Blackened Roasted Cauliflower ‘Steaks’
Blackened Roasted Cauliflower ‘Steak’ is an easy-to-make vegan recipe that roasts up deliciously tender with caramelized edges and tons of Cajun flavor!
Once roasted, cauliflower takes on a whole new flavor and texture and is our favorite way to enjoy cauliflower!
These vegan cauliflower ‘steaks’ with blackened seasoning and roasted in the oven are my new favorite thing ever!
Why We Love This Recipe!
- Cauliflower is cut into thick slices, dusted with cajun seasonings, and ready in 30 minutes.
- It cooks on a sheet pan for an almost effortless recipe.
- Serve with a grain and extra veggies on the side for a delicious, whole-food plant-based meal. See the serving suggestions below for more ideas!
And don’t forget your steak knife, it will come in handy for your cauliflower steaks!
How To Cut Cauliflower Steaks
- Remove the inedible leaves from the sides.
- Place the cauliflower stem side down, using a sharp knife cut the cauliflower in half down the center.
- Cut 3/4 – 1 inch thick slices, depending on the size of your cauliflower, you may get 2 – 4 steaks per head.
- The remaining pieces can be cut into nuggets and roasted alongside the steaks or on a separate baking sheet.
It’s best to use two baking sheets to prepare your cauliflower steaks. Using two will give you plenty of room for the steak slices to be turned over without too much crowding.
Blackened Cauliflower Steaks Seasoning
Feel free to use an already-prepared seasoning. There are many good blends in the spice aisle these days. I would suggest looking for salt-free blends if possible and adding your own salt to taste. Look for creole, cajun, and blackening types of seasonings. It is also very easy to make your own so I have included a homemade version for those who prefer to prepare their own spice blends. Something for everyone, that’s a win-win!
How To Roast Cauliflower Steaks
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- On a prepared rimmed baking sheet, carefully place the cauliflower steaks along with any broken florets, or place the florets on a separate baking sheet.
- Brush the steaks and nuggets gently with oil. Sprinkle as much seasoning as you wish to coat on steaks and florets.
- Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, gently flip steaks and stir florets, season again and bake for an additional 15 minutes. If using two baking sheets, place sheets on separate racks or side by side, depending on the size.
And there you have it, roasted cauliflower steaks made deliciously healthy and easy!
Serving Suggestions
Serve your cauliflower steaks with veggies, a grain, salad, or soup for a hearty main meal. Here are a few of my favorite options:
- Veggies: Since the cauliflower steak is the center of attention here, with most of the flavor in the blackened seasoning, I paired mine with a simple combination of roasted grape tomatoes cooked along with the cauliflower. This Savory Sauteed Kale, Vegan Collard Greens, or Skillet Asparagus + Tomato Medley would be great too!
- Grain: Serve with quinoa for fiber and protein, white rice, brown rice or hearty farro.
- Salad: Serve with this simple Green Salad + Lemon Tahini Dressing, Black Bean, Roasted Corn & Tomato Salad, or Vegan Macaroni Salad.
- Soup: Pair with a side of Asparagus + Red Lentil Soup, Broccoli + Red Lentil Soup, or Rustic Cabbage, Potato + White Bean Soup.
- Pasta: Serve with Creamy Broccoli Pasta, Vegan Baked Mac & Cheese, or Easy Vegan Mac & Cheese with Peas.
More Easy Cauliflower Recipes!
- Mango & Avocado Cauliflower Rice Sushi Rolls
- Roasted Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Nourish Bowl
- High Protein Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
- See all Cauliflower recipes on TSV!
If you try this roasted cauliflower steak recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintBLACKENED ROASTED CAULIFLOWER ‘STEAKS’
Cauliflower steaks are an easy to make entree that is oven roasted with a flavorful cajun seasoning. Great paired with a grain of choice and simple veggies on the side.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 3
- Category: Entree, Side
- Method: oven, roast
- Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large head cauliflower
- blackened, creole or cajun seasoning of choice (recipe for homemade below)
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
- chopped fresh parsley, to serve
- lemon wedges, to garnish
- grain of choice – quinoa, brown rice or farro
- himalayan salt, to taste
- fresh ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Prep the Cauliflower: Place the cauliflower stem side down, and using a sharp knife cut into the top center and slice the cauliflower in half. You want to create as many cauliflower steaks as you can from the center cut out that will be at least 3/4 inch thick. The remaining sides and pieces can be cut into cauliflower nuggets and roasted alongside the steaks, or on a separate baking sheet. I feel it’s best to use two baking sheets to prepare this meal. Using two will give you plenty of room for the steak slices to be turned over without too much crowding.
Roasting: Grease your baking sheet/s and carefully place your cauliflower steaks along with the broken florets, or place the florets on a separate baking sheet. Using an small brush, gently brush the ‘steaks’ and florets with oil. Sprinkle as much seasoning as you wish to coat on ‘steaks’ and florets. Add your tomatoes to the baking sheet, you can coat these with oil too and add a sprinkle of sea salt.
Place your baking sheet into the oven, if using two, place sheets on separate racks or side by side, depending on the size. Bake for 15 minutes, gently flip ‘steaks’ and stir florets, season again and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Serve immediately with roasted tomatoes, grain of choice, sprinkle of chopped parsley and lemon wedges.
Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 4 days, in a covered container.
Notes
Making your own seasoning is so easy. If you have all the ingredients already hand, I especially recommend you make your own using an old spice jar or small container of choice.
Blackened Seasoning
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
Place ingredients into small jar or container and blend well. Store leftovers in the pantry for later use. Makes just under 2/3 cups.
Nutritional information includes tomatoes and 1/2 cup of quinoa.
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Any recommendations for making this without the oil?
Yes, you can brush the cauliflower steaks with vegetable broth instead of oil. Enjoy!
I used an oil mister instead, so it greatly reduced the oil. No tomatoes, so I used a can of Rotel fire roasted tomatoes for the quinoa. Paired perfectly with the cajun spices on the cauliflower. First time having cauliflower steaks, always questioned if it would be filling enough for a meal–yes, it was and the quinoa gave you the missing protein!
Cauliflower leaves are perfectly edible.
I agree and love to leave a few on my Whole Roasted Cauliflower recipe!
What oven temperature did you use to roast the cauliflower steaks? Thanks in advance!
Oops, I dont know how that got cut out. It’s been included in the instructions, set at 425 F.
Thank you for bringing it to my attention! :)
Thanks Julie! Excited to try your recipe!
These are flavorful and easy to make side dishes.
Made this for dinner for the hubby and I, it was very satisfying and filling. We both enjoyed this, I'll be making this again soon….like tomorrow soon :-) thank you!
Awesome! Thanks for stopping to share. Cheers :)
Wonderful! I will definitely try this :)
LOVE all your food pics!!!
Thank you so much! :)