These oven-roasted cauliflower steaks with a gluten-free breading are a great side dish or entrée. This healthy recipe is fairly easy to make, low-carb, and vegan. Serve with a creamy cashew tahini dip.
Vegan Roasted Cauliflower “Steaks”
It’s the second time I made these crispy cauliflower steaks, and I am sure it wasn’t the last time. This dish reminds me of eating a Schnitzel. It doesn’t taste the same, however, it looks quite similar, doesn’t it? My mom used to make breaded fried cauliflower quite often, and I LOVED it! Cauliflower is amazing because it’s so versatile and delicious!
I really like this recipe because it is:
- 100% vegan (meat-free, egg-free, dairy-free).
- It contains only simple ingredients.
- It’s easy to make in the oven or in an air fryer!
How To Cut Cauliflower Steaks?
- First, remove the leaves and trim off the bottom part of the stem.
- With a large knife, cut the cauliflower lengthwise through the center into thick slices (about 1 1/2-inch resp. 4 cm thick).
- Depending on the thickness of the stem, you might get 2 or 3 cauliflower “steaks”.
- No need to throw away the cauliflower florets which aren’t connected to the stem, use them as well to make mini cauliflower “steaks” or rather cauliflower “wings” or “nuggets”.
How to Make Roasted Cauliflower Steaks?
There are actually only four easy instruction steps involved:
- First, cut the cauliflower into steaks, as mentioned above.
- Steam/cook the cauliflower in a pot with boiling water for 4-5 minutes.
- Prepare the flavorful marinade and gluten-free breading.
- Coat the cauliflower with the marinade and breading, and bake the “steaks” in the oven or in an air fryer until crispy and tender.
It’s really easy and doesn’t take too long. See the step-by-step instruction photos below:
How to serve?
Enjoy the roasted cauliflower steaks with your favorite sides. Some examples could be:
This dish is really versatile and can be combined with different sides!
Simple Ingredients
Here is what you will need for this recipe, and I bet you are familiar with all ingredients:
- Cauliflower
- Soy sauce
- Balsamic vinegar
- Maple syrup
- Oil
- Nutritional yeast flakes
- Different spices
You could also use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce or even tamari. The marinade will add a nice flavor to the roasted cauliflower steaks. You could even add a few drops of liquid smoke for an intense smoky flavor.
It’s also possible to make the cauliflower steaks in an air fryer without the breading. Check the following photo:
Some Helpful Tips
- Prepare the marinade ahead of time and store it in the fridge. The same goes for the breading. It saves time and is more convenient.
- You can also steam/cook the cauliflower steaks ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to make the dish.
- You can use an air fryer instead of your oven. I recommend 360 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) and about 15 minutes.
- Enjoy the roasted cauliflower steaks with a creamy tahini dip.
This recipe is:
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Low-carb
- Crispy
- Satisfying
- Hearty
- Easy to make with simple ingredients
- Perfect for families with kids
Should you recreate these healthy cauliflower steaks, please leave a comment and rating below, and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your remakes! 🙂
If you love crispy side dishes, definitely also check out the following vegan recipes:
Roasted Cauliflower Steaks
Ingredients
- 2 medium-large heads of cauliflower
Marinade
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free if needed)
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
- 3/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Breading
- 1/2 cup (60 g) chickpea flour or oat flour
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- You can watch the video in the post for visual instructions.Trim the stem and remove the leaves from the cauliflower heads. Do not remove too much of the stem, otherwise, your "steaks" will fall apart.
- With a large knife, cut the cauliflower lengthwise through the center into 1 1/2-inch (4 cm) thick pieces. Depending on the thickness of the stem you might end up with 2 or 3 "steaks". Don't throw away the little cauliflower pieces which aren't connected to the stem, use them as well to make cauliflower "wings".
- Add some water with salt to a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water boils, add the cauliflower, cover the pot and cook the cauliflower for 4-5 minutes to soften it a little. After 4-5 minutes, remove the cauliflower and set aside. You can also steam the cauliflower instead of cooking it.
- In a small bowl mix together oil, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Preheat oven to 410 degrees Fahrenheit (210 degrees Celsius) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare the breading by simply mixing all ingredients (chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, paprika, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper) in a bowl with a whisk.
- Place cauliflower steaks on the lined baking sheet. Brush with the marinade from all sides (see pictures above in the blog post).
- Dip the cauliflower steaks in the breading and coat from all sides. Then spray with some cooking spray for a crispy breading.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown, crispy, and fork-tender. Flip cauliflower steaks after 15-20 minutes.
- Transfer to a platter and serve with fresh herbs, lemon juice, and your favorite dip. I made a cashew tahini dip (check the notes below for the recipe). Enjoy!
Notes
- Recipe serves 4. Nutrition facts are for one serving.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Equipment
Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
Hi,
Can you freeze the steaks? If so, at what stage would be best to freeze them?
I am on my own and would love to be able buy a whole cauliflower and prepare the steaks for future
Thank you
Haven’t tried it yet, but would freeze them after breading (before baking).
Had this cauliflower recipe for dinner tonight and it was delicious! My husband who is trying very hard to stay plant based loved it too. He said it tasted like a pork chop, 🤣 I just loved the crispy coating & the marinade was yummy. I didn’t use any oil but sprayed vegetable broth on the top about halfway thru roasting. Interestingly, I used some leftover florets in marinade & coated them too, threw them on the cookie sheet & left them in the oven as the oven cooled. About an hour later, I pulled them out. They were crunchy sweet. This would make great appetizers.
Sounds awesome! So glad you liked it. 🙂
Ela thank you so much for this recipe, I saw something similar on Instagram and was dying to try this! So happy I did because these cauliflower steaks were delicious. I substituted Pablo for the breading but the marinade was my favorite part. Cauliflower is one of my favorite veggies so. what a great different twist. My mom loved it and I will definitely make it again! I paired it with a hoisin sauce for dipping!
