Cheesy Vegetarian

Air Fryer Cauliflower Steaks

For years, I thought cauliflower was bland and uninteresting – until I discovered roasted cauliflower, which flipped my opinion on its head. Cauliflower gains so much flavour when it’s roasted!

Then I got an air fryer, and now it’s even easier than ever to make seriously tasty roasted cauliflower! These air fryer cauliflower steaks are so straightforward to make, and the flavours are unreal – especially when they’re drizzled with the simple cilantro dressing.

A marinated cauliflower steak with cilantro lemon dressing.

The roasted cauliflower has plenty of flavour in itself (the crispy bits on the end of each floret are so good), and with the addition of those toasted spices, and the bright and zingy dressing… it all works so well together.

Why Cauliflower ‘Steaks’?

Cauliflower steaks are simply big slabs of cauliflower, cut through the stalk of the vegetable so that they hold together in one big piece. The word ‘steak’ is only there to describe the shape of the cauliflower – these cauli steaks are in no way intended to mimic a ‘real’ meat steak!

Cauliflower steaks look cool on the plate, but there’s absolutely no reason you couldn’t also prepare this recipe using loose florets of cauliflower instead, if that’s what you have. Just coat the florets in the same spice mix, and cook them just like you would a cauliflower steak.

How to Serve Air Fryer Cauliflower Steaks

I’ll be honest – these cauliflower steaks look pretty substantial, but they are definitely more of a side dish than a full meal. After all, you wouldn’t usually just eat a bowl of cauliflower for dinner, otherwise you’d still be hungry, and what’s the point in that?

Ideally, you’ll serve these cauliflower steaks with some form of vegetarian protein and some carbs, to turn them into a satisfying meal. Even just a big dollop of hummus goes a long way to making them more filling!

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Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Ingredients for air fryer cauliflower steaks laid out with text overlay.

cauliflower – you’ll need a whole, large cauliflower so you can cut two thick steaks from the centre. However, you will end up with some loose florets left over, which you can use for another recipe (I can recommend cauliflower wings!)
spices – I used cumin and smoked paprika
honey (or agave, if you want vegan cauliflower steaks)
cilantro (fresh coriander)
lemon juice
garlic

Becca’s Top Tip

If you don’t have an air fryer, you could easily roast the cauliflower steaks in the oven instead.

Recipe Video

Equipment

I’ve tried a few different air fryers over the years, but I currently use the Ninja Foodi MAX air fryer, which has two different baskets. They can be used separately (with different temperatures and timings), or synced to be used in the same way. It’s so handy to be able to cook two different things at the same time – I can often cook a full meal for my family using just my air fryer.

Here’s the one I have on Amazon:

Ninja Dual Air Fryer

I love the two separate zones in this air fryer!

If you’re in the UK or Canada, click the link to see a local product.

I also used a mini food processor to blitz up the dressing for these cauliflower steaks. If you don’t have one, you can chop the garlic and cilantro by hand, but using a food processor definitely speeds things up, and gives a smoother, more cohesive dressing.

I’ve had my mini food processor for years – here’s a very similar one on Amazon:

Mini Food Processor

If you’re in the UK or Canada, click to see a local product.

A cauliflower steak cooked in an air fryer, served with dressing and salad.

Printable Instructions

An air fryer cauliflower steak with lemon cilantro dressing.

Air Fryer Cauliflower Steaks

These air fryer cauliflower steaks are marinated in a tasty spice mix, and served with a zesty dressing. Such a delicious side dish.

Course Side Dish

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings people

Calories 207kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

For the cauliflower steaks

1 large cauliflower
1-2 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

For the dressing

1 small clove garlic, peeled
Small bunch fresh coriander (cilantro)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp honey or agave

Instructions

Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, and cut the head in half, directly down the centre of the stalk. Cut each half again, just next to the stalk, to give two thick cauliflower steaks. The loose florets of cauliflower can be saved to use in another recipe.
In a small bowl, combine the oil, cumin, smoked paprika, and some salt and pepper. Mix well, then spread the spice mixture over both sides of each cauliflower steak. I found it easiest to use clean fingers for this!
Place the cauliflower steaks in the air fryer, and cook at 190°C (375°F) for approx. 15 minutes, turning over halfway.
While the cauliflower steaks are cooking in the air fryer, prepare the dressing. Add a small clove of garlic to a mini food processor, along with a handful of cilantro, olive oil, lemon juice, and honey (or agave, for a vegan version). Blitz thoroughly – you can add a splash of water to loosen the mixture if needed. If you don’t have a mini food processor, you can chop and mix by hand, but the end result is likely to be less cohesive.
When the cauliflower steaks are just tender in the middle, serve them drizzled with the dressing.

Video

Nutrition

Recipe FAQs

Can I prepare cauliflower steaks in advance?

Yes, you can easily cut and marinate the cauliflower steaks in advance, and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to cook them in the air fryer.

Can I reheat any leftovers?

