Cauliflower doesn't always need to be a side. This recipe shows it can hold its own as a comforting, delicious main course. Slicing the cauliflower into steaks and roasting them gives a sweet, nutty flavour and gorgeous caramelised edges. Here, we pair the cauliflower steaks with a creamy, butterbean sauce made korma-style, gently spiced, and dairy-free. This vegan main course is a creative, plant-forward dish that is easy to make and very suitable as a dinner party offering or a solid weeknight meal. This recipe is a perfect blend of protein, fibre, flavours and textures, it's comforting, budget-friendly and satisfying.
Why You'll Love These Roasted Vegan Cauliflower Steaks in a Korma-Style Butterbean Sauce
- Straightforward to cook, yet flavourful and colourful.
- Roasted, caramelised cauliflower becomes even sweeter and tender. It has a beautiful, nutty, earthy flavour.
- Butterbeans blended into a sauce and flavoured with spices to create the korma flavour experience without the hours of labour.
- A good source of protein and fibre.
- Family-friendly and budget-friendly.
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Key Ingredients and Notes
Ingredients for Cauliflower Steaks
- Cauliflower - a vegetable that lends itself well to being sliced into "steaks", giving a centrepiece to the meal, making it feel substantial. It also browns beautifully.
- Cumin powder and Chilli powder
- Olive oil - coating the cauliflower steaks with olive oil helps the browning and caramelisation during roasting and gives the spices something to stick to.
- Salt - supports the other flavours and draws moisture to the surface of the cauliflower steak, aiding browning.
Ingredients for Korma-Style Butterbean Sauce
- Butterbeans - when blended, the butterbeans turn silky and luxurious and are a natural thickener. Their flavour is subtle, letting the spices shine-a good source of protein, fibre and minerals.
- Olive oil
- Red onion, garlic and ginger - classic korma base.
- Garam masala powder and turmeric powder - give the korma-like taste - gentle spicing.
- Salt - enhances the flavour of all the other ingredients.
- Single vegan cream - gives a lovely creamy consistency to the sauce.
Garnish
- Fresh coriander, along with pomegranate seeds and lime juice, is a garnish that lifts the dish.
- Pomegranate seeds - these little sweet flavour bombs enhance every mouthful with their burst of flavour.
- Fried onion (optional) - add for a bit of extra texture.
- Juice from half a lime - brightens the dish.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Roasted Vegan Cauliflower Steaks in a Butterbean Korma-Style Sauce
Roast the Cauliflower Steaks
- Wash the cauliflower and remove the leaves.
- Cut the stem at the level of the bottom of the whole cauliflower head.
- Slice the cauliflower head into "steaks" about ยพ inch thick.
- Add the cauliflower steaks to the baking tray, then drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and add cumin powder and chilli powder. Make sure the cauliflower steaks are well coated with oil, spices, and salt.
- Preheat the oven to 180ยบC, then roast the cauliflower steaks for 30 minutes.
- Flip each cauliflower steak over after 15 minutes.
Make the Korma-style Sauce
- Chop off the head and tail of the onion, then peel it. Slice the onion. Not too thick and not too thin.
- Peel and chop the garlic and peel and chop the ginger.
- Heat the oil in a pot and fry the onion until golden brown over a medium heat. It should take about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and fry for two minutes.
- Add the ginger and fry for another two minutes.
- Add one tin of butterbeans, including the liquid.
- Add the garam masala powder and mix to combine.
- Season with salt and add the turmeric powder.
- Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the vegan cream and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Blend to a smooth puree. Add some warm water if it feels too thick.
- Reheat the korma-style sauce, stirring continuously.
- Spread a layer of the sauce on a plate.
- Place the roasted cauliflower steaks onto the sauce.
- Squeeze the juice of ยฝ lime over the cauliflower steaks, then garnish the whole dish with freshly chopped coriander and pomegranate seeds.
Substitutions
You can use any white bean, like cannellini or even haricot, instead of butterbeans.
You can use dairy single cream instead of dairy-free cream.
Instead of cumin, you can use caraway seed powder.
Variations
Another vegetable that would work as a "steak" is celeriac.
You can omit the korma sauce entirely and serve the roasted cauliflower with pesto or gremolata. Why not make my vegan basil pesto that you will find as part of cauliflower soup recipe.
Instead of Korma, you might like to serve the roasted cauliflower with my Kaali dal or Kadhi
Equipment
You will need the following equipment to make this recipe:
- Baking trays.
- Electric jug blender.
Storage
The butterbean korma can be stored in the fridge for up to three days in an airtight container. You can also freeze the sauce for up to three months in an airtight container or a silicone freezer bag. When reheating, ensure you heat thoroughly and, if required, add a little water.
The roasted cauliflower steaks can be stored in the fridge for up to three days in an airtight container. You can also consume the cauliflower steaks cold. If reheated in a microwave, they will likely be soggy, not crispy. It is best to reheat in a pan, flipping it as it reheats to prevent burning.
Chef's Tips
Choose your cauliflower wisely. To make steaks, you will need a dense cauliflower head with tightly packed florets.
Slice the cauliflower with a sharp knife, using a gentle seesaw motion. Some of the outside florets may fall apart, and that's okay. We will still use them.
