Best Whole Roasted Cauliflower
One of my favorite vegan dinners, this whole roasted cauliflower is easy to make and looks stunning at the center of a holiday table! Every person I have made it for has absolutely loved it – including meat eaters.
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The very first time I roasted a whole head of cauliflower, I made it for a holiday dinner and the whole family LOVED it.
It’s so dang good and tastes crazy similar to a traditional pot roast, while still being 100% vegan.
Admittedly, I could eat the gravy by the spoonful. The secret to making a “meaty”-tasting gravy is to use soy sauce and a little Worcestershire sauce (be careful not to get one that contains anchovies.)
I also add some smoked paprika for a little umami oomph. Smoked paprika is a must-have in my pantry! It’s what gives bacon alternatives that perfect smokey flavor.
Keeping up with the roast tradition, this cauliflower roast is surrounded by carrots and potatoes. I love how the potatoes just soak up all that savory gravy. Classic comfort food with incredible flavor!
Enjoy with vegan green bean casserole and baked mac and cheese for a traditional holiday meal.
Oven roasted whole cauliflower is the perfect vegan roast for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas or a Sunday dinner with family. While very simple to make, it does need a little TLC while roasting. I like to baste the cauliflower with the homemade gravy to keep it moist and really amplify the flavor.
The trick to getting even more flavor inside of the cauliflower is…putting the gravy literally inside. Place the cauliflower bottom-side-up and pour in some gravy. Then, give it a little shake to evenly distribute that yummy flavor between the florets. Set the cauliflower right-side-up and brush more gravy all over.
Ingredients
Reminder: You can find the full, detailed and printable recipe in the recipe card below.
For the gravy, you’ll need:
- Vegetable stock: Buy a carton at the store or make your own. You can also buy bouillon paste – it’s usually cheaper to make veggie stock that way!
- Soy Sauce: Adds a rich umami flavor to the gravy without using beef.
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce: Traditionally, Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies. However, many brands are anchovy-free. The Kroger store brand and Annie’s brand are vegan. You can also make homemade vegan Worcestershire sauce.
- Maple syrup: Adds a touch of sweetness.
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, thyme, sage, smoked paprika, and pepper
- Cornstarch mixed with water for a cornstarch slurry to help thicken the gravy.
For the roast:
- Head of cauliflower: Choose a medium-sized whole cauliflower. A larger cauliflower will increase the cooking time.
- Carrots and potatoes: I love to add these for that vegan pot roast flair.
- Vegetable stock: To add moisture and help cook the veggies.
How to Roast Whole Cauliflower
Reminder: You can find the full, detailed and printable recipe in the recipe card below.
The Gravy
- In a medium-sized pot, whisk together all of the gravy ingredients EXCEPT for the cornstarch & water.
- Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer on medium-low heat for 5 minutes. (This will allow all the flavors to marry.) Remove from the heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water to make a cornstarch slurry.
- Once the pot is no longer simmering, slowly whisk the cornstarch slurry into the gravy a little at a time. Going slow will ensure that no clumps form.
- The gravy will begin to thicken as soon as the cornstarch is whisked in. Put the pot back on the stove and return to a simmer for an additional 3 minutes.
The Roast
- Preheat oven to 450F degrees.
- Arrange the potatoes and carrots in a roasting dish with the cauliflower in the center. Be careful not to overcrowd the dish.
- Place the cauliflower upside-down and pour 1/3 cup of the gravy into it. Give it a good shake to distribute the gravy.
- Place cauliflower right-side up and brush more gravy on the top to cover it (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup)
- Add 1/2 cup of vegetable stock to the bottom of the dish (this will help steam the veggies.)
- Pour about a 1/3 cup of gravy over top of the potatoes and carrots.
- Cover the dish tightly with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes, brushing the cauliflower with more gravy halfway through.
- Uncover the cauliflower roast and brush more gravy on. Bake for another 30 minutes (uncovered), brushing with more gravy halfway again.
- Remove from the oven and serve while hot.
Once the whole roasted cauliflower comes out of the oven, I recommend cutting it like you would a round cake. Serve alongside those potatoes and carrots, and perhaps some salad, green bean casserole or stuffing, and that’s a complete meal!
