These Vegan Tahini Cauliflower Steaks are oven-roasted until golden and crispy in a fabulous tahini sauce! These make for the perfect plant-based main or side dish. Gluten-free, paleo-friendly & Keto.

Have you ever had a Cauliflower Steak?

Are you a big cauliflower fan? I am, but usually, when I enjoy cauliflower, it’s in a Cauliflower Leek Soup or simply oven-roasted using the same method as my favorite roasted broccoli. However, I’ve recently fallen in love with a new way of enjoying cauliflower: the cauliflower steak.

In the past few years, I’ve seen people take to calling a big slice of cauliflower a “steak”—and I love it. As a vegan, it’s fun to have a veggie that I can treat the way I’d treat a steak when I was an omnivore, but it’s just pure veggie goodness.

P.S. If you love cauliflower and tahini together like I do, you’ll be obsessed with this Charred Cauliflower with Tahini Sauce!

Cutting the cauliflower into thick slices makes for a satisfying plant-based meal! The thick slice of cauliflower takes on so much flavor from its bath in a delicious tahini sauce. The tahini cauliflower steak gets rich, tender, and golden brown after you roast it in the oven.

It makes an amazing main dish served alongside rice and salad, or you can serve it as a flavorful veggie side dish.

Let’s make Vegan Tahini Cauliflower Steaks!

To cut a cauliflower steak, you’ll want to get a tight cauliflower head. Mine wasn’t super tight, which can make it harder for the steaks to hold together, but it still works. Then, take a sharp knife and cut through the core into 1″ slices, for about 4 to 6 slices, depending on the size of the cauliflower.

You’ll have some edges on the side that won’t hold together — that’s okay! Just keep those and roast them alongside the steaks. They’re still delicious :)

Once you’ve cut your cauliflower steaks, you’ll dredge them in the tahini sauce, allowing any extra to drip off, and then roast them on a sheet pan. The tahini will firm up into a crispy, golden crust on the cauliflower that makes it taste breaded! But of course, it is NOT breaded—this goodness is still gluten-free, paleo, and keto—and it is SO good.

Let’s talk about the easy Tahini Sauce!

I could drink this stuff. It is SO delicious and easy to make, to boot. I absolutely love tahini because it makes such fabulous sauces and is also a nutritional powerhouse! Made of ground sesame seeds, tahini is packed with fiber, protein, and antioxidants. It’s also a great source of B vitamins, phosphorus, and manganese.

We get even more nutritional benefits from the other ingredients in this sauce! All of the ingredients ingredients you’ll need are:

  • Tahini
  • Lemon Juice
  • Garlic
  • Sea Salt
  • Dried Dill
  • Smoked Paprika

You’ll also add water to get the right texture for dredging our cauliflower steaks. This combo is super flavorful and works well as an easy salad dressing.

I love making this tahini sauce in my KitchenAid Cordless Food Chopper—it makes quick and easy work of it! However, you can also whisk it up by hand. I recommend grating the garlic with a microplane if you choose to whisk it up.

What should I serve with?

I love serving these Tahini Cauliflower Steaks with basmati rice and lightly dressed arugula and then adding an extra drizzle of the tahini sauce we made right on top of everything. It makes for a super hearty and filling meal. If you wanted to add extra protein, mixing cooked lentils into the rice would be a great way to make a hearty and filling meal.

But really, be creative! Any kind of grains and greens would make for a good pairing here. These can also serve as a side to your main dish!

I also used the leftovers in fabulous ways, my favorite being tucked into a vegan grilled cheese sandwich. If you’re skeptical of cauliflower in a grilled cheese, don’t be. It’s a game-changer.

I hope you love these Vegan Tahini Cauliflower Steaks as much as my family and I did!

Enjoy, and if you do, please leave a review below, letting me know how you liked it. I’d love to hear from you!

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Vegan Tahini Cauliflower Steaks

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 4 reviews
  • Author: Bakerita | Rachel Conners
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4 cauliflower steaks 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Mediterranean
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

These Vegan Tahini Cauliflower Steaks are oven-roasted until golden and crispy in a fabulous tahini sauce! These make for the perfect plant-based main or side dish. Gluten-free, paleo-friendly & Keto.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 whole large cauliflower
  • 2/3 cup (150g) tahini
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Instructions

  1. Preheat over to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, a silicone liner, or just grease lightly with oil.
  2. Use a large, sharp knife to slice the cauliflower into about 4 “steaks,” each about 1-inch thick. You’ll have some side pieces of the cauliflower that will likely crumble into florets – that’s okay. Save those, we’ll bake them too!
  3. To make the sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a blender or small food processor. Blend until smooth. It should be relatively thin and liquidy. If it’s not, you may find you need to add more water – this usually happens if your tahini is thick. Alternatively, finely dice or grate the garlic and then whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Reserve ¼ cup of the sauce for drizzling at the end. Pour the rest into a wide, shallow bowl that fits your cauliflower steaks.
  4. Dredge cauliflower slices into the sauce, covering both sides and shaking off the excess. Lay them on your prepared baking sheet.
  5. Once all the cauliflower steaks are coated, stir the leftover florets into the sauce and place alongside the cauliflower steaks.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
  7. Serve as a side dish or a main dish. I love serving with rice and greens. I mix fresh dill and lemon juice into my rice for maximum flavor. Drizzle with reserved tahini sauce.

Notes

The nutritional information is based on 1/4 of the recipe. You’ll likely have smaller side pieces that fall off and perhaps a little extra sauce, so a serving is approximately one cauliflower steak with a little extra!