Cauliflower Salad

Cauliflower salad combines spiced roasted cauliflower florets and nutty chickpeas with a creamy tahini dressing.

This recipe is excellent as a light lunch or part of a Mediterranean-inspired spread for a tasty dinner.

You’ll love this cauliflower salad recipe because it’s simple, nourishing and delicious.

Cauliflower salad is an easy Mediterranean-inspired recipe that’s easy to prepare, colorful, and nutritious.

Based on your feedback and inspired by our chickpea salad, tahini salad, and cauliflower lentil salad, we combine cauliflower with chickpeas to make this salad deeply satisfying.

For the best flavor, toss the chickpeas and cauliflower florets in flavorful spices and roast them together on the same baking tray.

The roasted vegetables are served with a generous drizzle of creamy tahini sauce and topped with lemon zest, pomegranate seeds, and fresh parsley.

We think the combination of creamy, smoky, nutty, zesty, fruity, and herby flavors makes this cauliflower salad unique and delicious.

The cauliflower and chickpeas make it deeply satisfying. Pair it with warm pita bread, and you’ll have a delicious meal.

Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Cauliflower

Pick a large fresh cauliflower head.

You can also use frozen cauliflower florets, but they are not the best for this recipe because they turn out softer and mushier than fresh cauliflower.

Chickpeas

Chickpeas or garbanzo beans add a nutty flavor and satiating plant protein.

You can use canned chickpeas or dried chickpeas that you cook at home.

Here’s our guide on how to cook chickpeas at home.

Parsley

We use fresh flat-leaf parsley.

Substitute fresh dill, chives, coriander, or mint leaves for parsley.

Lemon

Lemon juice is essential to add freshness and a lovely, zesty flavor. We also top the salad with grated lemon zest for an extra fruity aroma.

We recommend using an organic lemon.

Pomegranate seeds

Pomegranate arils add color, sweetness, and tanginess to this roasted cauliflower salad.

Substitute halved cherry tomatoes for pomegranate seeds.

Tahini Sauce

You’ll need tahini, freshly squeezed lemon juice, crushed garlic, salt, and water.

Note: The quality of your tahini will make all the difference here. Try to get one made with 100% hulled sesame seeds. It should be runny, not thick like a paste, and light beige in color.

1. Roast cauliflower and chickpeas

Preheat the oven/air fryer to 400°F or 200°C.

Cut the cauliflower into florets and add them to a baking tray.

Add drained and rinsed canned chickpeas and crushed garlic.

Season with extra virgin olive oil, ground cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper.

Toss well and arrange on a single layer.

Oven bake for 30 minutes, air fry for 20. The cauliflower should be fork-tender and slightly charred.

2. Make tahini sauce

While the cauliflower roasts make the tahini sauce.

Add tahini, freshly squeezed lemon juice, water, and salt to a small bowl.

Whisk until smooth and creamy.

3. Assemble the salad

Add the roasted chickpeas and cauliflower to a large serving bowl or dish.

Drizzle them with the tahini sauce.

Top with pomegranate arils, chopped parsley, and grated lemon zest.

There’s no need to toss the cauliflower salad.

We eat this for a light lunch with some pita bread or in a wrap.

It’s also excellent as part of a spread with other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern recipes.

It goes particularly well with baba ganoush, mutabal, zaalouk, avocado spread, hummus, tabbouleh, and many other Middle Eastern recipes.

Roasted cauliflower salad is best served at room temperature, so if you store it in the fridge, take it out 15 minutes before eating.

Storage

Make ahead: You can make this recipe three days in advance; however, on the second day, the dressing might have dried up, so we recommend adding more lemon juice before serving it.

Refrigerator: Store cauliflower salad leftover in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freezer: We do not recommend freezing this recipe.

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CAULIFLOWER RECIPES: Cauliflower lentil salad, cauliflower pasta, whole roasted cauliflower, Moroccan chickpea stew, cauliflower soup, broccoli cauliflower salad, cauliflower mashed potatoes, roasted cauliflower, and air fryer cauliflower.

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Moroccan Chickpea Stew

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