandoori marinade make it very salty. Isn’t 3 teaspoons too much? Thanks
Archana says
I am so glad you enjoyed the flavors. I use kosher salt and also most of the salt from the initial pressure cooking step does not fully seep inside the cauliflower. But yes you can always adjust salt to taste.
K says
Thank you for this recipe. Would the cauliflower holdup if I cooked it a day before, marinated it, left it in the fridge overnight and bake it the next day? Or will it be soggy mess?
Archana says
It will work. Basically you are just steaming the cauliflower beforehand.
Priya says
Can we do it in Conventional Oven?
Archana says
Yes! You can steam in the Instant Pot and then broil in the oven for 5 mins. Or you can bake in the oven for 30 to 45 mins
Puj812 says
This is the most comforting dish to get through the start of cold weather. Packed with so many flavors, spices and textures. It's also very impressive to serve for the holidays. I give this incredible Roasted Cauliflower a 10/10.
Aparna says
Tried this recipe and everything was delicious. Initially I kept the cauliflower for 5 minutes @400 F and then another 5 minutes @350. Wondering if I should have gone longer because when we cut the cauliflower ; the center didn’t show a roasted effect. But the recipe is perfect and pairs so well with the raita 🙂 thanks so much !!
Archana says
Hi Aparna, Thank you for your detailed review. So what I do with this recipe is use the Instant Pot to cook the cauliflower tender and then bake or airfare for 5 mins to give it a roasted texture. If you were to cook this recipe all the way in oven you need to bake it anywhere between 35 - 45 mins depending on the size of your cauliflower. Then when you insert a knife in the middle it should go thru easily and the cauliflower will be perfectly cooked. I am sure you will try it again 🙂
Mugdha Kshirsagar says
This was a hit for our Thanksgiving dinner this year! Perfect center piece for a vegetarian meal! Loved the fact that it was super quick to make. Doesn't need any fancy ingredients. So it's a win all the way!
Priti says
Made this today. Delicious and filling!
Neha says
This was so easy to do, and delicious for a great low carb side!
Mitzi says
Steamed medium sized cauliflower fir 1 minute. Followed other instructions. Didn’t get tender. Steamed again for 2 minutes.
Archana says
I am sorry 1-minute didnt work for you. However, it is better to add more time than overcook as it can fall apart.
Rose says
I’ve never cooked with fenugreek leaves (omg, yum) or tried to make tandoori anything. So…of course the marinade coating smelled/tasted so good and looked like it couldn’t possibly be enough, so I doubled it. Well, our cauliflower was delicious, but quite potent. So stick with it as written or thin it out a little if needed.
But - WOW, YUM, will definitely make again! Thank you so much!!
Archana says
Thank you for the feedback! Fenugreek leaves add a distinct taste and aroma to the marinade.
Louise Rayner says
I’ve made this a few times now, for family occasions and people love it! They say it’s a showstopper or a centre piece meal! It looks amazing and tastes great, and is deceptively simple to make! I serve it with quinoa and chickpeas and it’s a delicious complete meal! I don’t have a pressure cooker so I just steam it in a pan with the brine and all it needs is 5 minutes. I will continue to make this, it’s also good and have the wow factor!
Archana Mundhe says
I'm so glad to hear that this recipe has become a hit at your family gatherings! Your idea of serving it with quinoa and chickpeas sounds delicious—such a hearty and complete meal. Thanks for sharing your tip on steaming it in a pan; it's great to know it works well without a pressure cooker. I'm thrilled that you'll continue making this dish!