“Cheesy” Vegan Roasted Cauliflower made with nutritional yeast for unmistakably cheesy flavor! This simple and easy healthy side dish is perfect to go alongside any main entrée. Be forewarned: it’s addictive!
I thought I’d take a special moment to highlight one of my favorite roasting vegetables – the cauliflower – and show you one of my go-to methods for making it over-the-top, better-than-brownies delicious.
Okay, don’t quote me on the brownie thing, but nevertheless, what we have here is a Julia Especial, and it’s the perfect side dish no matter the time of year. I love it during the fall and winter months!
What we end up with is delicious crispy cauliflower with cheesy flavor for a goof-proof approach to getting your kids to eat their veggies.
Don’t worry, I’ve made a Crispy Vegan Cheesy Roasted Broccoli recipe too!
And now, the elephant in the room: How in the haystack do we make something “cheesy,” if it is also vegan? The answer is simple! Nutritional yeast!
If you’re not sure what nutritional yeast is, don’t fret! I’ll explain.
What is Nutritional Yeast?
Nutritional yeast is a deactivated strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast, and has a nutty, cheesy, creamy flavor, making it a great “cheese” substitute in dairy-free or vegan food.
From a health benefits standpoint, nutritional yeast is far from being a superfood in its natural form, as It contains only a tiny amount of vitamins and minerals, but nothing significant; however, many companies fortify nutritional yeast with B12, which is significant to vegetarians and vegans, who have to supplement their diet in order to get enough B12.
Vegan macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes or cheesy cheese-less sauce of any kind?
Nutritional yeast’s your jam.
It can be found in the natural food section (or bulk food section) of your grocery store in the form of yellow flakes or powder. Of course, it can also be purchased online.
At this point in our conversation, you may think nutritional yeast is weird. I promise, it’s not.
I’m nowhere near vegan, and I think it’s just great! It’s an excellent way of adding flavor and “creaminess” to virtually any dish without the use of dairy.
Remember those Nacho Cheese Kale Chips and the Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Buddha Bowls I shared?
Both recipes called for – you guessed it – nutritional yeast.
In addition to being vegan-friendly, nutritional yeast is also paleo, primal, and Whole30 compliant.
Let’s discuss the rest of the all-star ingredients for this easy vegetable side dish.
Ingredients for Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower:
Head of Fresh Cauliflower – Fresh cauliflower works best here, and I don’t recommend using frozen cauliflower.
Nutritional Yeast – See all the details above for an in-depth explanation of this magical ingredient.
Olive Oil or Avocado Oil – Used to get all of the ingredients to stick to the cauliflower florets and for rich flavor.
Sea Salt – Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Ground Paprika – Adds just a touch of smoky flavor but no spice.
Cayenne Pepper – Contributes spice. Omit if you don’t like spicy food.
This combination of ingredients makes a flavorful roasted cauliflower that will turn any vegetable naysayer into a cauliflower fiend.
You can quote me on that.
Recipe Adaptations:
Add a little garlic powder for some garlicky flavor.
If you have a favorite vegan cheese sauce recipe you enjoy, whip it up for dipping the cauliflower florets!
Now that we’re familiar with the details of this easy vegetable side dish, let’s make it!
How to Make Roasted Cauliflower:
Remove the cauliflower from its packaging and chop off the green stems. Chop the head of cauliflower into florets. I like chopping the florets fairly small to maximize the cheesy flavor in each bite.
Preheat the oven to 415 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment, you can spray the cookie sheet with cooking spray.
Add the chopped raw cauliflower florets to a large mixing bowl.
Drizzle with olive oil (or avocado oil), and sprinkle with nutritional yeast, sea salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to toss and mix everything together until the cauliflower florets are well-coated.
Spread the cauliflower over the prepared baking sheet and roast on the center rack of the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring half-way through, or until the cauliflower is golden brown and tender.
Remove the cauliflower from the oven and taste for flavor. Sprinkle with sea salt and additional nutritional yeast if desired. Serve with chopped pistachios, pine nuts, walnuts, or pecans on top of the cauliflower alongside your favorite main course.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The next time you’re in the mood for roasted vegetables, be sure to whip up this tasty side dish!
If you’re serving more than a couple of people, I recommend doubling the recipe because these cheesy bites disappear in a flash.
You’ll likely need more than you’d think!
This vegan cheesy cauliflower is the perfect side for those who don’t eat dairy for health or lifestyle purposes.
If you’re into vegetable centric side dishes and meals, also try out these vegetarian favorites.
More Vegetable Recipes:
- Roasted Portobello Fajitas
- Grilled Portobello and Summer Squash Quesadillas
- Small Batch Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas
- Garlic Herb Roasted Vegetables
- Creamy Dairy-Free Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole
How “cheesy” do you like your cauliflower?
