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This Cauliflower Salad with Yogurt Dressing combines spiced roasted cauliflower, crispy chickpeas, and lots of fresh herbs and pistachios, all nestled on top of a cumin and honey yogurt dressing. Any leftovers are perfect for lunch the next day!

Long gone are the days where salads have to have salad greens in them, and I couldn’t be happier!

Scroll through my recipes and you won’t find a crunchy lettuce-based salad anywhere. I know people everywhere will come for me (my sister first among the) but rocket, baby spinach and watercress are the best salad greens. At a stretch, a soft mesclun mix is also acceptable.

Iceberg lettuce is NOT.

Why you’ll Love this Cauliflower Salad with Yogurt Dressing

It has roasty-toasty caramelised cauliflower! You can even make it from leftover roasted cauli too
It’s flavourful, filled with warm spices and fresh herbs
Crispy roasted chickpeas makes for a satisfying and filling salad
The creamy yogurt dressing adds some richness and sweetness
It’s easy to make
And any leftovers are great for lunch the next day!

Ingredients and Variations

Here’s everything you’ll need and how you can switch it up for your own tastes.

Cauliflower. The star of the show. It can’t be a cauliflower salad without cauliflower! I’m lucky to have seasonal purple cauliflower available at the moment, but any and all cauliflowers will roast up beautifully for this salad.

Learn more about cauliflower:

Chickpeas. Roasted chickpeas are packed full of protein, satisfying and delightfully moreish. They add bulk and texture to this vegetable salad and you can control how crispy you want them to be.

Flavours. I used Middle Eastern-inspired flavours, with sumac, Aleppo pepper, cumin and mint as the dominant flavours. But here is where you can make this Cauliflower Salad with Yogurt Dressing your own. Cauliflower is extremely versatile and goes with a lot of different herbs and spices. Check out the cauliflower video above to see possible flavour pairings.

Add-ins. Roughly chopped soft herbs and nuts add flavour, texture and interest to a roasted veggie salad, so don’t skip the good parts! I used mint and pistachios, but you could use parsley or coriander if you don’t like mint, or almonds or pine nuts (preferably toasted) if that’s what you have on hand. The pomegranate arils add little pops of tart sweetness to every bite, but the salad won’t be worse off without them if they’re not in season.

Dressing. This yogurt dressing is thick and creamy, slightly spiced with cumin and Aleppo pepper and sweetened with honey. If you prefer it more tart, opt for a tangy natural yogurt and skip the honey. You could also skip the Aleppo pepper if you want, or switch it our of smoked paprika or chipotle powder.

What to serve with Cauliflower Salad with Yogurt Dressing

This salad is filling enough to be a main meal for two, or as a side salad for four. If you want to serve it as a side, you could serve it with crumbed fish, tofu steaks or chicken, or on the side of a slice of quiche or frittata as well.

This Cauliflower Salad with Yogurt Dressing can also be stored, undressed, in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Add the yogurt dressing, herbs and nuts just before you’re ready to serve.

Looking for other Salad Recipes? Try these:

Winter Citrus Salad with Cardamom Dressing

Plum and Salmon Salad

Blood Orange, Beet and Burrata Salad with Hot Honey

Vietnamese Gỏi Salad with Prawns, Tofu and Pomelo

Fruit and Vegetable Quinoa Salad

Chickpea, Tuna and Broccoli Salad

If you make this Cauliflower Salad with Yogurt Dressing, please be sure to leave a comment and let me know. Did you use the Middle Eastern-inspired herbs and spices or did you switch them up? Or tag me over on Instagram, I love seeing what you guys are making from the blog!

Cauliflower Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Print Pin Rate

Course: Mains, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Cuisine: Western

Diet: aleppo pepper, cauliflower, chickpeas, cumin, honey, mint, pistachios, sumac, yogurt

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 40

Servings: as a main

Author: Eff | Food Daydreaming

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Spiced Cauliflower

2 heads of cauliflower, whatever colour you can find
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sumac
1 tablespoon aleppo pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon marjoram
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to season
1/3 cup mint, roughly chopped
1/4 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
Pomegranate arils from half a pomegranate

For the Crispy Chickpeas

400 g can chickpea
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Creamy Yogurt Dressing

250 g Greek or natural yogurt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 205°C. You want a hot oven to get that caramelisation, but not too hot that it burns the spices before the cauliflower and chickpeas are ready. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.
Cut each head of cauliflower into quarters, trim away the core and gently break up the florets with your fingers, and cutting any larger pieces in half – more edges means more caramelisation. Try to keep the florets roughly the same size so that they cook evenly.
2 heads of cauliflower
Tip the florets onto the prepared baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil, followed by the spices and salt and pepper. Toss it all together with your hands (or a couple of spoons) so that all the cauliflower is coated in oil and spices. Make sure to leave some room between the florets so that they don’t end up steaming instead of roasting. Roast the cauliflower for 20 to 25 minutes, tossing the florets around the halfway time.
2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon sumac, 1 tablespoon aleppo pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon marjoram, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, Salt and pepper to season
For the chickpeas, start by draining the liquid from the tin and patting the chickpeas dry with a paper towel. You can pick out any loose skins if you like.
400 g can chickpea
Tip the chickpeas out on to the other baking tray, drizzle over the olive oil and then add the spices and salt. Gently mix everything together right there in the tray and then pop it in the oven to roast for about 20-25 minutes, tossing them once around the halfway mark. Let cool if possible for maximum crispiness.
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt
While the cauliflower and chickpeas are roasting, make the yogurt dressing by combining the yogurt, cumin, Aleppo peppers and honey into a small bowl and mixing well to combine.
250 g Greek or natural yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, 1 tablespoon honey
To make the salad, spread the yogurt dressing on a large plate or platter. Spread the roasted cauliflower and chickpeas on top of the yogurt, and then scatter the chopped mint and pistachios and pomegranate arils all over. Serve, scooping up a little of everything.
1/3 cup mint, 1/4 cup pistachios, Pomegranate arils from half a pomegranate

Cook along with me

Did you make this recipe?Mention @food_daydreaming or tag #fooddaydreaming on instagram. I love seeing what you all come up with!

Nutrition

Cauliflower Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Why you’ll Love this Cauliflower Salad with Yogurt Dressing