Looking for some of the best vegan cauliflower recipes? Winter is here, and now is the perfect time to use it! This humble and versatile vegetable can be steamed, baked, fried, riced, and roasted. It can be cut into steaks, made into vegan cauliflower wings, roasted whole, pureed into soups, and so much more. Whether you are a fan or a skeptic, you’ll find lots of tasty plant-based cauliflower recipes here to try and love.
Cauliflower is a bit like a blank canvas, sort of like a block of tofu. By itself, it seems bland and pale. However, just like tofu, cauliflower is a plant-based chameleon. With the right preparation and seasonings, it can be transformed from blah to bravo in as little as 30 minutes. These essential vegan cauliflower recipes all prove that this versatile cabbage cousin is the unsung hero you didn’t know you needed in your kitchen.
Best Vegan Cauliflower Recipes
There are lots of vegan cauliflower recipes out there, but you’ll find some of the best ones here! In this roundup, you’ll find an array of recipes broken down by prep type. You’ll find a range of recipes that are:
- easy
- healthy
- gluten-free
- dairy-free
- plant-based
- vegan
- vegetarian
- whole food plant-based (WFPB)
- … and more!
What To Do With Cauliflower
Cauliflower is such a versatile ingredient, and there’s a whole world of preparation methods to explore. Whether it’s baking, roasting, air-frying, or even deep-frying, each technique brings out a unique flavor and texture in this incredible vegetable.
These recipes showcase cauliflower and everything it can do, from creating hearty main dishes to crafting perfect sides. So, let’s dive in and discover all of the amazing possibilities it has to offer!
Baked Cauliflower
Baking cauliflower is so easy! Just break it down into florets, drizzle with some olive oil and after some time, you’ll have beautifully caramelized cauliflower. You can even bread and bake for a healthier alternative to frying.
Vegan Bang Bang Cauliflower
This vegan bang bang cauliflower is coated in panko and served with a creamy and spicy-sweet sauce with a hint of lime. It’s so easy and delicious!
Vegan Gochujang Cauliflower
I don’t like to play favorites, but this gochujang cauliflower is one of my favorite recipes. The heat and umami of the gochujang just hit the spot and are perfect over rice!
Black Pepper Cauliflower
Vegan Richa has tons of Indian vegan cauliflower recipes, and this one is amazing! I can’t believe this is baked instead of fried. The sauce looks so irresistible!
Vegan Teriyaki Cauliflower Wings
These vegan teriyaki wings by Zardyplants are not only baked but are also gluten-free! If you want to learn how to make cauliflower crispy, this recipe shows you how. I love how that teriyaki sauce clings beautifully to the crispy coating!
Raw Vegan Cauliflower Recipe
If you are looking for a healthier way to enjoy cauliflower, try it raw! It can be shredded or sliced for a crunch and you can add a healthy dose of vegetables and spices.
Raw Cauliflower Detox Salad
This raw vegan cauliflower salad by Blissful Basil is gorgeous! Grated raw cauliflower is finely transformed into a “rice” texture and combined with flavorful ingredients like pine nuts, sundried tomatoes, kale, parsley, basil, hemp seeds, and pepitas. This blend is then dressed in a smooth and creamy sauce crafted from tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and various seasonings.
Vegan Roasted Cauliflower Recipes
Roast cauliflower to bring out its nutty flavor and to develop beautiful caramelized edges. Rub with oil and spices and serve in a cozy, comfort food-style salad!
Roasted Cauliflower With Tahini
This roasted cauliflower with tahini by Non-Guilty Pleasures is super tasty and goes great with Middle Eastern or Mediterranean dishes. This shawarma-style marinade and the creamy tahini sauce look so inviting!
Roasted Cauliflower Salad
For a tasty and healthy plant-based meal, give these roasted cauliflower bowls by Running On Real Food a shot. They’re packed with rice, black beans, salsa, red onion, avocado, and cilantro – so fresh and full of flavor!
Whole Roasted Cauliflower
For a dramatic and indulgent dinner, roast an entire head of cauliflower! Rub it down with spices and slather it with sauce for a showstopper main dish!
Firecracker Cauliflower
Check out this firecracker cauliflower recipe! It’s coated in a hot mix of sriracha, peanut butter, vegan butter, and miso, then baked to perfection. The outside gets spicy and packed with flavor, while the inside stays nice and soft. Pair it with some vegan ranch or bleu cheese dressing for a plant-based feast!
Whole Roasted Cauliflower With Pistachio Cream Sauce
This whole roasted cauliflower with a pistachio crust by Snixy Kitchen is surprisingly simple to make, yet it feels so gourmet! Drizzle it with a parsley pistachio cream sauce, and you’ve got yourself an awesome vegetarian main dish or a great side dish for any weeknight meal.
Whole Cauliflower With Herbed Tahini Cream
This whole roast cauliflower by The First Mess is epic! Complete with a sunflower romesco and herbed tahini cream, this is such a creative and gorgeous centerpiece. Laura Wright has created one of the best vegan blogs out there and is the master of vegan rustic comfort food!
