These Oven Roasted Lebanese Cauliflower Bites are incredibly simple to make without FRYING! Traditional Lebanese Cauliflower (or Arnabeet in Arabic) are typically deep fried then slathered with the tangy tarator sauce (tahini garlic sauce) which is a MUST make sauce. This recipe recreates those same flavors and yields tender, sweet roasted cauliflower with crispy edges and tangy lemony garlic flavor in under 30 minutes and no frying.
Arnabeet Mekleh (translated to fried cauliflower) is a common Lebanese snack. This modern version skips the fryer and simply roasts the cauliflower on high heat to obtain those crispy edges and similar flavor.
My kids aren't cauliflower fans, until they tried these delicious bites. We have actually nicknamed them, snacking cauliflower because they are just so good that you keep going back to snack on. The cauliflower bites are roasted to perfection with a generous coating of toum to really caramelize and glaze the bites, tangy lemon squeezed on top and garlicky tarator to dip. These simple ingredients truly transform the simple, humble cauliflower to the perfect snack.
Ingredients
A round up of simple ingredients to make a perfect little snack that is naturally gluten free and vegan!!
- Cauliflower - One head of cauliflower gives you a nice plate to snack on - easily double!
- Toum - If you've been here a while you know that toum is the quintessential Lebanese sauce - emulsified garlic and oil to create a fluffy garlic mixture perfect for roasting veggies. If you don't have toum, you can see the notes for an alternative with olive oil and garlic powder.
- Lemon - Fresh lemon juice is squeezed on the hot cauliflower just as they come out of the oven and give them a nice zingy taste.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions for Roasted Cauliflower
This dish is so easy and takes less than 30 minutes which is perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Step 1: Begin by preheating your oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and placing a rack at the very bottom of your oven - if you have a baking steel or pizza stone, place that there too.
Next, prepare your cauliflower by cutting in half.
Step 2: Once the cauliflower is cut in half, using a sharp knife - cut the center core out of both sides by making two diagonal cuts. This will leave only the cauliflower florets.
Step 3: With your two halves, begin cutting individual florets apart until they are all loose. I like to cut larger ones in half and also create flat surface areas which roast REALLY well and get a nice char. You want them to be similar in size.
Step 4: Place your cauliflower florets on a half sheet pan and toss with 2 tablespoons toum (or see note if you don't have toum) and salt.
Step 5: Once the oven is to temperature place your tray at the very bottom rack of the oven and allow to roast for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, remove and toss/flip to ensure the backsides of the florets have contact with the pan.
Step 6: Place back in oven and roast for another 10-15 minutes until browned on both sides and have a nice char.
Step 8: Immediately after coming out of the oven, squeeze a large half a lemon on top. Serve with tarator sauce.
Storage
These bites are optimal HOT out of the oven but you can certainly warm up in a pan or oven to enjoy another day. I also love to snack on them cold from the fridge or add to a salad.
Fridge storage: 5-7 days in a sealed container
The cauliflower does not freeze well.
Top Tip
Please ensure your oven is FULLY preheated to 500 before placing tray. For these bites to roast properly and get those crispy edges, it's imperative to wait and roast when the oven hits fully temperature.
Why We Love This Recipe
With a handful of ingredients you'll have such a delicious snack. You can also use these bites to build a taco, add to a salad or add to your next mezze or charcuterie board.
This dish is naturally gluten free as well as vegan so it makes it a crowd pleaser!
If you make these Roasted Lebanese Cauliflower Bites - Arnabeet, please let me know by leaving a rating and review below!
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xoxo,
Cosette
Roasted Lebanese Cauliflower Bites - No Frying!! {Arnabeet}
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups
- Category: Appetizer, side dish
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Lebanese
Description
These tender bites of roasted cauliflower are garlicky, lemony and paired with the perfect tahini sauce dipping sauce (tarator).
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower, core and stem removed - cut into florets
- 2 Tablespoons prepared toum garlic sauce - see note for alternatives
- ½-1 teaspoon Diamond kosher salt - half if you are using table salt
- Half a fresh lemon
Instructions
- Begin by preheating your oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and placing a rack at the very bottom of your oven - if you have a baking steel or pizza stone, place on the rack as well.
- Prepare your cauliflower by cutting directly in half using a sharp knife.
- 1 head of cauliflower
- Once the cauliflower is cut in half, use a sharp knife and cut the center core out by making two diagonal cuts at the core. This will leave only the cauliflower florets.
- With your two halves, begin cutting individual florets apart until they are all loose. I like to cut larger ones in half and create as many flat surface areas which roast REALLY well and get a nice char. You want them to be similar in size to roast evenly.
- Place your cauliflower florets on a half sheet pan and toss with 2 tablespoons of toum (or see note if you don't have toum) and salt.
- 2 Tablespoons prepared toum garlic sauce - see note for alternatives
- ½-1 teaspoon Diamond kosher salt - half if you are using table salt
- Once the oven is to temperature, place your tray at the very bottom rack of the oven and allow to roast for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, remove the tray from the oven and with a flat spatula toss/flip florets to ensure the backsides now have contact with the pan.
- Place back in the oven and roast for another 10-15 minutes until florets are browned on both sides.
- Immediately after coming out of the oven, squeeze half a lemon on top and mix. Serve with tarator sauce.
- Half a fresh lemon
Notes
- If you don't have toum, use 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
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