Cauliflower Steak Recipe | Joyful Healthy Eats

This roasted cauliflower steak recipe with an apple-cranberry chutney is the perfect vegetarian main dish for your comfort fall dinners. It’s packed with warm spices and sweet onions for a delicious savory bite!

This roasted cauliflower steak recipe with maple-sweetened chutney is so comforting and hearty that it might have turkey-lovers pushing classic holiday mains to the side. This vegetarian dish is a great way to pack your dinner with more veggies and a classic holiday flavor: juicy cranberries. Ready in 35 minutes, you’ll be making this recipe on repeat from Thanksgiving all the way through Christmas.

Why You’ll Love This Cauliflower Steak Recipe

This tender cauliflower steak recipe gets rid of any stress regarding vegetarian friends and family coming over for gatherings.

• Sweet and savory. Spicy ginger, fragrant garlic, and lots of onions beautifully balance out the recipe’s natural sweetness.
• Effortless. Slice the cauliflower, roast it, simmer the chutney, and serve. That’s it!
• Lots of spices. You get hints of earthy cinnamon, peppery allspice, and mustard seed in every spoonful of chutney.

What You’ll Need

Tangy apple cider vinegar and fresh cranberries add a pop of brightness to every bite. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact ingredient amounts.

For the Cauliflower

• Cauliflower steaks – Use the largest cauliflower you can find.
• Olive oil – Avocado, corn, vegetable, and canola oil work too.
• Salt and pepper – Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper are best.

For the Chutney

• Grape seed oil – Feel free to use olive oil instead.
• Yellow onion – Go for white onions or shallots if that’s what you’ve got on hand.
• Garlic – Fresh garlic and garlic paste are best.
• Ginger – Avoid ground ginger because it’s not as spicy.
• Apple – I prefer Granny Smith apples because they’re more tart.
• Cranberries – You can use fresh or frozen (thawed).
• Apple cider vinegar – Red wine vinegar is a good swap, but don’t use white vinegar.
• Apple juice – Apple cider is fine as well.
• Maple syrup – Raw honey and agave nectar are okay too.
• Ground spices – You’ll need coarse mustard seed, allspice, and cloves.
• Cinnamon stick – Don’t use ground ginger because it doesn’t infuse into the chutney with the same fragrance.
• Salt and pepper – Season it to taste.

How to Make Cauliflower Steaks

You need to stir the chutney occasionally so that it doesn’t stick and burn. It’s too fruity and good to go to waste! Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe card.

• Roast the cauliflower. Preheat the oven to 400F. Rub the cauliflower steaks with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, flip them over, and bake for another 15 minutes or until slightly browned.
• Sautée the onions. Set a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil and onions. Sautée them until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and ginger, cooking for another 30 seconds.
• Make the chutney. Add the rest of the chutney ingredients to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes or until the cranberries begin to burst.
• Serve. Add the cauliflower steaks to serving plates and top them with chutney. Enjoy!

Tips and Variation Ideas

Creamy goat cheese and crunchy candied pecans make adding more flair to this cauliflower steak recipe super easy.

• Make it spicy. Stir 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper into the chutney for a kick of heat. You can also drizzle the steaks with chili oil to taste.
• Prep ahead. Prepare the chutney 2-3 days in advance so all you have to do is roast the steaks right before dinner, or the other way around.
• Swap the sauce. Use Maple Cranberry Sauce, chimichurri, or Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce instead of chutney for an easy variation.
• Add toppings. Sprinkle each steak with 1 tablespoon crumbled goat cheese, crispy fried shallots, or chopped candied pecans for more flavor and texture.
• Watch the slices. Make sure they’re all the same thickness. Slicing them any thinner than 1″ will over-cook and soften them too much. If some are thicker than others, some steaks will end up over-cooked while others may end up under-cooked (thicker than 1″).

Topping and Serving Suggestions

This cauliflower steak recipe is an amazing vegetarian main dish for the holidays. I love serving it with my Sauteed Brussels Sprouts, Grilled Sweet Potato Salad, and Air Fryer Green Beans on the side. For something warm and soupy, try my Butternut Squash Soup or Roasted Cauliflower Soup. If you want salad ideas, I recommend my Arugula Salad and Kale Salad with Cranberries.

How to Store and Reheat Extras

It’s best the day it’s made because the roasted cauliflower will have slightly crispy edges.

• Fridge: The steaks and chutney should be stored in separate airtight containers. The steaks will keep for up to 4 days and the chutney for up to 5 days.
• To reheat them: Microwave them in 15-second increments until warm. For large portions you can also use the oven at 300F for 20-25 minutes.

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