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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
A nice, straightforward recipe that was delicious. I missed the cilantro at the end. My boys loved it. Thanks
Thank you so much Gisell! So glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
I tried this out tonight after a serious indian food craving hit! This was easy, quick, and delicious!! It was a little bit heavy for my liking, so next time I may use a little less oil and coconut milk! Otherwise, it was spot on! Yum. Thanks for sharing this 🙂
Thank you for trying it Olivia! So glad this turned out amazing for you! xTieghan
There are two Indian dishes that I love making and they are Bhaingan Bharta and Channa Masala so I will be happy to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much Orange! xTieghan
Made this for dinner last night and it was a HIT! Everyone loved it. Great Flavors!! Took a bit longer than 30 minutes but it was worth it!
Love that! Thank you so much Prachi! xTieghan
This was amazing! My husband and I both loved it!! So easy to make! I did only use 1/4 of the cayenne pepper and so glad I did- it was the perfect amount of heat! Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you so much Jen! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
My family loved this, thank you for a delicious and quick recipe!
That is so great! Thank you so much Mandy! xTieghan
Tieghan, thank you for this recipe! It turned out really good… so good that I’m taking it to an Indian household for a side dish tonight! 🙂 And the hubby of the house is a “cheffy” kinda guy. I feel confident. 🙂 I’m serving of a jasmine coconut rice with toasted coconut and cilantro topping. Thank you for the mango chutney suggestion — really a nice surprise. LOVE your website and everything on it!
Thank you so much Patricia! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan
This dish is AMAZING and explodes with flavor!!! My Indian husband loved it and asked me to mark the recipe as one of our favorites to make again and again. I’ve never enjoyed cauliflower as much as I did with this dish. Definitely a must-try!
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you for trying this out! xTieghan
OHMYGOSHTHISWASSOOOOGOOD! I made a rookie mistake and over salted it BUT the mildness of the cauliflower (which genius idea to marinate it BTW!) and the rice (i made it coconut rice) it turned out well! I liked it so much i think i like it better than the Indian place in town where we would normally get our Butter chicken from! Many thanks for sharing!
Ah that is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying this Maci! xTieghan
Delicious thanks so much! A bit of work but worth it. Cauliflower isn’t my favorite so next time I will do tofu and a veggie instead. Super yummy and for a curry dish, it isn’t too much labor.
So glad you loved this recipe, Michelle! Thank you! xTieghan
this was an amazing receipe, easy to make and absolutely delicious! tnx a lot.
Thank you Sahar! xTieghan
Super eenvoudig te maken en zalig lekker.
Dat is zo geweldig! Dank je! xTieghan
I cannot count how many times I have made this. It truly is so easy and delicious. One of those dishes that tastes even better the next day; great recipe if you need lunch or dinner for 3 days in a row. Also a perfect dish if you have a vegan friend you’ve been dying to cook for!
I’ve started adding a can of chickpeas, wilting in some spinach at the end, and skipping the rice and naan altogether. It’s one of my faves.
Yes so perfect! Thank you for trying this out Kat! xTieghan
I didn’t have the tomato paste but I had a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes and chilies which I used instead, and eliminated the cayenne. UNFREAKINBELIEVABLE!! It was amazing!
Thank you so much Parker! xTieghan
HOLY COW THIS WAS SO GOOD. I added extra spices (1.5x) and warmed them before adding the onion. And I sautéed ginger and garlic in a pot before cooking the rice. Amazing.
Thank you so much Ali! xTieghan