Roast them in the centre rack of the oven, where heat is distributed evenly. If your oven heat is uneven, turn the tray around so the other side gets a good colour.
Remember to flip the steaks halfway while cooking, say after 15 minutes. This is so that both sides cook evenly and are crisp.
When caramelising the onions, they can start to catch and burn. Add a dash of water to lower the temperature.
Add butterbeans immediately after adding garam masala; have the can open already. Powdered spices can burn easily.
FAQs
Yes. By cutting the cauliflower into steaks, they make the dish feel substantial. Seasoning the cauliflower steaks with olive oil, cumin powder, and chilli powder, then roasting, adds genuine interest to the cauliflower, both in flavour and appearance. Also, by cutting steaks, we use more of the cauliflower than when just using the florets, reducing food waste. Finally, pairing it with a korma-style sauce makes it a solid main course.
Find a fresh, dense cauliflower head with tightly packed florets. Try the very bottom of the stalk so the cauliflower head sits flat. Then slice straight down through the core into slices ยพ to 1 inch thick. Some outer florets will fall away, but don't discard them; roast them too!
Absolutely. The sauce is ideal to make ahead and can be stored for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to use, defrost overnight if frozen, then reheat gently in a saucepan with a bit of water, if necessary, to adjust thickness.
Yes, other beans can work well as the core ingredient for the sauce. Cannellini beans or haricot beans are a suggestion. They are similar to butterbeans in terms of flavour, texture, and nutritional value, and they add to the dish. Regular single cream works just as well.
Store any unused steaks in an airtight container for up to 3 days and reheat them in a pan rather than a microwave so they don't become soggy. Like cauliflower steaks, the sauce can be stored for up to 3 days in an airtight container and reheated gently on the hob.
The korma-style sauce is made mildly intentionally, so this dish has broad appeal. If you want to add some heat, add some chilli powder or chopped green chilli when making the sauce.
Related Recipes
I love to cook with cauliflower - it's such a versatile vegetable. Here are more recipes using cauliflower for you to try:
๐ Recipe
Roasted Vegan Cauliflower Steaks in Korma-Style Butterbean Sauce
Equipment
- Digital scale
- Blender or Food processor
- Baking tray
Ingredients
Cauliflower
- 850 g Cauliflower One whole head
- 3 tablespoon Olive oil
- ยฝ teaspoon Cumin Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ยผ teaspoon Chilli powder
Butterbean Korma-Style Sauce
- 400 g Butterbeans (cooked and with liquid) From a tin is OK
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 150 g Red onion
- 15 g Garlic
- 15 g Ginger
- ยฝ teaspoon Garam masala powder
- ยฝ teaspoon Salt
- 100 ml Single cream
- ยฝ teaspoon Turmeric powder
Garnish
- 10 g Fresh coriander
- 60 g Pomegranate seeds
- Fried onion (optional)
- ยฝ Lime
Instructions
Roasting the Cauliflower
- Wash and pat dry the cauliflower. Remove the leaves.
- Cut the stem of the cauliflower, level with the base of the cauliflower head. Place it on the chopping board stem side down. Using a sharp knife, slice into thick steaks about ยพ of an inch thick. You should get about four steaks. Do not discard off-cuts - roast them too!
- Place the cauliflower steaks onto a baking tray and add the salt, cumin and chilli powder and olive oil. Ensure each steak is well coated (both sides) with the spices, salt and oil. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 180ยบC.
- Roast the cauliflower steaks for 30 minutes. Flip each head after 15 minutes.
Butterbean Korma-Style Sauce
- Chop the head and tail off the onion and peel it. Slice the onions evenly - not too thick or thin.
- Peel and chop the garlic.
- Wash ginger. Then slice and chop the ginger finely.
- In a pan, heat the olive oil and fry the red onion over a medium heat until golden brown. It should take about ten minutes. If the onions start to burn, turn down the heat and add a dash of water.
- Now add the garlic and fry for a two minutes. Follow with the chopped ginger and again fry for two minutes.
- Add the garam masala followed by one tin of butterbeans, along with its liquid.
- Season with salt and add the turmeric powder. Cook the butterbeans for five minutes.
- Now add the vegan cream. Stir to combine and cook for five minutes.
- Set aside to cool, then blend into a smooth puree. If you need to, you can add a dash of warm water if you feel it is too thick.
Garnish
- Remove the seeds from pomegranate.
- Wash, pat-dry, and roughly chop the coriander.
Assembly
- Reheat the butterbean korma-style puree, stirring all the time.
- Add puree onto a plate and spread evenly.
- Place the roasted cauliflower steaks on top of the puree.
- Squeeze the lime juice on top of the cauliflower steaks.
- Garnish with the chopped coriander, pomegranate seeds and fried onion (optional). Serve immediately.
Nutrition
NOTES
Food Safety
- Wash your hands regularly while preparing, handling and cooking food.
- Wipe down countertops and high-contact points regularly.
- If you cook meat and fish, do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat. Use separate chopping boards for meat and fish. Wash your chopping boards immediately after use.
- Thoroughly cook food to a minimum temperature of 165 ยฐF (74 ยฐC).
- Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods (more than 2 hours).
- Store food correctly.
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