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CURRIED CAULIFLOWER SALAD

Curried Cauliflower Salad features roasted cauliflower, crisp apple, raisins, shredded coconut tossed with quinoa and delicious curry dressing for a wonderfully full flavored side dish or main meal!

top down view of curried cauliflower salad with quinoa in a white bowl with items surrounding.

Get ready for a delicious and unique flavor sensation with this Curried Roasted Cauliflower Salad. It’s a nice balance of sweet, a bit of tang and curry flavor that I just can’t get enough of.

Roasted cauliflower with fresh diced apples, quinoa, shredded coconut, raisins, and tossed with a tasty curry dressing, it’s full of textures and flavors that pair well!

If you love roasted cauliflower and curry, I have no doubt you will find this to be a great addition to your meal rotations.

This can easily be a side salad or a full meal, and is great for to-go lunches as well. Serve at room temp or chilled.

top down view of ingredients used to make curried cauliflower salad.

Ingredients You’ll Need

In this recipe, roasted cauliflower is mixed with a variety of fresh and dried fruits, protein and fiber rich quinoa, and tossed in a simple curry dressing for an easy salad that’s easy to eat and worth repeating.

Here is everything you will need:

  • Cauliflower
  • Apple – use a crisp apple, sweet or tart will work here (I used a Fuji)
  • Raisins – regular or golden raisins are great
  • Coconut – shredded coconut or coconut flakes (I used TJ’s shredded coconut)
  • Quinoa – can be optional
  • Olive oil 
  • Apple cider vinegar 
  • Dijon
  • Pure maple syrup
  • Water
  • Lemon or orange juice
  • Curry powder
  • Salt & cracked pepper
Looking to add a little more protein? Add a can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed, for a heartier and well-balanced salad.

side by side photos showing the process of prepping cauliflower to roast and fresh made curry dressing.

How To Make Curried Cauliflower Salad

  • Roast Cauliflower: Cut the cauliflower into florets, lay on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer, drizzle with oil, toss and spread even, roast in the oven at 425 degrees for 40 – 45 minutes.
  • Quinoa: While cauliflower is roasting, make the quinoa on the stovetop or use this quick & easy Instant Pot Quinoa recipe (you will have leftovers).
  • Curry dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, pure maple syrup, curry powder, dijon, water and lemon juice. Set aside so the flavors have to mix.
  • Apple: Dice the apple just before assembling the salad.

top down view of ingredients added to a bowl with items surrounding.

  • Assemble: Once cauliflower is ready, add it to a mixing bowl along with the diced apple, quinoa, raisins and coconut (shown above).

top down view showing the process of pouring dressing overtop curried cauliflower salad.

  • Toss: Pour the curry dressing overtop and gently toss to coat.

Now you are ready to dine on this flavorful and filling salad!

top down view of white serving bowl with healthy curried cauliflower salad with gold serving utensils.

How To Store Leftovers

  • Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container.
  • Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing this roasted cauliflower salad. It’s best eaten within a few days.

Serving Suggestions

Served at room temperature or chilled, this curry cauliflower is great with homemade Vegan Naan.

side angle view of curried cauliflower salad in a white bowl.

If you try this curried cauliflower salad recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

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ROASTED CURRIED CAULIFLOWER SALAD + QUINOA

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5 from 1 review

Sweetness, a bit of tang and curry flavors all come together with the roasted cauliflower and quinoa to make a great Curried Cauliflower Salad sensation!

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 40 min
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 4- 6 1x
  • Category: Entree, Side
  • Method: roast, toss
  • Cuisine: Vegan, American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 large head of cauliflower
  • 1 medium apple (I used Fuji), cored and diced
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 1/3 cup shredded coconut
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

Dressing

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon lemon or orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 teaspoons curry powder
  • mineral salt & cracked pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Prep + roast cauliflower: Cut cauliflower into florets. Lay in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Add a drizzle of oil and toss to coat. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes, mixing the cauliflower around half way through. Remove from oven, let cool.

Curry dressing: In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the dressing. Set aside to let the flavors develop. Taste for seasoning adding anything extra you might like.

Quinoa: See notes if making quinoa from scratch, or use this quick + easy Instant Pot Quinoa recipe.

Assemble: In a large mixing bowl, combine quinoa, cauliflower, apple, raisins, shredded coconut and dressing, toss well to coat.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Serves 4

Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in a covered container.

Notes

If you know and love the Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar from Trader Joe’s, or elsewhere, this is a great place to use it! Use it in place of the apple cider vinegar.

Feel free to use regular raisins or currants. Cranberries may even be a nice change up.

Oil-free dressing: Sub in water for the tablespoon of oil.

For my quinoa, I buy one bag each of white and tri-color and mix them together creating a nice blend of color and texture.

How to make quinoa: Rinse 1/2 cup quinoa using a fine mesh sieve (honestly, I usually skip this part but have it here for good measure. Don’t feel you have to do it but you may find that you prefer it that way.) In a medium pot/pan, add quinoa and scant 1 cup of water, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Once done, turn heat off, uncover and let rest for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside. Recipe will make 1 1/2 cups.

Updated: Curried Cauliflower Salad was originally published in August 2014. It has been retested and updated with new photos and helpful tips in February 2020. 

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15 Comments

  1. I made this for lunch along with the roasted sweet potatoes and aioli, both were delicious ! They pair very well and are easy to prepare together as they both roast at 425. Yummy!
    Last night I made vegan peanut butter cookies, so rich and luscious. I added vegan dark chocolate chips.






  2. Adding these ingredients to my grocery list and making this asap! Might even bring this as a Christmas dish. Yum!!!

  3. janet @ the taste space says:

    Thank you for sharing. I used it to inspire my latest salad creation. :)

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      Thank you Janet! Your recipe looks amazing, love the dressing you've adapted! Cheers :)

  4. hippymomelizabeth says:

    Everything in this recipe looks delish….

  5. i like the idea of raisins here, very different.

  6. thehealthableoldsoul says:

    I love bursting flavors and I always know that cauliflower and quinoa make a good pair!

  7. Shelley Foerster says:

    Wow this looks really good!! I love the fruit/veggie flavor mixture. Totally unrelated, but have you ever considered making rissoto?

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      Hi Shelley, I've made risotto but haven't shared it here yet! Soon I will:)

  8. Katie @ Produce On Parade says:

    What a unique and fabulous combination of flavors! So interesting!

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      It really is! :)

  9. The Peace Patch says:

    Quinoa, curry and cauliflower sounds like a delightfully zesty combo…I might add in some cashews too for a bit of crunch. Many thanks for the recipe! :)

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      Cashews sound wonderful! Great idea :)

  10. June Baby says:

    That looks wonderful! Love the curry flavors in here :)

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      Thank you! It' delicious :)

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