Cauliflower Steaks are juicy, crispy, hearty and unbelievably delicious -- though a vegetable and not a steak in the true sense of the word. The Orange-Basil Butter is sweet, aromatic and melts perfectly over the perfectly roasted cauliflower.

Cauliflower Steak with Orange-Basil Butter on a white plate surrounded by basil leaves.

First, there was my Tofu "Sashimi" that didn't have a raw fish anywhere near it.

I then presented a Red Lentil "Hummus" that -- while delicious -- was without chickpeas, and therefore isn't a true hummus.

Today, it's the amazing (and I mean AMAZING!) Roasted Cauliflower Steaks that, um, contain no meat at all.

The Orange-Basil Butter however, contains everything in its title. 😉

Roasted One large head of cauliflower with a black background.

* Remember to pause and admire the beauty of your ingredients.*

What is Cauliflower Steak?

Cauliflower steak is thickly cut cauliflower that's cooked on both sides, until it's perfectly caramelized. This gives it a "crust," much like a sauté pan would give a piece of meat when it's seared. This can be achieved by roasting the cauliflower in the oven, sautéing it in a cast iron skillet or grilling it.
Here's the deal, this cauliflower is steak-ish. It's cut like a steak, it's juicy like a steak, and it's hearty like a steak.

How to Cut Cauliflower Steaks

What you need to know to have success . . . .

When you remove the leaves from the cauliflower, keep part of the root end intact. By doing this, your slices are more likely to stay together.
Cut the cauliflower into thick slices, about 1-inch.
Coat both sides of the cauliflower slices well with olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper.
The oven must be very hot, about 500°F!
The cauliflower steaks should not be flipped over until the bottom is a deep golden brown.

Orange-Basil Butter

The super delicious Orange-Basil Butter melts over the cauliflower perfectly, just as it would on a real steak. And it seeps into every crevice it possibly can, flavoring the dish beautifully.

It's also fabulous spread over a slice of warm, rustic bread!

A Few More Delicious Cauliflower Recipes

Cauliflower Steaks with Orange-Basil Butter on a white plate

These "steaks" make for a lovely side dish, but can also serve as a fantastic vegetarian main course.

I hope you love every last, scrumptious bite of these mouth-watering Roasted Cauliflower Steaks

Roasted Cauliflower Steak with Orange Basil Butter - beyond heavenly!

Cauliflower Steaks with Orange-Basil Butter

Valentina K. Wein

Roasted Cauliflower Steak is juicy, crispy, hearty and unbelievably delicious -- though a vegetable and not a steak in the true sense of the word. The Orange-Basil Butter is sweet, aromatic and melts perfectly over the perfectly oven-roasted cauliflower.

5 from 5 votes

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 15

Total Time 40

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings

Calories 165 kcal

Ingredients

For the butter

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 generous tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
½ teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon fresh orange juice
⅛ teaspoon salt
a couple turns of freshly ground black pepper

For the cauliflower

1 (approximately 2¼-pound) whole cauliflower
olive oil for the baking sheet
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 500℉.
For the butter. To make the butter, in a small bowl, mix the butter with the basil, zest, juice, salt and pepper. Either fill a couple of spaces in a rubber ice cube tray with the butter, or roll it into a log in plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator to firm up, about 30 minutes. (You can really refrigerate it in any form you'd like to -- it's just easier to slice so it's pretty, from the ice tray or log.)
Prepare the cauliflower. Remove the outer green leaves from the cauliflower and cut just a tiny portion of the root off, keeping most of it intact. Cut the cauliflower into approximately 1-inch slices -- some might break apart, some will stay together -- both are okay.
Drizzle a thin layer of olive oil on a sheet pan. Set aside.
Dredge both sides of each slice into the olive oil on the baking sheet. They should be well coated, so drizzle a bit more if necessary. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
Roast. Place the baking sheet in the preheated 500℉ oven. Roast until it's deep golden brown, and it's tender all the way through, about 12 minutes per side. (Flip them over halfway through the cooking process.)
Add the butter and serve. While the cauliflower is still hot, add a dab of the butter to each portion and serve.

NOTES

Nutritional information is only an estimate.

NUTRITION

Keywords best vegetables to roast, great side dishes for meats and stews

Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Comments

2pots2cook

September 14, 2025 at 4:20 am

Cauliflower is so underrated! Love, love your butter! Great new way of preparing this beautiful veggie ! 😇

- Valentina
  
  October 01, 2025 at 6:28 pm
  
  Thank you, Davorka. I hope you try and love it! 🙂 ~Valentina
  
Frank @Memorie di Angelina

February 27, 2022 at 1:46 pm

The crust on that cauliflower looks amazing, Valentina! I would have sworn you'd seared it in a skillet rather than in the oven. Gotta try this.. !

- valentina
  
  March 01, 2022 at 8:39 pm
  
  Hi Frank! Thanks so much for stopping by, and for the compliment on this recipe. Hope you love it. 🙂 ~Valentina
  
Karen

July 29, 2019 at 11:02 am

Excellent! I always google cauliflower steak with orange butter because this is my favorite recipe. As I am trying to go vegetarian, this is a must have recipe!!

- valentina
  
  July 30, 2019 at 1:10 pm
  
  Karen, thank you! This makes me so happy. It's my favorite cauliflower recipe, and I appreciate you sharing. Cheers! 🙂 ~Valentina
  
flgirl

April 30, 2019 at 3:45 pm

3 years later, I'm still making this! Just had to come back and tell you this is an EPIC recipe. It's in heavy rotation at our house. 🙂

- valentina
  
  May 01, 2019 at 1:22 pm
  
  Hi there, You've made my day! 🙂 I'm happy to hear you love this recipe -- it's one of my favorites, too. Enjoy, and thank you for sharing. 🙂
  
Athena

June 25, 2016 at 9:10 pm

This recipe is devine! I did make some minor changes though. I didn't have any oranges on hand, so I used lemon zest and fresh lemon juice instead. It's also scorching hot here in northern Arizona since it's mid-June, so I chose to grill the cauliflower rather than turn my oven on. The result was delicious and super easy to make. In the future, I'll make the butter and couple hours before I start cooking to allow it enough time to solidify. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

- valentina
  
  June 26, 2016 at 12:40 am
  
  Thank you, Athena! You made my day. 🙂 I love the idea of grilling the cauliflower and I'm definitely going to try that this summer. I imagine the added smoky/char flavor is excellent, and lemon is lovely.
  
Flgirl

April 13, 2016 at 7:22 pm

Excellent! I made this for dinner tonight and it was delish! The orange butter sauce is to die for. ?

- valentina
  
  April 13, 2016 at 9:13 pm
  
  Thanks so much for sharing -- you made my day! I love the butter too -- it's also so delicious spread on crispy toast. 🙂

« Older Comments