maple cauliflower with crispy chickpeas, capers, & raisins

last updated on October 29, 2026

I wrote down the idea for this salad so many months ago, and I finally got around to putting it together! And wow, I am glad I did. This salad/side is light and satisfying, salty and sweet.

The cauliflower is roasted at first with just olive oil, paprika, and salt & pepper, then when it has about 10 minutes left, maple syrup is drizzled over it to give it a nice maple flavor. Mmmm, and it is so good.

Crispy chickpeas are good on their own and also pair so well with the salad. If you haven’t made crispy chickpeas before, the key is to make sure the chickpeas are dry. Take them out of the can and rinse them off, then pour them onto a paper towel for 5 minutes to let them dry. That way they will get nice and crispy!

This recipe takes 35 minutes and is so simple but so tasty! Let me know if you try it!

MAPLE CAULIFLOWER WITH CRISPY CHICKPEAS, CAPERS, AND RAISINS

INGREDIENTS

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp. paprika
• salt & pepper
• 3-4 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup capers
• 1/2 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the top oven to 425 ° and the bottom oven to 450 °.

Wash and cut the cauliflower into 2-inch pieces. Put cauliflower on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, paprika, salt, & pepper. Put it in the oven and let it cook for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, pull the cauliflower out of the oven and drizzle the maple syrup. Return to the oven and finish cooking for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Wash the chickpeas and let them dry for 5 minutes on paper towels. Make sure they are dry so they will crisp up in the oven! Put chickpeas on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt, & pepper. Put in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes. Shake the pan a couple of times while cooking to rotate the chickpeas.

Place cauliflower on a plate and top with chickpeas, capers, and raisins. Or, you can toss them all together in a bowl.

If desired, top with a drizzle of olive oil.

Enjoy!

*If you only have one oven, set it to 425 and add 5-10 minutes of cooking time to the chickpeas.