FAQ
If you have a larger-than-average head of cauliflower, allow for additional cooking time OR if it’s super large, steam the cauliflower for 10-15 minutes beforehand. Make sure to cover the roast tightly for the first 40 minutes of cooking time. This is really important to help steam the roast in the oven. To cover, I recommend using aluminum foil, a casserole dish with a lid, or a dutch oven. You could also cover your dish with a baking sheet if your dish is deep enough. Also, avoid overcrowding your dish. If you only have a small casserole dish or roasting pan, just cook the potatoes and carrots in a separate dish.
Make sure to bring the gravy back to a simmer after adding the cornstarch and water mixture (aka, cornstarch slurry). You can also make more cornstarch slurry to add to the gravy.
Coconut aminos or tamari are good substitutes.
Make a homemade Worcestershire sauce or just leave it out, it adds a nice touch but won’t compromise the overall flavor of the gravy if you don’t add any.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Please leave a comment and a ⭐ star review below!
Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
The Gravy
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 1/3 cup soy sauce I use low sodium
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup optional, for sweetness
- 3 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce *
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 3/4 teaspoon thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon sage
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 5 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup water
The Roast
- 1 whole cauliflower leaves and outer stalk trimmed off
- 4 large carrots chopped
- 4 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock
Instructions
The Gravy
- In a medium-sized pot, whisk together all of the gravy ingredients EXCEPT for the cornstarch & water.
- Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer on medium-low heat for 5 minutes. (This will allow all the flavors to marry.) Remove from the heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water to make a cornstarch slurry.
- Once the pot is no longer simmering, slowly whisk the cornstarch slurry into the gravy a little at a time. Going slow will ensure that no clumps form.
- The gravy will begin to thicken as soon as the cornstarch is whisked in. Put the pot back on the stove and return to a simmer for an additional 3 minutes.
The Roast
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Arrange the potatoes and carrots in a roasting dish with the cauliflower in the center. Be careful not to overcrowd the dish.
- Place the cauliflower upside-down and pour 1/3 cup of the gravy into it. Give it a good shake to distribute the gravy.
- Place cauliflower right-side up and brush more gravy on the top to cover it (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup)
- Add 1/2 cup of vegetable stock to the bottom of the dish (this will help steam the veggies.)
- Pour about a 1/3 cup of gravy over top of the potatoes and carrots.
- Cover the dish tightly with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes, brushing the cauliflower with more gravy halfway through.
- Uncover the cauliflower roast and brush more gravy on. Bake for another 30 minutes (uncovered), brushing with more gravy halfway again.
- Remove from the oven and serve while hot.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
More Thanksgiving Recipes:
Going to make this tonight! Do you use fresh or dried herbs? Thank you!
Dried!
Delicious!
I made this today and it is really delicious! I found it really easy to make too! Wonderful recipe, thank you!!
Beautiful recipe, could eat this gravy on everything
THIS HAS BECOME OUR ABSOLUTE FAVORITE MEAL. I USE BRAGG’S LIQUID AMINOS INSTEAD OF SOY. I’M SHARING IT WITH EVERYONE! THANKS.
For anyone using the metric system:
The Gravy:
710ml vegetable stock
79ml soy sauce
1 tbsp maple syrup optional, for sweetness
3 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce *
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp parsley
3/4 tsp thyme
3/4 tsp sage
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp pepper
5 tbsp cornstarch
118ml water
The Roast:
1 whole cauliflower leaves and outer stalk trimmed off
4 large carrots chopped
4 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
118 ml vegetable stock
Thank you! This recipe is fantastic! Sure to convert many a meat eater!
Thank you!
Just finished eating this tonight for supper. Whole family loved it! It was super delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
This dish was delicious. I made extra gravy and added mushrooms to my veggies. Very filling and full of great taste. Will definitely make it again.
I made this for our Christmas dinner this year, and it was a hit with everyone, including the meat eaters who absolutely loved the gravy! Wow! Better than most non-vegan gravies even. I had to insist they let the vegans get first dibs (along with my son who is DF, GF). I should have tripled the gravy! Love it! I’d never tried roasted cauliflower. SO muh better than any other way I’ve ever had that. I will be making this often! Thanks!
My kitchen smell so good! I just finished a luscious plateful of this recipe and am going back for more. I will definitely be making this roast cauliflower again.
