Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas with Herby Tahini

4.85 from 33 votes

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Sharing a sheet pan, this combination of roasted cauliflower and chickpeas is wonderfully golden brown and crisp at the edges. While they are in the oven, you can make a simple herby tahini sauce in a food processor. It’s bright with fresh lemon and garlic. Enjoy this easy vegetable recipe as a vegan main dish or a side.

Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas with Herby Tahini

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It doesn’t get any better than crispy roasted chickpeas and cauliflower. Together they are a nourishing and filling dream team that roasts on the same sheet pan. They turn out golden brown with caramelized, toasted edges.

The herby tahini sauce is fantastic. I really could go on (and on) about it. You can make it quickly in a food processor. The sauce is nutty and lemony with a touch of garlic.

You can serve this recipe as a vegan main dish or side dish. You have options with the recipe even beyond what you categorize it as. Use the roasted cauliflower and chickpeas as a flatbread topping or tuck them into a pita.

The Ingredients

Ingredients including cauliflower, chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic, herbs, olive oil and spices.

This is what you need:

For Cauliflower and Chickpeas

  • Cauliflower: When you’re at the grocery or farmers market picking out a head of cauliflower, it should feel heavy for its size. Avoid ones that have dark speckles on them. You can use any color you want including white, purple, orange or green.
  • Chickpeas: You will need one 15-ounce can of chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans. Drain the can and rinse them in a colander. Then pat them off with a towel and remove any loose skins.
  • Spices: I include a mix of cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt and black pepper in the marinade.
  • Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil will give you the best taste.

For Sauce

  • Tahini: This sesame seed paste is the base for the sauce. I love tahini because it is a plant-based ingredient that’s creamy and rich.
  • Parsley and cilantro are the fresh herbs that lend their flavor and green color to the sauce. You will need 1 cup of leaves. Just pull them off the stems and put them in a measuring cup. You don’t need to pack them down tightly.
  • Garlic: The sauce calls for 1 garlic clove.
  • Lemon: Squeeze the fresh juice from one lemon. Watch out to make sure no seeds end up dropping in.
  • Scallions add their delicate light onion flavor. Even though they will end up finely chopped in the sauce, I still thinly slice them, so they blend more evenly with everything else.
  • Salt: Just a quarter teaspoon will season the sauce.
  • Water helps to thin out the sauce, so it is a spoonable consistency. How much you need depends on the thickness of your tahini. Often times the bottom of the jar is thicker than the top, so you may have to add more water.

How To Make Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas with Herby Tahini

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

1. Cut the cauliflower. Remove the leaves and trim the bottom stem first. Then cut it into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Usually the 2-3 center slices are larger like caulilower steaks and as you get closer to the ends they will fall apart into medium to small pieces. I like this variety.

2. Marinate the cauliflower and chickpeas. In a large bowl, stir the cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper with the oil. I like to tilt the bowl around, so the marinade goes up the sides. Then add the cauliflower and chickpeas and stir them around the bowl. You can use your hands to do this. 

Sliced cauliflower on a cutting board. Cauliflower and chickpeas tossed in spice-oil marinade in a bowl.

3. Spread the cauliflower and chickpeas across a baking sheet. They should be in a single layer. The chickpeas are great at fitting in the nooks and gaps between the cauliflower. 

4. Roast the chickpeas and cauliflower until they are golden brown. This will take about 25-30 minutes. Flip over the cauliflower and toss everything around just over halfway through roasting. 

Cauliflower and chickpeas on a sheet pan before and after they are roasted.

5. Make the herby tahini. You can do this while everything is roasting. Puree the garlic, tahini, parsley and cilantro, scallions, lemon juice, salt and water in a food processor. The consistency should be thick while still being spoonable and not runny.

6. Arrange the roasted cauliflower and chickpeas on a plate. Drizzle on the herby tahini. Garnish with chopped parsley and cilantro before serving.

Herby tahini in a food processor bowl. Roasted cauliflower and chickpeas drizzled with tahini sauce.

Serving

As mentioned, you can approach this recipe like a main dish or a side. It’s up to you, and it depends what else you have going on with the meal. For an entree, you can serve it with quinoa, couscous, farro or barley.

Beside grains, you can also turn this dish into:

  • Flatbreads: Use store-bought naan or packaged flatbreads. Spread hummus across them leaving a 1/2-inch to 1/4-inch border around the edges and add the cauliflower, chickpeas and tahini sauce.
  • Pita sandwiches: Stuff a pita with cauliflower and chickpeas. Then drizzle in the sauce.  
  • Toast: Spread the tahini sauce on toasted sourdough or another type of bread with a good crust. Then top it with roasted chickpeas and cauliflower and herbs and another drizzle of sauce.
Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Flatbread with Herby Tahini

Storage & Leftovers

You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Keep the sauce in a separate jar. You can warm the cauliflower and chickpeas in a 350-degree F oven. Please know that the chickpeas will not be as crisp as when you first roasted them. 

You can also eat leftovers cold with kale, spinach or chopped romaine. If you want, you can thin out the sauce a little more and use it like salad dressing. Leftovers are also great tossed with pasta, quinoa, farro or barley.

