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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
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!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This looks very delicious
I’m definitely trying it this week
What can I use as a substitute instead of garam masala?
Hi Tamara! I am so glad you like this recipe! I would suggest using 1 part cumin to 1/4 part all spice to replace it! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this last night and it was a complete winner! Delicious, full of flavor. Husband, who’s NOT vegetarian (in any way !) absolutely loved this. Will make again and again. Thanks!
Thank you Tricia! That is so amazing to hear! xTieghan
Good recipe
Thank you Ranna! xTieghan
Hi! I made this recipe and it was great, however it tasted nothing like when I order it at my favorite restaurant. I think it might be my blend of garam masala. Do you have a brand you’d recommend or a better place to purchase or even one of your own? Thanks!
Hi Aurora! I use simply organic or whole foods brand. I have found both to be really great! You can also make you own to get the flavors just right too. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
This recipe is incredible! It tastes just like the original! I added a can of chickpeas into the mix with my cauliflower florets, but otherwise didn’t change anything else. Huge fan! Highly recommend!
Thank you so much Joanna! xTieghan
A great framework! I made a few changes after tasting the sauce at 30 minutes and I think they made it really delicious. I added: 1/2 tsp or so of brown sugar
1 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp additional curry powder.
The biggest change I made was just cooking the whole thing for an additional 15-20 minutes. I think the original recipe is great but if you have extra time the additional simmering made a HUGE difference!
Thanks so much for this inspiring recipe!
Thank you Cynthia! xTieghan
Terrific recipe! I fried up some cubed creamer potatoes in the coconut oil and added them at the end. Gave the dish a bit more substance. Sauce was awesome. Can’t wait to make it again.
Thank you so much Roberta! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I have made this a few times now and absolutely LOVE it. Great flavor and relatively simple. I would recommend starting with a pinch of cayenne first and add to taste as the first time I made this it was a tad spicy for me but still delicious. This is great on its own or with rice but I also made a side dish of rainbow chard simmered and chickpeas and it paired very nicely. Fantastic recipe I will keep in my rotation for sure , thank you!
Thank you so much Paige! I am so glad this turned out so well for you!! Thank you! xTieghan
This is so good I just texted the recipe to all my friends. I only had about 2 oz of tomato paste so i added a can of diced tomatoes and it actually worked really well, plus helps thin out the sauce after it reduces. Divine!!
Thank you so much Amy!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Have just made this! Smells and tastes amazing!
Thank you Grace! So happy to hear that! xTieghan
I finally made this tonight and WOW…..so delicious! And a breeze to prepare. Perfect for a weeknight dinner! This will definitely be in regular rotation. Thank you for such an awesome recipe! It’s actually a HBH week because I made your Everything Bagel salad from your cookbook and that’s been my lunches this week. That’s a winner too! Easy and Delicious! Thank you!
Thank you so much Caroline! I am so glad this turned out so well for you!! xTieghan
This was super yummy! I wanna make this for my friends who are about to have a baby so they have some fresh food from the freezer. Is this freezable??
Hey Margot! Yes, this freezes wonderfully! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
All of your recipes are amazing, easy to prepare and immediately become family favorites – this one is the best one yet! WOW came out of everyone’s mouth that tried it and ‘why isn’t there more?’ … we LOVED it!
Haha that is amazing! I am really glad you all loved this Kara! xTieghan
I made this for the family a fortnight ago and it’s already been requested again for dinner this week. It was sooo delicious and a huge hit! A also added sweet potato and baby peas.
Amazing! Thank you so much Allie! xTieghan
I usually put diced canned tomatoes in my curry, and thought the tomato paste would be similar. It was just too “tomatoey” for me.
Hi! I am sorry to hear that! If you have any questions please let me know! xTieghan