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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    April 1, 2018 225 Comments

    Vegan Butter Cauliflower

    24.8K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    It's finally here, my Vegan Butter Cauliflower recipe! This is my version of butter chicken... but without the butter and without the chicken. This recipe took a lot of testing to make it oh so perfect, and I am so excited to finally share it with you.

    Not only was I looking for excellent vegan replacements for both butter and chicken, but after discovering that a lot of traditional butter chicken recipes required an entire cup (!) of butter and additional cups of whipping cream, I cringed, and knew I wanted to make this one a little healthier too.

    Indian butter chicken has been veganized! I present you Vegan Butter Cauliflower. A fraction of the calories and fat, but tastes even better. Super easy and quick to make, making a perfect weeknight meal. The sauce is whipped up in a blender, then pour over cauliflower and simmer. Done. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #veganindian #curry

    So I present you my (mostly) guilt-free Vegan Butter Cauliflower. Tah dah!

    This recipe happens to be super easy too, in true fuss-free vegan style. Just add raw cashews, tomato paste, and a bunch of spices to a blender, and you've just made your sauce. Then add two tablespoons of vegan butter (I still wanted a bit of that butter taste, but reduced it by a whopping 14 tablespoons), saute up some onion and garlic in a pan, pour in the sauce, add the cauliflower florets, and simmer until tender. Yep, it's that easy peasy!

    Indian butter chicken has been veganized! I present you Vegan Butter Cauliflower. A fraction of the calories and fat, but tastes even better. Super easy and quick to make, making a perfect weeknight meal. The sauce is whipped up in a blender, then pour over cauliflower and simmer. Done. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #veganindian #curry

    And oh man does it taste fantastic!! I've been eating this pretty much every day for a week because I'm madly in love. Creamy tomato-y goodness, packed full of spices, just so much deliciousness in a bowl it's difficult to comprehend.

    Serve it up with some rice, naan bread, and a little cilantro, and be prepared for comfort food heaven.

    Indian butter chicken has been veganized! I present you Vegan Butter Cauliflower. A fraction of the calories and fat, but tastes even better. Super easy and quick to make, making a perfect weeknight meal. The sauce is whipped up in a blender, then pour over cauliflower and simmer. Done. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #veganindian #curry

    To make Vegan Butter Cauliflower: add all of the ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

    If you do not have a high-powered blender, you may want to soften the cashews first by boiling them in water for 10 minutes, draining, and then adding to the blender with all of the remaining ingredients. This will ensure a smooth sauce.

    Indian butter chicken has been veganized! I present you Vegan Butter Cauliflower. A fraction of the calories and fat, but tastes even better. Super easy and quick to make, making a perfect weeknight meal. The sauce is whipped up in a blender, then pour over cauliflower and simmer. Done. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #veganindian #curry

    For the butter cauliflower, melt the vegan butter in a large pan or pot. When melted add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion turns translucent and just begins to brown.

    Indian butter chicken has been veganized! I present you Vegan Butter Cauliflower. A fraction of the calories and fat, but tastes even better. Super easy and quick to make, making a perfect weeknight meal. The sauce is whipped up in a blender, then pour over cauliflower and simmer. Done. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #veganindian #curry

    Pour in the prepared sauce and stir in the cauliflower florets. Cover and bring to a simmer. Stir the cauliflower often so the sauce doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan.

    Indian butter chicken has been veganized! I present you Vegan Butter Cauliflower. A fraction of the calories and fat, but tastes even better. Super easy and quick to make, making a perfect weeknight meal. The sauce is whipped up in a blender, then pour over cauliflower and simmer. Done. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #veganindian #curry

    Cook until the cauliflower is fork tender, about 10 minutes. Serve over rice with a side of naan and a garnish of cilantro.

