by Lauren Hartmann 76 Comments
*This post may contain affiliate links in the recipe card*
The best cauliflower I’ve ever had!
I don’t love cauliflower, but this, this my friends, is one of the best meals I have ever had. Vegan crispy black pepper cauliflower steaks smothered with the best dang mushroom gravy are all kinds of totally amazing! Super crispy, a little spicy, and so easy. I definitely think these cauliflower steaks are the perfect Thanksgiving entree.
These cauliflower steaks are dipped in a wet, black peppery batter. Coated in panko and fried to get them brown and crispy. Then you finish them in the oven while you make the mushroom gravy. I could literally just eat this gravy by the spoonful. It is that good!
This recipe makes about 4 large steaks. Which can either serve 4 people a huge cauliflower steak, or 8 people can share them, because they are definitely shareable! These vegan black pepper cauliflower steaks will be everyone’s favorite dish at all your holiday parties.
I love how quick and easy this recipe is, because what I want during the holidays is more time out of the kitchen and with family and friends.
Please, add these to your Thanksgiving or any holiday meal list immediately. They will not disappoint! They are so crunchy, so flavorful and so festive. If you, like me, aren’t a cauliflower lover, this will change your mind forever.
Vegan Crispy Black Pepper Cauliflower Steaks
Print Recipe
Super crispy, peppery cauliflower steaks. Smothered with the best mushroom gravy.
Course Main Course
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 45 minutes mins
Servings 4
Author Lauren Hartmann
Ingredients
Crispy Black Pepper Cauliflower Steaks
- 1 Head Cauliflower
- 1 Cup Non dairy milk, I used soy milk
- 1 Teaspoon Apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 Cup All purpose flour
- 1/2 Cup Corn starch
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Fresh cracked black pepper
- 2 1/2 Cups Panko bread crumbs
- Light oil for frying
Mushroom Gravy
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 4 Cloves Garlic, chopped
- 1 Cup Mushrooms, sliced
- 2 Tablespoons Vegan butter, I used Earth Balance
- 2 Tablespoons All purpose flour
- 1 Cup Vegetable broth
- 1 Teaspoon Poultry seasoning (usually contains Thyme, Sage, Rosemary and Nutmeg)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Now, cut your head of cauliflower into steaks. You will probably need to trim the ends where the florets aren’t connected to the stem. Then cut the center into steaks you should be able to get about 4 steaks. Set them aside.
Then, whisk together the non dairy milk and apple cider vinegar.
Next, in a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour and corn starch. Then whisk in the salt and pepper. Then pour the non dairy milk and vinegar into the dry ingredients. Whisk to fully combine and create the wet batter.
Put the panko in a separate bowl.
Put each cauliflower steak into the wet batter. Coat completely, let any excess drip off. Then place in the bowl of panko and coat each side in panko completely. Repeat with all the cauliflower.
Now heat the oil in a large non stick pan on medium high, about 1/4 an inch of oil should be in the bottom. Then add the cauliflower steaks. Cook on one side for 2-3 minutes until nice and brown and crispy. Then flip and brown on the other side.
Then, place the cauliflower steaks on a sheet pan, and finish in the oven at 425 degrees for 5-7 minutes. To make sure the cauliflower is cooked through.
While the cauliflower is in the oven, make the gravy. Heat the olive oil on medium high in a non stick or cast iron skillet. Add the garlic and mushrooms. Saute for about 5 minutes or so to cook the mushrooms and garlic, reducing heat as needed. Season with a few pinches of salt and pepper.
Remove the mushrooms from the pan, and put in a bowl and set aside. Then add the vegan butter to the pan.
Melt the butter on medium low and then add the flour. Whisk together to make a roux. It should be paste like. Cook for a minute, then whisk in the veggie broth. Make sure the roux is fully combined and there are no lumps. Simmer for a moment to let thicken.
Then season with the poultry seasoning and a pinch of salt and pepper. Then add the mushrooms back in. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Once the cauliflower and gravy are done, serve immediately. I top my cauliflower with the gravy right before serving so they don’t get soggy!
Notes
You can just bake the steaks without frying first, they just won’t be as brown and crispy. You can bake them at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Until crispy and cooked through.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Jill
I just made these cauliflower steaks and we loved them. Can I save the leftover batter?Reply
- Lauren Hartmann
Yes, you should be able to save any leftover batter in the fridge! I’m so glad you loved them!
