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Sharing my vegan twist on a classic Indian dish with this Indian Coconut Butter Cauliflower. I’ve swapped the chicken for nutrient packed cauliflower, and replaced the heavy cream and butter with rich and creamy coconut milk and coconut oil. This coconut butter cauliflower is the perfect healthy, but still delicious, alternative to the traditional heavier version. It has a quick 30 minute cooking time and uses pantry staple ingredients. Making this recipe perfect for any night of the week.
My favorite thing to do is to cook for others. Creating a recipe that I know someone is going to love is such a fulfilling thing for me. It’s one of the reasons I love cooking so much. When my family was in town over Christmas, I knew that I would have to make Indian Butter Chicken. Butter Chicken is one of my brother Creighton’s favorite dishes. The rest of the crew loves a good Indian dish too.
That being said, there are a few people in the family who prefer a vegan/vegetarian diet. Enter this coconut butter cauliflower. It has all the same flavors and creamy sauce as classic butter chicken. However, it omits the chicken and replaces it with cauliflower, and is made vegan by using of creamy coconut milk.
It also happens to be much easier to prepare with just a 30 minute cooking time. So basically, it’s the perfect recipe for January.
I wanted to keep the dish as authentic as possible. So I first “marinated” the cauliflower in a mix of coconut milk, garlic, and ginger. It’s just a quick marinade to help the cauliflower soak up the garlic and ginger flavors. Once the cauliflower has marinated for 10 minutes or so, it’s time to broil. I like to do this to give the cauliflower a head start on cooking. it also gives it a nice little char before being added to the coconut butter sauce.
While the cauliflower is “marinating”, I make the coconut butter sauce to keep the recipe moving right along. The key to any good Indian butter sauce is all in the spices. I used a mix of garlic, ginger, garam masala, yellow curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne pepper for a very well spiced sauce. It’s warming and spicy, but not in an overpowering way. If you’re sensitive to heat, just adjust the amount of cayenne pepper to your liking.
My real secret to a delicious Indian sauce, whether vegan or not, is coconut milk. I adore using coconut milk in place of cream in any Indian style sauce I make. I find it not only to be creamier and healthier, but also every bit as delicious (if not more so) than what you might get at Indian restaurant. The coconut pairs so well with the Indian sauce seasonings. It’s always my go-to when making Indian inspired food.
By the time you have the sauce together, the cauliflower should be ready to go. Just slide it right into the sauce to finish cooking.
As you can probably guess, my favorite way to serve this is over steamed rice with a side of my homemade naan (which I’ve been making almost every other day as of late). If you’d like something a little more nutrient dense than white rice, try using steamed brown rice or quinoa.
I ended up serving this with a little mango salsa on top (just a simple mix of diced mango, jalapeño, lime, and cilantro) and it was truly delicious. I would highly recommend if you love a fruity touch of sweetness, which you know I do.
So, what was the family’s verdict?
Let’s just put it this way, all of the coconut butter cauliflower was eaten before the chicken version was touched. Trust me, I’m shocked that everyone, even the meat eaters in the family, went for the vegan version. This dish is truly loved by all. In fact, some of my harshest critics said this was some of the best Indian food they’ve eaten. Even one family member who has been to India several times.
I think it’s safe to say the recipe is a true hit. I’m sure I’ll be making it over and over again, especially since it’s so easy.
If you make this Indian coconut butter cauliflower, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
30 Minute Indian Coconut Butter Cauliflower
Servings: 4 4-6
Calories Per Serving: 523 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 1/3 cups canned full fat coconut milk
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 inches fresh ginger, grated
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper ,more or less to taste
- 1 can (6 ounce) tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- steamed rice and naan, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the broiler to high. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil. 2. In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, 1/3 cup coconut milk, 2 cloves chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon grated ginger, and a pinch of salt. Let sit 10 minutes to "marinate". Spread the cauliflower in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and broil for 3-4 minutes, until the cauliflower is just beginning to char on the edges. 3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes or until fragrant. Add the remaining garlic and ginger, cooking another 5 minutes. Stir in the garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.4. Add the tomato paste and remaining 2 cups coconut milk. Stir to combine, bring the sauce to a boil, cook 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in coconut oil. If the sauce seems thick, thin with 1/2 to 1/2 additional coconut milk or water. Add the cauliflower and any juices on the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.5. Serve the cauliflower and sauce over bowls of rice with fresh naan and mango chutney, if desired. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on January 3, 2019
Attempting this recipe tonight. Was wondering about the additional coconut oil? Is that necessary and if so is there anything I can sub for that?
