Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Herb Dressing

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Roasted cauliflower salad with a lemon herb dressing. Nutty quinoa mixed with roasted cauliflower and chickpeas. Great for batch cooking and making in advance. This cauliflower salad is packed full of nutrients and tasty ingredients, with everything you need to fill you up and keep you feeling satisfied for the rest of the day.

Quinoa and roasted cauliflower salad with lemon & herb dressing, served in a small bowl sat on a blue napkin.

👩🏻‍🍳 Why make this recipe

This roasted cauliflower salad is all about making a few healthy ingredients taste good together. The charred cauliflower and lemon infused quinoa mix together to create the base for a nutritious and full flavoured salad. Its easy to prepare and once made it can be stored in the fridge and used over several days.

🥘 Ingredients

To make this cauliflower salad recipe you will need:

Ingredient notes

See recipe card at the bottom for full recipe and ingredients quantities.

Quinoa: Can be with your preferred grain. For a similar favour and nutrient content replace with brown rice. Or try with white rice, wild rice, couscous, barley buckwheat or bulgur wheat.

Chickpeas: Optional. Can be substituted for another pulse or bean.

Apple: Apple adds a sweet flavour to this citruses salad, which pairs perfectly with the crunchy hazelnuts and earthy quinoa. Can be substituted for your preferred fruit, try with dried cranberries, chopped mango or halved grapes.

Parsley: Optional but helps to brighten up the flavour and appearance of the salad

Hazelnuts: optional, leave out if your prefer or replace with another type of nut such as cashews, walnuts, almonds or peanuts.

Lemon, oil, dijon and creme fraishe: all of these are needed to make the salad dressing. If you prefer, swap for a salad dressing of your choosing.

🔪 Step by step instructions

Pre heat oven to 200 degrees C. Chop the florets off the main stem of the cauliflower then chop into smaller bitesized pieces.
Place chopped cauliflower florets in a bowl along with the drained chickpeas, oil, salt and pepper and lemon juice.
Toss together well with your hands then transfer to a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, shuffling the mixture half way through.
Whilst the cauliflower is cooking place the quinoa in small saucepan with a wedge of lemon and covered with double the amount water. Simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes.
With the cauliflower in the oven and the quinoa cooking in the pan, the dressing can be prepared. In a small bowl or container mix together the oil, mustard, creme fraiche, parsley, salt and lemon juice. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
After the quinoa has been simmering for 15 minutes, take off the heat but do not remove the lid. Set to one side and leave with the lid on for 10 minutes.
When the cauliflower is cooked remove from the oven and transfer to a large bowl. Remove the lid from the quinoa and discard the wedge of lemon. Fluff up the quinoa with a fork and then add to the bowl alongside the cauliflower. Next add the chopped apple, hazelnuts, fresh parsley and half of the dressing.
Mix together well then serve with the remaining dressing.

💭 Expert tips

Cut cauliflower up on the tray that you intend to roast it on so that the bits of cauliflower are caught on the tray (makes it quicker and easier when cleaning up).
Roughly chop the cauliflower into bit size chunks. Try not to chop into tiny pieces as these can become mushy upon cooking.
Chop the apple up just before mixing into the salad to keep it fresh and prevent any browning.
The dressing for this recipe takes seconds to put together and really does transform the salad. The more you make - the better!! Place all the dressing ingredients into a small dish and mix together with a spoon...... Super easy and very tasty. I like to mix half of the dressing directly into the salad and leave the other half to drizzle on top.

❓ Frequently asked questions

Can you eat raw cauliflower?

Yes you can eat cauliflower raw if you prefer. However, its not always advised as our digestives systems aren't able to breakdown the sugars as well as when its cooked. - You can read more about eating raw vegetables here.

Why should I roast the cauliflower?

This recipe makes the most of the roasted flavour of cauliflower. Boiling cauliflower will cook it, but it won't have the same flavour as roasted cauliflower. Roasting cauliflower not only locks in flavour but also lock in its nutrients.

How to store?

This roasted cauliflower salad is excellent for a bit of meal prep. Once made, place in one large bowl and cover or divide up into sealable containers. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Great for making up on a Sunday and having ready for weekday lunches or as a side for your evening meals.

Roasted Cauliflower salad with quinoa and lemon and herb dressing served in a small bowl with part of the larger mixing bowl visible

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📖 Recipe

This post was first published in Jan 2019. Updated in July 2021 with improved recipe and photos, and new step by step instructions and expert tips.

Roasted Cauliflower Salad