Yay, I am happy to hear that, Ashley. 🙂
I am looking forward to making this. Really trying to watch the carbs. Small town so limits on items to buy. Can I use reg flour or maybe coconut or almond. Might have one of them available. Also the yeast not sure Exactly what that is, can I use regular yeast or what can I use to replace that
Hi, you can use regular flour, that’s fine. Almond flour might work too, but I never tried it. Nutritional yeast is nooch. Please google it. Just leave it out if you can’t buy it.
Hi Ela, I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but about to make it. Is there anything else I could use instead of the cooking spray?
Thanks!
You can use regular oil and a silicone brush. 🙂
delish – I did not succeed in cutting the cauliflower into steaks, so made ‘wings’. I have leftover marinade – gonna soak some tofu in that and try this technique à la tofu…. For anyone who is oil free, I have a feeling you could sub any plant based milk. Thanks for recipe !
Thanks for your great feedback, Anicca! 🙂
This is so delicious. I didn’t have soy sauce, so substituted 1T Magi and 1T Aminos and a dash of Worcester sauce. Left out the salt. 3 shakes of cayenne powder. Also added 1/4 C dried parsley to the coating.
One precaution – 410 degrees F seems too high for parchment paper. When I flipped the 2nd batch of cauliflower midway through roasting, I switched to aluminum foil. 2nd batch was fine. But first batch with all parchment paper had burned smell throughout the kitchen.
Thanks for sharing! I am so glad it turned out delicious. 🙂
Delicious! One point of confusion though in the recipe, you show oil in the ingredients list, but it’s not included in the instructions. “In a small bowl mix together soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper to taste.” Does it go into the marinade?
Thanks so much for catching that, Rebekah! I fixed the instructions. The video is correct though. 🙂
We didn’t even need the coating. It was such a yummyyyy marinade on its own, and we absolutely loved the umami flavour!!!
I am so glad you loved the recipe! Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
It’s possible to do it without the yeast?
Yes, it’s possible, but it won’t taste as good. 🙂
Followed recipe and was really looking forward to trying this one out, however the taste of this dish didn’t do it for me. Maybe it was the chickpea flour taste I’m not sure but won’t be making these again unfortunately. Sorry, I really do appreciate the hard work with your recipes.
I am so sorry you didn’t like the recipe, Alex! If you don’t like the chickpea flour taste, you can also use oat flour as mentioned in the recipe. I hope you will give it another try with oat flour. 🙂
Hello Ela, this recipe is incredible ! I made it two consecutive days and I can’t stop to eat them , the last time a added a little bit of corn flour ,- in Brazil we called fuba- because the chickepeas flour was almost over so I did a mix …and it’s worked very well ! Thanks a lots of for all your recipes !I ljust love them!!! Kisses from Brazil ! ????????????????????????????
That’s great, Amanda! So glad corn flour worked fine as well. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Just made this for dinner and it was delicious ! I read the comment of Danielle and I also used your vegan gravy instead of the dip and served it with mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts. Indeed good comfort food haha. Thank you for sharing these amazing vegan recipes with us. Since this year the majortity of my meals are vegan and your recipes are so good, that eating vegan is something I actually promote to others now. Cannot wait to try out more recipes????
Wow, that’s such a nice compliment, Emma! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe and many other vegan recipes. 🙂
Just made this for dinner and it was pretty easy and so delicious! The only substitution I made was omitting the dipping sauce and topping with leftover gravy from your mushroom stroganoff. I served with balsamic maple roasted brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes – OMG – Talk about comfort food! Thank you Ela, your recipes are all amazing, easy and affordable. I almost exclusively make meals from your site ever since giving up meat. Cheers!
Wow, your comment made my day, Danielle! Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback. 🙂
Hi Ela, could I use agave syrup instead of maple one? Thanks
Yes, of course. 🙂
Thanks 🙂
Hi ela. Can I fry this instead of baking?
Hi Dani! I never tried it but it should work. You will need more oil though. Please report back if you give it a try. 🙂
I just made this and had it for dinner. DELICIOUS!!! Couldn’tt find my chickpea flour (??) so I used half panko breadcrumbs and half cornmeal and gave them a whirl in my Ninja blender to combine. Worked perfectly. Had to substitute almond butter for the cashew butter. Also worked great. This is the best cauliflower recipe I have ever tasted bar none! Thanks!!
That’s amazing, Martha! Thanks so much for your fabulous feedback. 🙂
What herbs are you using on top?
I used parsley. 🙂
Can I use tapioca flour instead of chickpea ? thanks, will try it 🙂
Good question! I never tried it, so I cannot tell you if it will work. You can use panko flour (breadcrumbs) instead of chickpea flour though. 🙂
I will use the Panko breadcrumbs. Can I use the plain greek yogurt instead of the other mixtures. Trying to make it low sugar and low carb.
Hi Irene, I am not sure if it will work. I never made the recipe with yogurt.
How many grams are in a “serve”?
Hi Julia, I cannot tell you how many grams because it really depends on the size of your cauliflower heads. The nutrition facts were calculated with 2 medium-sized cauliflower heads and the recipe makes 4 servings. Nutrition facts are for one serving (1/4 of the recipe).
This recipe is hands down my favorite cauliflower recipe. I’ve been looking for a great cauliflower recipe and I’ve found it. Dietitian and husband approved.
Aww, that’s so good to hear! Thanks a lot for your fantastic feedback, Kristen! 🙂
Hi!! Is it possible to use brown Rice flour instead of chickpea flour ?
Hi Mary, I never tried it but I think it should work! 🙂