Traeger Smoked Cauliflower

After testing several smoked cauliflower recipes on my Traeger grill, I discovered smoking seasoned cauliflower florets yielded a much better final product than seasoning and smoking an entire head of cauliflower. I found a whole head of smoked cauliflower to have an overly seasoned exterior with an otherwise bland center. And since breaking down a head of cauliflower into florets is only an extra minute or two of prep, I think it’s the superior method for smoking cauliflower.

The Three Ingredients for Smoked Cauliflower

You’ll only need cauliflower, olive oil or some type of fat, and seasoning. The recipe calls for a large head of cauliflower that yields about 25 ounces of cauliflower florets. It’s a good idea to weigh your yield so you don’t over season.

And yes, you can definitely use pre-cut cauliflower florets. Here in central Texas, HEB sells 12-ounce bags. Two of those would be just right.

I went with pre-mixed seasoning blends in the form of Frank’s RedHot buffalo ranch and Franklin Barbecue’s BBQ spice rub (another HEB find). The world is your oyster here.

If you want to make your own seasoning blend, you could use the BBQ from my Traeger Smoked BBQ Pork Tenderloin or Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Thighs recipe, the cajun seasoning from my Cajun Fries, or the chili garlic rub from my Tex-Mex Smoked Pork Tenderloin.

I would recommend trying to compliment the dish you’re going to serve your smoked cauliflower with. Or if you’re going to serve it on its own with a dip, match the seasoning to the dip.

I’ve used both hickory and the Traeger Signature pellets to smoke cauliflower, and I think the Signature is my preferred choice. Hickory really puts off some smoke. So your seasoning needs to really mesh well. The BBQ seasoning, for example, works well with hickory while the buffalo ranch can be overpowered by the smoky flavor.

Okay, let’s keep it short and sweet. If you have a recipe question or a seasoning blend for cauliflower we have to try, leave it in the comments. And if you make smoked cauliflower florets and love them, let us know in a recipe review.

More Recipes for the Traeger Grill

Our drunken smoked beans, Traeger potato salad, BBQ chicken meatballs, and chocolate chip cookies all smoke at the same 300ºF temperature as this cauliflower, in case you wanted to make some things together.

More ideas:

• Twice Smoked Potatoes
• Chorizo Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
• Pellet Smoked Chicken Salad
• Traeger Smoked Smashed Potatoes
• Smoked Mexican Chicken Breast
• Pellet Smoked Chuck Roast