Too hot to turn on the oven? Crank up your air fryer and make these delicious air fryer-roasted cauliflower Steaks. They have an amazing flavor and happen to be the perfect healthy meal for lunch or dinner on hot days like today.
This is a great way to jazz up plain old cauliflower into a main dish everybody will enjoy! It's a low-carb meal that looks and tastes more like Parmesan Chicken than it does cauliflower! This versatile vegetable can be turned into anything, including these delicious steaks.
Cauliflower is such a versatile veggie and a fun way to get your veggie intake in. It's a great fiber intake also. You can dress cauliflower up in so many ways! One of my favorites is Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower. It tastes like buffalo chicken to me and is amazing in flavor.
Another great cauliflower recipe is Cauliflower Rice. You can dress it up or down for the perfect rice dish. I turned mine into fried rice, but you can leave it plain if you want. It's a great low-carb dish.
How to Make The Best Cauliflower Steak Recipe
For this recipe, take a couple of cauliflower heads and remove the outer leaves. Slice it into 1/2″ thick slices with a sharp knife on a cutting board. You might have some florets that break off. You can either freeze those for later use or you can cook them up right alongside the steaks.
Make sure to preheat the air fryer. Mine has a griddle for the inside, so I used that. However, if your air fryer does not have one, no worries, they still cook the same way on the inside.
Ingredient List for Crispy Cauliflower Steaks
For this recipe you will need the following —
- 1 large whole head of cauliflower
- 1/4 cup of olive oil or avocado oil
- 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons of garlic or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup of Grated Parmesan cheese
In a small bowl, mix the spices with the olive oil. Brush the thick pieces generously with a pastry brush on one side and then place the steaks in the Parmesan. I had to use my hand to get mine to stick. Place cauliflower steaks Parmesan side down in a single layer and then baste the other side with the spices.
Cook The Cheesy Cauliflower Steaks
Add any remaining Parmesan and then air fry for 10 minutes at 450. Drop the temp down to 425 and air fry for an additional 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. The cooking time will vary depending on how thick you cut your slices.
You can also do this on a baking sheet with parchment paper in the oven if you don't want to use your air fryer or you don't have one. The cooking process is the same. Or — use a grill pan over medium heat on the stovetop to achieve the same results.
The steaks will be crispy on the outside, have beautiful crispy edges, and be tender on the inside. I like to serve mine with a delicious all-purpose dipping sauce. Of course, if you prefer meat instead of veggies, you can make this Air Fryer Ribeye which is also amazing.
Sprinkle a little salt and black pepper on the tops of the steaks to finish them off before serving.
These steaks are great as a vegetarian main dish as a vegetarian meal or make a perfect side dish for ribs or chicken. Sprinkle on some fresh herbs at the end also to brighten the dish up even more.
Store any leftover cauliflower steaks in an airtight container. Just reheat them in the air fryer to crisp them back up before serving again.
Love Air Fryer Dishes? Check out these yummy recipes
Air Fryer Roasted Cauliflower Steaks
These cauliflower steaks have the best flavor and they are baked right in the air fryer meaning no need to heat the house!
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons of garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon of paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup of Grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 450 degrees.
- Slice the steaks about 1/2 to 1" thick. If pieces break off, don't worry -- you can still cook those and use them.
- Mix the olive oil and all the spices together (exclude the 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese)
- Baste the steaks with the sauce. Sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese.
- Place the steaks cheese side down. Baste the other side with the remaining seasoning mix. Sprinkle on any remaining cheese.
- Bake in the air fryer at 450 for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 425 and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 161Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 311mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 6g
becky
Monday 18th of March 2024
timing is off; my cauliflower was burned after the 425 F for 8 min.
Jennifer Sikora
Wednesday 20th of March 2024
Sorry about that. I have made this several times and so have a ton of other people and it has been fine. Sorry you had issues. Try it again at a temperature that works for you.
Terri Bergeron klingman
Wednesday 26th of July 2023
Should air fryer be on ‘bake’ or ‘air fry’?
Jennifer Sikora
Wednesday 26th of July 2023
It should be on air fry.