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    Home » Recipes » Vegan Food

    Vegan Butter Cauliflower - Vegan Butter Chicken

    Published: May 31, 2020 · Modified: Oct 19, 2021 by Ipsa Faujdar · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclaimer.

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    Vegan Butter cauliflower is a rich creamy curry made with roasted cauliflower, coconut cream, and lots of spices. This recipe is inspired by Indian butter chicken, but with cauliflower. So another delicious, healthy, and flavorful rich vegan curry Indian Butter Cauliflower Recipe for your main course menu.

    vegan butter cauliflower

    This just tastes like the same but a vegan version of butter chicken. I have also made vegan butter chicken with tofu. I will be publishing that soon. However, this vegan butter chicken cauliflower is heavenly delicious too.

    In this recipe, I've roasted my cauliflower for good 20 minutes which enhanced the flavor. You can directly also add your cauliflower to the butter masala curry. But in my experience, the roasted cauliflower in this curry tastes better.

    Again this curry is loaded with lots of flavorful spices that make the curry so heavenly delicious. So little bit of preparation and a delicious vegan butter cauliflower is ready.

    This creamy rich curry goes best with both rice or flatbreads. Serve the butter cauliflower with vegan naan/ tandoori roti or lachha paratha and any of this raita for a full course menu.

    What is butter cauliflower?

    Butter cauliflower is basically an Indian curry. This is also known as gobi Makhani. Makhani is a rich gravy made with lots of butter and cream and rich ingredients like cashew nuts, etc. These vegetarian makhani recipes are inspired by Authentic Indian Butter Chicken or Murg Makhani. In this rich, creamy gravy, you can add either paneer or cauliflower for the vegetarian version.

    Since this is vegan, we will be avoiding dairy products like paneer, & heavy cream, etc. But these roasted cauliflower tastes equally great. You can also make this vegan butter chicken with roasted tofu or baked tofu. The gravy recipe will remain the same. And the only difference is tofu in place of cauliflower. The richness of gravy comes from coconut cream and lots of cashew nuts also. If you are allergic to nuts, then skip that.

    vegan butter chicken with cauliflower

    How to Make Vegan Butter Chicken or Butter Cauliflower?

    Ingredients & Preparation:

    Cauliflower Head - Take a large head. Clean and wash 3 /4 times. Pat dry with a kitchen towel. Now cut into bite-sized florets. If florets are large, cut into 2 - 3 pieces.

    Coconut Milk - This will make the curry thicker and creamier. We will use half of the cream/ milk to marinate the florets.

    Marination Mix - Keep it simple with salt, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Add in coconut milk or cream.

    Butter Masala Gravy- Vegan butter/ olive oil, whole spices (bay leaf, clove, cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon), ground spices (coriander, red chili powder/ paprika, cumin powder, turmeric powder), salt, onion, tomatoes, 1/4 cup cashew nuts (or 2 tbsp cashew paste), and coconut milk.

    Process Steps:

    This is an easy 2-step recipe and takes less than 20 minutes to make the rich creamy gravy.

    Step - 1 : Make Roasted Cauliflower

    Make a marination mixture. Add into chopped cauliflower. Leave it for 20 minutes to marinate. Then spread the florets on a baking tray.. bake for 20 minutes at 350 - 400 degrees.

    making roasted cauliflower

    Step - 2 : Make Gravy

    Heat a pan. Add vegan butter/ oil. Put in whole spices and saute for 15 - 20 seconds or till fragrant. Next add chopped onion, ginger-garlic (paste/ minced), and saute till translucent. Add ground spices and give it a nice stir. Now add chopped tomatoes or 14oz canned tomatoes and saute till tomatoes are cooked soft and start releasing oil.

    gravy of curry

    Once done puree the cooked onion tomato and spice mixture in a high-speed blender (remove the bay leaf before grinding). Then transfer the pureed sauce to the cooking pot or pan again.

    Now add the rest coconut milk and cashew paste. Add roasted cauliflower and simmer for 5 minutes more. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.

    making gravy of curry

    Serving ideas for vegan butter chicken or butter cauliflower

    This is a rich and creamy curry recipe. It pairs up well with steam rice, any of the flatbreads you love. Or with this vegan naan. I personally like it with rice. And it's delicious and addictive.

