Asian-Style Roasted Cauliflower Salad (vegan)
Anyone else here have a love/hate relationship with salad? Some days I crave a big bowl of veggies, whereas other days I’m like GIVE ME ALL THE CARBS. This roasted cauliflower salad is a happy medium: it’s flavoursome and satisfying, whilst being low-carb, vegan, and packed with all the good stuff. Yay!
I realised after sharing this crispy tofu burgers recipe that my blog is rather lacking in Asian inspired recipes. As a firm lover of Asian flavours, I knew I had to remedy that ASAP. Hence this gorgeous Asian salad was born. This crisp, crunchy and colourful take on the classic roasted cauliflower salad is sure to be a favourite in your house!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- It’s made with cauliflower so it’s filling yet low-carb
- All the vegetable prep can be done whilst the cauliflower is roasting, so it comes together in just 30 minutes
- It’s packed with flavour thanks to an easy Asian salad dressing!
How to make roasted cauliflower salad:
This salad starts with a whole head of cauliflower, which we will break into florets and roast in the oven. Roasted cauliflower has a creamy texture and caramelised flavour – if you are not a fan of cauliflower, I urge you to try it this way – it’s truly scrumptious!
Preparation of the other ingredients can be done whilst the cauliflower is roasting. This saves time which makes this salad super quick and easy. And we like quick and easy things.
The vegetables I used in this salad are:
- Lettuce – I used romaine, feel free to sub any green of your choosing.
- Carrot – carrot works really well here as it brings colour and texture to the salad.
- Red cabbage – can sub white cabbage or kale if you wish
As always, if you have other vegetables in your fridge, you can substitute them in this recipe 🙂
The Asian flavours in the salad come from a quick 3-ingredient dressing. Sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, and lime juice come together to make a dressing that’s sweet, tangy, spicy, and salty (and not to mention super addictive!)
I added some sliced spring onions and chopped roasted peanuts on top of this salad. The spring onions add vibrancy and flavour, whilst the peanuts add saltiness and crunch. They’re such a small addition but it’s really worth it for the overall flavour of the salad!
If you like this salad, you’ll love my kale greek salad recipe!
Recipe tips & variations:
- The salad alone is perfect for a light lunch, but if you wish to make it more filling, you can add some crispy tofu, cooked rice noodles, or vegan chicken alternative.
- This salad is best served immediately, but will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 day. If you are making the salad ahead of time, store the dressing separately to ensure the veggies stay crisp!
- You can make this salad with broccoli instead of cauliflower, but I prefer the sweetness and creaminess of the roasted cauliflower
Asian-Style Roasted Cauliflower Salad
Ingredients
- 1 head Cauliflower
- 1 tbsp Sunflower Oil
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 4-5 leaves Romaine Lettuce
- 1/4 Red Cabbage
- 1 Carrot
- 1 Spring Onion
- 1 tbsp Roasted Peanuts
For the Dressing:
- 1 tbsp Sweet Chilli Sauce
- 1/2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1/4 Lime juiced
Instructions
- Begin by removing the leaves from the cauliflower. Break the cauliflower into medium florets about 1.5-2” in size.
- Add the cauliflower pieces to a baking tray along with the sunflower oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes at 200°C/ 400°F.
- Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the vegetables by slicing the romaine into chunky pieces, grating the carrot and roughly chopping the red cabbage. Add the vegetables to a large serving bowl.
- Chop the spring onion into small rounds, and roughly chop the roasted peanuts. set aside to garnish the salad later.
- Halfway through cooking the cauliflower, remove from the oven and rotate the cauliflower pieces to ensure even cooking.
- Prepare the dressing by mixing together the sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce and like juice in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Remove the cauliflower from the oven – it should be golden and slightly charred. Add the cauliflower to the serving bowl.
- Pour on the dressing, toss to combine, then garnish with the spring onions and chopped peanuts. Enjoy!
Shivani’s Tips
- Feel free to substitute any of the vegetables for whatever is in season or available to you.
- This salad is best enjoyed fresh, but can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 day.
- If you are preparing this salad ahead of time, store the dressing separately to ensure the veggies stay crisp!
Did you make this recipe?
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An amazing way to enjoy cauliflower. I personally don’t include much cauliflower in my diet as I don’t like it overcooked or boiled. Having said that, this salad looks so tempting, that I’d love to try it out.
I hope you enjoy!