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Roasted or grilled cauliflower steaks are juicy and tender in the middle with a crisp, lightly charred, caramelized, and crispy outside. Perfect as a versatile vegan side dish or main to almost any meal! Gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb, paleo, etc.!
Cauliflower’s relatively blank canvas flavor may make it seem “boring” when boiled or steamed. However, throw it in the oven, an air fryer, or on a grill. And suddenly, this inexpensive, humble ingredient transforms into something altogether new that everyone will love!
The truth is that the neutral flavor of cauliflower is what makes it so versatile in the first place. It’s also helped it become so popular for low-carb and meat-free eaters. Process it into cauliflower rice or create a low-carb cauliflower mash. Or you can make a cauliflower pizza crust, buffalo cauliflower wings, or – of course – these roasted or grilled cauliflower steaks!
The high heat cooking methods help cook the cauliflower until tender in the middle yet wonderfully caramelized, brown, and crisp outside. Additionally, grilling helps infuse it with an amazing extra “smoky” layer.
Plus, all you need for this “base” cauliflower steak recipe is just a handful of inexpensive pantry ingredients, a sharp knife, and an oven or grill. There are tons of ways to adapt it to your liking, though, with alternative seasonings and plenty of topping options. Keep reading for my favorites!
Looking for more ways to enjoy cauliflower? You might enjoy healthy roasted cauliflower soup or tahini cauliflower wings.
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The Ingredients
At its simplest, you can prepare a cauliflower steak recipe with just olive oil, salt, and pepper. However, I’ve added just a few more seasonings for an incredibly moreish flavor!
- Cauliflower: Use large, densely-packed heads of cauliflower that are free from blemishes and heavy for their size.
- Olive oil: When grilling, I recommend avocado oil or other oil with a high smoke point.
- Lemon: Use fresh lemon juice rather than bottled. Increase the flavor with lemon zest.
- Seasoning: This cauliflower steak recipe uses a simple combination of salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes (OR cayenne pepper/chili powder) with fresh garlic (or garlic powder in a pinch).
- Fresh herbs: (optional) to garnish. I.e., flat-leaf parsley, chives, scallions, cilantro, etc.
If you aren’t a fan of the smell of cooking cauliflower, you can add bay leaves, and that will help!
The Step By Step Instructions
How to Clean Cauliflower
For this recipe, we are not cutting the cauliflower into florets. So first, remove any outer layer leaves. Then, soak the whole head in a bowl of salt water (or vinegar water). After 15 minutes or so, rinse the head with cool water and pat it dry.
How to Cut Cauliflower Steaks
Chop away the thick protruding stem to create a flat base so it can sit level on your cutting board.
Then, use a long sharp knife to slice the cauliflower head into slices. I made mine fairly thin at around ¾-inch, and I wouldn’t recommend trying any thinner.
If preferred, make thick slices (up to 1 ½ inch). Just note that thick steaks will cook longer.
Also, there will be some leftover cauliflower after making the slices. This is normal. Check out the FAQs below for what to do with this.
How to Season Them
First, mince the garlic. Then transfer it to a small bowl along with the oil and all seasonings. Mix well.
Then, using a pastry/silicone brush, liberally brush both sides of the cauliflower steaks.
How to Grill Cauliflower Steaks
To make grilled cauliflower steaks, first, prepare the cabbage as written above, only brushing one side of the slices with the dressing. Meanwhile, preheat your grill to medium heat (around 350-375ºF/176-190ºC) OR use a charcoal BBQ if preferred, brushing the grates with oil.
Once preheated, place the cauliflower steaks into a single layer onto the grill with the seasoned side down. Cook for around 4-5 minutes (5-6 for thicker slices. They should be browned and crispy), then brush the top of the “steaks” with dressing, flip them over, and repeat. Allow them to cook until crispy and golden-brown outside and tender in the middle.
Other Cooking Methods
Oven Roasted Cauliflower steaks: First, preheat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC before cutting the cauliflower steaks, and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Then prepare the steaks as written above and place them on a parchment-lined baking tray. Roast for 25 minutes in the oven, flipping halfway. The roasted cauliflower steaks are ready when they’re tender in the middle and golden-brown and crisp outside.