Deep-Fried Cauliflower
Deep-frying cauliflower is magic. You get a crispy coating on the outside and inside a soft and beautifully textured interior. Add a clingy sauce and boom you have a magical dish to feast on!
Gobi Manchurian
This Gobi Manchurian is deep fried, the air fried for a taste and texture that will blow your mind! This is one of my favorite dishes to make and is perfect with basmati rice!
Beer-Battered Cauliflower
This beer-battered cauliflower is perfect for game day or as an appetizer with friends. Adding celery seed to the batter adds an interesting and delicious flavor along with a perfect and satisfying crunch!
Vegan Chicken And Waffles
The batter for this vegan chicken and waffles recipe is so luxurious and crispy! Toss it in a sriracha and maple syrup sauce for a sweet and spicy flavor bomb. Add waffles for a perfect and indulgent brunch!
Crispy Vegan Cauliflower Bites
This crispy Gobi 65 recipe by Oh My Veg! can be deep-fried for best results, but also baked, or air-fried. It’s a flavorful, crispy cauliflower snack, where florets are battered and fried to perfection, then infused with a spicy mix of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, and a tang of lemon juice. It’s a quick and easy dish, boasting an aromatic blend of spices that perfectly complement the cauliflower’s crunch.
General Tso’s Cauliflower
One of my favorite recipes is General Tso’s Tofu, and I decided to apply the same flavors and techniques using cauliflower. The results were amazing! This clingy, thick sauce works so well with the crunch of the cauliflower.
Sticky Sesame Cauliflower Vegan Wings Recipe
If you want to learn how to make sticky sesame cauliflower, this recipe by My Pure Plants shows you how! The crispy fried cauliflower gets tossed in a tangy, sticky orange sauce to create a harmonious mix of sweet, sour, spicy, and citrusy flavors all in one dish.
Vegan Cauliflower Casseroles
For the ultimate vegan comfort food dish, use cauliflower to make a casserole. When baked, cauliflower becomes so soft and mingles well with other ingredients. Since it has such a neutral taste, it won’t clash or compete with other ingredients!
Cheesy Vegan Cauliflower Casserole
If you are on the search for vegan cauliflower casseroles, you’ll have to try this recipe from Vegan Huggs. Melissa has created a cheesy sauce with raw cashews, nutritional yeast, and spices and baked it with cauliflower and panko breadcrumbs. This creamy vegan cauliflower dish is the ultimate comfort food!
Vegan Cauliflower Recipes With An Air Fryer
Cauliflower and air frying always play well together! Whether you are simply air-frying florets or battering cauliflower to air-fry, you’ll end up with perfectly textured and crispy results with minimal effort!
Air-Fried Buffalo Cauliflower Steaks
These air-fried buffalo steaks are delicious as is, and heavenly stacked onto a toasted burger bun. Buffalo sauce clings perfectly onto the steak, getting into all the nooks and crannies. Serve with vegan ranch or bleu cheese dressing to balance out the heat!
Vegan Cauliflower Wings
Making vegan cauliflower wings in the air fryer is so easy! Serve with carrot and celery sticks or toss it into a hearty salad with plant-based ranch or other creamy dressing. These crispy buffalo cauliflower bites also love to be paired with creamy avocado!
Dehydrated Cauliflower
Dehydrating cauliflower creates such an interesting texture and flavor! There is minimal prep, but you’ll have to be patient as dehydrating takes several hours. It’s always worth the wait!
Cauliflower Jerky
The cauliflower jerky is slathered in tahini, liquid smoke, sriracha, and nooch and then dehydrated for about 12 hours. During this time, it transforms into an umami-rich and chewy vegan jerky that is so delicious and addictive!
Chopped and Pureed
Roast or bake cauliflower to soften and caramelize it. Once done, you can either puree it to create a silky smooth addition for creamy dishes. You can alternatively chop it to add an intriguing texture that’s perfect for dishes like curries and sauces.
Cauliflower And Mushroom Curry
This vegan cauliflower curry and mushroom is the best weeknight dinner. Why? Because you can do all the work the night before, and then allow the flavors to mingle overnight. The next day, you’ve got a magical dish that you only need to heat up quickly in a pot. Throw in some rice and vegan naan to your plate, and you’ve got a heavenly meal you’ll want to make again and again!
Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
This vegan cauliflower soup has cauliflower, parsnips, garlic, and cashew cream to make the coziest, silkiest soup! Add chopped vegan bacon on top and crusty bread on the side for a comforting, hearty winter meal.
Make Cauliflower Steaks
To cut cauliflower steaks, first remove the leaves and trim the stem while keeping it intact to hold the florets together. Then, position the cauliflower upright and slice it into 1-inch thick steaks from the center, ensuring each steak contains part of the core. This approach allows the steaks to stay intact and maintain their shape during the cooking process.
From there, you can marinate, roast, or pan-fry to caramelize edges and create the perfectly textured vegan steak to slather in an array of sauces.
Vegan Harissa Butter Roasted Cauliflower Steaks
These Vegan Harissa Butter Cauliflower Steaks by Earthly Provisions are roasted in harissa butter for a rich taste and then drizzled with a heavenly harissa tahini sauce. This low-effort dish pays off with flavor-packed results!
