Cauliflower. Broccoli’s weird counterpart that is always left behind on the vegetable tray, ignored by children, and frowned upon. As a kid, and even as a young adult, you couldn’t get to me eat cauliflower if my life depended on it. All I could think was, “GROSS!” I might have tried it once as a child, hated it, and just assumed it was gross from then on — I’m not really sure. I just knew that cauliflower was gross and that I would never eat it.
Dang it! What was I thinking?! All those years I was missing out. Lately I’ve been embracing new vegetables and new recipes, and trying new combinations of foods and flavors. Lately I’ve been experimenting with cauliflower, so be prepared for several more cauliflower recipes (like this one) to hit the blog over the new few months.
One of my favorite ways to experiment with food is to combine flavors I know I love, like maple and sriracha, with something new that I’d like to incorporate more of in my diet, like cauliflower.
Maple Sriracha Cauliflower Bites
Not only are these Maple Sriracha Cauliflower Bites a bright, beautiful color, they taste absolutely fantastic — crunchy, sweet, and spicy, all at the same time. The maple syrup and the sriracha sauce pair perfectly together to make the yummiest bite-size snack!
I could totally eat these as a quick game-day appetizer, as my lunch, or as a side dish with dinner. I mean, these Maple Sriracha Roasted Cauliflower Bites are so much healthier than wings.
Making Maple Sriracha Cauliflower Bites
Making this dish is super easy — all you need is cauliflower, olive oil, maple syrup, and sriracha sauce.
I got started by preheating the oven to 450 degrees and lining my baking sheet with parchment paper. I then cut the cauliflower into bite-size pieces and arranged them on the baking sheet so no two pieces are touching — they will stay crunchier if they don’t touch and the air can circulate around each piece.
I roasted the cauliflower in the over for 10 minutes. While the cauliflower was roasting, I mixed the olive oil, maple syrup, and sriracha sauce in a small bowl.
I removed the cauliflower from the oven, tossed it in a large bowl with the maple sriracha mixture until each pieces was coasted well, and then arranged the cauliflower on the baking sheet again. I roasted them in the oven for 10 more minutes and served them immediately.
Because I have a lactose-allergy and don’t eat dairy, I ate the Maple Sriracha Roasted Cauliflower Bites plain, but if you’re a dipper, try dipping them in ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing. Brian liked them with ranch dressing.
You can coast the cauliflower bites in the sriracha mixture before roasting, and just roasted them for 20 minutes straight, but the maple syrup will caramelize slightly, and become sticky/chewy.
Maple Sriracha Roasted Cauliflower Bites
These cauliflower bites are sweet and spicy all at the same time — even those who don't like cauliflower will like these little bites!
Prep Time
Cook Time
Total Time
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp sriracha
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut cauliflower into bite-size pieces and arrange on the baking sheet so that no two pieces are touching. Roast the cauliflower in the over for 10 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is roasting, combine the olive oil, sriracha, and maple syrup in a small bowl.
- Remove the cauliflower from the oven, transfer to a large bowl, and pour the maple sriracha mixture over the cauliflower bites. Toss the cauliflower pices to coat evenly and then arrange them once again on the baking sheet.
- Roast for 10 more minutes or the cauliflower bites begin browning.
- Serve immediately.
Notes:
We ate our Maple Sriracha Roasted Cauliflower Bites plain, but if you're a "dipper," try dipping them in a little ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing.
You can coast the cauliflower bites in the sriracha mixture before roasting, and just roasted them for 20 minutes straight, but the maple syrup will caramelize slightly, and become sticky/chewy.