How To Make Ahead and Store
Make ahead: You can chop the cauliflower slices and prepare the marinade 2 days in advance, and store them separately in the fridge.
Store: Allow them to cool and store any leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freeze: You can freeze the leftovers for up to 3 months in a Ziplock bag.
Reheat: You can reheat them in the oven, air fryer, or a stovetop grill pan. I don’t recommend using a microwave.
What to Serve with Cauliflower Steaks
Cauliflower steaks work well with so many types of meals. Whether you want it as a meat-free BBQ offering, as a vegetarian main during roast dinners, at your holiday table, or simply a quick and delicious side or main alongside:
- Pasta – like avocado pasta, garlic lemon pasta, etc.
- With polenta/grits.
- Stir-fries – like this mixed vegetable and noodle stir fry.
- Curry – like Thai red or green curry.
- Salad – Serve these grilled caulifloer steaks over salads and salad/grain bowls.
- Roasted chicken.
- Baked salmon and other fish.
- Shrimp skewers.
- Marinated tofu (or crispy baked tofu) or tempeh.
- Noodles, brown rice, and quinoa.
- Lentils or lentil taobuli.
FAQs
There’s no need to par-cook them in advance. They will soften even without that added step, so better to save your time.
However, if you want softer cauliflower steaks, you could cover them with foil in the oven for the first 5 minutes. Then remove the foil for the rest of the roasting time. It may take longer to get the brown crust this way.
Although I haven’t tried it, I would imagine that using a grill pan would work. Preheat the pan over medium to medium-high.
Then cook for 6-8 minutes per side, or until tender in the middle and golden brown on both sides (with grill marks). Adjust the heat if necessary to avoid burn.
No, the only part of the cauliflower you need to remove is any outer leaves. The stem is needed to hold it all together.
When slicing the cauliflower steaks, you’ll have some leftover cauliflower on either end of the cauliflower head. You could either chuck them in the oven (or a grill basket) and cook them at the same time. Or save them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, to use later.
You can use them in other cauliflower recipes like cauliflower rice and mashed cauliflower. Or add to soups, roast to top pasta dishes, etc.
More so, you can store any cauliflower scraps in a Ziplock bag in the freezer to save for making homemade vegetable stock.
The best way is to freeze it. You can cut it into the steaks. Then flash freeze those on a tray before storing them in a freezer-safe reusable bag in the freezer.
If preferred, before freezing, you can blanch the cauliflower.
More Simple Vegetable Side Dishes
- Air fried zucchini fries
- Garlic roasted corn on the cob
- Quick sautéed zucchini
- Best Roasted Acorn Squash Recipe
- Quick Boiled Cabbage Recipe
If you try this easy cauliflower steaks recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts and questions below. Also, I’d appreciate a recipe card rating below, and feel free to tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
Grilled Cauliflower Steaks
Ingredients
- 1.6 lb cauliflower 2 small
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 0.3 oz garlic 3 cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 lemon to serve with
Instructions
How to Clean Cauliflower
- For this recipe, we are not cutting the cauliflower into florets. So first, remove any outer layer leaves. Then, soak the whole head in a bowl of salt water (or vinegar water). After 15 minutes or so, rinse the head with cool water and pat it dry.
How to Cut Cauliflower Steaks
- Chop away the thick protruding stem to create a flat base so it can sit level on your cutting board.
- Use a long sharp knife to slice the cauliflower head into slices (refer to the photos on the blog). I made mine fairly thin at around ¾-inch, and I wouldn’t recommend trying any thinner. If preferred, make them thicker (up to 1 ½ inches); just note that the cooking time will increase slightly. Also, there will be some leftover cauliflower after making the slices. This is normal. Check out the FAQs for what to do with this.
How to Season Them
- Mince the garlic. Then transfer it to a small bowl along with the oil and all seasonings. Mix well.
- Using a pastry/silicone brush, liberally brush both sides of the cauliflower steaks.
The Cooking Methods
- Oven Roasted Cauliflower steaks: First, preheat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC before cutting the cauliflower steaks, and line a baking tray with parchment paper.Then prepare the steaks as written above and place them on a parchment-lined baking tray. Roast for 25 minutes in the oven, flipping halfway. The roasted cauliflower steaks are ready when they’re tender in the middle and golden-brown and crisp outside.
