Is there anything that cauliflower can’t do? As you’ll see in this epic roundup of vegan cauliflower recipes, this well-loved member of the cruciferous family is one of the most versatile of vegetables. Start exploring appetizers, soups, stews, curries, roasts, salads, sides and more.
Cauliflower is related to broccoli, kale, collards greens, Brussels sprouts, and the other brassica vegetables, yet you might argue that it’s even more versatile in the kitchen. It can be transformed into a vegetable “rice,” creamy soups and sauces, a crispy bite, savory stews, and lots more.
Is cauliflower good for you? Yes! Like other members of the cruciferous, or brassica family, it’s high in B Vitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, dietary fiber, and more. Get the complete nutrition profile of cauliflower.
Thanks to the talented bloggers who participated in this roundup for permission to link to their recipes and use their photographs.
Vegan cauliflower recipe categories you’ll find in this post:
- Appetizers & bites
- Soups & stews
- Curries
- More main dishes
- Salads & sandwiches
- Roasted cauliflower
- More side dishes
- Pastas
- Cauliflower rice
Cauliflower appetizers & bites
Everything Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Bites: Dustin Harder, author of Epic Vegan, says that this now-classic vegan appetizer has swept the nation! See his super-flavorful take on it.
Baked Gobhi Manchurian: From Green Bowl 2 Soul, a delicious and very easy-to-make vegan Indo-Chinese recipe that can be served in the main course as well as enjoyed as an appetizer. It’s a lighter version of regular Gobi Manchurian in which the cauliflower florets are deep-fried.
Fried Cauliflower Bites: From Vegan Blueberry, these fried cauliflower florets are such a delightful crunchy treat! They’re pan-fried in just a few minutes and are always a hit with kids and adults alike.
Sticky Orange Cauliflower: From My Pure Plants, get ready for a burst of tangy and sweet flavors with a sticky orange cauliflower recipe! The caramelized cauliflower bites are coated in a zesty orange sauce, making for a sticky, finger-licking good meal that is both healthy and satisfying.
Sticky Sesame Cauliflower: From Vegan Huggs, skip the takeout and make a lighter version at home. This Sticky Sesame Cauliflower is battered and baked to perfection, then smothered in a spicy, sticky-sweet sauce. It’s heavenly!
BBQ Cauliflower Wings: From Eat Plant Based, these vegan wings are lip-smacking tasty! Perfect for game days, and even everyday meals.
Air Fryer Korean Cauliflower: From Thank You Berry Much, Tender, spicy, flavorful air-fried or baked gluten-free, vegan Korean chili cauliflower! This bowl of cauliflower is flavored with gochujang, giving it a unique, mouthwatering flavor.
Air Fryer Breaded Cauliflower: From The Bella Vita, cauliflower florets with a crispy breaded coating on the outside, yet tender and light inside. They’re bite-sized, flavorful, and easy to make!
Air-Fried Cauliflower: From Paint the Kitchen Red, here’s a delicious snack or side dish. The crispy and flavorful texture combined with the warm and comforting spices will have everyone going back for seconds.
Air Fryer Roasted Cauliflower (with Lemon Herb Tahini Sauce): From The Belly Rules the Mind, these crispy bites of tender air fryer cauliflower are delicious and super addictive. Ready in less than 15 minutes, you can make this tasty dish as an afternoon snack or as part of a larger dinner
Lebanese Cauliflower Tahini (Arnabeet Mekle): From Plant Based Folk, this preparation is mildly sweet, salty, and sour. The cauliflower is air-fried until crispy golden brown and served with a side of lemon tahini sauce known as tarator.
Asian Orange Cauliflower: Another from The Belly Rules the Mind, these bites are loaded with a sweet and spicy orange sauce. This lightened-up version of a take-out classic will have your family happily eating their vegetables!
Bang Bang Cauliflower: From Kiipfit, the most flavorful snack ever! Tossed in homemade sweet and spicy sauce and baked to perfect golden crispness, this is a real crowd pleaser.
Baked Cauliflower Crackers: From Healthy Taste of Life, crisp and crunchy baked cauliflower crackers, naturally gluten free and vegan friendly. Enjoy them plain, or served with spreads, dips, or soups.
Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Dip: From Heartbeet Kitchen, this cauliflower-based dip is a lot like hummus, but bean-free and so flavorful! Brightened with fresh lemon juice and parsley, it makes for a great snack with crackers or pita bread.
Roasted Beet and Cauliflower Hummus: From Creative in my Kitchen, here’s the perfect dip —vibrant and packed with flavor and nutrients.
Fermented Cauliflower: From Simply Beyond Herbs, here’s a way to prepare cauliflower that’s crunchy and flavorful. Packed with probiotics, it makes a quick wholesome snack or a side dish.
