Cauliflower Tikka Masala (oil-free, vegan, GF)

Written by on in Dinner, Recipes, Soups, Stews, Etc, Vegetables
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Hey babes,

Growing up in a small rural town (and being a picky child), I didn’t get to try Indian food until I was twenty. Oh the years wasted without it. Nowadays, Indian cuisine is one of my absolute flavors. I love finding new recipes that utilize the rich blends of spices and simple ingredients to make delicious dinners. Naturally, my first introduction to Indian was the well-known chicken tikka masala.

Of course, I assumed for a long time that it was just off the table. Good bye, tikka masala. I’ve seen recipes substituting the cream for coconut milk, but the flavors just aren’t the same (and I LOVE coconut curry). But this is a whole new world for plant-based cooking, and two ingredients reopened the tikka masala door: Dairy-free yogurt and cashew cream.

Cauliflower substitutes became very trendy among the low-carb crowd as an alternative to rice and potatoes, and then the plant-based community brought the idea of cauliflower “chicken” into the mainstream through social media platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, and now Tiktok. If you type in “vegan cauliflower recipes” into Pinterest, you could scroll for a month. I like many, came to the idea thanks to the very popular buffalo cauliflower bites and expanded from there. Their mild taste and easy texture make them perfect for curry, and once I realized it could be done, I had to try.

I’ll spare you the many, many health benefits in all the spices and other ingredients and get to the point. For best results, marinading the cauliflower in the yogurt mix is a must, for at least 8 hours, though I went overnight. After that it’s a matter of baking the cauliflower and making the sauce, then combining them. I like to have mine with curried yellow rice, but it is great with brown rice, quinoa, or flatbread.

Let me know what you think, and what you’d change!

Cauliflower Tikka Masala (oil-free, vegan, GF)
Pin
Print

Cauliflower Tikka Masala (oil-free, vegan, GF)

Recipe by MonicaDifficulty: Medium
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound cauliflower (1 small head or 1/2 large), broken into florets

  • Marinade

  • 8 oz dairy-free yogurt, such as Silk

  • 1 tsp lemon juice

  • 1 Tbsp garam masala

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 tsp ginger, minced

  • Sauce

  • 16 oz tomato sauce

  • 16 oz cashew cream

  • 5 garlic cloves, minced

  • 2 tsp ginger, minced

  • 1 Tbsp garam masala

  • 2 tsp turmeric

  • 1 tsp cumin

  • 1 tsp coriander

  • salt to taste

Directions

  • Mix ingredients for marinade.
  • Add marinade and cauliflower to large ziploc bag and stir around well to coat.
  • Let marinade in the refrigerator overnight or at least 8 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Put cauliflower on parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Bake for 25 minutes.
  • While cauliflower is baking, gather ingredients for sauce and a large saucepan, deep skillet, or Dutch oven.
  • Add ginger and garlic to pot over medium heat with a splash of water.
  • Cook for a few minutes.
  • Add spices and a bit more water. Stir around to heat for a few more.
  • Add in tomato and cream. Let simmer for 10-15.
  • When cauliflower is cooked, add to pot and let simmer for 5-10 more minutes.
  • Adjust seasoning as needed.
  • Serve over rice with cilantro and naan.

Notes

  • For a spicier version, add 1 tsp cayenne pepper.
  • For a chunkier sauce, swap 8 oz of tomato sauce for crushed tomatoes.