Roasted Miso Cauliflower

This Roasted Miso Cauliflower recipe is packed with rich umami, a subtle sweet and salty flavor, and luscious glaze. This is a perfect side for a busy weeknight dinner or even a special dinner party.

Miso paste packs a ton of sweet, fruity, earthy and funky flavor to soups, meats and vegetables. When whisked together with a handful of simple ingredients, it makes for an incredibly flavorful marinade and glaze. Toss some of this mixture with cauliflower florets, then roast in a hot oven or even air fry, and you get umami-packed cauliflower bites.

I have been singing the praises of miso for many years. It was one of my go-to ingredients when developing recipes for food magazines. At home I use it in salad dressings, marinades and even for Miso Butter. I even mix it with tahini for a tasty Miso Tahini Dressing. And like those recipes, this miso cauliflower is so simple and delicious, I think you'll want to make it over and over again.

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• Ingredients that Matter
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Equipment
• Storage and Serving
• Top tip
• FAQ
• More Sides
• Dinner Ideas
• Recipe

Ingredients that Matter

Miso cauliflower uses a handful of a pantry staples, fresh ingredients and some specialty ingredients you'll find in the Asian section of your grocery store. Here are the ingredients you'll need for this recipe:

• Cauliflower. I recommend starting with a medium head of cauliflower and cutting it yourself into bite-sized florets. You can certainly use pre-cut florets, just be sure to inspect the bag and make sure it's not starting to go bad. And what about frozen cauliflower? Yes, you can use frozen florets, just be sure to thaw and drain off any excess water before marinating.
• Miso. You will find miso in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, typically near the tofu. This fermented soybean paste has a pungent, fruity, salty and slightly sweet flavor. I recommend using the milder white miso as opposed to red miso.
• Soy Sauce. Use reduced-sodium soy sauce to cut back on the sodium a bit (this recipe has no other added salt, but it's plenty salty enough).
• Maple Syrup. A touch of maple syrup compliments the natural sweetness in miso. You can also use regular granulated sugar or even honey.
• Neutral Oil. A splash of neutral oil, like canola or olive, adds a touch of richness and encourages browning.
• Garlic. A couple cloves of garlic packs tons of flavor to the marinade.
• Black Pepper. I typically don't add a ton of heat to my recipes (I'm trying to make recipes my young daughters will enjoy), but a big pinch of black pepper helps round out the flavors quite well.
• Cornstarch. A bit of cornstarch is tossed with the marinated cauliflower just before roasting or air frying. This helps the marinade stick to the cauliflower and create a bit of a crust.
• Scallions. I love finishing this dish with some fresh sliced scallions for presentation, plus I love the slight onion flavor it adds to this umami-rich side.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

This recipe comes together very quickly, plus there is plenty of options for making it ahead. Here are the steps to make this recipe:

Hint: You can easily adjust the doneness of the cauliflower. If you want less char and more lightly roasted, roast for 25 minutes and air fry for 8 minutes. For a deeper char (which I prefer), aim for closer to 30, even 35 minutes, in the oven, and 10 minutes in the air fryer.

Substitutions

There are plenty of options for adjusting this recipe. As written, this recipe is vegetarian, dairy-free and even vegan. But if you want further tweaks, consider these substitutions:

• Cauliflower - I recommend starting with a whole head of cauliflower and cutting it into florets yourself, but you can instead use pre-cut florets. I recommend using at least 20 ounces of pre-cut florets for this recipe. you can also use frozen cauliflower, just be sure to thaw, drain and pat it dry before using.
• Gluten-Free - You can make this recipe gluten-free by using tamari instead of soy sauce and looking for miso labeled gluten-free. Not all miso is gluten-free as many are made with wheat-based grains.
• Garlic - Not everyone loves garlic (and some people have a hard time digesting it), so you can simply leave it out if you'd like. You could also swap out the garlic for ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
• Maple Syrup - If you don't want to use maple syrup, try instead using honey or granulated sugar. Or, if you'd like, simply leave out the sweetener all together.
• Kid-Friendly - This recipe is hit or miss for kids, but you can certainly make it more kid-friendly by not using black pepper and cooking it on the lower end of the ranges to avoid too much char, which can taste bitter.

Equipment

My favorite basket-style air fryer, hands down, is the Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer with Odor Erase Technology. It has a few features I really appreciate, including the odor erase technology, which does a nice job of eliminating some of the odors when air frying fish or other strong smelling foods. It also has a window with a light inside so you can check in on your food as it cooks.

Storage and Serving

Both air fryer cauliflower and roasted cauliflower taste best right out of the oven, but you can also store it in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 4 days. I recommend reheating it in the air fryer or hot oven until just hot. You can also enjoy it cold out of the refrigerator. I do not, however, recommend freezing it as I think a lot of cooked vegetables don't do well in the freezer.

Miso cauliflower tastes great with vegetarian proteins or meat! Try it as a side for our

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Spicy Chicken with Ginger, Citrus and Soy

Air Fryer Chicken Katsu with Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce

FAQ

More Sides

Looking for more side dish recipes like this? Try these:

Dinner Ideas

Need some inspiration for dinner tonight? Try these recipes:

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