Cauliflower Soups and Stews
Curry Cauliflower Soup: From The Healthy Epicurean, a lovely soup made with Thai curry paste, cauliflower, coconut milk, lime and ginger. It’s easy to make, reheats well, and is a delicious way to get some veggies in!
Red Lentil and Cauliflower Dal with Coconut Milk: From Crumbs and Caramel, a dal that’s creamy, nourishing, and so good. For a bigger meal, serve with rice and naan. It’s a quick and flexible recipe, plus it doubles and freezes well.
Green Curry Cauliflower Soup: From Dishing Out Healht, a nourishing, hearty one pot meal that will warm you from the inside out.
Vegan Cream of Cauliflower Soup: This soup makes a lovely introduction to a spring meal, though you can enjoy this creamy bowl of comfort in fall and winter as well.
Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Soup: From Vegan Blueberry, another way to make a creamy cauliflower soup, this time with cashews. Easy to make, it’s a great lunch soup or starter soup for breakfast.
Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Lemon Parsley Pesto: Contributed by Katie Koteen and Kate Kasbee from their book Frugal Vegan, the lemony pesto brings the perfect pop of color and flavor to this simple (and incredibly inexpensive) roasted cauliflower soup.
Cream of Jalapeño Cauliflower Soup: From Cooking on the Weekends, a vegan soup that’s comforting, rich, and creamy — without the cream! It’s utterly delicious with a subtle kick and works year round as a first or main course.
Curried Cauliflower Potato Soup: From The Rustic Foodie, a perfect soup for a cold winter day! It’s full of warming spices, coconut milk, and hearty vegetables.
Roasted Cauliflower Soup: From the stingy vegan, this 6-ingredient soup is rich, creamy, and dairy-free! Roasted cauliflower is another level of delicious and when you treat simple and cheap ingredients right, you get the best vegan cauliflower soup recipe you’ve ever tasted!
Cauliflower curries
Quick Aloo Gobi: This quick cauliflower and potato curry is made with a couple of shortcuts, but still tastes deliciously authentic.
Aloo Gobhi Masala: From Green Bowl 2 Soul, here’s one of the most popular and delicious vegan dishes from India. It’s made by cooking cauliflower and potatoes in an onion tomato sauce flavored with Indian spices.
Gobi Matar Masala: From Living Smart and Healthy, an easy masala of cauliflower and peas cooked with onion, tomatoes & aromatic spices. This low-fat recipe is ready in 30 minutes!
Cauliflower Tikka Masala: From Vegan Huggs, a savory, bold, and mildly spiced recipe, this is a flavor-packed dish that your whole family will love. It’s a pure comfort meal that is easy to make and it’s budget-friendly too!
Indian-Spiced Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew: A delectable Indian-spiced cauliflower and chickpea stew gives you the curry flavors you crave at a fraction of the cost of take-out. Using a readymade Indian simmer sauce and frozen cauliflower, this weeknight main dish will be on the table in 30 minutes.
Cauliflower Lentil Curry: From The Cook Report comes this easy vegan dinner recipe featuring two legumes. Serve topped with spinach cooked with mustard seeds for a quick weeknight meal.
Cauliflower Curry with Canned Pumpkin: From Savory Spin, this plant-based satisfies your craving for a mild and tasty curry.
More cauliflower main dishes
Quinoa and Cauliflower Pilaf with Nuts and Dried Fruit: Here’s a pilaf that’s simple enough to make for a weeknight meal and festive enough to serve at special occasions. Depending on what else and how much you’re serving, this can be used as either a main or side dish.
BBQ Cauliflower Tacos with Green Tahini Sauce: From Dishing Out Health, here’s a hearty and healthy fiesta of flavors. These colorful tacos will be enjoyed by both vegetarians and omnivores!
Vegan Taco Meat (Tempeh + Veggies): From a Little and a Lot: Get ready for your taste buds to do a happy dance because this recipe is vegan and meaty-tasting all at once. Cauliflower, mushrooms, tempeh, and walnuts create a dream team of plant-based goodness for filling your tacos deliciously.
Peanut Ginger Cauliflower Veggie Burgers: From Rachael Hartley Nutrition, veggie-packed burgers that are perfect on a bun with spicy mayo, lettuce, and tomato. They’ve got the best texture and flavor!
Indian Spiced Tofu Scramble: Another from Rachael Hartley Nutrition, this protein-packed Indian-spiced tofu scramble features tofu, cauliflower, and spinach seasoned with turmeric, ginger, and cumin. It’s perfect paired with simple hash browns and toast.