Recipe Tips

  • Cut a full head of cauliflower and do not buy precut florets. That’s because having more flat sides will maximize the cauliflower directly touching the pan and help it brown. Also, you will end up with less waste when you cut it into slices. Don’t get rid of pieces that are more stem than crown. They will turn out tender when roasted.
  • It is optional to pull off the skins on each of the chickpeas one by one. I typically just remove the loose skins when I pat or gently rub them after I rinse them. 
  • Always use the juice from a freshly halved lemon. It will taste much better than bottled lemon juice.
  • If your sauce is too thin, add a tablespoon at a time of tahini to thicken it. This is how you get to the ideal consistency if you pour in too much water.

Recipe FAQs

Do you have to use cilantro?

No. I know cilantro is a love-it or hate-it ingredient. You can use all parsley.

Do you need to grease the pan or line it with parchment paper?

This is not necessary. Since there is oil in the marinade, the cauliflower won’t stick. Also, by not lining the pan, the cauliflower and chickpeas will brown better.

More Chickpea Recipes

Easy Chickpea Soup
Chickpea Spinach Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Penne Arrabbiata with Chickpeas
Sriracha Lime Roasted Chickpeas
Eggplant Stew with Tomatoes, Zucchini and Chickpeas
Chickpea Spinach Pasta
Chickpea Greek Salad

More Cauliflower Recipes

Roasted Cauliflower Salad
Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Couscous
Roasted Curried Cauliflower
Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Tahini Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli
Chipotle Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
Lemon Pepper Grilled Cauliflower Steaks
Tahini Roasted Cauliflower Soup

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Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas with Herby Tahini

4.85 from 33 votes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
The sauce on this roasted cauliflower and chickpeas with herby tahini is pure magic. Try these veggies as a vegan side or main or as a flatbread topping.

Ingredients 

For cauliflower and chickpeas

  • 1 head cauliflower, leaves removed, bottom stem trimmed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1-15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

For herby tahini

  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 1 cup fresh parsley and cilantro leaves plus more chopped for serving
  • 1 scallion, thinly sliced
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3-4 tablespoons water

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  • Cut the cauliflower lengthwise into 3/4-inch slices.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss the cauliflower and chickpeas into the mixture. (You can use your hands to do this.)
  • Arrange the cauliflower in a single layer on a sheet pan. Put the chickpeas in the spaces in between the cauliflower. Roast for 25-30 minutes, flipping just over halfway through cooking, until the cauliflower is browned at the edges and the chickpeas are crispy.
  • For the herby tahini,  puree the garlic, tahini, parsley and cilantro, scallions, lemon juice, salt and water in a food processor until combined and smooth. You want it to have a thick, but slowly pourable/spoonable consistency. Add a little more water as needed.
  • Drizzle the roasted cauliflower and chickpeas with herby tahini. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and cilantro.

Notes

If you don’t like cilantro, you can use all parsley.
How much water you need to add to the sauce to thin it will depend on the thickness of your tahini. If you’re sauce is too runny, stir in 1 tablespoon tahini at a time to thicken it.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Keep the sauce in a separate container. You can warm the cauliflower and chickpeas in a 350-degree F oven. The chickpeas will not be as crisp as when you first roasted them. Let the sauce sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes before using it, so it’s not as cold.
Leftovers can be stirred into cooked pasta, quinoa, farro or barley.
You can also enjoy leftovers cold with kale, spinach or chopped romaine. If you want, you can thin out the sauce a little more and use it as salad dressing.

Nutrition

Calories: 312kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 1066mg | Potassium: 634mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 192IU | Vitamin C: 64mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mediterranean
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Hi, I'm Paige.

Welcome to Last Ingredient where you will find simple seasonal recipes with plenty of fruits and vegetables, all for the home cook.

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4.85 from 33 votes (17 ratings without comment)

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28 Comments

  1. WOW, just made this recipe. We don’t care for cilantro so I subbed in basil I had growing in my garden and absolutely FABULOUS!!! I will also try this on flat bread or some BF Sweet potato wraps . . ..maybe a little grilled chicken too. Yum!

  2. 5 stars
    Soooooo sooooo tasty ๐Ÿ˜ซ๐Ÿ˜ซ
    I tweaked the recipe in two ways that took it to the next level for me. First way was to increase the seasoning amounts by 0.5. Second was adding a bit of honey to my tahini sauce. When I made it, it was good! But I felt like it needed a little something something. So I added a bit of honey, just to balance out the herby citrusy flavours, and WOW! I ate three flatbreads in a row it was SO delicious. Shoutout to you Paige!

  3. 5 stars
    Made this for dinner with side of quinoa and sautรฉed kale and it was so delicious! Will be making again. I made the sauce with cashew butter as that was what I had on hand and it turned out delicious.

  4. I have made this recipe several times, and my family really enjoys it. Most recently, I added about a teaspoon of honey to the sauce, which I think made it even better. This dish also pairs nicely with the vegetable Masala Burgers from Trader Joe’s in a little bit of mango chutney.