
This dish is inspired by my favorite appetizer from True Food Kitchen! Perfectly roasted cauliflower with the most amazing harissa tahini sauce, plus a hint of sweet dates and fresh dill.
If you’ve never had this from True Food Kitchen, and this combo sounds random to you, just trust me!! It is truly one of the best sides you will ever make.
Huge bonus that it’s healthy, super easy to make, and allergy friendly. Everyone will devour this- I swear!

The sauce is super simple to make, with just a handful of ingredients. It’s vegan, paleo friendly, and nut free. I think I could eat it on just about anything, but it’s pure perfection with the roasted cauliflower and the chopped dates.
The cauliflower is the only part you need to actually cook, and it just gets a quick roast! Easy, straight-forward, and fool-proof.

If you love this dish from True Food as much as I do, you are going to be in love with this recipe. And if you’ve never had it, I am so excited for you to try this heavenly combination of flavors. Again- just trust me on this one!
The perfect side dish for family gatherings, or just a delicious dinner in at home. I can’t wait to hear what you guys think of this one. Be sure to leave a rating and comment below if you make this, and tag me on Instagram so that I can see your creations! 🙂
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Copycat True Food Kitchen Harissa Tahini Cauliflower
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4–5 servings 1x
- Category: Sides
Description
Inspired by a True Food Kitchen favorite! Perfectly roasted cauliflower with a harissa tahini sauce, dates, and fresh herb.
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3–4 dates, pits removed and roughly chopped into small pieces
- Fresh herbs, such as dill and mint (*see note)
Harissa Tahini Sauce
- Juice of 1 small lemon (roughly 2 tbsp)
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp filtered water
- 1 tbsp harissa sauce (I use this one)
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay the cauliflower florets onto the prepared baking sheet, then toss with the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Toss until coated well, then roast for 20-25 minutes until slightly charred and crispy.
- While cauliflower is roasting, prepare the dates, fresh herbs, and the tahini sauce. To make the sauce, whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth.
- Plate your cauliflower and mix in the fresh dates, then drizzle the harissa tahini sauce and top with fresh herbs. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
*True Food Kitchen’s original dish has fresh dill and fresh mint. I like this without the mint and just a little fresh dill, but it’s personal preference!
Maria
This was delicious! We didn’t have any dates so I added broccoli (that’s sweet right?) and it was still amazing! We had extra sauce and put it all over the chicken we had because it was THAT good!
★★★★★
Austin Purkeypile
Bless you for posting this recipe. Truly one of my favorite restaurant recipes and I was a little worried about cooking it for Christmas without a recipe.
Kinsley
My favorite dish at TFK & this dupe does not disappoint! My whole family loved the sauce. This will definitely be a weekly staple moving forward!
★★★★★
Rebecca
I am obsessed. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Haley
This was sooo good and so easy! I added twice the amount of harissa because I’m spicy like that. So yummy!!!
★★★★★
bailey
I made this as a Thanksgiving side and it was by far the favorite dish. The flavor combination is unreal and it’s such a fun twist on an otherwise “boring’ and common vegetable. The sauce would truly be good on anything. We used dill on top and it was perfect. And the dates are essential, they are surprisingly such a perfect combination/finishing touch! The recipe is easy and full of flavor, 10/10 recommend.
★★★★★
Meg Rappeport
So good and easy to prepare! We added chopped pistachios to the mix and it added a nice crunch.
★★★★★
Alyssa
I’ve never had the original at TFK, but this recipe was amazing. Such a perfect blend of spice, sweetness and freshness with the herbs. Will definitely be making this again 😋
★★★★★