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- Jo
I just used the rest of the cauliflower and the batter to cook off the rest! Super yummy?
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- Alex
Omg so delicious. Awesome recipe. Turned out amazing!! Loooove the sauce.. added a mix of sh*take with regular mushroom. Let me know if you want a pic 😉 thanksss
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- Acacia
My meat eating husband said he wants these every day! They were incredible. I topped with a lemon caper sauce but I’ll try the gravy next time. Awesome recipe!Reply
- Lauren Hartmann
That is AMAZING!
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- Nicole
Made this tonight to see if it would be a good thanksgiving entree and it was amazing. This is the perfect vegan holiday meal. The gravy was delicious and the cauliflower would work even if you were meat eater. Everything on this site looks so good! So glad I stumbled onto it.Reply
- Jelena
Made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! I usually don’t like cauliflower but the taste and texture was really great.
That mushroom gravy is so so good, you could eat it by the spoonful.Reply
- Heidi
I made this the other night and absolutely loved it. So so delicious – thanks for the recipe, it will definitely be included in my Christmas menuReply
- Michelle
We made this last night and it was amazing! Being a long time vegetarian, I think it has been 25 years since I had a gravy! I just never added a mushroom one into my series of typical dishes, but it was fabulous over the cauliflower steaks and I will add this dish into our Fall Comfort Foods for sure! Thanks!See AlsoEasy Vegan Brown Gravy | Shane & SimpleVegan Wedding Recipes - Canapes To CakesVegan Cabbage Schnitzel Harissa Spiced Cauliflower Steaks - Evergreen KitchenReply
- Charlotte Moore
This was one of the best vegan dishes I’ve ever had. It was so crispy and the gravy so yummy I couldn’t stop eating it. I doubled the amount of mushrooms in the gravy because they are one of my favorite foods. If it wasn’t for all the oil, I’d eat this every day.
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Awesome texture and flavor. Skipped the gravy as it made the steak too mushy. Instead melted mozzarella on top and served with a dip.Reply
- Lauren
so good! i used a tahini sauce instead. cannot get over the perfect crust on the cauliflower!Reply
- Kelly R.
Ok, so this was SO GOOD! It was surprisingly easy to make, yet tasted like I worked on it for hours! I actually even forgot to put Panko on half of my cauliflower steaks and it still turned out amazing. I’ll be making this again and again for myself and when I want to impress people with my cooking skills 🙂Reply
- Christina
I finally made these last night-loved it! I used to cook a lot of chicken/meat cutlets, and so this was nice and hearty and substantial-thanks. I made some changes to the mushroom gravy-added red wine, fresh nutmeg, parley and omitted poultry seasoning simply because I didn’t have any, and it was delicious either way. Your frisco melt sandwich is next on my list to try!Reply
- Carolyn Sloboda
I made this last night for my older husband who wants to eat healthier. Unbelievable! All he said was, delicious! And that coming from an older generation of meat eaters, that’s a BIG compliment! I have totally converted him with your recipes and will experiment and make him new meatless recipes every week. Any recipes from you are always the best! Every recipe that I make from you is my favorite. Thank you!Reply
- Liliane URBANIAK
Un petit coucou,
Je vais essayer demain, ma fille est Végan et je compte bien apprendre de nouvelles recettes ,
j’ai déguster pendant 3 semaines des repas Végan et j’ai beaucoup aimé, alors je me suis décidée à en savoir davantage sur ces plats afin de continuer un maximum de savourer ces recettes.
Merci d’en communiquer d’autres!
LillyeReply
- Jamie
ERMAGAWDDDD…….Once again, your recipes are AHHHH-Mazing! Made this last night and it was spectacular. I only got 2 cauliflower steaks and made the rest into florets. I also used sh*take mushrooms for the gravy and I baked the cauliflower to eliminate some oil. This was so incredibly delicious! I already ate some leftovers for breakfast. You are my recipe queen! You make my boyfriend think I’m a fantastic cook, so thank you 🙂Reply
- Lauren Hartmann
Yay! That makes me so happy! You are so welcome!!
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- Kaitlyn
I want to make this recipe as well and bake it instead of frying. How long did you bake it for and at what temperature? Thank you so much!