These cauliflower steaks are best eaten fresh, when they’re nice and crispy. However, if you do have any pieces leftover, they can be reheated in the microwave.

Can I make this recipe vegan?

Yes! I used honey in my dressing, but you can easily use a vegan alternative, like agave.

Other Cauliflower Recipes

Vegetarian Side Dishes

Air Fryer Cauliflower Steaks

Honey BBQ Cauliflower Wings

Roasted Cauliflower Mash

Tex-Mex Cauliflower Rice

The post Air Fryer Cauliflower Steaks appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Cheesy Vegetarian

Easy Mediterranean Lentil Meatballs

Don’t you just love it when a recipe is as simple as ‘mix + bake’? No pre-cooking, no unnecessary extra steps – just mix together all of the ingredients, and pop it in the oven. And that’s just the case for these vegetarian lentil meatballs (lentil balls? vegeballs? meatlessballs?). They couldn’t be easier.

Other easy ‘mix and bake’ recipes → easy nut roast; baked fajita rice; Boursin pasta.

Vegetarian Mediterranean lentil meatballs served with spaghetti and tomato sauce.

I served my lentil balls with spaghetti and tomato sauce – spaghetti and meatballs is such a classic that’s hard to improve on. If you prefer, you could equally serve these vegetarian meatballs with couscous and tzatziki, stuffed into pitta bread, or even just eaten straight from the oven (no judgment here). They’re packed with Mediterranean-inspired flavours, and they’re super versatile.

Mediterranean lentil meatballs on a baking tray.

What’s in these Lentil Meatballs?

The basic recipe for these lentil meatballs is canned lentils + flour + egg (the same base I used for my cheesy lentil burgers). Once you’ve got that far, you can jazz things up however you like. I added:

black olives
sun-dried tomatoes
parmesan-style cheese
fresh basil
garlic

If you like, you could easily switch things up to bring a different flavour profile to your meatballs – maybe you could make a Tex-Mex version, or use some Indian spices, for example.

Cheesy Vegetarian Bakes ebook on an ipad screen.

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Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make these vegetarian meatballs. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

cooked lentils. I used lentils from a can, because they’re so convenient – just drain them well, and they’re ready to use. If you can’t get canned lentils, you can boil dried brown or green lentils until they’re soft, then continue with the recipe as written. I would not recommend using red lentils for this recipe, as they will not give quite the same end result.
eggs
plain flour (I used wholemeal for extra fibre)
sun-dried tomatoes
black olives
parmesan-style cheese. ‘Real’ parmesan isn’t vegetarian, but there are plenty of vegetarian alternatives, which are very similar. Often, supermarkets sell a generic ‘Italian hard cheese’, which is usually vegetarian.
fresh basil
garlic granules

Spaghetti with tomato sauce and Mediterranean lentil meatballs.

Printable Instructions

Mediterranean Lentil Meatballs

Easy vegetarian lentil meatballs, made extra tasty with Mediterranean-inspired ingredients. These are so simple – just mix and bake!

Course Main meal

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings meatballs

Calories 216kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

2 x 390g tins green lentils, thoroughly drained (470g, or ~ 2 2/3 cups, in total when drained)
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons sliced black olives, roughly chopped
5 pieces sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
50 g (~ 1/2 cup) finely grated vegetarian parmesan-style cheese
1 teaspoon garlic granules
Few sprigs fresh basil, roughly chopped
85 g (~ 2/3 cup) plain flour (I used wholemeal)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F). Add all of the ingredients, except for the flour, to a large mixing bowl. Use a fork to mix the ingredients thoroughly. It’s fine if the lentils get a little mashed up.
Add the flour, and mix well to combine.
Lightly grease a baking sheet. Use clean hands to form the mixture into ball shapes, and place them on the tray. The mixture will be quite sticky – they don’t have to be perfect balls. I managed to get 25 balls from the mixture.
Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, until the lentil balls are slightly crispy and just firm.
Serve with spaghetti and tomato sauce, if desired.

Nutrition

Recipe FAQs

Can I prepare these lentil balls in advance?

You could certainly mix together the ingredients in advance, and then store the mixture in a sealed container in the fridge for a day or so, until you’re ready to shape and bake the balls. The meatballs are tastiest when freshly baked, but if needed, you could even bake them in advance, and then reheat when you’re ready to eat them.

Can I freeze these lentil meatballs?

I didn’t experiment with freezing these balls, but it’s the sort of recipe I have had luck with freezing in the past, so I definitely think it’s worth a try.

How should I reheat leftover vegetarian meatballs?

The easiest way to reheat these lentil meatballs is in the microwave. They do dry out a little and lose their crispiness when reheated, but they’re still tasty. Alternatively, you could re-crisp them in the oven or air fryer.

How should I serve vegetarian lentil balls?

I served my meatballs with spaghetti and tomato sauce, which worked beautifully. You could alternatively serve them stuffed into pitta bread with some tzatziki, or alongside some mashed potato.