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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
Phenomenal recipe! The best Indian curry I have ever made, ranking with my curry experiences in my travels throughout India. Thank you so much for this gem of a recipe. I actually find it extremely difficult to cook Indian foods well and this hit the mark! Will try it next time using potatoes or prawns 🙂
That is so amazing to hear! So glad this recipe turned out so well for you Cindy! xTieghan
This is one of my go-to recipes, we love it!!!!! To make it even easier I skip marinating the cauliflower & just toss it right in the oven to broil ?
I am so happy to hear that Dani! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I really want to make this but my apartment came with a convection oven that doesn’t have a broiler function. Will it work if I just put it on the highest possible temperature?
Hi Cathy! Yes, the highest temp. possibly will work perfect! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
Delicious and super easy! I’d go easy on the tomato paste…I probably used about half of what it says to and I thought it was plenty.
I am so glad you loved this Ciara! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I absolutely love this dish! The only thing I would highly recommend is broiling cauliflower for AT LEAST ten minutes – five and you’ll have raw cauliflower. It was better the second time I made it because I really let it broil.
For non-spicy folks/kids, I used 1/4 teaspoon cayenne and added about 1 tablespoon of sugar—it was sooo good!!
Now if I can just braven up to try and make my own naan 🙂
I am so glad you loved this recipe Lucie!! The naan is one of my favorite parts, I highly recommend trying it! Thank you Lucie! xTieghan
Hi, just in mid cook with this.
Wondering what you mean by tomatoe paste? Would tomatoe purée work or if not part of a tin of tomatoes? I think you might mean passata? I’m British and we don’t have easy access to paste?
Thanks
Eileen \
Hi Eileen! You can use tomato puree, that will work just great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
Looks amazing, and I’m very much looking forward to making and eating this. My only problem is the terms you’ve used in your recipe. I’m from England so have no idea what you mean by cup of coconut milk, or 6oz tomato puree. As you mention cilantro rather than coriander I’m guessing that these are terms used in America.
Would you kindly translate for me please?
Hello from across the pond! We don’t metric conversions on our recipes sorry. It would be about 237mL of coconut milk. And it would be roughly .17 kg of tomato puree. And yes coriander :slightly_smiling_face: Let me know if you have any other questions as you go along. Enjoy! X Kelly
Delicious and simple to make. My broiler is terrible. so I roasted the cauliflower at 450 for 10 minutes. Used parsley instead of cilantro because some of my family don’t care for cilantro. Served with basmati, naan, chutney, peanuts and roasted asparagus. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thank you for trying this Vivian! xTieghan
love this recipe. It’s very flavorful but Have to admit Ichickened out and used a little less cayenne. I also added some green peas and chic peas and didn’t have any naan to sop up the delicious sauce.Next time because this will surely be in the regular rotation!
That is so great to hear! Thank you so much Fran! xTieghan
This is honestly so amazing! I made it last night and it really did take only 30 minutes to put together. The whole kitchen smelled amazing and I now have lunch for a week! Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you so much Maddy! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
This was delicious! You’re amazing!
Thank you for trying this Jen! xTieghan
Hi! I’m making this now and I don’t see where I’m supposed to add the coconut milk/garlic/ginger marinade?
Hey Debbie, The marinade is tossed with the cauliflower in the second step of the recipe. It’s then broiled in the oven. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I had an extra head of cauliflower in the fridge, and this recipe saved the day! Perfect blend of spices, and made with ingredients that I always have on hand. I also threw in some spinach at the end. I never would have though to broil cauliflower – I loved the texture of it! Will definitely be making this again.
Thank you so much Callie! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan
This looks so delicious! Could you please tell me the quantity for one serving. This would be very helpful! Thanks kindly.
Thank you so much Charmaine! xTieghan
I just made this – mine came out a bit more red than yours – but oh is it delicious!! Taking it for lunch tomorrow and can’t wait to make my co-workers jealous!
Ooo love that! So glad this turned out so well for you Holly! xTieghan