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Amazing! Sliced the steak when it cooled and used it next day in Bao buns and tacos?
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- Chris
Suggestions for making this gluten free???
Thanks!Reply
- Lauren Hartmann
You should be able to just substitute the flour for gluten free all purpose flour and the panko for gluten free panko!
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- lillian
This was my first time making steaks, and though I couldn’t keep them intact– leaving me with smaller steaks–they came out fantastic! They were crispy, and the gravy was so delicious.Reply
- Yolanda D Russell
Absolutely LOVED these! Thank you soooo much! I was scared that it was going to be super complex, but this was easy and delicious!I will definitely DOUBLE the gravy next time! I fed this to my fiance and his 16 year old non-vegan eating son. Huge hit!
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- Zohra
Is there any way to make these gluten free and corn free?
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- Lauren Hartmann
You should be able to replace the flour with gluten-free all purpose flour and the bread crumbs with gluten-free bread crumbs.
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- Natalie
I made these cauliflower steaks this week and they were delicious. Instead of Panko I used cornmeal (I did t read the Panko label and it had egg in it!). They still crisped up really nice. I also added dino kale to the mushroom sauce. I will for sure be making these again! Thanks for another great recipe!Reply
- Lori
Soooooo good!!! Even our non-vegan son loved it. Definitely double the gravy, or triple! We only got two large “steaks” out of our large head of cauliflower but there was plenty of cauliflower left so we did some smaller steaks and florets. Only had whole wheat flour and that worked just fine. Love, love, love this. Thank you for sharing!
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- Priscilla
Can these be made in an air fryer? Just got one for Christmas and anxious to use it.
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- Lauren Hartmann
Absolutely! I have had a lot of people tell me they used the air fryer. I would try 350 degrees until they are golden brown!
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Best cauliflower dish ever!!! My husband and i have had our fair share of vegan meals since we changed to plant based a few years ago… but THIS. THIS RECIPE is out-of-this-world! Thank you. It is on our weekly menu in heavy rotation.Reply
- Ra
Thank you. These were delicious. Made some tweaks- used gluten free flour and gluten free panko. Left the batter thick so I could spread it on the cauliflower. Didn´t have poultry seasoning so I used harissa seasoning. Added lime juice to the gravy and then topped the served gravy with capers. It took longer than 7 minutes for the oven part, but I may have made my steaks too thick. Again, thanks and I´ll be making them again.
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WOW!!! so YUMMY!!! Made these the other night for dinner and my family absolutely loved them. My son is off to training for 6 weeks and he tells me, ” mom I’m really going to miss your cooking”. I’m so glad I found your page on Pinterest.
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- Megan
Hello! I just wanted to start by saying I *ADORE*your recipes and admire what you do so much! I cook for myself (vegan)plus non vegans on a regular basis and your recipes regularly win everyone over. You give me so much inspiration in the kitchen!
I was wondering how you think these cauli steaks would work as an accompaniment to an italian meal- which would be salad, and pasta with a vodka rose sauce. Obviously I would skip the gravy in this case. I’d make plenty of extra sauce to go with the cauliflower. Let me know what you think 😍 PS Happy Valentine’s Day!Reply
- Lauren Hartmann
Ooooooo, that sounds amazing! I think they would work really well with a whole Italian meal!
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- Chantelle
I’ve made this cauliflower breading recipe for cauliflower parm and it was 10/10 delicious!
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- Litisha Weston
Made this tonight and absolutely loved it! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe.Reply
- Jay Harren
Phenomenal – would be perfect for a holiday mealReply
- Chris Hunjas
Just made these last night – absolutely awesome! I had one ‘steak’ left over and ate it on a bun with lettuce, onion, tomato and a little lemon and thousand island for lunch. It was still crispy and tasty. Will add this as one of my favs!Reply
- Blossom H
Wow I just made these for my family and everyone LOVED them, cauliflower will be a staple in my fridge from now on just for this recipe!!! Thank you 😊Reply
- Delaney
Absolutely incredible! Easy to follow instructions and made it super quick. Easily one of my favourite meals I’ve made. The flavours were unreal. Can’t wait to try more recipes from rabbitandwolves!!!Reply
- Erin
This was delicious. I would say it’s a vegan version of chicken fried steak but wayyyy better!Reply
This sounds so yummy, I love cauliflower and mushroom!!Reply
- Rachel
This is one of my very favorite vegan recipes! I only got three steaks from the head so I made a bunch of mini steaks as well from florets.
