Elevate your next dinner with this delicious Moroccan Smashed Cauliflower. Crispy, spiced cauliflower served over tangy garlic yogurt and topped with pistachios and fresh herbs. It makes a flavourful side dish or appetizer that’s sure to impress!
This smashed cauliflower recipe is my latest vegetable obsession!
If you’re new to the whole smashing vegetables thing, this process increases the surface area, leaving you with more crispy caramelized pieces that are just absolutely delicious.
The crispy spiced cauliflower get’s paired with a tangy garlic yogurt for a side dish that’s honestly crave worthy!
Ingredients you'll need
- Cauliflower: you’ll want a medium to large head of cauliflower.
- Spices: this recipe uses quite a few spices, but they’re typically pretty common ones to have stocked in your spice cabinet – sweet paprika, cumin, garlic powder, coriander, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and cayenne.
- Greek yogurt: I recommend full-fat for a richer flavour and creamy texture. The fat is also needed to benefit from the fat soluble vitamins found in yogurt (vitamins A, D, E and K). You could also use a plant-based yogurt to make it vegan/dairy-free.
- Tahini: for a subtle nutty flavour.
- Lemon: use fresh, not bottled, for the best flavour.
- Pistachios: pistachios add the perfect crunch to the dish. Walnuts or even sliced almonds would also work great!
- Parsley and mint: herbs add a little freshness and extra flavour. You could also use cilantro if preferred.
- Garlic: essential for that punch of flavour in the yogurt sauce! Feel free to use more or less to taste, especially since the size of garlic can vary.
- Sea salt and black pepper
How to make moroccan smashed cauliflower
Step 1: Toss the cauliflower with oil and spices. Bake, flip and then bake again until cauliflower is tender.
Step 2: gently smash the cauliflower florets and return to the oven to get nice and crispy!
Step 3: Whisk together the garlic yogurt ingredients.
Step 4: Spread the yogurt out on a plate or the bottom of a shallow bowl, top with cauliflower and garnish. Dig in!
If you make this Moroccan Smashed Cauliflower, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment or review below, or tag me on Instagram.
Moroccan Smashed Cauliflower with Garlic Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 medium/large head of cauliflower cut into medium size florets
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne optional
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped pistachios
- Small handful of fresh mint and parsley leaves chopped
Garlic Yogurt
- 3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove grated
- 1/4 tsp sea salt plus more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉ and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower florets, avocado oil, salt, pepper and spices. Mix well to fully coat the cauliflower.1 medium/large head of cauliflower, 3 tbsp avocado oil, 1 tsp sea salt, Freshly ground black pepper, 2 tsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne
- Place the cauliflower on the baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes, flip and bake for another 15-20 minutes until just fork tender.
- Remove the cauliflower from the oven and increase the temperature to 450℉. Using the bottom of a cup or a smooth mallet, gently flatten the cauliflower florets. Don't worry about any really small pieces of cauliflower. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until crispy around the edges.
- While the cauliflower is roasting, make the garlic yogurt. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Taste and adjust garlic, lemon or salt to taste.3/4 cup plain greek yogurt, 1 tbsp tahini, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 garlic clove, 1/4 tsp sea salt
- In a shallow bowl or serving platter, spread out the garlic yogurt. Top with the smashed cauliflower and garnish with pistachios, mint and parsley.2 tbsp roughly chopped pistachios, Small handful of fresh mint and parsley leaves