    Indian butter chicken has been veganized! I present you Vegan Butter Cauliflower. A fraction of the calories and fat, but tastes even better. Super easy and quick to make, making a perfect weeknight meal. The sauce is whipped up in a blender, then pour over cauliflower and simmer. Done. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #veganindian #curry

    Print Recipe
    4.99 from 115 votes

    Vegan Butter Cauliflower

    Indian butter chicken has been veganized! I present you Vegan Butter Cauliflower. A fraction of the calories and fat, but tastes even better. Super easy and quick to make, making a perfect weeknight meal. 
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course : Main Course
    Cuisine : Indian
    Servings: 4
    Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

    Ingredients

    For the sauce:

    • 2 ¾ cups water
    • ½ cup raw cashews
    • 1 156ml can tomato paste
    • 1 tablespoon garam masala
    • 1 teaspoon chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon powdered ginger

    For the butter cauliflower:

    • 2 tablespoons vegan butter
    • 1 yellow onion, chopped
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • ½ head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 6 cups)

    For serving:

    • cooked rice
    • naan bread
    • 1 handful cilantro, roughly chopped
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    Instructions

    • For the sauce, add all of the ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy. If you do not have a high-powered blender, you may want to soften the cashews first by boiling them in water for 10 minutes, draining, and then adding to the blender with all of the remaining ingredients. This will ensure a smooth sauce.
    • For the butter cauliflower, melt the vegan butter in a large pan or pot. When melted add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion turns translucent and just begins to brown. Pour in the prepared sauce, and stir in the cauliflower florets. Cover and bring to a simmer. Stir the cauliflower often so the sauce doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan. Cook until the cauliflower is fork tender, about 10 minutes. Serve over rice with a side of naan and a garnish of cilantro.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 695mg | Potassium: 657mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 415IU | Vitamin C: 80.4mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2.3mg
    Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and Hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Bon appetegan!

    Sam.

    « Vegan Ramen Noodle Soup
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Saraswati says

      February 12, 2023 at 11:45 am

      5 stars
      Really love this recipe! Tasty and easy to make. Thank you, Sam!

      Reply
    2. curso tecnico de administração says

      April 16, 2022 at 10:41 pm

      Your information is of great quality, thanks for sharing. 22676268

      Reply
    3. Jenny says

      March 28, 2022 at 8:18 pm

      5 stars
      Love this recipe! So flavorful and tasty!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        April 01, 2022 at 4:33 pm

        Glad you like it Jenny!

        Reply
    4. Diane says

      March 12, 2022 at 4:45 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is great and has amazing flavor!And we are not Vegan. One thing I would recommend is partially cooking the cauliflower first, as it did take a long time to cook n the sauce.My 24 year old son said it was the best butter chicken sauce he’s ever had and we love Indian food.Thanks!

      Reply
    5. amy says

      February 25, 2022 at 4:54 pm

      This sounds so good and I really want to try it, but the trouble I keep running into with creamy recipes is the cashews. I know they work so well, but my husband is allergic! such a bummer. Any chance this might work with something like coconut cream? or any other suggestions?

      Reply
      • Kristal says

        May 28, 2022 at 11:04 pm

        5 stars
        You can use equal parts white beans 🙂

        Reply
    6. Lucy says

      February 25, 2022 at 12:47 pm

      before i go out and buy cashews can i make this using cashew milk and if so how much. i m all out of nuts!

      Reply
    7. Elaine says

      February 09, 2022 at 7:42 pm

      5 stars
      This was phenomenal! So easy and SO delicious - it really tastes like it's way more work than it actually is. I can't wait to try it again (and again, and again...)

      Reply
    8. Kim from Balto says

      November 20, 2021 at 7:14 pm

      5 stars
      This is absolutely delicious!! And sooo easy to make!! I did roast my cauliflower first so it only needed to be blended into the sauce. And I added the chickpeas as suggested by others. Fantastic dish that I will be making again and again! :o))

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        November 22, 2021 at 3:56 pm

        So happy you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    9. Sarah says

      November 08, 2021 at 2:24 pm

      5 stars
      Made this last night - super easy and delicious! Leftovers were even better. It took my cauliflower much longer than 10 minutes to soften. The only change I made was adding some chopped spinach (because I throw spinach in pretty much everything). I did think about adding chickpeas (as another reader suggested), but decided to try it first without them. I might even use the sauce recipe with just chickpeas and spinach for a different option. This recipe will go into the regular rotation!

      Reply
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