Thank you! So happy you loved it!
Can you make this in an instapot??
Well so far my gravy is not thick. I like to think I’m a seasoned cook and I have made gravy a lot over the years and has always turned out better then this one. Just got it all in the oven. As they say proof is on the pudding we will see.
This turned out great ; ) Good thing i went with tamari sauce instead of soy sauce as you suggested as that adds plenty of salt for my taste. I add half of a red onion and a red bell pepper as well . Next time i make it i will add some mushrooms ; ) Thanks for posting it
delicious!
HI! I am making this for my husband and I’s first vegan Thanksgiving!!! 🙂 I am bringing it to my brother’s house and was wondering 2 things:
1) He lives 1 hour away-am I ok to pre-roast everything and then transport to his home in the car, then oven re-heat for 10-15 minutes when I arrive?
2) Can I make the gravy the night before?
Hey, Jean! My first recommendation would be to prep ahead of time, and then roast when you get there. However, if that is not an option, you can pre-roast as you mentioned. It will probably take more like 20-30 minutes to reheat but that depends on how large the cauliflower is. You’re fine to make the gravy ahead of time, as well! But you’ll need to reheat it before use as it will set up when cooled.
Can this dish be cooked in a slow cooker?
Hi Karen, unfortunately, I have not tried that method so I can’t say. If you end up trying it, please let me know how it turns out!
Really wonderful recipe and my husband loved it. Thank you!
I’ve made this many times. My family loves it and I’ve taken it to potlucks and family gatherings. I use the bagged baby carrots to make it even easier and I do double the gravy. So good!
Do you think it would be possible to make this dish in an Instant Pot? If so, do you have any tips? I’m an Instant Pot newbie. 😉
Hey, Julia! Unfortunately, I have not tried to make this recipe in the Instant Pot.
I loved this recipe. And yes, double the gravy. I have made twice and second time I broke the cauliflower into chunks. No not as pretty, but every bite gets gravy on it. It’s just me…so taste over pretty. haha. Definitely a KEEPER!.
Hi Karissa, I’m new to the vegan lifestyle approx. one month and wanted to make this delicious sounding cauliflower recipe for Thanksgiving at my daughter’s. I’ll be travelling with it for approx two hours – should I cook it as you say and take it like that or should I just prepare everything and put it together and cook it when I get there. Will it become soggy if I put sauce on it and cook it and then wait 2-3 hours before serving it? Thanks for your response.
Hey, Kathy! Yes, I would recommend prepping it ahead of time but cooking it when you get there.
Delicious!! This dish was absolutely delicious and surprisingly filling (for just veggies). My family loved it even though they were skeptical, and my son doesn’t even like cauliflower but he loved this dish. THANK YOU!! I used low sodium soy sauce and it was not too salty. Everything as per directions were perfect.
Thank you! I’m so happy everyone loved it!
Yum! I doubled the gravy as someone suggested, so we have plenty leftover. I also made sure to double the carrots and add a few more potatoes as we love them and wanted leftovers. This would be perfect as written, but I did add some sliced mushrooms I needed to use up and a few cloves of peeled garlic. I will definitely be making this again.
This was amazing. Best cauliflower dish I have made in a while. Soy sauce made it a little salty, so low sodium soy the next time.
Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for commenting!
I an just reading about it and looks delicious
My daughter Sydney and I chose this recipe as OUR FIRST ROASTED CAULIFLOWER because of all the wonderul spices and NO SALT in the recipe. We used Tamari instead of soy sauce, added a good size red/purple onion-(chopped)with the other veggies and added ONE (1) average size chopped serrano pepper and OH MY GOODNESS! IT IS AS TASTY AS IT IS BEAUTIFUL!! We LOVE the SPICY the serrano brought to our roasted cauliflower! We also chose to use gemstone variety potatoes, you don’t have to even cut them up or peel them, just wash ’em & throw them in with the carrots and our onion and serrano…….SHUT UP this is so good! Served it with steamed brown rice and VOILA! AWESOME VEGAN! Thanks for posting this recipe! We will be making this again!
Loved this recipe! I used low-sodium broth and soy, and roasted the veggies to al dente. So tasty! Will definitely make this again!