Cauliflower Steak {Baked, Grilled, or Air Fryer}

These cauliflower steaks are crispy and tender and dressed with a luscious, smoky butter. Oven, air fryer, and grill cooking options.

Love impressive vegetarian mains? Try my sofritas, zucchini lasagna, Mediterranean bowls, or eggplant rollatini next.

My roasted cauliflower steaks are my favorite way to transform cauliflower from a simple vegetable to the mouthwatering star of the dinner for my family. Now, don’t look at them as competition for your classic steaks, though (I beg you). Instead, treat these as elegant vegetable side dish or meat-free dinner.

Why I love this recipe

• Only 5 ingredients. All you need are 5 budget-friendly ingredients to make roasted cauliflower steaks. 
• Healthy. Not only is it versatile, but cauliflower is a healthy vegetable with high amounts of vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants (source).
• Multiple cooking methods. While I prefer to oven-bake the cauliflower, I’ve also tested this recipe both on the grill and in the air fryer!
• So fast! From prep to plate, this dish cooks up in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients needed

• Cauliflower. Use a large or medium head of cauliflower and slice it into 1-inch steaks. You can use white cauliflower or get creative with purple or orange cauliflower instead.
• Butter. Because I’m already adding salt, I like to stick to unsalted butter, but if yours is already salted, just omit the salt or add it once cooked (to taste).
• Kosher salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and Italian seasoning. To round out the flavors in the melted butter.

How to make cauliflower steaks

I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1 – Slice the cauliflower into 1-inch thick “steaks.” Use the knife to slice the stalks in a crisscross pattern.

Step 2 – Make the paprika butter. Stir the melted butter, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning in a small bowl.

Step 3 – Brush with butter. Lay the cauliflower steaks on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush both sides with the seasoned butter mixture. 

Step 4 – Bake, then serve. Roast the steaks in the oven until they’re tender and golden brown around the edges.

Arman’s recipe tips

• For the best cauliflower steaks, choose a cauliflower head with tightly-packed florets and no brown spots or blemishes.
• Keep the core intact. When you’re preparing the cauliflower, only remove the outer leaves and leave the stem in place, as it’s what keeps the cauliflower steaks from falling apart.
• For even cooking, you can roast the steaks on a wire rack on top of a baking dish. This way, the heat can circulate around every inch of cauliflower.
• Mix up the seasonings! Brush the cauliflower steaks with garlic butter instead of paprika butter, or swap the butter for olive oil and sprinkle taco seasoning, curry powder, steak seasoning, cumin, or ranch seasoning over top.
• Make them cheesy by sprinkling some parmesan cheese or finely shredded mozzarella cheese 10 minutes before they are done.

Storage instructions

To store: Transfer the leftover cauliflower steaks to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

To reheat: You can reheat the cauliflower steaks in a 350ºF oven until they’re slightly crisp and warmed through again.

More creative cauliflower recipes

Originally published June 2023, updated and republished June 2024