Thanks!
HI! I would recommend using butter in place of the coconut oil and I do recommend using it. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I just made this and…..I LOVE IT!!!! i have made many of your recipes and have LOVED them all. Keep it up!!!!
I thought I should blanch the cauliflower but I let it go alittle too long. Did get mushy but that’s on me. There really isn’t any reason to blanch. That’s why you should probably follow the recipe first before making modifications.
I am so glad you loved this Tina! Thank you so much! xTieghan
My husband’s new favorite, thank you!
Thank you! xTieghan
This was wonderful! I’d make it again for sure <3
I am so glad you loved this recipe Nancy! Thank you so much!
I made this last weekend and am making it again this weekend! Absolutely amazing.
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you so much Jane! xTieghan
I made this recipe twice. Both times, the taste was sharper than any curry I’d had before, and both times it took me over 45 minutes to make. I LOVED the cauliflower substitute though. Thank you! I’ll be using that idea again.
Hi Brian! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe.. Are there any questions I can help you with so that it turns out better? Thanks! xTieghan
Trying this one this week! Looks delish. Do you have a favorite mango chutney that you recommend as an accompaniment?
HI! I like the chutney that whole foods carries. Or you can make a mango salsa (which I often do). It’s just 1 mango, 1 jalapeño, juice of 1 lime, 1/4 cup cilantro, and a pinch of salt. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This is another level delicious! I have to say I liked it better than your slow cooker chicken tikka masala – I think because of the curry paste (I don’t think I loved my curry paste, so not your fault!). Couple things we did differently: used chicken thighs because we wanted to make it with cauliflower rice (which I sautéed simply with lots of garlic and onion) and I also omitted the coconut oil simply because I tasted it before adding it and loved the flavor as is and it was thick and creamy. My husband and I agreed to add this one to the rotation!
I am so glad you both loved this recipe, Rachel! Thank you so much!
When I saw this recipe it was exactly what I wanted to make, and there were so many favorable comments. But I had trouble with the recipe. I was concerned about adding a whole can of tomato paste, and wish I hadn’t. When I added everything for the sauce, it just didn’t taste good to me. Something was too strong, and I didn’t think it was the spices so figured there was too much paste. So I added a lot more coconut milk to improve it – like twice as much. In the end it tasted pretty good, but I don’t think I would make it again. Sorry!
Hi Vickie! I am so sorry to hear that! Are there any questions I could help you with??
I made this dish yesterday, and was SO excited to have it for lunch today at work. Just finished eating it, and it was DELICIOUS! It’s a little on the spicy side, so when I make it in the future, I plan to halve the amount cayenne pepper. All in all, the dish was incredible, looking forward to having it for lunch over the next few days!
I am so glad you loved this Maria! Thank you so much!
I made your recipe today, but instead of cauliflower I used sweet potatoes and I bake it for 30 minutes on lower heat. It was a huge success, I will make it again for sure !
I am so glad you loved this Alice! Thank you!
This was delicious! I did add some dried Thai chilis and salted liberally – this cut the heavy seeetness of the coconut. Absolutely fabulous, thank you!
Thank you so much Sarah Jo!
Hi, did you use refined or unrefined coconut oil for this? Thanks!
HI! I like to use unrefined. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Do you have the serving size and nutritional information for this recipe handy? (I’m sure I could figure it out, but thought I’d ask first before I had to do math!) Thanks!
Hi Kelly! I am sorry, but I do not have the nutritional information. I find online calculators help really well at finding out the macros! I hope you try this Kelly!
Hi Tieghan, love your recipes, the crispy pork ramen is my absolute favorite food and better than restaurant ramen!
I have a question, what kind of coconut milk do you use? Here in Germany the full fat kind has almost 800 calories in a can, but all your recipes with coconut milk have such a low calorie count.
So I was wondering if it is a different kind or if the count is just off.
Thank you for all the delicious recipes 🙂
Hey Laura! I have linked the coconut milk I like to use. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
https://rstyle.me/n/de97kgb9wzf