Cauliflower Steaks
Get ready to see cauliflower in a whole new light! These cauliflower steaks by Broke Bank Vegan transform this everyday veggie into an exciting main dish. Pair it with your favorite hummus or creamy mashed potatoes. Add a drizzle of homemade chimichurri for a pop of color and brightness!
Cauliflower steaks have a neutral flavor that allows them to be served with an array of sides. Serve them with rice, mashed potatoes, couscous, polenta, quinoa, vegan mac and cheese, and even this vegan feta cauliflower puree!
Cauliflower Pizza
Adding cauliflower florets to your pizza is a fantastic topping choice, offering a unique blend of textures – tender on the inside, yet caramelized and crispy on the edges. The mild, neutral flavor of cauliflower plays well with a variety of other pizza ingredients while adding a nutritious twist to your favorite slice.
Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza
This buffalo cauliflower pizza has everything you love about vegan buffalo wings, and adds it to a pre-made pizza crust with crisp celery, vegan mozzarella cheese, cilantro, and vegan ranch for a mind-blowing plant-based pizza!
Cauliflower Tacos
Adding cauliflower florets into tacos is a brilliant culinary move, thanks to their wonderful texture and versatility. The florets provide a satisfying crunch, while their neutral taste makes them a perfect canvas for a wide array of flavors and seasonings. This adaptability allows cauliflower to seamlessly blend into any taco style, from traditional to innovative, enhancing both texture and taste.
Smoky Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
Shake up taco night with this smoky roasted cauliflower taco recipe! Bold, flavorful, and ridiculously easy, these tacos bring that perfect mix of crispy, charred cauliflower and creamy chipotle sauce—all wrapped up in a warm tortilla. Customize with your favorite toppings, keep it budget-friendly, and enjoy a plant-based meal that’s anything but boring!
Red Onion And Charred Cauliflower Tacos
Enjoy this colorful spin on cauliflower with these vegan tacos by World of Vegan! They feature roasted cauliflower with aromatic spices for a perfect blend of tenderness and char. It’s paired with a tangy slaw and creamy avocado for a light yet satisfying meal for taco night!
Cauliflower Tacos
Revamp your taco game with these vegan cauliflower tacos, inspired by classic fish tacos. These versatile and nutritious tacos allow you to get creative with toppings and preparation styles. They’re not only delicious and easy to make but budget-friendly as well!
Crispy Cauliflower Tacos With Chipotle Crema
These cauliflower tacos from the amazing Jessica in the Kitchen are battered with breadcrumbs and served with homemade slaw and chipotle crema. Jessica’s vegan blog is one of the best out there and this recipe is dynamite!
Easy Vegan Cauliflower Rice Recipes
Riced cauliflower is so easy. Check out my step-by-step tutorial on how to make riced cauliflower! Whether you are going for a neutral taste or a low-carb option, this basic way to prep cauliflower is a game changer!
Cauliflower Rice
Check out how to make cauliflower rice over at Love and Lemons! This tutorial includes a few different ways to use it in dishes, making it a healthy and versatile option.
Vegan Cauliflower Fried Rice
This vegan cauliflower fried rice by the amazing Jessica in the Kitchen (one of the best vegan blogs out there!) is a gorgeous low-carb twist on traditional fried rice and packed with flavor. It includes the addition of “eggs” using tofu scramble or JUSTEgg, making it a great alternative to traditional fried rice.
Vegan Cauliflower Recipes FAQs
To cut cauliflower into florets, first remove the outer leaves and trim the stem. Then, cut the head into quarters and slice out the core from each quarter. Finally, break or cut the quarters into smaller florets.
For intact cauliflower steaks, choose a large, firm cauliflower. Cut it into thick slices (about 1 inch) from the center to include part of the core in each steak. Roast or grill with gentle handling to prevent breaking.
Cauliflower can replace meat in various dishes: chopped as a ground meat alternative in tacos, whole roasted as a centerpiece dish, or cut into florets for stir-fries and curries, mimicking chicken or shrimp’s texture.
To achieve crispy cauliflower, coat florets in a mixture of flour, plant-based milk, panko, and spices, then deep-fry it. The next best option is to bake or air-fry until golden brown. For a lighter version, simply toss with oil, season, and roast at a high temperature.
Vegan Cauliflower Recipes Worth Making Again (and Again)
Cauliflower is one of the most versatile ingredients in plant-based cooking, and these vegan cauliflower recipes prove just how much it can do. Whether you’re roasting, frying, blending, or air-frying, this humble veggie transforms into crispy bites, creamy soups, hearty mains, and so much more. With endless ways to season and prepare it, you’ll never run out of inspiration. Try a few of these recipes and let cauliflower surprise you!
Bunny Winslow says
I really loved all the imaginative recipes for Cauliflower !!
Who knew !!??!!
My favorite, so far, is the Bang Bang !!
Thank you for all of your hard work and the thought that goes into this lovely newsletter.
I have learned SO MUCH from you and I am by far healthier for it !
Bunny Winslow
Tecumseh Michigan
erin wysocarski says
Thanks for your kind words, Bunny … I am so happy it’s helpful and I love to hear that! <3