This delicious recipe for Grilled Cauliflower Steaks is simple to make and the perfect side dish for your summer barbecues. It’s naturally gluten free and vegan, AIP and Paleo and a beautiful balance of sweet and savory flavors.
Grilled Cauliflower Steaks Recipe
This side dish of Grilled Cauliflower Steaks is one of my absolute favourite ways to eat cauliflower. The recipe is gluten free, vegan, quick and easy to prepare, and a definite crowd pleaser. It’s just perfect for your summer BBQs! And don’t be fooled, even though it’s super simple to make, it’s full of complex flavors that make it taste very elevated and fancy!
Thick “steaks” of cauliflower are drizzled with olive oil to char on the grill. The steaks are then served on top a deliciously creamy vegan sauce made from lemon, garlic, and tigernut flour. The tigernut-lemon combo is meant to mimic the flavor of tahini, with the added benefit of it being seed and nut-free for folks following the autoimmune protocol! Finally, the steaks are garnished with additional olive oil, fresh mint, chopped dates and flaky sea salt. Chef’s kiss!
This dish is a lovely accompaniment to grilled fish and chicken. Try with my Peach Ginger Chicken Wings, Balsamic Glazed Wings, or Mango Lime BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- one head cauliflower – I recommend choosing a large head of cauliflower with a thick stem/base
- olive oil
- lemon
- garlic powder
- fresh mint
- dates – medjool or deglet are fine!
- salt
- tigernut flour
Ingredient Substitutions
- If you can’t source tigernut flour and can eat sesame, you can substitute the tigernut flour for 1/4 cup tahini here.
- Avocado oil instead of olive oil. This is a good substitution for grilling the cauliflower, but I would stick with EVOO for the sauce and for garnishing.
- Switch up the fresh herbs – if you don’t have or care for mint, garnish with fresh basil or parsley.
How to Make Cauliflower Steaks (Roasted or Grilled)
Step 1. Make Sauce
Add sauce ingredients to a food processor or high powered blender and pulse until combined. Set aside.
Step 2. Prep grill/ oven and slice steaks.
Heat oven to 450F or grill to medium heat. Next, remove outer leaves from cauliflower, trim the stem so that there is a flat base and slice cauliflower into 2-3 “steaks” of approximately 3/4 inch in width.
Step 3. Brush steaks with oil and cook
Brush each side of the cauliflower slices with olive oil. Place in oven on sheetpan, or on heated grill and cook until charred, flipping once.
Step 4. Garnish and serve.
Spread sauce on platter or plate and top with finished steaks. Garnish with additional olive oil, flaky salt, fresh mint and chopped dates.
Tips and Tricks
Save cauliflower florets
Once you’ve cut your steaks from the cauliflower you will have lots of florets remaining. I typically cut these up in large chunks and grill them alongside the steaks. You can also reserve them for other recipes like cauliflower rice or my herbed cauliflower salad or creamy cauliflower gratin.
Frequently Asked Questions
One large head of cauliflower will usually only yield about 2-3 thick cauliflower “steaks” depending on the size of your head of cauliflower. For this recipe, I recommend choosing as large a head as possible. Ensure that when. you cut slices you are cutting through the base as this is what holds it together.
Yes! To make these in the oven and to get the best caramelization, you want a really hot oven. I’d suggest baking at 450F for 20 – 25 minutes, flipping halfway throughout cooking. You want to ensure your steaks get nice and brown without loosing all their crunch/ texture. Finally, don’t crowd your sheet pan – you want these to roast/caramelize, not steam.
Storage Instructions
Store: Transfer leftover cauliflower steaks to a sealed container, and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat: Reheat in the microwave, airfryer or in a skillet over medium heat for ~ 5-7 minutes.
If you loved these Grilled Cauliflower Steaks (AIP), I would appreciate it if you would give it a rating and review. Be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @healmedelicious and using the hashtag #healmedelicious.
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Grilled Cauliflower Steaks (AIP)
- Total Time: 29 minutes
- Yield: 2–3 servings 1x
Description
In this delicious paleo, AIP and vegan side dish, grilled cauliflower steaks are served on a lemon garlic tigernut sauce and garnished with fresh mint, olive oil, chopped dates and sea salt.
Ingredients
Cauliflower Steaks
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 2 TBSP olive oil + more for garnishing
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 3 dates, pitted and chopped
- flaky salt (for garnishing)
Lemon-Garlic Tigernut Sauce
- 2 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 TBSP olive oil
- 1/4 cup Tigernut flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
Lemon-Garlic Sauce
- To a food processor or high powered blender, add freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, tigernut flour, salt and garlic powder. Pulse until smooth and combined. If you desire a thicker sauce, add more flour by the tsp. Alternatively, add a couple tsps of water if you’d like the sauce thinner.
Cauliflower “Steaks”
- Heat grill to medium heat.
- Remove the outer leaves from the cauliflower head and trim the stem so that the cauliflower has a flat base to stand upright on.
- Using a sharp knife, slice head of cauliflower into 2 -3 thick “steaks.”*
- Brush each side of steaks with 2 TBSP olive oil.
- Place on grill, cover and cook 5-7 minutes each side (depending on the thickness of your “steak”) You want each side to char, but ensure that you retain some bite.
- Remove from grill and serve on top lemon-garlic tigernut sauce. Garnish with fresh mint, olive oil, chopped dates and flaky salt.
Notes
*It’s normal for the remaining cauliflower to break apart. Reserve this for cauliflower rice, salads, or grill larger pieces alongside steaks.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Category: Sides
- Method: Gilled
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Even though I did not cut the cauliflower correctly (I did it from side to side instead of starting from the bottom and going up), it was still easy to grill. It would have been tasty just like that, but that tiger nut sauce, along with the mint and dates, took the dish to the level of exquisite flavor. Who knew that cauliflower could rise to such heights? We loved it!
Tried this in the oven and it was so delicious!!