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You are here: Home / Recipes / How To Make Spicy Roasted Cauliflower – Veg Lollipop Recipe

October 5, 2018 by: Jennifer Priest

How To Make Spicy Roasted Cauliflower – Veg Lollipop Recipe

This spicy cauliflower recipe and post are sponsored by El Yucateco Hot Sauce

We're planning our tailgating parties and backyard barbecues and you know what comes first: food! We love a good grilling recipe. Tailgating recipes need to be easy to make on the go, have a few easy to find ingredients, and most of all, have to taste GREAT! So when my husband Xaver pulled these spicy roasted cauliflower “lollipops” off the grill, I couldn't keep my hands off them. I knew we had a winner with this veg lollipop recipe when I had to tell my 11 year old son to stop eating them! This spicy cauliflower lollipop recipe gets it kick from El Yucateco hot sauce and uses only 5 ingredients! Are you ready for this yumminess?!

Spicy Cauliflower Lollipops on platter in front of El Yucateco hot sauce chile chipotle

Why you need to make this easy cauliflower recipe

This recipe was inspired by the trend of buffalo cauliflower and chicken lollipops I've been seeing in California restaurants this year. We combined these dishes together, using our latest hot sauce obsession, El Yucateco Hot Sauce Chile Chipotle, in place of buffalo sauce.

El Yucateco hot sauce for grilling - in front of a grill

El Yucateco Hot Sauce Chile Chipotle adds a smoky, chile flavor with a heat that is more of an experience. With El Yucateco you get more of the flavor with a little bit of kick. We use El Yucateco on our eggs too. And even the kids love it!

Spicy cauliflower lollipops on a blue platter

This spicy cauliflower recipe is a hit in our home and will surely become a favorite in yours. Honestly, I could just eat a plate of this spicy cauliflower. No joke! Make these Mexican chicken satay chicken skewers on the grill at the same time and make a family dinner out of it. Here's how:

Here's why your crew is gonna love it:

A Tasty Cauliflower Recipe that's Diet-Friendly

Do you have anyone in your tailgating crew with dietary restrictions?

I love buffalo cauliflower but most of the time it features breaded and deep fried cauliflower. Since I follow a paleo or keto diet, all that breading is a no-go. If you have guests who are gluten-free, then you know the struggle in finding foods that taste good but that everyone at you party, including your GF friends, can enjoy.

This easy cauliflower recipe is more than gluten-free …this roasted spicy cauliflower recipe is friendly with these diets:

  • gluten-free
  • paleo
  • vegetarian
  • high fiber
  • low carb
  • keto (only 2.9 net carbs in 1 cup!)

Spicy cauliflower lollipops on a platter

“Buffalo” Spicy Cauliflower that even the kids will love

Since we wanted a dish the kids would love but had a kick for the adults, I decided to use El Yucateco Hot Sauce Chile Chipotle for this spicy cauliflower recipe. For more of a kick, you can also use the El Yucateco Hot Sauce Chile Habanero Black Label Reserve sauce in this recipe.

spicy cauliflower recipe

A recipe designed for tailgating – you can make it on the grill!

We designed this spicy cauliflower recipe to be a perfect-fit for tailgating, camping, or backyard barbecuing. The only cooking device you need is a hot grill! You'll see later in this post that the recipe has melted butter – you can melt this in a pot on the grill.

We also wanted the recipe to be easy to eat – that's why we added the cauliflower florets to wood lollipop sticks. The sticks make the cauliflower lollipops easy to turn on the grill and easy to eat when they're served!

Lay the spicy cauliflower lollipops on a platter and serve drizzled with fresh crema, blue cheese crumbles, and diced chives.

Planning your tailgating menu

You'll definitely want to consider dietary restrictions when planning your tailgate. Also, think about these factors when creating your menu:

  • How easy it is to hold in one hand and eat? Put out veggies and chips with homemade dips, like these
  • Can they eat it with out utensils? This saves money and it's less you have to bring!
  • How easy it to cook the recipe on the go or on the grill? Make sides like this Arroz Rojo ahead of time – it reheats well in a pot on the grill

And above all, just have fun with it!

Spicy Cauliflower Lollipops recipe - showing detail one one lollipop

Are you ready to make this spicy cauliflower recipe and knock the socks of your tailgating fam?!

How to make Spicy Roasted Cauliflower

The first step is to make this simple cauliflower recipe is to soak the wood lollipop sticks. You can use bamboo skewers if you don't have lollipop sticks. This will make them easier to insert into the cauliflower but also prevents the wood from burning while you grill the cauliflower.

While those lollipop sticks are soaking, cut the head of cauliflower into florets. You can use pre-cut cauliflower but I find that working with the whole head of cauliflower is best because the florets are crisper and go onto the wood skewers more easily. We chose an organic head of cauliflower. You can also make this recipe with colorful cauliflower varieties as well.

