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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!

blackened cauliflower steaks on a platter

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 is my new favorite thing ever!

Why We Love This Recipe!

  • Cauliflower is cut into thick slices and 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!

What to serve with cauliflower steaks? I love the simplicity of roasted tomatoes and quinoa. This Savory Sauteed Kale or Vegan Collard Greens would be great too! And how about a good mac & cheese like this Baked Vegan Mac & Cheese or Vegan Mac & Cheese with Peas.

roasted cauliflower steaks being sliced, placed on rimmed baking sheet and prepped with oil and spices

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.
  • 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!

blackened cauliflower steaks freshly roasted on a baking sheet

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:

More Easy Cauliflower Recipes!

Cauliflower is so versatile and can be used in a variety of ways. Take a look at these other cauliflower recipes, you just may find a new favorite!

blackened roasted cauliflower steaks on a plate with roasted tomatoes, quinoa and lemon

If you try this roasted cauliflower steaks recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

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BLACKENED ROASTED CAULIFLOWER ‘STEAKS’

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5 from 1 review

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.

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
  • 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

Units Scale
  • 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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15 Comments

  1. Richard Klein says:

    Any recommendations for making this without the oil?

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Yes, you can brush the cauliflower steaks with vegetable broth instead of oil. Enjoy!

    2. 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!






  2. Lamont Forsyth says:

    Cauliflower leaves are perfectly edible.

  3. What oven temperature did you use to roast the cauliflower steaks? Thanks in advance!

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      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! :)

      1. Thanks Julie! Excited to try your recipe!

  4. Rachel Page says:

    These are flavorful and easy to make side dishes.

  5. Kim DesJarlait says:

    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!

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      Awesome! Thanks for stopping to share. Cheers :)

  6. I've read you post and It’s quite interesting. I’m looking forward to read about this! Thank you.

  7. The Yogi Vegetarian says:

    Wonderful! I will definitely try this :)

  8. LOVE all your food pics!!!

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      Thank you so much! :)

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