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Paleo Cauliflower Rolls
Cauliflower can do just about anything these days if you wish it hard enough! And these “Everything Bagel” flavored Cauliflower Rolls have been a magical recipe here on the site for over 7 years now! We’ve been re-making some of our most beloved recipes lately so more of you can find them, and these rolls definitely deserve top billing! While the recipe has stayed the same, we’ve added more tips and step-by-step photos to help you make it!
So you might be wondering…what are cauliflower rolls? And do they taste like regular rolls? And let me say straight off the bat, these are “rolls” made from cauliflower. They absolutely taste like cauliflower. So if you don’t like cauliflower at all, these might not be for you. If you are on the fence about cauliflower, or you are looking for ways to incorporate it more into your life then these are definitely for you.
This recipe uses finely processed cauliflower, bound together by eggs and baked up to make a really lovely side dish to serve along with dinner, or veggie-filled snack. Some people have had success in using it as a bun for a burger, but I much prefer to eat it as-is and served it with dinner.
This recipe is a healthy, low carb, paleo-friendly, roll alternative!
Ingredients Needed
- Fresh Cauliflower
- Eggs
- Almond Flour
- Coconut Flour
- Everything Bagel Seasoning
Common Substitution Questions
We’ve had lots of questions about substitutions over the years. If your question isn’t answered here, check out the comments thread!
Cauliflower: This recipe as written is only for fresh whole cauliflower. You cannot use pre-riced cauliflower as it isn’t fine enough. If you did want to use pre-riced cauliflower, you’ll have to process it more in the food processor. We do not recommend using frozen cauliflower, as it will have too much excess moisture.
Eggs: This is the primary binding ingredient for this recipe. Some have had success using a flax or chia egg substitute, but we imagine that it can be a bit crumbly compared to the recipe as written. Please feel free to share if you make an egg substitute for this.
Almond Flour: A lot of people have commented below about using alternative flours, so feel free to see what has worked for others. If you need this to be nut-free, oat flour should work in place of almond flour.
Coconut Flour: This is a very absorbent flour, so if you wanted to attempt to replace it, you will likely have to triple the amount of flour that you plan to use. For instance, there might be some success with using 3 tablespoons of additional almond flour, but we haven’t tried so we can’t guarantee it will work. Please let us know if you experiment.
Seasoning: Go ahead and swap out the Everything Bagel Seasoning for whatever type of seasoning you’d like!
How to Make Them
The most important step in this recipe is starting with the right kind and the right amount of cauliflower! Start with a fresh, whole cauliflower and pulse it in a food processor until it is finely ground, about the size of a grain of quinoa. You may have more than you need, so make sure to measure out only 3 cups. Set aside any leftover cauliflower for another use, such as adding it into an omelet or a smoothie!
Next add the 3 cups of fine cauliflower to a bowl along with the flours, some seasoning and eggs. Mix it up together until it’s well combined, and measure out about 1/3 cup of the mixture. Roll it into a ball and press down slightly to make a roll shape, since they won’t change shape in the oven. Then place on a baking sheet!
Then mix together your everything bagel seasoning, if you are making it yourself, or grab your store-bought seasoning and put about 1-1/2 teaspoons of the seasoning on top of each roll, and gently press it in to make sure it adheres while it’s baking.
And finally, bake in the oven until it’s lightly golden and set all over.
Cauliflower Rolls FAQ
We’ve had lots of questions of the years! We’ve added them here to help you have success with this recipe. If you have a question and you don’t see it answered here, feel free to add it to the comments below!
Does this have the texture of bread? Not quite! It’s cauliflower, and it’s really tricky to make cauliflower have the same texture as bread. This is, however, a healthier wheat roll alternative!
Does it taste like cauliflower? It does taste like cauliflower.
Can I use pre-riced cauliflower? No. This recipe needs finely processed cauliflower, and the stuff you buy at the store won’t be fine enough.
Can I use frozen cauliflower? Unfortunately no. It has too much moisture in it.
Can I use an alternative flour? We recommend sticking with the suggested flours. However, if you have a nut allergy, we’ve had success swapping in oat flour in our other recipes, so you might try that here, though we haven’t tested it on this. Check out the comments for more suggestions on flour alternatives that others have tried.
Can I omit the eggs? Eggs are the binding agent in this recipe, and they’re pretty important. However, some people have had some success with a chia or flax egg substitute. We haven’t tested it though.
How long will they last? These cauliflower rolls are best consumed fresh, the day they are made!