Cutting cauliflower florets

Split the florets apart, in about 2″ wide pieces. You can do this step at home. Place the cauliflower into a colander and rinse well. Allow any excess water to drain.

Adding butter to cauliflower florets for spicy cauliflower recipe

Melt the butter in the microwave (if at home) or in a small pot on the grill. Toss the cauliflower with the butter.

Adding salt and pepper to cauliflower florets for spicy cauliflower recipe

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Adding El Yucateco Chile Chipotle hot sauce to cauliflower florets for spicy cauliflower recipe

Then add El Yucateco Hot Sauce Chile Chipotle. Toss to coat.

Insert wood lollipop stick into cauliflower florets for spicy cauliflower recipe

Insert the wood lollipop sticks or bamboo skewers in to the bottom of each floret.

Front view of inserting wood lollipop stick into cauliflower florets for spicy cauliflower recipe

Place the florets on the grill directly over the flame, with the sticks away from the flame.

Placing cauliflower florets on hot grill for spicy cauliflower recipe

Grill on each side for about 5-10 minutes, depending on how “done” you like the cauliflower.

Cauliflower lollipops on hot grill with smoke rising

Remove the cauliflower lollipops from the grill when they reach the doneness you like.

Removing grilled cauliflower lollipops from grill and placing on metal baking sheet Removing cauliflower from grill - another angle

Arrange the cauliflower on a platter. Drizzle with 1-2 Tablespoons of crema Mexicana.

Drizzling crema Mexican or Mexican sour cream on the cooked cauliflower lollipops with a spoon

Sprinkle on the blue cheese and chives. Serve.

Spicy Cauliflower Lollipops recipe - showing detail one one lollipop

If you are making these at home, you can cook the cauliflower in your oven.

Want the printable Spicy Cauliflower recipe? Here ya go!

Spicy Roasted Cauliflower Recipe

Print

Spicy Roasted Cauliflower – Veg Lollipop Recipe

Spicy Cauliflower Lollipops on platter in fron ot El Yucateco hot sauce chile chipotle
Print Recipe

A delicious gluten-free simple cauliflower recipe the entire family will love. This tangy, spicy 5 ingredient cauliflower is a hit at parties, tailgating, and even as a side dish for dinner. BONUS: kids love it!

  • Author: Xaver Priest
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 20 min
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 20 pieces 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Method: Grilled
  • Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Scale
  • Wood lollipop sticks, about 20
  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 TBSP El Yucateco Hot Sauce Chile Chipotle
  • 2 TBSP crema Mexicana (Mexican sour cream)
  • 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
  • 1 tsp diced fresh chives (garnish)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Soak the wood lollipop sticks in water.
  2. Cut the head of cauliflower into florets. Split the florets apart, in about 2″ wide pieces.
  3. Place the cauliflower into a colander and rinse well. Allow any excess water to drain.
  4. Melt the butter in the microwave (if at home) or in a small pot on the grill. Toss the cauliflower with the butter.
  5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Add 1 TBSP of El Yucateco Hot Sauce Chile Chipotle. Toss to coat.
  7. Insert the wood lollipop sticks or bamboo skewers in to the bottom of each floret.
  8. Place the florets on a hot grill directly over the flame, with the sticks away from the flame.
  9. Grill on each side for about 5-10 minutes, depending on how “done” you like the cauliflower.
  10. Remove the cauliflower lollipops from the grill.
  11. Arrange the cauliflower on a platter. Drizzle with 1-2 Tablespoons of crema Mexicana. Sprinkle on the blue cheese and chives. Serve.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 4-5 pieces
  • Calories: 125
  • Sugar: 1.3
  • Sodium: 170
  • Fat: 11.9
  • Saturated Fat: 7.5
  • Carbohydrates: 4
  • Fiber: 1.3
  • Protein: 2.3
  • Cholesterol: 34

Keywords: cauliflower, spicy, appetizer

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

Platter of spicy cauliflower lollipops

What games are you planning to go tailgating for? Let me know in the comments!!

SAVE this spicy cauliflower recipe for later by pinning it on Pinterest! Pin this image:

Collage image showing spicy cauliflower recipe and preparation

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Comments

  1. Amy Anderson says

    October 10, 2018 at 8:58 pm

    These look awesome! I’d love to give them a try. Yum!

    Reply
  2. Michelle from Weekend Craft says

    October 11, 2018 at 5:24 am

    These look devine! I love the roasted cauliflower trend. Especially when it has a kick to it.

    Reply
  3. Lisa says

    October 11, 2018 at 11:39 am

    These look soooooo yummy!!

    Reply
  4. Ann says

    October 11, 2018 at 4:39 pm

    What a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies! Thank you for sharing at Party In Your PJs!

    Reply

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Welcome to Smart Fun DIY where you'll find amazing craft projects, easy-to-make recipes with a Latin twist, clever DIY projects, and smart ways to get the most out of life. I'm so happy you're here and I can't wait to learn more about you! - Jennifer Priest If you're new here, click HERE to learn more.

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