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

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Comments

Emily | Rainbow Delicious

October 02, 2015 at 2:49 pm

I just tried my first "cauliflower steak" recipe last week (with cheddar and green onions) and it was so good! This one looks amazing and a little lighter and I can't wait to try it... I can't believe how delicious and filling roasted cauliflower is. I tried it once with coconut oil instead of olive oil or butter and it was great.

- valentina
  
  October 02, 2015 at 9:58 pm
  
  Thanks Emily! The coconut oil sounds like a delicious idea. I'll have to give that a go.
  
Ciao Florentina

October 01, 2015 at 7:05 pm

Cauliflower never looked this good. Thanks for the inspiration, I needed a new idea 🙂

- valentina
  
  October 02, 2015 at 7:49 am
  
  Thank you! I hope you try and enjoy!
  
Nataliya | Not From A Packet Mix

September 28, 2015 at 11:44 am

This looks divine, I will be buying cauliflowers asap! Thanks for the recipe. 🙂

- valentina
  
  September 28, 2015 at 1:55 pm
  
  Excellent, Nataliya! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
  
David

September 26, 2015 at 8:33 am

I think this will be my new favorite veggie dinner - maybe even more than the smashed potatoes I just read about. The orange-basil butter sounds divine, but I am thinking of all kinds of things that could top the roasted cauliflower steaks! My first thought is a chunky ragù/salsa of shallots, olives, capers, and tomatoes. Yum! Thanks, and have a great weekend cooking!

- valentina
  
  September 26, 2015 at 2:27 pm
  
  Thanks, David. I'm loving where you're going with the olives and capers. I love that vibe! 🙂
  
  - David
    
    September 29, 2015 at 2:00 am
    
    We had this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic! I really love this method for cooking cauliflower. The shallot-tomato-olive-caper ragù was great with it. I definitely want to try the orange basil butter next time! xo
    
    - valentina
      
      September 29, 2015 at 9:11 am
      
      Thanks so much for the report, David! LOVE hearing this, and I will try it with a ragù like yours next time. 🙂 XO V
      
Deb|EastofEdenCooking

September 25, 2015 at 7:31 pm

I adore roasted cauliflower! You've taken the recipe transformed it to divine, the orange butter is scrumptious!

- valentina
  
  September 25, 2015 at 10:27 pm
  
  Thanks, Deb. Transforming something to divine is wonderful. 🙂
  
Vicky

September 25, 2015 at 10:16 am

Love love love cauliflower! So good especially with a nice char like you got on yours!

- valentina
  
  September 25, 2015 at 2:27 pm
  
  Thanks so much, Vicky! Yes, the char is everything. 🙂
  
cali

September 25, 2015 at 9:58 am

MMmm roasted cauliflower. This looks amazing!

- valentina
  
  September 25, 2015 at 2:28 pm
  
  Thanks, Cali. Smells yummy, too!
  
Jenn

September 25, 2015 at 7:20 am

I LOVE cauliflower! These look sooooo good!

- valentina
  
  September 25, 2015 at 9:36 am
  
  Thanks Jen! It is. 😉
  
Tara | Deliciously Declassified

September 25, 2015 at 6:12 am

This looks delicious! I LOVE oven roasted cauliflower but have never tried it in "steak" form. The butter sounds interesting, too - I'll have to give this a go. 🙂

- valentina
  
  September 25, 2015 at 7:17 am
  
  Thanks, hope you try and love it as much as I do. 🙂
  
Julia (@Imagelicious)

September 25, 2015 at 5:35 am

Oh, this looks delicious and I like how you made this dish unique with the flavoured butter!!

- valentina
  
  September 25, 2015 at 7:17 am
  
  The butter is delicious on everything! Thanks. 🙂
  
Sarah

September 25, 2015 at 3:26 am

This looks great!!! What an intriguing dish!

- valentina
  
  September 25, 2015 at 7:16 am
  
  Thanks, Sarah!
  
Cristie

September 24, 2015 at 10:30 pm

Oh yum, I love the sound of this. A must try.

- valentina
  
  September 25, 2015 at 7:16 am
  
  Hop you enjoy it, Cristie!
  
Shara M.

September 24, 2015 at 5:58 pm

Looks lovely and delicious!

- valentina
  
  September 24, 2015 at 7:28 pm
  
  Why thank you, Shara! 🙂 (Hope you try it!) xo

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