Watch the video here:
If you like this cauliflower recipe, check out these others:
- How to Make Cauliflower Rice
- Kimchi Fried Rice (Cauliflower Rice or White Rice)
- Cauliflower Baked Ziti
- Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Cauliflower Pizza Bites (Gluten-Free and Grain-Free)
'Everything Bagel' Cauliflower Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower about 1-1/2 lbs, cut into florets
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add cauliflower to a food processor, and pulse until the cauliflower is finely ground, about the size of a grain of quinoa. Add three lightly packed cups of processed cauliflower to a large bowl, and set aside any leftover for another use.
- To the bowl add in eggs, almond flour, coconut flour, garlic powder, and salt and mix together until fully combined.
- Scoop 1/3 cup of the cauliflower mixture, form it into a ball and place it on the baking sheet. Gently press to flatten it slightly. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
- Mix together poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried garlic, dried onion and coarse salt in a small bowl. Divide the mixture evenly on top of the cauliflower rolls, pressing it in slightly.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove from baking sheet and let cool directly on a cooling rack.
- Serve as a snack or as a roll along with dinner!
Notes
Nutrition
Just gave these a try and I must say that they did NOT disappoint! I naturally love cauliflower and the garlic and onion seasoning combo along with the poppy seeds is ridiculously good. Who would have thought….
Thank you for this one! I am loving your site so far and plan on trying more recipes. 🙂
Will a blender work find instead of a food processor?
It might! As long as you can get the cauliflower to look similar to what we have here in photos!
Nutrition information?
I used Just Egg and they fell apart. Should I have used more or less or a different product? Thanks!
You followed exactly? Did you use pre-riced cauliflower?
Add it if you’d like – we made it both ways. Enjoy!
I want to try the cauliflower bagel but I’m allergic to almonds and coconut what other flower can I use as replacement?
We had these with meatballs and marinara for a bun free meatball sub. My husband and I both really liked them, but we both really like cauliflower.
I’m going to try adding grated parmesan next time. And I may try freezing some of the mix and see how it cooks up after thawing.
I made these last night and was so excited to try them! I absolutely looooove every recipe you’ve ever had! Did anyone else out there feel that they just had too much cauliflower-y taste? I didn’t love them. And the Trader Joe’s topping was waaaaayyyy too salty! Probably could have been better if I had just used your mixture. The texture was perfect but the cauliflower “bitterness” overpowered everything, I thought. Have you ever tried something less powerful, like zucchini for instance?? Just curious. Thank you for all of your delicious recipes. They’re always my favorites!!
Hi. Can I use something else besides eggs???
You can try a flax or chia egg replacement!
I made these and got around 6 rolls. No problem them sticking together. But the cauliflower flavor is so strong I am not sure how I am going to eat them all. May try to freeze some. I am going to try rolling them in something in addition to the suggested topping….Maybe parmesan. Also ,my house smells like old cooked cauliflower.
Yum, I love them! Thanks for the recipe.
do you think the flower could be replaced with protein powder? On strict PSMF diet nd can’t use flour of any kind.
Hi can someone help me out with the ratio of eggs to flax egg/chia egg. Also for chia egg, is it necessary to grind the chia seeds as you wud do the flax seed or can it be used as such?
Hi iI tried making these twice last night and each time they fell apart. Any tips on helping stay together better? I did add. Some extra flour but it didnt help
Did you follow the recipe exactly? They won’t fall apart if so! Happy to help troubleshoot. A tip: you cannot use store-bight pre-riced cauliflower, it’s not fine enough!
Really easy recipe, and really tasty low carb opition.
Wanna save a little time? Trader Joe’s sells seasoning called “Everything but the bagel” topping that is pretty much everything they list in this recipe. It’s under $4. I’d go that route instead. 😉
Yes def! It didn’t exist when this recipe was created 🙂
hello Lexi, I’ve made this recipe twice and it does not look anything like yours, I really like it but yours is lightly textured in bread and the shapes that look dry, mine are wet, I’d like to know if you have any advice for me ? by the way, use it to make pizza and thins
I’ve made these twice now. Both times they’ve come out as pictured. I’d make sure your eggs are “large” . (Not Jumbo or Extra Large) Here in the US that means they weigh about 2oz (4.75g) each. Also make sure you end up with about 3 cups of riced cauliflower. I pulse the cauliflower in a food processor and it ends up being finer than rice and it sticks together. Hope this helps!
🙂