Chili Lime Roasted Cauliflower Salad

This tangy Chili Lime Roasted Cauliflower Salad combines crisp sugar snap peas and roasted cauliflower in a chili lime dressing with zippy cilantro and salted cashews. Vibrant and travel-friendly with maximum fresh flavor!

What are the ingredients in this Chili Lime Roasted Cauliflower Salad?

This recipe is made with simple ingredients that just happen to be gluten and dairy free. Fresh veggies, some nuts for crunch, and some citrus of course! Here’s a little more on each ingredient:

• head of cauliflower – Pick a good head of cauliflower, being sure to avoid creamy, mushy or brown spots. Medium sized works best for this recipe, but a bit bigger works too.
• olive oil – The dressing uses olive oil as the base! Go for extra virgin olive oil in this case, since we’re tasting it raw in the dressing.
• garlic powder – I always love a touch of garlic and it’s really easy to add a dash of garlic powder.
• salt – Always necessary to bring all the flavors forward, especially the lime and roasty cauliflower flavors!
• lime zest & juice – You’ll need 2 limes total, but the zest of only 1. Maple syrup and honey is such a delicious flavor combo!
• maple syrup – My sweetener of choice here (and it makes this salad vegan!), but you can definitely swap for honey or your liquid sweetener of choice.
• toasted sesame oil – Such a good compliment to the maple lime dressing, just a tiny bit! If you don’t have this, that’s okay too.
• red chili pepper flakes – You could substitute this for one Thai red chili pepper, but I often have a hard time finding those. Red chili pepper flakes are much more pantry friendly!
• sugar snap peas – My personal preference is to remove the ends and cut the pods into bite sized pieces.
• green onions – A light touch of onion is all you need, and green onions blend right in to this fresh salad.
• cashew pieces – For some crunch and flavor, I love cashews. Plus I think they go really well when combined with cauliflower and snap peas. Peanuts would work too!
• cilantro – One of my favorite herbs, and the perfect compliment for a lime heavy salad. A few leaves of mint would also be a welcome addition.

Equipment you’ll need to make Roasted Cauliflower Salad:

Here are my recommendations on equipment you’ll need to make this recipe:

• For a chef’s knife, I use this Misen Chef’s Knife (affiliate link!). This knife is super high quality while being affordable. I’ve had mine for years (and there’s a lifetime guarantee!).
• You’ll need a cutting board, and I recommend this Greener Chef XL Bamboo Cutting Board (affiliate link!). The XL size is perfect but not too huge. I use it for everything except cutting raw meat.
• For roasting veggies, every kitchen needs two rimmed sheet pans. Technically, it’s the half sheet pan (affiliate link!) that will fit nicely into your oven! These are solid.

How to make Chili Lime Roasted Cauliflower Salad:

The only cooking you’re going to do for this salad is roasting the cauliflower. Otherwise, there’s a touch of chopping, plus mixing the dressing, and that’s it! Here’s how it goes:

Roasting the cauliflower will take the longest, so it’s important to get that going first. Preheat the oven to 400F and line two rimmed baking sheets with baking parchment.

I like to mix the cauliflower with oil and spices directly on one sheet pan to save a bowl. Toss the cauliflower florets with 1 tablespoon of the oil, the salt and the garlic powder, then divide the seasoned florets between the two pans for best roasting.

Don’t be tempted to use just one sheet pan – if the cauliflower is too crowded on one pan, it won’t get those delightful little crispy bits that give the salad extra flavor and texture.

Roast the sheet pans of cauliflower for about 30 minutes until the it’s tender and golden in places. Make sure you are rotating the baking sheets and tossing the cauliflower with a spatula halfway through for the most even roasting.

While the cauliflower is roasting, mix up the dressing. In the bottom of a large mixing bowl (which you’ll use to stir up the whole salad), whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, maple syrup, sesame oil, red chili pepper flakes, and half the olive oil. Feel free to taste and see how you like the dressing.

Once the cauliflower is done, transfer it over to the dressing bowl (tiny bits and all) along with the snap peas, green onions, most of the cashews and most of the chopped cilantro. Toss it all together so everything is well coated. Feel free to taste and see how you like it – add more salt or lime juice if needed!

Enjoy the salad immediately from the mixing bowl as a side dish with dinner. Another option is to prepare the recipe an hour or so ahead of time, and then serve on a platter with the rest of the cilantro and cashew pieces.

Best tips for making Roasted Cauliflower Salad:

Here are my best tips for making this cauliflower salad at home:

• Give the cauliflower plenty of space when roasting, otherwise they will steam instead of roast and become soft.
• Watch the roasting cauliflower as it nears the end of the cooking time. Maybe take a peak when there’s five minutes left and see how it looks. Don’t hesitate to add a couple more minutes if needed.
• Don’t be shy with the fresh cilantro, lime and salt. They add tons of important flavor.

What to serve with this recipe:

Turn this roasted cauliflower salad into a complete meal with some roasted chickpeas or some thin sliced stovetop chicken breast!

Ways to customize this recipe:

Here are a few suggestions for customizing this recipe:

• Swap the nuts. The recipe calls for cashews but I think peanuts would be just as delicious!
• Change the herbs. The recipe calls for cilantro but mint or a combination of the two would also be really good.

Ways to meal prep this recipe:

This salad tastes great as leftovers, no different steps needed! Just expect the cauliflower to soften after being in the fridge. Keep it in the fridge to enjoy for lunches or as a dinner side.

Is this recipe freezer-friendly?

I would not recommend freezing this recipe because of all the fresh vegetable textures involved.

How to store leftover Chili Lime Roasted Cauliflower Salad:

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The cauliflower will soften a little after being chilled but it still tastes delicious.

How to reheat Chili Lime Roasted Cauliflower Salad:

This salad can be served cold or room temperature, but I would not reheat it.