Grilled Cauliflower

FREE 5-Ingredient Recipe EBook

GET IT NOW

I’ve grilled cauliflower steaks before, but this time I wanted to try something different. It all started when I realized I had a head of cauliflower to use up right before a family BBQ — and you know I had to experiment. This grilled cauliflower turned out a little too crisp the first time, but after tweaking it a few times, my family loved this easy side dish — and so did our houseguests when I grilled it for them a few weeks later. Make it with me!

Why You Need My Grilled Cauliflower Recipe

• Perfectly tender with charred edges – Grilling cauliflower is different from many other grilling recipes that you can just plop on the grates. If you do that, it takes forever and never seems to get fully tender. So, I developed a simple method to capture that smoky, savory flavor, get irresistible crispy edges, and still give you that tender inside.
• Simple, common ingredients – Other than the vegetable itself, you need just 5 pantry staples, salt, and pepper.
• Quick and easy to make – My grilled cauliflower is much faster than roasted cauliflower, you don’t have to heat up your kitchen, and it takes just 20 minutes start to finish. Think of this as your low-key veggie side for busy summer weeknights — or cookouts when you have too many other things going on!

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here I explain the best ingredients for my grilled cauliflower recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.

• Cauliflower – Choose a firm, tightly packed head of cauliflower, so it doesn’t fall apart on the grill. See my tips below for cutting the florets.
• Water – Because you’ll need to steam your cauliflower first before grilling. This is key for that perfectly tender inside!
• Olive Oil – For flavor and browning. I use regular olive oil, but extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil also works.
• Lemon Juice – Helps to tenderize the grilled cauliflower. I used just a teaspoon for a hint of zing and to bring out the veggie’s sweetness, but increase to 1 tablespoon if you want it extra lemony. You can also use lime juice.
• Spices – Just my staple garlic powder, paprika, sea salt, and black pepper are all you need. You can also experiment with 1-2 tablespoons of fresh herbs, 1-2 teaspoons of dried herbs (my Italian seasoning mix works great here), or a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes for some heat.

How To Grill Cauliflower

I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.

1. Steam the cauliflower. Place the florets in a large bowl with water. Cover with plastic wrap (don’t let it touch the vegetables) and microwave until crisp tender. (You can also steam cauliflower on the stovetop — I just microwave most often because I’m all about easy in the summer.) Drain and pat dry, then return to the bowl.
2. Season and briefly marinate. Drizzle the cauliflower with olive oil and lemon juice, and sprinkle with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix well and let it sit to marinate. (Don’t worry, just the time it takes to preheat your grill is enough!)

3. Grill until charred on the edges. Place the cauliflower on the grill (or a grill pan) over direct heat. Cook, turning occasionally, until a little charred on all sides.

My Recipe Tips

• Cut the florets fairly large. Like grilled broccoli, I cut my cauliflower florets on the larger side with a stem (about 2 inches long total) so that they don’t fall through the grates as easily. If you want smaller pieces, I recommend using a grill basket.
• Why do you have to steam it first? I tried grilling cauliflower without this step, and it just doesn’t seem to get tender. You can throw it directly on the grill (for about 10 minutes) if you like it super crisp, but if you want a tender inside, steaming first is your best bet.
• Keep your grill temperature between 350 and 400 degrees F. I find that sometimes this requires fiddling with the knobs a bit throughout the process, but it’s the ideal temp to get those charred edges without burning.

Storage & Meal Prep

• Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
• Meal prep: You can refrigerate the florets in the marinade for up to 24 hours. This gives it a deeper flavor and is also a great way to meal prep — just grill it fresh the day-of. I actually did this when I took these pictures, and it was amazing! But if you didn’t plan ahead, a quick 10-minute marinade while the grill preheats still does the trick.
• Reheat: Warm up the cauliflower on the grill again (over indirect heat this time), pop it in the oven at 350 degrees F, or my personal favorite, toss it in the air fryer for 1-2 minutes at 320 degrees F. You can also throw it into my cauliflower casserole, cauliflower salad, or cauliflower soup for a smoky flavor.
• Freeze: You can freeze grilled cauliflower, but it does lose it’s crisp tender texture. If you still want to, it will keep in the freezer for up to 3-6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

Serving Ideas

If you already have the grill fired up, you might as well prep this grilled cauliflower with one of my grilled mains:

• Chicken – My grilled chicken legs and grilled chicken thighs are always a hit! For flavors that just scream summer, try bruschetta chicken or chicken kabobs.
• Burgers – Keep it simple with my beef hamburgers, or mix it up with my zesty turkey burgers or herby salmon burgers.
• Steaks – My tutorial for grilling sirloin steak actually works for almost any cut you’ve got. Whip up a grilled London broil, tri tip, or my new favorite flat iron steak if you’re up for something different.
• Other proteins – Try my juicy grilled pork chops or flaky grilled salmon. If you’re feeling fancy, I love grilled lobster tail for that!
• Sauces – When I want a topping for grilled cauliflower, my fave is a drizzle of chimichurri sauce. You can also do this with my lemon butter sauce, pesto sauce (perfect with a sprinkle of pine nuts), or balsamic glaze. Or toss the florets in the same sauce I use for baked buffalo cauliflower!

Recipe Card

5 from 12 votes

☝️ Tap stars to rate or tap here to leave a review!

Grilled Cauliflower

My easy method for grilled cauliflower gives it a smoky flavor, charred edges, and perfect tender inside. All with simple pantry ingredients!

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 10 minutes

Total: 20 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from Wholesome Yum

Servings: 4 (adjust to scale recipe)

Un-save Recipe Save Recipe Remove Ads

Email This Recipe

ALMOST DONE!

Enter your email and I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get new recipes every week!

Please enter your first name for your account. Your saved recipe will also be sent to your email.

RECIPE SAVED! The recipe was sent to your email. I also sent you your free login info. You can use that to access your saved recipes at My Favorites.

Like this video? Subscribe to my YouTube channel for healthy recipes!

Recipe Video

Review Print

Pin

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients

Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.

• 1 head Cauliflower (cut into medium or large florets) ▢
• 1/4 cup Water ▢
• 1/4 cup Olive oil ▢
• 1 tsp Lemon juice (optional) ▢
• 1 tsp Garlic powder ▢
• 1/2 tsp Paprika ▢
• 1/2 tsp Sea salt ▢
• 1/4 tsp Black pepper ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.

1. Place the cauliflower florets in a large bowl with the water. Cover tightly with plastic wrap (make sure the plastic doesn’t touch the cauliflower) and microwave for 4-5 minutes, until tender. Alternatively, you can steam the cauliflower in a steamer on the stovetop instead.

2. Drain the cauliflower, pat dry, and return to the bowl. Drizzle it with olive oil and lemon juice, and season with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Let the cauliflower sit for 10-15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, preheat the grill over medium heat for 10 minutes, or a grill pan for 5 minutes.

4. Place the cauliflower on the grill. Grill over direct heat for 2-3 minutes per side, until a little charred on both sides.

LAST STEP: Leave a rating to help other readers, or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!

Rate recipe

Maya’s Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 cup

Nutrition info does not include optional lemon juice.

Nutrition Facts

Amounts per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 159

Fat 13.9g

Protein 2.9g

Total Carbs 8g

Net Carbs 4.8g

Fiber 3.2g

Sugar 2.8g

I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.

Add Your Notes Your Notes

Sorry, an error occurred. Please try again. If this persists, please contact us here with a screenshot.

Notes are empty.

Notes already saved.

Notes saved to your account – they will be here when you come back! You can also see them on any device if you login, or in the Wholesome Yum App on iPhone or Android.

Notes saved! They will be here if you come back on this device (until you clear your cookies), but you will not see them on other devices. If you want to save them permanently, sign up for Wholesome Yum Plus.

Try More Of My Recipes

• 
  Grilled Asparagus
• 
  Grilled Eggplant
• 
  Grilled Zucchini
• 
  Peach Salad

© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.

Gratitude Moment

I perfected this grilled cauliflower recipe when we had houseguests in our new house in Florida. (Here’s one of those occasions with my husband and daughter in the background.)

So even though I’m writing this post while being back in Minnesota for the summer, it reminds me how grateful I am for all the visitors we had in Florida during the 6 months since we moved.

When we first left, I was filled with a mishmash of excitement, worry, and pools of tears in my eyes. The revolving door of friends and family coming to visit turned out to be the biggest relief and wonderful surprise — even though we told them they’d better come.

Have you ever had a major move? What was it like?