Sriracha Roasted Cauliflower and Sweet Potato
If you need a last-minute crowd-pleasing side dish, look no further than this Roasted Cauliflower and Sweet Potato recipe. The veggies are tossed with seasonings that capture the flavor of sriracha hot chili sauce and then roasted to perfection. The results are spicy-hot, oven-caramelized veggies you’ll want to eat like candy!
My house is Sriracha-sauce obsessed, so naturally, the first time I stumbled upon McCormick Sriracha seasoning, I had to have it.
Like the sauce, sriracha seasoning is good on many things, including scrambled eggs, chicken wings, instant noodles, and the superstars of this recipe: roasted cauliflower and sweet potato!
Quick side note: this is NOT a paid campaign. While I’ve worked with McCormick in the past and LOVE their products, I bought the Sriracha seasoning on a whim to try for myself and ended up LOVING it on roasted cauliflower and sweet potato.
That being said, there’s no limit to the seasoning possibilities. The roasting process caramelizes the natural sugars in the vegetables, which makes them taste sweeter and nuttier while the more bitter tastes are mellowed out.
Follow these step-by-step oven-roasting instructions, and no matter what seasonings you decide on, your sweet potato and cauliflower are guaranteed to be delicious!!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The ease. It’s as simple as chopping, seasoning, and roasting the veggies in the oven, all in under about 40 minutes.
- The nutritious & delicious ingredients. With just FIVE healthy ingredients, this recipe delivers perfectly roasted sweet potato and cauliflower enhanced with crave-worthy spicy-hot sriracha spices.
- The functionality. These veggies are perfect for throwing together during the week and when you need an impressive side dish for special occasions and holiday meals. It’s also great for meal prep!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cauliflower – I used regular white cauliflower, but how fun would this be with a medley of colors of cauliflower? It is also available in green, purple, and orange varieties, and they all taste the same!
- Sweet potatoes – Like cauliflower, they also come in pretty colors but taste different. For instance, reddish-purplish Beauregard sweet potatoes are the sweetest and, conveniently, the most common type sold in grocery stores. Feel free to experiment with roasting other varieties.
- Olive oil – This is my go-to healthy cooking oil for roasting vegetables. Of course, avocado oil is also a good one, or for an extra crisp outer layer and a rich, buttery dimension, try tossing the vegetables in melted ghee.
- Sriracha seasoning – I highly recommend adding McCormick Gourmet Sriracha Seasoning to your collection of seasoning staples. Again, not sponsored -I just love the stuff! If you want a mild version, smoked paprika is a great mild swap. *see variations for more spice options.
- Kosher salt – To balance flavors.
How To Make Roasted Cauliflower and Sweet Potato
Step 1: Prep for roasting. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Meanwhile, rinse the cauliflower well, pat dry, and chop into 1½“ florets.
Wash and peel the sweet potatoes and chop them into 1” pieces.
Step 2: Season. Combine the cauliflower florets and chopped sweet potato in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil, season with sriracha seasoning and a generous pinch of salt, and toss until coated evenly.
Step 3: Spritz with oil. Dump the veggies on a shallow baking sheet and spread them out evenly. Then spray generously with avocado (or olive) oil spray.
Step 4: Roast. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake, turning the vegetables a few times until golden and fork-tender (my veggies were perfect at 30 minutes).
Recipe Tips
- If the baking sheet is overcrowded, it causes steam and soggy veggies. So, if you need to divide the veggies between two baking sheets, please do.
- If you want to line the baking sheet with parchment paper to make clean-up easier, you can. However, you’ll achieve much better browned, caramelized edges if the vegetables are roasted directly on the sheet pan.
- Don’t discard the cauliflower stems after removing the florets. You can use them to make cauliflower rice or cook and blend them in with veggie-based creamy soups like this Potato Leek Soup.
Variations
Add another veggie or two – The sky’s the limit. Just be sure to cut whatever veggies you add the right size so they roast at the same rate as the cauliflower and sweet potatoes. You can add bell peppers, broccoli florets, brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, red onion, zucchini, and so on.
Less spicy – If sriracha is too spicy, try swapping it with dry buffalo seasoning, or toss the veggies with sweet or smoked paprika and warming spices like cinnamon, cumin, and nutmeg to taste.
Non-spicy – If you were hoping for a roasted cauliflower and sweet potato recipe that isn’t spicy at all, keep it simple with garlic powder, onion powder, and savory herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage. You can also go with your favorite mild spice blend.