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- Barbara
Loved the crispy texture! Next time will just use the large flowers since steaks created too much waste. Added red pepper right into the batter and they just pop. Would be great with a dipping sauce too.
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- Loretta
I’ve made this twice. The first time I cooked the cauliflower in oil and today I only baked it. I sprayed the steaks with olive oil spray and they did get some color, though not as much as if they’d been pan fried. But oh so many calories were saved and I still had the crispy texture I wanted. Today I made a cheeseless pesto sauce for dipping, and also had a teriyaki sauce. We tried some each way. Very yummy.Reply
- Shannon
We made these last night over rice and added some garden peppers to the gravy – some of our “steaks” turned into regular cauliflower pieces (I think it was the size of our cauli to begin) but it was still SO good! We will definitely make this again.Reply
- Alex C
This recipe is MAGICAL! Made it last night and it was so quick and easy, and the results were excellent – very crispy and flavorful. I haven’t had gravy in years and this was an excellent addition to the meal. I plan to use the cauliflower recipe for other things like buffalo wings, nuggets, etc. Love this site and all your recipes!Reply
- Danielle
Absolutely delicious. Made this for dinner we both loved it. Left over were reheated in the airfryer, still amazing. I can’t eat most vegan schnitzel thingies because of soy, but why would you if you can make these AMAZING steaks?Reply
- Lorraine
Curious what your thoughts on putting these in the air fryer>
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- Julie Grace
that should work!
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- Kay
I made these with real buttermilk and butter as I’m not vegan, then cooked them in the air fryer. They were delicious!!!
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- Lisa
These were as delicious as advertised. Took me a little longer than the stated 45 minutes total, but well worth it!Reply
- kim
Awesome recipe. I loved every single thing about it. I am not crazy about mushrooms.. I don’t really like the texture, but do like the flavor.. weird but true.. so I did the sauté as instructed and then put the mix in the nutri-bullet to blend just a few seconds before adding to the broth step. It was amazing. Served it with red skin mashies and asparagus. Thank for a keeper recipe!!!Reply
- Sam
I would love to make this as a option for a main during Thanksgiving for my vegetarian friends! Can some, or the entire recipe be done ahead of time (like the day before or morning of)?
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- Nicole
I was thinking of trying these in the air fryer, do you think I could skip the oven?
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- Julie Grace
Yes, as long as it’s coated with panko it should be fine in the air fryer!
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- Julie
My son was craving pork Schnitzel with mushroom gravy, but of course I wasn’t about cooking pork. So I made this for my son and his vegan girlfriend about 3 weeks ago, and they are still talking about how good it was. I have made the gravy a couple of times since for other dishes b/c it’s so good! And like all the other recipes on this blog ~ easy and made w/ normal pantry ingredients. Love it!Reply
This looks so amazing. I’m making it tomorrow night and wonder if I can sub bread crumbs for the panko?
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- Joanne
Oh wow! This was sooo good! I have left over batter and cauli, so am going to try putting straight into the oven without frying in the oil tomorrow. I’m hoping they’ll still be good as I’d love to have this often but am trying to reduce the oil I use. Thanks so much, the recipe is sooo good!Reply
- lex
Sooo good! I made this this evening; great with a glass of red wine. Love that gravy! Thanks for the recipe!Reply
- Ellen
Do you think these would work on the bbq?
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- Natasha
Loooooove this recipe! The pan fry and then sear is everything. Delicious crispy texture. Only mistake I made is using the wrong milk. My almond milk has a naturally sweet taste so will try again with a more neutral taste & ads a little seasoning to the cauliflower before dredging. This will be a favorite for special occasions for sure!!Reply
- Beth
I made these for one of my granddaughters who is vegetarian, so easy to make and not only did she love them, but so did the rest of the dinner party who are most definitely carnivores. Everyone wanted the recipe. thank you so much for a recipe which will become a staple in our house..Reply
Is it possible to bake them and then air fry for crisping to avoid oil?
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- Shark
Just an amazing recipe! I try to avoid frying stuff as I’m lazy and don’t like cleaning, but this was so yummy it’s easily worth it. Thank you so much!Reply
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