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Vegan cauliflower steak makes a beautiful, flexible, and satisfying main dish that’s easy enough for a weeknight but impressive enough for a dinner party. Here’s how to make it, with variations.
Why we love this recipe
With its curly-headed mid-winter optimism and nearly endless ability to make friends with other foods, cauliflower is the best kind of culinary blank slate. Vegan cauliflower steak brilliantly turns it into an entree. It’s:
- An easy and fun vegan, gluten-free main dish
- Crisp and flavorful outside, meltingly tender inside
- Unimpeachably nutritious
- Flexible — scroll down for more flavor options
I first published a version of this recipe here and on Serious Eats way back in 2010. I’ve since updated both the recipe and the post.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe as written. For more flavor options, see the section below.
- Use nice, big heads of cauliflower if possible — about two pounds each.
- Chili powder refers to the spice blend, not pure ground chili.
- You can serve the steaks drizzled with chimichurri or our wildly popular cilantro sauce (my favorite choice, pictured here).
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a beautiful batch of vegan cauliflower steak. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Mix the spices together in a small bowl.
- Trim the leaves from the cauliflower, plus any extra stem, leaving the head intact.
- Slice into 3/4-inch thick slices. You’ll get three to four intact slices from the center of each head, plus some extra florets on each side. You can roast them too or save for another use.
- Brush both sides of each steak with olive oil and sprinkle with the spice mixture. Roast at 450°F for 15 minutes, then flip once and roast about 15 minutes more, until browned and tender. Drizzle with sauce and serve.
Expert tips and FAQs
There are so many great options. One is to simply treat the florets the same way as the steaks (coated with a bit of olive oil and spice blend) and roast it right on the sheet pan.
If you’d rather save it for another use, try another one of our vegan favorites: tofu cauliflower curry or warm cauliflower, lentil, and quinoa salad.
Absolutely. You can do everything as indicated in the recipe card, except cut the cauliflower into florets instead of steaks, and toss it together with the olive oil before sprinkling with the spice blend. (You can do all of this in a large mixing bowl or directly on the baking sheet.) Make sure it’s spread out in a single, uncrowded layer, using two baking sheets if necessary. Serve with the cilantro sauce drizzled on top or on the side for dipping.
One of the beautiful characteristics of this recipe is the crisp outside, tender inside combo. I think it’s worth roasting the steaks right before serving for this reason. The flavors will still be great afterward, so it’s up to you.
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. You can keep them intact or chop them up to add to salads, grain bowls, and more.
More great flavor options for vegan cauliflower steak
Cauliflower takes well to a wide variety of seasonings. Here are a few great options.
- 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence + 1 teaspoon garlic powder + 1 teaspoon onion powder (topped with a big dollop of hummus)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano + 1 teaspoon dill weed + 1 teaspoon garlic powder + 1 teaspoon onion powder (topped with a vegan tzatziki)
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (topped with marinara)
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning (topped with vegan gravy)
More favorite vegan main dishes
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Vegan Cauliflower Steak with Chimichurri or Cilantro Sauce
Ingredients
For the cauliflower steaks
- 2 large heads cauliflower, about 2 pounds/(900 grams) each
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
To serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F with a rack in the center. Wash and dry the cauliflower.
- In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Trim the leaves and any excess stem from the bottom of the cauliflower, leaving the head intact.
- From the top of the head to the stem, cut three to four 3/4-inch thick "steaks" from the center of each head. There will be some florets on either side that fall off. You can see this step in action in the video that accompanies this post.
- Place the cauliflower steaks on a baking sheet with some space in between. Use two sheets if necessary. Brush each steak on both sides with the olive oil, and sprinkle both sides with the spice mixture.
- Roast for 15 minutes, then flip each steak and roast until tender, about 15 minutes more.
- While the cauliflower roasts, prepare the chimichurri or cilantro sauce.
- Drizzle steaks with sauce and serve.
Notes
- Use nice, big heads of cauliflower if possible — about two pounds each.
- Chili powder refers to the spice blend, not pure ground chili.
- There are so many great options. One is to simply treat the florets the same way as the steaks (coated with a bit of olive oil and spice blend) and roast it right on the sheet pan. If you’d rather save it for another use, try another one of our vegan favorites: tofu cauliflower curry or warm cauliflower, lentil, and quinoa salad.
- If you like, instead of steaks, you can make this recipe with florets and serve it as an appetizer or side dish. You can do everything as indicated, except cut the cauliflower into florets instead of steaks, and toss it together with the olive oil before sprinkling with the spice blend. (You can do all of this in a large mixing bowl or directly on the baking sheet.) Make sure it’s spread out in a single, uncrowded layer, using two baking sheets if necessary. Serve with the cilantro sauce drizzled on top or on the side for dipping.
- One of the beautiful characteristics of this recipe is the crisp outside, tender inside combo, so I think it’s worth roasting the steaks right before serving for this reason. The flavors will still be great afterward, so it’s up to you.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. You can keep them intact or chop them up to add to salads, grain bowls, and more.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I’ve made this 2x this week with the cilantro sauce. So delicious, a big hit, and I’ve been using the extra sauce on all kinds of things. The second time I made it I actually just cut the cauliflower into florets and served it as a side dish at a party. This is a keeper!
Thank you, Ellen! I’m so glad.