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This garlic herb roasted cauliflower steaks recipe will soon become your favorite way to enjoy this healthy vegetable!

These oven-baked cauliflower steaks drizzled with a garlic-herb sauce are so simple they’re perfect for any night of the week!

roasted cauliflower steaks in a baking dish

Epic Cauliflower Steaks

What turns regular cauliflower into and out of this world healthy side dish? An epic garlic-herb sauce that infuses the cauliflower steaks with flavor during cooking and a little extra for serving!

Plus, those crisp, caramelized edges that can only be achieved through roasting vegetables in the oven are the type of thing that makes me want to skip ricing cauliflower and roasting the florets or these steaks in the oven.

Try this recipe once and it will become a regular addition to your vegetable sides rotation while getting the benefits of this healthy vegetable.

Choosing and Prepping the Cauliflower

To make cauliflower steaks, I always look for larger heads of cauliflower that allow me to slice it into thick enough to where they won’t break into pieces during roasting.

You’ll want to remove any outer leaves and the stem (the base) before giving it a wash and drying it well. And on a cutting board, slice the cauliflower in half, and then into 2 or more ¾″ to 1″ slices. Similar to slicing bread.

Watch this video showing you how it’s done:

Ingredients

Change up the ingredients and you’ll change up the flavor of the cauliflower steaks. You’ll find the amounts in the recipe card but first, her is what you’ll need:

Cauliflower: a whole head so you can slice it into steaks.
Olive oil: you’ll use it for roasting and to create the garlic-herb sauce. You can swap it with melted butter or avocado oil.
Garlic cloves: fresh garlic is best and the smaller you mince it (or grate it) the better. Use 2 teaspoons of garlic powder if you don’t have fresh.
Salt & pepper: the quintessential seasoning ingredients.
Red pepper flakes: totally optional but I find they add a nice touch.
Fresh parsley: to make the garlic-herb sauce. I sometimes use cilantro and this cilantro chimichurri recipe.

How to Roast Cauliflower Steaks

In my opinion, roasting cauliflower is the best way of enjoying this vegetable. Here are some of my personal tips for each simple step:

Prep the oven
I like to place the rack where I’ll be roasting the steaks in the middle postion (vs. the top third) so my garlic and herb mixture doesn’t get burned. You’ll also want to preheat the oven before putting the cauliflower in.
Cut the cauliflower into steaks
Once you wash and prep the head of cauliflower, you’ll want to slice it thick enough so it doesn’t break and it stays in one piece when flipping it over.
Season them
Brush both sides of the steaks with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Make the garlic mixture
You’ll use half of this olive oil and garlic mixture during cooking and any leftovers to drizzle over the steaks when you serve them.
Roast them
You’ll bake them for a total of 30 minutes but remember to set a timer for 15 minutes to flip them over.
Flip the cauliflower steaks
Remove the baking sheet from the oven to flip the steaks over and then distribute about half of the garlic-herb mixture over the tops. This will infuse your cauliflower steaks with so much flavor!
Finish roasting
You’ll know they’re done when the middle and thickest part of the cauliflower steak feels tender when you poke it with a fork.
Serve
Drizzle the rest of the garlic-herb sauce for extra mouthwatering flavor!

How to Cut Cauliflower Steaks so They Don’t Fall Apart

Slicing them thick enough so the steak stands up is the trick to them not falling apart when you pick them up to put them on the baking sheet or flip them during roasting. This means slicing them vertically and at least ¾″ to 1″ thick. Similar to how you’d slice a round rustic bread.

How Long to Roast Cauliflower Steaks

Just like when roasting other thick cruciferous vegetables, the length of time it takes to roast the cauliflower steaks will vary by oven temperature and the thickness of each slice. You can roast them between 375F and 450F, depending on how much time you have and if you are cooking other items in the oven.

For easy reference, here are the cooking times and oven temperatures for cauliflower steaks:

Oven Temp	Cook Time
375F	30-35 min
400F	25-30 min
425F	22-25 min
450F	17-20 min

How to Serve Cauliflower Steaks

The best thing about cauliflower is that it takes on any flavor you give it. While this recipe is served with the garlic-herb sauce on top, if you decide to make them spicy, you can drizzle them with Ranch dressing.

Main dishes I also serve with these include baked salmon, juicy garlic chicken thighs, pan-seared chicken breasts, or simply a fried egg!

Garlic Herb Roasted Cauliflower Steaks

closeup of cauliflower steaks on a baking sheet

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 35

This garlic herb roasted cauliflower steaks recipe will soon become your favorite way to enjoy this healthy vegetable!

5 from 13 votes

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Ingredients

1 cauliflower, sliced 1 ½″ thick
¼ cup olive oil, divided
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
¼ cup chopped parsley, about ½ bunch

Instructions

Prep:

Position to top oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove the cauliflower’s outer leaves and slice the stem. Rinse it under running water and dry it with a clean kitchen towel. Slice the cauliflower into ¾-1″ thick slices.
Place the cauliflower steaks on the baking sheet. Lightly brush both sides of the cauliflower steaks with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. You’ll be adding the garlic sauce during baking.

Make the garlic mixture:

In a bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (if using), and chopped parsley. Set aside.

Bake:

Bake the cauliflower steaks in the preheated oven for a total of 30 minutes. Set a 15-minute timer.
Halfway through, remove the baking sheet from the oven, flip the cauliflower steaks, and spoon about half of the garlic-herb mixture over the steaks, spreading it as a thin layer over the top. Continue baking the cauliflower steaks for an additional 15 minutes, until the middlemost part feels tender when poked with a fork.