- Grilled cauliflower steaks: First, prepare the cauliflower as written above, only brushing one side of the slices with the dressing. Meanwhile, preheat your grill to medium (around 350-375ºF/176-190ºC) OR use a charcoal BBQ if preferred, brushing the grates with oil.Once preheated, place the cauliflower steaks onto the grill with the seasoned side down and cook for around 4-5 minutes (5-6 for thicker slices. They should be browned and crispy), then brush the top of the "steaks" with dressing, flip them over, and repeat. Allow them to cook until crispy and golden-brown outside and tender in the middle.
How To Make Ahead and Store
- Make ahead: You can chop the cauliflower slices and prepare the marinade 2 days in advance, and store them separately in the fridge.Store: Allow them to cool and then place any leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.Freeze: You can freeze the leftovers for up to 3 months in a Ziplock bag.Reheat: You can reheat them in the oven, air fryer, or a stovetop grill pan. I don’t recommend using a microwave.
Video
Notes
- Slice the pieces evenly: So they cook at an even rate. Note that the yield will vary based on the size of the cauliflower. You can usually make around 4 thin cauliflower steaks per medium head or 2-3 thicker ones.
- Time may vary: Depending on how thick the ‘steaks’ are and your individual oven/grill. You can also increase or decrease the time based on how firm you want the cauliflower.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan: They need the airflow to become wonderfully golden and crispy.
- Be careful when flipping: The slices will be fairly fragile, so be careful when handling them; otherwise, they’ll fall apart.
- Leave the core: It holds the pieces together.
- Season generously: Cauliflower has a very plain flavor, so it benefits from a liberal topping of the dressing.
- Sweetener: Brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave, etc., could be added (starting with a teaspoon) to the dressing for a subtle sweetness and to encourage caramelization.
- Butter: Just a small amount of melted butter brushed over the grilled/roast cauliflower steaks before serving will add incredible depth and richness.
- BBQ sauce or Hot sauce: Brush it over the ‘steaks’ in the last few minutes of cooking.
- Seasonings: You can experiment with all sorts of seasonings. I.e.,
- Italian seasoning
- Za’atar
- Lemon pepper seasoning
- Cajun seasoning
- Curry powder
- Garam masala
- Old Bay seasoning
- Sauces: Chimichurri, salsa, pesto, or tahini sauce.
- Roasted cherry tomatoes or tomato confit.
- Cheese: Sprinkle fresh parmesan cheese or feta over the roasted cauliflower steaks when serving.
- Nuts/seeds: Sprinkle the roasted/ grilled cauliflower steaks with chopped, lightly toasted walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, or sunflower seeds. Dukkah would also work.
- Breadcrumbs: To add some texture, sprinkle the cooked cauliflower steaks with some lightly toasted and seasoned breadcrumbs or panko crumbs. Use GF if preferred.
- Pizza: Add a slathering of marinara sauce, melty cheese like mozzarella, and your favorite toppings in the last few minutes of cooking.
READ THE BLOG POST FOR SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS AND FAQs!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wow, my wife and I have never had Cauliflower Steak before and discovered this fantastic and easy recipe. I grilled a small head of Cauliflower for a side dish using a mesh grate & it was perfect.
Unbelievable recipe. 5 Stars.
Glad you both enjoyed it, Marty!
Great cauliflower steaks! I love the spices.
Thank you for your comment, Linda. Glad you liked the recipe 🙂
This is the best recipe out there for cauliflower steaks, hands down! Absolutely delicious and super easy and quick to make.
Thank you so much. Glad you liked it!
Why do you recommend the salt water or vinegar soak?
Hi Denise,
The salt or vinegar water helps remove dirt and bugs from the cauliflower. And it can also help with removing any bitter taste (some varieties are a bit more bitter).
Thanks for the recipe! I made roasted cauliflower: very good! I’ll try the grilled one asap.
Thank you for your comment, Cami! I hope you like the grilled one too 🙂
Game changer! My favorite way to eat cauliflower. Roasting in the oven is good. But not as good as on the grill. ❤️
Thank you for your comment, Amy. Everything tastes better on the grill 🙂
Fantastic.
Thank you for your comment, Nicole!