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Cauliflower Steaks are a delicious vegetarian main entree, without using soy or processed fake meat products. While they are nothing like a real steak, there’s something about cutting cauliflower into large slabs and roasting it with flavorful spices that makes it feel more special— and a lot more like a main course– than cooking it as smaller florets. Serve it with chimichurri sauce or vegan gravy for a flavorful dinner that melts in your mouth!
What is a Cauliflower Steak?
A cauliflower “steak” is simply a head of cauliflower that is cut into larger slabs, instead of smaller florets. Because it’s larger, it takes a little longer to roast, and looks more impressive on a plate, so it can pass as a main course for a vegan or vegetarian meal.
You can serve it between bread or inside a bun, like a veggie burger alternative, or you can use it as base for other toppings, like my Cauliflower Steak Pizza. (Which is less labor-intensive than making a whole cauliflower pizza crust!)
What Does Cauliflower Steak Taste Like?
Cauliflower has a relatively mild and neutral flavor, which is why it works so well in popular dishes like mashed cauliflower, cauliflower pizza, and cauliflower Alfredo. If you season it with only salt, it will keep that mild flavor, but you can also punch it up by using the seasoning mix in the recipe below.
I think the combination of garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika adds a pop of flavor that can go well with a variety of other sauces and side dishes, but you can season this however you like. (Try my Cajun seasoning for an extra spicy kick!)
The key to getting a melt-in-your-mouth texture is to brush each side of the cauliflower with a bit of olive oil, then roasting it until it’s easily pierced with a fork.
How to Cut Cauliflower Steaks
The hardest part of making a “steak” out of a head of cauliflower is cutting it correctly. Don’t expect to cut it perfectly the first time you try this, and also keep your expectations low when it comes to how many “steaks” you’ll get out of a single head. (I never get as many as I think I will!)
Tips for cutting cauliflower steaks:
- On average, you’ll get 3 steaks out of a single head of cauliflower.
- It’s okay if you leave some of the green leaves on the head of cauliflower as you cut through the stem to make the “steaks.” You can easily trim any extra leaves off of each cauliflower steak before cooking them.
- When shopping, look for the largest head of cauliflower you can find. (This way you’re more likely to get a large stem, which is better for cutting slabs.)
- You can only make steaks out of the center stem of the cauliflower, so you’ll save the remaining sides you slice off for later. (Try making roasted cauliflower florets as an easy side dish.)
- Slice the cauliflower directly through the stem, making slabs that are roughly 3/4-inch thick for stability. Don’t try to slice them thinner than 1/2-inch thick, or they could fall apart when you roast them, and if you cut them more than 1-inch thick, they won’t cook as quickly or evenly.
Cauliflower Steak Tutorial (1-minute video):
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds)
- extra-virgin olive oil , as needed for greasing the pan
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450ºF and grease a baking sheet with olive oil.
- Remove the green leaves from the head of cauliflower and cut off any excess stem. Slice off one side of the cauliflower, right at the edge of the stem in the center. (Reserve the extra cauliflower scraps for another use.)
- Cut the cauliflower into slabs, right through the center of the stem, that are roughly 3/4- to 1-inch thick. You should be able to get 2 to 3 steaks per large head of cauliflower. Be careful not to cut the steaks too thin, or they could fall apart.
- Place the 3 cauliflower steaks on the baking sheet and drizzle them lightly with olive oil on both sides. Season evenly with the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt on both sides. (I like to use a brush, or rub the seasoning in with my hands, to make sure every nook and cranny of the cauliflower is well seasoned.) You can mix the seasonings in a small bowl first to make a seasoning mix, or just sprinkle each one over the cauliflower individually to avoid having an extra dish to clean later.
- Place the pan in the oven for the cauliflower to roast for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, use a spatula to flip over each steak, and then return the oven to roast until fork-tender, about 10 to 15 minutes more. The steaks should be golden on both sides, and the center stem should be easily pierced by a fork.
- Serve warm, with your favorite sauce and side dish. I especially love this with chimichurri sauce, but it also makes a great holiday meal with vegan gravy. I think this is best served warm right away, but you can store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Video
Nutrition
Cauliflower Steak Nutrition (Per steak): Calories: 80; Fat: 5g, Carbohydrates: 8g, Fiber: 3g, Protein: 3g
Recipe Notes:
- This recipe is very adaptable! If you want to use less oil, line your pan with parchment paper for stick prevention and sprinkle the seasoning over the top. I like these best with a light brushing of oil for a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- These steaks don’t get crispy on the outside, but you could add some sort of breading if you’d like that effect.
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know how it works for you! And if you try something different, I’d love to hear about what you tried. We can all benefit from your experience!-
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite vegetarian main entree?
These are so good! I topped mine with the vegan mushroom gravy and parsley and baked in my ninja foodi air fryer.
Wow!! Can’t believe how easy this was and how good it tastes! They do melt in your mouth. Didn’t even need a knife. It’s very flavourful and the cauliflower cooperated nicely with the oil and spices.
For 3 steaks, I doubled the amount of seasoning but kept the same ratios. I also drizzled a vegetarian gravy on top and my wife and I were wishing I made more of these! Now will be a regular dish in my house. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Rick! Thanks for the review!
Where’s the chimichurri sauce recipe??
I love this recipe and have made it many times already…delicious ! I always have loved a tangy taste in my food, and this is perfect.
These cauliflower steaks were easy to make and delicious! I added the spices directly to approx 1 tbsp olive oil and brushed this on the cauliflower slices (I made 6 steaks). My family loved them.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing the olive oil tip– that sounds brilliant.
These were amazing!!! My two year old couldn’t get enough. Will definitely be making again
These really do melt in your mouth! Love the spice combination. I’m going to try that on your air fryer french fries next.