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These Cauliflower Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce are a delicious and flavorful meal whether they’re a main dish for a vegan or vegetarian, or enjoying them as a side dish. There are instructions for both grilled cauliflower steaks and roasted cauliflower steaks  in this article, and I guarantee you’ll love them either way. Homemade Chimichurri Sauce is the marinade for these thick slices of cauliflower.

image with text of cauliflower steaks on a white plate

What is a cauliflower steak?

A cauliflower steak is a head of cauliflower that has been cut into thick slices. Each thick slice is called a “steak.” This is what one steak looks like:

image of single cauliflower steak on a white plate

How to slice cauliflower steak:

  1. Rinse your cauliflower to the best of your ability–it’s a little difficult to rinse an entire head of cauliflower, I get it.
  2. Pull off as many leaves as you can from the bottom of your cauliflower.
  3. Start in the middle and slice from the top of the head to the bottom of the stem.
  4. Gently place half of the cauliflower next to your cutting board, you’ll cut that in a minute.
  5. Firmly hold half of the cauliflower onto your cutting board and with a sharp knife, slice a thick piece of cauliflower and then slice the stem off. Set the cauliflower steaks aside.
images of raw cauliflower cut into steaks

6. Repeat step 5 on both halves until you’re left with small sides of cauliflower. Save them!

Sometimes cauliflower is easy to cut into thick slices, and sometimes it falls apart–I always buy an extra head of cauliflower in case this happens. With a good head of cauliflower, you’ll get about three steaks. With one that falls apart, you can usually get one thick slice.

Need some more help? I watched this YouTube tutorial the first time I made this dish!

How to grill cauliflower steaks:

top down view of raw cauliflower steaks in a yellow bowl
  1. First, I marinated my steaks in my homemade chimichurri sauce. It’s more about rubbing the sauce on since there isn’t a ton of liquid in the olive oil mixture to marinate in. I give a lot of tips about different options for marinating in chimichurri sauce in my recipe (linked here). If you’d rather not use the chimichurri sauce, there are a lot of delicious cauliflower steak recipes on the internet–or you could just make it simple and season with salt, black pepper, garlic, some olive oil, or your favorite seasonings. I let my “steaks” marinate overnight in the fridge (but since nothing really needs to be refrigerated, allowing them to sit at room temperature is probably fine too).
  2. I turned my grill to 350º and allowed it to preheat. Then, I grilled them for 30 minutes per side.
  3. We all like our cauliflower a little different–I prefer mine a little under cooked, especially when eating as a steak vs florets. After about 20 minutes on the grill, stick a fork in the florets (not the stem part) and make sure you’re ok with it being on the grill for an hour. Like I said, it was perfect for me but a little undercooked for my husband.
  4. Remove from the grill when the steaks are done grilling, and serve immediately.
cauliflower steaks on a white plate with a fork full of food being lifted

How to roast cauliflower steaks:

  1. Preheat oven to 350º. Place cauliflower steaks in an oven safe dish or on a baking sheet. I didn’t cover mine, but keep an eye on yours!
  2. Roast for 45 minutes to one hour, depending on how cooked you like your cauliflower.
  3. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

What goes with Cauliflower Steak?

I usually eat these Cauliflower Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce as a main dish,  but I love serving them as a side dish too! Here are some of my favorite ways to use this recipe as a main or side dish:

  • Cauliflower Tacos
  • Roasted Cauliflower Florets (just cut the florets off of the stem!)
  • As a base for a Carne Asada bowl
  • As a side dish for grilled chicken or steak (bonus points if you’re making skirt steaks with chimichurri sauce because it’s amazing!)

Healthy Eating Plans:

21 Day Fix

The tricky part is counting the oil you use for the cauliflower–the cauliflower steak is on average 2 green containers. Everything in the homemade chimichurri sauce is “free” except for the oil. You’ll count that in teaspoons.

There are tips in this post about how to use the chimichurri sauce as a marinade without going over on your oil teaspoons.

Weight Watchers

The cauliflower steak with chimichurri sauce is a total of 4 points on the 2023 plan or Freestyle SmartPoints. I used 1/6 of the recipe for the chimichurri for the points calculation.

Trim Healthy Mama:

This is a THM-S recipe.

Looking for more healthy recipes with cauliflower?

I’ve got a ton of cauliflower recipes right here for you to look at, but here’s a list of my personal favorites:

cauliflower steaks with chimichurri sauce in a bento box with fruits and veggies
cauliflower steaks with lime and jalapeno on a white plate
4.89 from 9 ratings
click the stars to rate!

Cauliflower Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce

Created by: Becca Ludlum
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Approximate Serving Size: 3/4 cups, depending on the size of your cauliflower
Servings 4
These Cauliflower Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce are a delicious and flavorful meal whether they're a main dish for a vegan or vegetarian, or enjoying them as a side dish. Homemade Chimichurri Sauce is the marinade for these thick slices of cauliflower. 

Equipment

  • Food processor
  • Kitchen Knife
  • Cutting Board

Ingredients 

Instructions

Please see recipe post to learn how to cut cauliflower for steaks.

    How to grill cauliflower steaks:

    • Preheat the grill to 350º.
    • Slice cauliflower into 1” thick steaks, cutting the head from top to stem.1 head cauliflower
    • Mix the homemade chimichurri sauce and brush on the steaks. I prefer to let my"steaks" marinate overnight in the fridge, but they are delicious without marinating. 1/2 cup homemade chimichurri sauce
    • Place the steaks directly on the grill or oven safe pan and cook 30 minutes per side. Periodically, test for desired doneness by probing the cauliflower with a fork. And serve hot.

    How to roast cauliflower steaks:

    • Preheat oven to 350º. Place cauliflower steaks in an oven safe dish or on a baking sheet.
    • Roast for 45 minutes to one hour, depending on how cooked you like your cauliflower.
    • Remove from oven and serve immediately.

    Notes

    21 Day Fix
    The tricky part is counting the oil you use for the cauliflower–the cauliflower steak is on average 2 green containers. Everything in the homemade chimichurri sauce is “free” except for the oil. You’ll count that in teaspoons.
    There are tips in this post about how to use the chimichurri sauce as a marinade without going over on your oil teaspoons.
    Weight Watchers
    The cauliflower steak with chimichurri sauce is a total of 4 points on the 2023 plan or Freestyle SmartPoints. I used 1/6 of the recipe for the chimichurri for the points calculation.
    Trim Healthy Mama:
    This is a THM-S recipe.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 36kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 44mg | Potassium: 430mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin C: 69mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg

    Make This Recipe?

    Make sure to follow on Pinterest @bludlum and on Instagram @beccaludlum

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    Did you love this recipe?

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    5 Comments

    1. I absolutely love the idea of having these chimichurri cauliflower steaks in a taco! As a vegetarian, I love new ideas, and this sounds perfect for a fun, easy supper.

      1. Yay!! So glad you like the idea of this–we love them!

    2. Nellie Tracy says:

      5 stars
      I’ve never tried this but I will now! Looks great!

    3. 5 stars
      I have cauliflower growing right now in my garden! Pinning this to come back to when it is ready!

    4. 5 stars
      I’ve been trying to eat more cauliflower these days and I love your clear explanation of how to make these. And I loved how the chimichurri sauce kicks up the flavor.

    4.89 from 9 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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