Butter Cauliflower

Name: Butter Cauliflower
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 large head of cauliflower, (cut into bite size pieces); 1/2 cup canned coconut milk; 1 tsp apple cider vinegar; 1 tsp paprika; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 1/4 tsp salt; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1/2 yellow onion, (chopped); 4 cloves garlic, (minced); 2 inches fresh ginger, (grated); 1 tbsp garam masala; 2 tsp yellow curry powder; 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, (more or less to taste); 1/2 tsp salt, (more or less to taste); 2 15oz cans fire roasted tomatoes; 1/2 cup canned coconut milk; 2 tbsp vegan cane sugar, (optional); 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, (roughly chopped, optional); cooked rice; vegan naan

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This Vegan Indian Butter Cauliflower recipe is a fantastic spin on traditional butter chicken that’s just a full of vibrant flavors.

Butter Chicken is one of the most popular Indian dishes and this Vegan Indian Butter Cauliflower is going to give you all the same flavors and vibes without the meat.

Not only is this recipe full of flavor, but it’s also very easy to make and will be loved by all.

If you serve this to others, they may even have a hard time believing that you made this dish!

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Why You’ll Love This Dish

Full of Flavor

One of the hardest things to do is replicate flavors that you’ve had at a restaurant or that remind you of a favorite dish. There’s no problem with that here. The recipe isn’t lacking flavor at all!

Simple

It’s also hard to feel like you can get amazing flavor without spending a lot of time in the kitchen; however, this recipe gives you everything that you need easily and it’s not time consuming.

Oven Roasted Cauliflower and Hummus Bowl Ingredients:

Gather your ingredients!

Below are notes about the ingredients before we get into the full recipe located lower in this post on how to make vegan dish:

Cauliflower – We are cutting a head of cauliflower into florets. You want to make sure that you try to get them into even sizes if possible so they cook in the same amount of time.
Onions and Garlic – our aromatics in the dish and really help to kick start our flavors
Fire Roasted Tomatoes – fire roasted tomatoes give a little more pizzazz to the dish and we really love using them in this dish
Sugar – optional, however, the sugar helps balance out the acidity of the tomatoes
Canned Coconut Milk – acts as a replacement for heavy cream that you may see in non-dairy versions
Apple Cider Vinegar – to help with the tanginess of the recipe and also help bring out the spice flavors
Ginger – we are using fresh ginger for this recipe for the best flavor
Spices – we are using a variety of spices for all the components of this dish. We really think the combination of all of these together really helps to heighten the dish and give that ultimate flavor.

Substitutions and Variations:

Cauliflower – You could sub cauliflower with tofu, potatoes, chickpeas. Or get creative and do a combo of vegetables!
Fire Roasted Tomatoes – regular diced tomatoes will also work
Sugar – still optional, other sugar sources like coconut or date granulated sugar, agave, or maple syrup would also work
Canned Coconut Milk – vegan heavy cream would also work for this recipe
Apple Cider Vinegar – lemon juice, lime juice or white vinegar would be a sub
Ginger – ground ginger can also work. We recommend ½ teaspoon to start and then adjust to taste

Step by Step Instructions:

To start you’re going to preheat the oven to 400°F.

Grab a large bowl and add ½ cup coconut milk, vinegar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and salt, then whisk that together well. After mixed, add in your cauliflower florets and coat everything well.

Let this marinate for 10 minutes, then in one even layer place on a baking sheet. Cook in the oven for 18-20 minutes.

While you wait for your cauliflower to cook, over medium heat in a large skillet add your oil. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and cook for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and onions have softened.

Stir in your garam masala, curry powder, cayenne and salt. Let this cook for another minute to heat and activate your spices.

Then, add in tomatoes and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer. Let your sauce simmer and thicken (about 4-5 minutes).

Turn off your heat, and carefully pour your sauce into a high speed blender. Blend until you have a smooth consistency. Pour sauce back into pan over low, add remaining coconut milk, and stir.

Give it a taste, if you feel like you’d prefer a sweet or need more balance with the acidity of the tomatoes you can add in the sugar. Otherwise, omit.

Once done, add your cauliflower and let cook until heated through and well combined (about 5-8 minutes). Top with cilantro. Serve.

We prefer to serve with rice and naan.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I make this dish top 9 free?

Coconut milk is the only top 9 allergen in this dish. Swap it for another non-dairy milk. You may want to let it reduce longer or add in a teaspoon of cornstarch to help thicken faster.

Can I prep this dish ahead of time?

Yes. Once cooled completely, you can store in an air tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Can I double this recipe?

Yes. You’ll need to use two sheet pans to cook your cauliflower florets, but you can double the other parts of the recipe as written

Can this be frozen?

We wouldn’t recommend freezing this dish.

What other vegan cauliflower dishes could I make?

If you love this cauliflower recipes, you may love these even more:

Pin this Vegan Indian Butter Cauliflower for later!

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