Citrus/herbs – For presentation purposes and better flavor, squeezing fresh lime or lemon juice and finishing the dish with fresh chopped herbs like chives, cilantro, and parsley is never a bad idea.
Serving Suggestions
- Entree side – This roasted cauliflower and sweet potato dish goes well with just about any protein main course. It’s a nice accompaniment with chicken cutlets, pork chops, and so on.
- Bowls – Spoon a plentiful portion of this roasted cauliflower and sweet potato dish over grain, rice, and salad bowls to boost the veggies.
- Tacos – The spicy-hot sriracha seasoning qualifies these roasted vegetables as a DELICIOUS plant-based taco filling. Top the tacos with chopped cilantro and chipotle cream sauce.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Keep leftover vegetables in a shallow, glass, airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Freezing: Once cooled, you can also freeze these veggies for up to 3 months, but know that if you add vegetables with high water content, like onions, zucchini, or bell peppers, they won’t hold up as well in the freezer.
Reheating: The best way to reheat leftover roasted vegetables is in the oven. To do so, spread the veggies out on a baking sheet, spray with oil if they appear dry, and reheat at 425ºF for 4-6 minutes, turning halfway through. To reheat from frozen, spread the frozen veggies on a baking sheet and bake at 450ºF for 5-10 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
Common culprits of mushy roasted cauliflower are overcrowding the pan and saturating the florets in too much oil. Next time, do not roast too much at once, and coat in just enough oil to caramelize the edges. As for your mushy cauliflower, you can blend it into creamy soups and sauces instead of tossing it!
I don’t see why not. To adapt this recipe for air frying, chop and toss the vegetables with oil and seasonings as instructed, then cook in the air fryer preheated to 400ºF for 12-15 minutes, tossing the basket every few minutes. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook in batches, so the veggies aren’t crowded.
More Roasted Vegetable Recipes
- Rosemary Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Vegetables with Apples
- Roasted Butternut Squash
- Slow-Roasted Green Beans
- Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
If you love this recipe, I would be so grateful if you could leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below. I love reading your comments and feedback!
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Sriracha Roasted Cauliflower and Sweet Potato
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower chopped into florets
- 2 sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1" pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 tsp sriracha seasoning such as McCormick Gourmet *see notes for mild seasoning suggestions
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- avocado oil cooking spray or olive oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- Rinse cauliflower, pat dry and cut into 1 1/2 inch florets
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces
- In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower and sweet potato pieces with oil, sriracha seasoning (or your favorite mild seasoning), and salt.
- Dump the veggies on a shallow baking sheet and spread them out evenly. Then spray generously with avocado (or olive) oil spray.
- Roast on a shallow baking pan for 25-30 minutes (mine were perfect at 30 minutes), turning the veggies a few times until golden and fork-tender. Serve immediately.
Notes
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- If the baking sheet is overcrowded, it causes steam and soggy veggies. So, if you need to divide the veggies between two baking sheets, please do.
-
- If you want to line the baking sheet with parchment paper to make clean-up easier, you can. However, you’ll achieve much better browned, caramelized edges if the vegetables are roasted directly on the sheet pan.
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- Don’t discard the cauliflower stems after removing the florets. You can use them to make cauliflower rice or cook and blend them in with veggie-based creamy soups like this Potato Leek Soup.
Nutrition
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Oh girl, I love everything about this! I can’t wait to make this! I hope you are feeling well, love you!
Thank you Lauren!!
Thank you!
Whaaat Sriracha seasoning? That’s new to me. I guess I need to spend more time in the spice aisle. I can’t wait to try it! Pinning this right now 🙂
Thank you Anne!
Wow. Looks like a hot recipe for sure. I’m pretty wimpy when it comes to spicy … but my family adores it. Must try this!! Pinning now 🙂
They are so good! Thank you Liz!
I am going to look for this Sriracha seasoning on my next shopping trip. I can’t wait to try it.
It’s the bomb Jennifer!
I just saw someone else used sriracha seasoning in a recipe the other day and I had to google it b/c I had no idea it existed!! My husband is obsessed with the spicy stuff, so this will definitely be making an appearance on our dinner table!
It’s so good Jessica! You won’t be sorry!
I am with Liz; a little whimpy on the spicy side of things! I do think my son would love. Pinning!
Thanks Diane!
I haven’t seen the sriracha seasoning yet, but we love sriracha sauce – what a vibrant looking dish. Love cauliflower!
Thank you, we are kind of addicted to that seasoning now, lol!