In this Punjabi gobi paratha recipe a whole wheat flatbread is stuffed with grated cauliflower, then roasted on a griddle to golden, delicious perfection. It’s a filling and nutritious plant-based meal for any time of day! Serve it for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or as a healthy after-school snack.

What is gobi paratha?

A gobi Paratha is a north Indian whole wheat flatbread with a delicious, spiced cauliflower stuffing. It’s similar to aloo paratha and palak (spinach) paratha. The filling of cauliflower (“gobi” in Hindi) is wrapped inside whole wheat dough and roasted until crisp and golden.

In Indian homes a gobi ka paratha is often served hot off the griddle with a pat of butter for a healthy vegetarian Indian breakfast. But it is also perfect for a brown bag lunch or dinner.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Nutritious. With whole wheat and a healthful veggie, this paratha is healthy from the inside out! It’s loaded with fiber, protein, and it is low in calories, making it good eats whether you are watching your health, your diet, or both. You can use as little or as much oil as you want to when you roast the cauliflower paratha, or use a cooking spray. You can also make the paratha with no oil.
• Delicious and satisfying. The spicy gobhi paratha is so, so yummy, and just one or two will satisfy those hunger cravings.
• Easier recipe. There’s a learning curve with making any paratha, but I’ve created this recipe to make it extra simple for anyone, even a beginner, to learn how to make a gobi paratha. You may not get a perfect result the first few times but you will certainly get better with practice.
• Suitable to most diets. The paratha is soy-free and nut-free and it is vegan, of course.

Ingredients

Skip to the recipe card below for exact quantities of all ingredients.

For the whole wheat flatbread:

• Whole wheat durum flour or atta. You can substitute regular whole wheat flour but durum flour or atta flour, which is more finely ground, will give you the softest parathas. You can buy atta at Indian grocery stores or online.
• Ajwain (carom seeds). You can leave these out if you don’t have them, but if you do, they add a lovely flavor to parathas.

For the cauliflower filling:

• Neutral oil. Any vegetable oil, including avocado oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, peanut oil and grape seed oil.
• Cauliflower (called “phool gobi” in Hindi). You can grate a whole cauliflower head for this recipe or use riced cauliflower. If you use frozen riced cauliflower make sure you place the thawed cauliflower rice in a strainer and press out any excess water before adding it to the pan.
• Spices: Ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper or any red chilli powder and amchur (mango powder, optional).
• Cilantro (coriander leaves).

Variations

• Add ½ teaspoon of ground ginger or 1 teaspoon of finely grated ginger to the cauliflower while cooking. You can also replace the cayenne with finely chopped green chili peppers, like jalapeno or serrano, for a pop of fresh spice.
• Swap out all of the spices for 2 teaspoons of garam masala powder. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon.
• Replace half the cauliflower with grated carrots or thinly shredded cabbage. You can also try this mix veg paratha recipe, which combines multiple veggies within the folds of a paratha.

Serving suggestions

Helpful tips and troubleshooting

• Grate the cauliflower using the small or medium holes on the grater or food processor. You don’t want large pieces of cauliflower in the filling.
• Stir the stuffing frequently as you cook it to ensure it loses all moisture. Don’t forget to add the salt because the salt will draw out moisture in the cauliflower.
• A good way to tell if the stuffing is done is to check when it starts sticking to the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat as soon as it begins to do that.
• When making the dough for the gobi paratha add water a little at a time to get a dough that is pliable but still quite stiff. Stop adding water as soon as the dough comes together, even if it looks rough–it will get smoother as you knead it. A soft dough will be difficult to stuff and roll.
• If you didn’t cook the cauliflower filling long enough and it still has some moisture in it, the filling will leak out as you roll the paratha. You can try adding a tablespoon or two of flour to the filling to help absorb the moisture.
• Serve the parathas as soon as they come off the griddle, or keep them wrapped in a cloth towel for a few minutes until it’s time to serve. This will keep them warm and soft. Parathas left standing for too long can be reheated in the microwave or on the griddle.
• If you are new to rolling parathas, watch a video and get more tips on rolling Indian flatbreads in my comprehensive post on how to make roti.

Recipe FAQs

Storage instructions

• Refrigerate: Ideally don’t make more parathas than you need beforehand because they taste best when made fresh. You can store the dough and the filling in the fridge for up to three days. Let them stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour before assembling. If you do decide to make all the parathas first, place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to three days.
• Freeze: Place the cooked parathas in a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze up to three months.
• Reheat: Thaw parathas if frozen and reheat on a griddle until warm and soft again. Brush some oil if needed. You can also reheat the parathas in the microwave. Spray lightly with water and microwave 30 seconds to a minute until warm and soft.

More delicious paratha recipes

If you love this gobi paratha recipe, be sure to check out more Indian vegan recipes on Holy Cow Vegan!