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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!
Fantastic! Complex flavors and textures, yet so fast and easy. Delicious!
Hey Nicole,
I am thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for making it! I hope you have an awesome weekend:) xTieghan
This was wonderful and easy to pull together. Only change I made was used 1/4 tsp of cayenne instead of 1 tsp and that was plenty spicy for me. Thanks for this easy weeknight meal!
Hey Jessica,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Found it lacking flavour.
Hey Andrea,
I am so sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
We went to Kathmandu (a romantic reminiscing of our Nepal honeymoon) tonight for a healthy vegetarian cauliflower coconut curry wadding in your recipe too for homemade garlic herb naan. We had a lot of fun cooking together. Once again YOU, Half Baked Harvest, came through with sublime, flavor bursting recipes! Thank you. Moving on to Sheet pan Chicken Shawarma with sesame sweet potatoes and hummus, next. Can’t wait. Thank you for all of your creative recipes!
Hey Christine,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it out! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
This was absolutely delicious and so easy to make, thank you!
Hey Irene,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it out! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Okay, this was insanely good. I added a can of garbanzo beans to add a smidge more protein. Will make again and again!!
Hey Katie,
I am so thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Happy Friday! xTieghan
This dish is so delicious!! So many flavors and super easy to make. I’m avoiding certain carbs for the week so I decided to make lettuce wraps with this dish. I also heated some cauliflower rice and added that on top of the lettuce and then added this dish on top. So it was cauliflower with cauliflower pretty much but soooo delicious! Thanks for sharing your delicious recipes!
Hey Mo,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Another excellent recipe, well done Tieghan. This was absolutely great. We loved it! It’ll be in my regular rotation now and definitely a great option for when guests are over.
Hey Dina,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
This meal is delicious! Really simple to follow and easy, clean ingredients! I made this with a bunch of additional veggies and the sauce is the best part!:)
Hey Haley,
I am so thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy New Year! xTieghan
This was excellent! I made it exactly according to the directions and served it with long grain basmati rice, cucumber-mint raita, tamarind chutney and potato filling left over from masala dosas. Will definitely make again!
Hey Rachel,
I am thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy New Year! xTieghan
I can across your info on Instagram and love it! I have made a few of your dishes and they are absolutely delicious. I do have a question. How do you calculate calories for your dishes? How did you know that X dish was let’s say 360 calories? I am asking because I started writing down my own recipes and want to include a calorie count. Thank you!!
Hey Kaya,
Thanks so much for following along and your super kind message! We use an online calculating system to measure our calories. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan
this cauliflower recipe is BANGIN! Even my husband said “this is better than any Indian restaurant!” and I agree! I will make it again.
Hey Karen,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
This came out amazing! I liked it better than going to an Indian restaurant. One of my favorite dishes now! My husband liked it but didn’t like the heat so we are going to make it again another night without the cayenne. And add some spice when serving. We put it over quinoa. Great recipe!
Hey Courtney,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I made this a while back with my last head of cauliflower from the garden. This recipe is SO GOOD. Thank you! I try to make a recipe of yours once a week because it’s always a hit.
Thank you so much Jenna! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
So easy to make and tastes amazing
Thank you Sandra! xTieghan