Smoked Cauliflower
Cauliflower is the perfect vegetable to put on the smoker, and Smoked Cauliflower, with its pretty presentation, really delivers some big and bold flavors! A perfect blend of spices, plenty of butter, and a kiss of smoke make this humble vegetable really stand out!
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I loooove smoking cauliflower on my Traeger smoker, but it’ll also work on any other smoker or pellet smoker. The genius of this recipe is that you can cook it at just about any temperature, so when you’ve got a bit of room on the smoker, fill it up with cauliflower!
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You can smoke cauliflower at just about any temperature – all you need to do is adjust the cooking time. The lower the temp, the longer it’ll take and the smokier it’ll be.
But, if you’re just cooking the cauliflower, you can turn that smoker up to about 325/350, and your cauliflower will be done in a jiffy. You also don’t need much to make this amazing smoked side dish – just a handful of spices, some butter, and of course, a whole cauliflower.
What you’ll love about Smoked CAuliflower
- It’s easy to make and impressive to serve!
- It’ll cook at any temperature – just adjust the cooking time.
- Smoked Cauliflower pairs so well with so many dishes!
Ingredients
- Whole cauliflower – Leaves and some of the stem cut away.
- Butter – Salted butter.
- Paprika
- Garlic powder – Powder, not salt.
- Onion powder – Powder, not salt.
- Salt and pepper – Season to taste.
How To Make Smoked Cauliflower
For a complete list of ingredients and instructions, please scroll down to the recipe at the bottom of this page.
Start by preheating your Traeger smoker or another smoker to 350°F so it is fully ready when the cauliflower goes in.
Remove the outer leaves from the cauliflower and trim away some of the hard core at the base, but keep the head of cauliflower whole so it holds together during smoking.
Rinse the cauliflower under cold water, then shake off excess moisture and pat the top dry with paper towels to help the seasoning stick better.
In a bowl, mix the softened butter with the spices until well combined. Use a spatula or spoon to make sure the seasoning is evenly distributed through the butter.
Spread the butter mixture over the top of the cauliflower, making sure it is evenly coated so the flavor can melt into the surface as it smokes.
Place the cauliflower into a cast iron pan or any smoker-safe pan. Smoke at 350°F for about 30 minutes, or until the cauliflower is fork-tender.
Serve and enjoy!
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Dry the cauliflower before adding the butter or the butter won’t stick to the surface.
- Don’t skimp on the butter! It’ll melt into the cauliflower as it smokes, and you can spoon up any that drips into the pan.
- Switch up the flavors! Add some cayenne for a bit of heat, or use your favorite spice rub. Just watch that it’s not too salt-heavy, or your cauliflower could end up too salty.
- Cooking times vary based on the heat of the smoker, but you’ll know the cauliflower is done when it is fork-tender.
- Smoked cauliflower is keto and vegetarian. If you’d like this to be a vegan Smoked Cauliflower, swap the butter for olive oil.
Make It A Meal
Wondering what to serve with Smoked Cauliflower? This humble and oh-so-tasty smoked vegetable pairs so well with many different dishes. I love pairing it with Smoked chicken thighs, Smoked meatloaf, Smoked meatballs, and anything else I can make on my Traeger smoker.
Storage
Refrigerate any leftover Smoked Cauliflower in an airtight container for 4-5 days. Cauliflower won’t freeze well – this dish is best eaten fresh.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! It makes a delish and impressive side dish, and it smokes so easily! Just butter it on up and pop it into the smoker until it is fork-tender.
This depends on the heat of your smoker. At 350-F the cauliflower was done in about 30 minutes. At 225-F it took closer to 90 minutes. Give yourself some time to smoke it – it’ll reheat nicely if it’s done before the rest of the meal.
Heck yes! Mix the spices with the butter, slather it onto the cauliflower, and smoke it until it is done! It couldn’t be any simpler!
Smoked Cauliflower
Equipment
- Traeger Smoker or other smoker
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower trimmed, rinsed, dried
- 1/4 cup salted butter oftened
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Mix the butter with the paprika, garlic powder, oinon powder, salt and pepper.
- Rub the butter mixture evenly over the top of the cauliflower.
- Pop the cauliflower into a cast iron pan or other dish that can go on the smoker.
- Smoke at 350-F until the cauliflower is fork-tender.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Dry the cauliflower before adding the butter or the butter won’t stick to the surface.
- Don’t skimp on the butter! It’ll melt into the cauliflower as it smokes, and you can spoon up any that drips into the pan.
- Switch up the flavors! Add some cayenne for a bit of heat, or use your favorite spice rub. Just watch that it’s not too salt-heavy or your cauliflower could end up too salty.
- Cooking times vary based on the heat of the smoker, but you’ll know the cauliflower is done when it is fork-tender.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
This delicious smoked cauliflower kept my vegetarian guests VERY happy!
This was so delicious! I can’t believe I’ve never thought of smoking cauliflower! I’ll be making this all summer long!
I’m not a fan of cauliflower but this smoked cauliflower is a game changer!
This was really delicious. I had never smoked a cauliflower before and wasn’t sure how it would go. But I loved it and 3 of the kids enjoyed it too (the others are super fuzzy so I was expecting a lot there!)
Definitely going to make this again,
Ooh we loved this cauliflower! It tastes fancy!
Never had cauliflower tasted so fancy! Looking forward to smoking more vegetables like this.
Whoa! The color on this cauliflower is amazing. And I agree — never skimp on the butter. 😉
This was so good! We don’t have a proper smoker so I used the Kamodo Joe for this, and it still came out with the most amazing flavor!