Black Pepper Tofu and Cauliflower: From Crumbs and Caramel, a vegan sheet pan dinner with a delicious black pepper sauce can be made in just 30 minutes. Serve over steamed rice or your favorite grain for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
Cheesy Vegan Cauliflower Casserole: From The Vegan Blueberry, a baked dish that’s super hearty. It’s made with leftover rice and the most delicious dairy-free “cheese” sauce.
Vegan Cauliflower Gratin: From Lettuce Veg Out, a baked dish packed with flavor that’s incredibly easy to make! A cheesy baked cauliflower casserole that will impress anyone who tries it, vegan or otherwise!
Cauliflower Potato Pie: From Cooking with Kushi, a delicious savory pie that’s hearty and satisfying with a crispy crust loaded with flavorful filling. This pie will be a great hit at your dinner table for holidays and other special occasions. The recipe is vegan, flourless and gluten free.
Tajine Lentil Stew with Whole Roasted Cauliflower: From Dish ’n the Kitchen, a smoky and hearty vegan braise bursting with unique Spanish flavors. It can be made in an authentic tajine or Dutch oven.
Cauliflower Salads & Sandwiches
Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Salad: There are lots of vegan Buffalo cauliflower wings recipes floating around. But this combination of flavors and textures works so well that they’ve been transposed into a vegan Buffalo cauliflower salad. With a protein boost from chickpeas this can be a main dish salad, or in smaller portions a hearty side dish.
Cauliflower and Potato Salad with Peas and Olives: Here’s a simple cauliflower and potato salad (combining the two vegetables, not the trendy cauliflower “potato salad” containing no actual potatoes). Cauliflower adds great texture, and the potatoes give the salad heft.
Roasted Cauliflower Pomegranate Salad with Arugula & Almonds: Here’s a pretty cauliflower salad, served over baby arugula and embellished with crunchy almonds, pomegranate seeds, and fresh basil. Warm roasted cauliflower atop cool greens is a tempting way to enjoy salad in the cooler months.
Roasted Cauliflower Salad: From Dish ’n the Kitchen, a hearty and satisfying warm salad that combines the simple comforts of roasted cauliflower with fresh vegetables and herbs – all dressed in a scrumptious lemon coriander dressing.
Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Creamy Cashew Dressing: From Dianne’s Vegan Kitchen, a craveworthy salad made with roasted cauliflower, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, and leafy lettuce drenched in a crave-worthy creamy cashew dressing – will have you coming back for seconds!
Curried Roasted Cauliflower Salad: From Running on Real Food, a delicious cauliflower salad with chickpeas, cranberries and creamy cashew dressing that’s sure to become a staple in your recipe rotation.
Cauliflower “Potato” Salad”: Another from Running on Real Food, a vegan mock potato salad made with cauliflower, dill pickle, celery and red onion for a tasty side dish everyone will love!
Curried Vegan Cauliflower Steak Salad: From The Devil Wears Salad, imagine infusing a vegan cauliflower steak with some of the most aromatic spices found in curry powder. Then imagine the smells in the kitchen as they roast themselves into delectable pieces of joy. What a salad!
Roasted Radish Salad with Cauliflower: Another beauty from The Devil Wears Salad, this roasted radish salad served up with earthy and nutty purple cauliflower sure is a salad everyone would enjoy. The perfect accompaniment to any main fare!
Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Orzo: From Healing Tomato, a hearty orzo and cauliflower dinner recipe is made with simple flavors. The cauliflower is flavored with tahini.
Cauliflower Po’Boy Sandwich: Lisa Dawn Angerame’s cauliflower po’ boy takes a classic sandwich and makes it vegan. The chipotle remoulade sauce gives it a wow factor!
Vegan Cauliflower Gyros: From Crumbs and Caramel, roasted cauliflower seasoned with Greek spices served with creamy dairy-free tzatziki, and fresh crisp veggies wrapped in warm flatbread – these vegan gyros are easy and delicious!
Cauliflower Pastas
Vegan Cauliflower Mac and Cheese: From Where is My Spoon, a vegan mac and cheese made with cauliflower and cashews. A super easy and satisfying plant-based recipe it’s creamy, cheesy, and so comforting!
Vegan Pasta Curry with Cauliflower and Red Beans: Discover the offbeat combinations of flavors and textures in this colorful vegan pasta curry — it’s a fantastic addition to your veggie-filled weekday repertoire.
Vegan Silken Tofu and Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta: If you need further proof positive of the versatility of cauliflower, you’ll be convinced is the creamy texture of this sauce for pasta. Vegan Alfredo sauce made with a tofu and cauliflower base is simple and surprisingly luscious.
Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo: From Through the Fibro Fog, a soy-free Alfredo with a deliciously creamy sauce, with herbs and garlic for lots of flavor. Easy to make, it’s a tomato-free pasta that comes together in just 30 minutes.