    More Indian vegan curry recipes here:

    • Veg Korma
    • Mushroom Tikka Masala
    • Cauliflower Tikka Masala
    • Dum Aloo Restaurant Style
    • Bagara Baingan
    butter cauliflower

    Recipe Card for Vegan Butter Cauliflower aka Vegan Butter Chicken

    vegan butter cauliflower

    Vegan Butter Cauliflower (Vegan Butter Chicken)

    Ipsa Faujdar
    Butter cauliflower is a rich creamy curry made with roasted cauliflower, coconut cream, and lots of spices. This recipe is inspired by Indian butter chicken, but made with cauliflower
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 1 hr
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Indian, world
    Servings 4
    Calories 185 kcal

    Equipment

    • Oven
    • Mixing Bowl
    • Frying Pan
    • Blender

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 large cauliflower head
    • 1 can coconut milk (240ml)

    Marination Mixture

    • 1/2 cup coconut milk
    • 1 tsp paprika
    • 1 tsp onion powder
    • 1 tsp garlic powder
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp lemon juice

    Curry Gravy/ Sauce

    • 2 - 3 tbsp vegan butter or oil
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 4 clove
    • 4 cardamom
    • 1/2 inch cinnamon
    • 5 - 6 black pepper
    • 1 tbsp coriander powder
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1 tsp red chilli powder
    • 3 - 4 medium onion roughly chopped
    • 2 medium tomato roughly chopped
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 3/4 cup water
    • 3 tbsp coriander leaves finely chopped
    • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste 4 garlic pods + 1/2 inch ginger
    • Rest of the coconut milk

    Instructions
     

    • Take a large head cauliflower.
    • Clean and wash 3 /4 times.
    • Pat dry with a kitchen towel.
    • Now cut into bite-sized florets.
    • If florets are large, cut into 2 - 3 pieces.
    • In a bowl take 1/2 can coconut milk.
    • Add salt, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder.
    • Add in the chopped cauliflower. Mix it well.
    • Leave them for 20 minutes to marinate in the spices.
    • Then spread the florets on a baking tray.
    • Bake for 20 minutes at 375 - 400 degrees

    Making Curry Gravy/ Sauce

    • Heat a pan. Add vegan butter/ oil.
    • Put in whole spices (bayleaf, cardamom, cinnamon, peppers, cloves) and saute for 15 - 20 seconds or till fragrant.
    • Add chopped onion, ginger garlic (paste/ minced)
    • Saute on medium flame till onions turn translucent.
    • Add ground spices and give it a nice stir.
    • Now add chopped tomatoes and saute till soft and starts releasing oil on sides.
    • Turn off heat and allow it to cool down slightly.
    • Then transfer the cooked spices into a blender and puree it to smooth paste.
    • Transfer the pureed curry paste to pot/ pan again.
    • Add 1/2 - 3/4 cup water and bring it to simmer.
    • Now add rest of the coconut milk.
    • Next, add in the roasted cauliflower and simmer for 5 - 7 minutes more.
    • Turn off heat once the gravy thickens to the desired consistency.
    • Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

    Video

    Notes

    To make this curry sauce more creamy and rich, add cashew nuts paste to the gravy. To make cashew nut paste, soak cashew in hot water for 30 minutes. Then blend them to a smooth paste in a high-speed blender. Add to the curry paste.
    To blend the onion and tomatoes, you can use an immersion blender as well.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 185kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 5gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 679mgPotassium: 656mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 4151IUVitamin C: 80.4mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 2.1mg
    Keyword butter cauliflower, cauliflower recipes, Vegan butter chicken, Vegan Recipes
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    butter cauliflower
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Emmeline

      December 05, 2020 at 2:04 pm

      5 stars
      I just love this idea, saving to try soon! Love a good butter chicken but I also love cauliflower - so I think this might just be a dream come true 😉

      Reply
    2. Jacqueline Meldrum

      December 05, 2020 at 4:10 pm

      5 stars
      This looks utterly delicious. I'm saving this to try. Is it ok to be craving this at 10 in the morning?

      Reply
      • Sam G

        May 04, 2021 at 7:08 pm

        5 stars
        It’s currently 8:37am and I am debating heading to the store to grab the ingredients. I’m right there with ya! 😂

        Reply
        • Ipsa Faujdar

          May 20, 2021 at 8:36 am

          Aww, that's so sweet. Lots of love. Hope you enjoyed the curry 🙂

          Reply
    3. David

      December 05, 2020 at 7:02 pm

      5 stars
      Yum! I love this idea! I actually frequently serve a roasted cauliflower with Indian butter chicken -- this recipes combines the two ideas in one tasty recipe!

      Reply
    4. Dannii

      December 05, 2020 at 7:06 pm

      5 stars
      What a great vegan twist on butter chicken. I can't wait to try it.

      Reply
    5. Jen

      December 05, 2020 at 7:39 pm

      5 stars
      You photos have my stomach growling so this just shot to the top of my "to make" list! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    6. Katya

      May 03, 2021 at 4:16 am

      5 stars
      Just made this- it was delicious. Left the cauliflower in the oven for significantly longer tripled the red pepper powder but it was a great recipe

      Reply
      • Ipsa Faujdar

        May 03, 2021 at 8:19 am

        thank you.glad u liked it 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Ipsa! Welcome to My Dainty Kitchen. I'm the recipe developer, cook, author, and photographer of this blog. I love to cook delicious food and share recipes with my amazing readers. Thank you for stopping by. Explore more yummy recipes on the blog.

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