“Cheesy” Vegan Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower chopped into florets
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp sea salt to taste
- ½ tsp paprika
- Pinch cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 415 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the raw cauliflower to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with nutritional yeast, sea salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Use your hands to toss and mix everything together until the cauliflower florets are well-coated.
- Spread the cauliflower over the prepared baking sheet and roast on the center rack for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring half-way through, or until cauliflower is golden-brown and tender.
- Remove from the oven and taste cauliflower for flavor. Sprinkle with sea salt and additional nutritional yeast if desired. Serve with chopped pistachios, pine nuts, walnuts, or pecans alongside your favorite entree.
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Nutrition
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This is freakishly delicious. I wish I had made twice as much.
LOL it tickles me that cauliflower can be so good 🙂 So happy you like it, Kristine! xo
How would you adapt this recipe for an air fryer?
Hi Adrienne!
I haven’t tested this exact recipe in an air fryer yet, but I would air fry at 360 for 8 to 12 minutes, shaking once half-way through. Hope that helps!! xoxo
Honestly I wasn’t expecting much from this simple recipe but it delicious! I can’t believe I ate an entire roasted cauliflower all to myself straight from the fridge!
Haha! I’m glad it did not disappoint! xoxo
Tried this recipe a few nights ago. Did it with frozen cauliflower and it was delicious. Going to try it with fresh, as I imagine that will be even better. Side note: The page is very cumbersome, takes a long time to load and is difficult to navigate with all of the adds. Doesn’t incline me to look around for more recipes. :/
Hi Charity!
Thanks so much for the feedback. My site speed is ranked at 93/100 for mobile and 100/100 for desktop, so it must be something else. Perhaps internet connection? The ads on my site are the only money I make for a living, so while I get that they’re super annoying, they’re how people are able to access free content. Nevertheless, I totally understand not wanting to deal with annoying websites, but feel free to reach out if you have any questions in the future 🙂 xoxoxo
I’ve made this recipe 3-4 times and it is SO DELICIOUS.
Wahoo! So thrilled you like it, Brenda! Thank you for the sweet note! xoxo
Loved your recipe.but we dont have any nutritional yeast here.can i use any substitute?like cheese?..and love from India!!????
Hi there! You can absolutely use cheese. Roast the cauliflower, transfer it to a mixing bowl while it’s still hot, and toss in your desired amount of grated cheese (I’d start with 1/3 cup and work up from there). Let me know if you have any other questions.
Big flavour. Damn delicious.
Thanks for the reminder that I have some nutritional yeast in the back of my pantry! I was struggling with recipe ideas but this looks like a perfect start!
You got it! This recipe’s a marvelous use for that nutritional yeast! I hope you enjoy!
I make roasted cauliflower at least 3 times per week and I would be more than happy to make this cheesy version! Now all I need is some nutritional yeast and I’m good to go 🙂
Cauliflower lovers unite! I think you’ll love this recipe! Nutritional yeast is fun to cook with – there’s so much you can do with it! Enjoy! xo
You had me at cheesy and vegan. I’m all for some compartmentalized roasted veg dishes and this one looks so-ho-ah-good. Is it weird that I rather eat this as movie snack than popcorn? Gimme all the cauli!!
As someone who has never been a huge fan of popcorn, I say this cauliflower as a movie snack would be brilliant! I mean, it’s basically guiltless so if you get sucked into your movie and eat the whole batch, no harm, no foul 😉
Cauliflower is one of my favorite roasted veggies and I think this is definitely worthy of it’s own post. And honestly, If this bowl of cauliflower were next to a plate of brownies, I wouldn’t even notice the brownies (and I LOVE brownies). I’ve never tried nutritional yeast but if it looks this good on cauliflower it’s worth a try! I could eat this entire bowl myself!
YES! So glad to know someone else is more tempted by roasted veggies than tantalizing desserts. I’ve definitely done some damage to a whole batch of “cheesy” cauliflower, so I say get on with your bad self – you get it!
I love roasted veggies and they are totally a standalone dish, especially when they look as delicious as your roasted cauli does! Looooving the flavors you put in here, especially the paprika 🙂
Thanks, m’dear! It’s definitely a winner, for sure!
haha yup, I roast veggies literally all the time and rarely post unless part of something else, etc. This cauliflower sounds SOOO good! I think I would hoard the tray all to myself!
Heck yeah, when I make it, I don’t even tell my boyfriend about its existence so that I can claim the whole batch to myself. Way I see it, he’s got his bacon, and I’ve got my cauliflower 😉
I love love loooove nutritional yeast, so I imagine this is a delicious way to enjoy cauliflower.
Cheers to nutritional yeast! It’s a fun one, for sure!
Nooch is now my lifeblood and this looks like the perfect way for me to get it from plate to mounth, STAT. My hubby hates cauliflower, so I’m going to make this and keep it allllll to myself!
Ohhhhhh girl…you’d LOVE this cauliflower! Let me know if you try it!
Nothing makes me smile more than seeing NOOCH 😉
Right? It’s the best!