Roasted Cauliflower (including Cauliflower Steaks)
Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini, Lime & Cilantro: Here’s a fantastic way to highlight this delightful vegetable. This easy recipe makes a great side dish with many kinds of meals.
Cauliflower Steak: From Easy and Delish, make this cauliflower steak either in the oven or on the grill in up 39 minutes. It is crispy outside and quite delicious, making the perfect plant-based meal for busy days.
Thai-Inspired Cauliflower Steak: From Dianne’s Vegan Kitchen, with a creamy, spicy peanut sauce as well as a tangy lime sauce, this cauliflower steak is always a crowd-pleaser! It makes a great weekend dinner, and is the perfect dish for special occasions such as date night or a dinner party.
Roasted Cauliflower Steak (air fryer or oven): From The Belly Rules the Mind comes a hearty, earthy way to prepare cauliflower steaks. Spice and garnish it to suit your family’s tastes for a dish they’re guaranteed to love.
Mediterranean Roasted Cauliflower & Tahini: From The Rustic Foodie come a great vegan side dish of cauliflower topped with a lemon tahini dressing, mint, and toasted pine nuts.
Roasted Cauliflower and Asparagus: From Organically Addison, here’s an easy, nourishing plant-based side dish! The veggies are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Spiced Roasted Cauliflower: From Noshing with the Nolands, this easy cauliflower is a perfect side dish for any meal. It is simple to make and is spicy without the heat.
Za’atar Roasted Cauliflower: From Rachael Hartley Nutrition, this flavor-filled recipe features za’atar roasted cauliflower with golden raisins, capers, toasted walnuts, and mint.
Roasted Cauliflower and Sweet Potatoes: From Marley’s Menu, this recipe uses simple ingredients to bring out the natural flavors of the vegetables.
Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower: From Pinch and Swirl, this duo of cruciferous vegetables makes the ideal side dish for all kinds of main courses. There’s a simple secret to getting those caramelized edges that we all love!
Roasted Purple Cauliflower with Red Pepper Romesco: From Justine Celina, here’s an unconventional spring dinner! If you’re looking for a vibrant, plant based entree that’s simple to prepare but delivers a major wow-factor, put this on your spring meal plan.
More cauliflower side dishes
Sautéed Cauliflower with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Basil: This recipe using just 4 ingredients is a simple side dish that goes with many kinds of meals.
5-Ingredient Cauliflower Cashew Bake: You don’t need a lot of ingredients to make a delectable casserole! The mellow flavors of cauliflower and raw cashews shine through in this 5-ingredient recipe.
Almond Broccoli and Cauliflower Stir-Fry: Broccoli and cauliflower have complementary flavors and look appealing together. This simple broccoli and cauliflower stir-fry is a perfect side dish for grain or noodle main dishes.
Curry-Spiced Cauliflower and Rice Pilaf: Once you have your rice cooked, this aromatic curry-spiced cauliflower and rice pilaf comes together quickly. I highly recommend making this with brown Basmati rice, though any long-grain rice (especially long-grain brown).
Crispy Smashed Cauliflower: From Cooking on the Weekends, smashed cauliflower florets are caramelized to perfection, crispy, sweet and pair well with almost anything!
Easy Spicy Cauliflower with Figs: From Savory Spin, a cauliflower recipe flavored with cardamom pods, whole cloves, onions, ginger and garlic. It’s an invitingly aromatic dish to add to any holiday table!
Cauliflower in Tomato Sauce: From Where is My Spoon, cauliflower is stewed in a flavorsome tomato sauce. It’s an utterly delicious vegetarian / vegan cauliflower recipe.
Mashed Cauliflower, Celeriac, and Parsnip: From Creative in My Kitchen, here’s a dish that’s creamy, flavorful, and festive. It can be an everyday staple or a festive side dish for your holiday menu — a tasty alternative to plain mashed potatoes!
Cauliflower Rice
How to Make Cauliflower Rice: From The Forked Spoon, a quick tutorial on making riced cauliflower in less than 10 minutes! Delicious, vegan, and gluten-free, enjoy this low-carb veggie alternative with all your favorite recipes!
Easy Coconut Cauliflower Rice: From Cook at Home Mom, this delicious coconut cauliflower rice is made with just five ingredients. It’s super versatile and easy to make, cooked in a skillet and toasted to perfection with TONS of flavor!
Vegan Cauliflower Rice and Sausage (Vegan): From Healing Tomato, when vegan sausage and cauliflower come together, it’s pure magic! This simple tajin flavored side dish is beyond delicious and it takes almost no effort to make.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this roundup of vegan cauliflower recipes!
Thank you for including my Roasted Purple Cauliflower with Red Pepper Romesco in this lovely roundup!
Thank you for participating in my Mediavine Social Share request, Justine! Your recipe looks delicious.