Air Fryer Cauliflower Steak coated in panko and cheese. This recipe is special by using besides the cauliflower steaks, garlic, melted butter, and cheddar cheese. Enjoy this easy plant-based recipe as your main meal or serve it as a side dish near a flavorful sauce.
This recipe is perfect for those that are looking for a meatless meal option if you are a vegetarian, you’re in a meatless-Mondays challenge, on a plant-based diet or if you just want to add more veggies into your life this recipe is a good fit for you.
In my family, we often have cauliflower in the fridge because it is a very versatile vegetable. Today’s recipe is a good example of what you can make if you got tired of cooking fried cauliflower steaks the same way over and over again.
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can easily repeat the same recipe and cook the cauliflower steaks on a grill or in the oven.
Also, if you want to make a lighter variant for the cauliflower steaks in the air fryer, you can season them only with lemon, some fresh aromatic herbs, and optionally garlic.
Because we coated the cauliflower slices into panko and topped them with the cheddar cheese, you will get a nice crunchy texture and will look so good on the table that you can serve them even on holidays.
As a bonus, you will get a rich golden color. Just take a look at this beauty:
Keep reading for all my tips and tricks on how to make your best cauliflower steaks in the air fryer.
🏆 Top 3 Tips for the Cauliflower Steaks in Air Fryer
- Choose wisely the cauliflower plant. Pick one that has a large head. The cauliflower should be heavy and fresh. Avoid cauliflowers that are fluffy and lightweight.
- Slice your cauliflower evenly into slices of similar thickness. If you want to make them crispy, then slice them into 1” thick. If you prefer them softer, then you can slice them into slices of 1 1/2”.
- Roast the air fryer cauliflower steaks until they will get a nice and rich golden color.
Quick Note: To simplify the process, use a large chef’s knife.
Pro Tip: When you will cut the cauliflower into slices, some parts of it may fall apart and turn into florets. Don’t throw away the cauliflower bites because you can easily use them to make a homemade vegetable broth, risotto, or a plate of pasta.
⏲️ How to Make This Recipe in the Oven?
You can make the same recipe in the oven by following the same steps but you will need to adjust the time. Set the same temperature of 375°F / 190°C, and cook them for about 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven.
Used Tools
🥬 How to Make a Vegan Version?
If you prefer the vegan version of the cauliflower steak then replace butter with vegetable oil.
To replace the eggs in a vegan recipe, you could use a mix of 2 tablespoons of flour, 4 tablespoons of water, and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce. You can skip the cheese altogether or opt for a vegan cheese alternative.
🥘 Ingredients Needed for This Recipe?
Quick Note: All the ingredients below are indicated for 1 serving. If you need a larger serving, just multiply the ingredients to your needs.
- Cauliflower Steak. As we need to obtain some steak from the cauliflower, pick a plant that is large enough. Keep in mind that it should fit in your air fryer basket.
- Panko or you can use regular breadcrumbs.
- Melted Butter. Take it over from the fridge 1-2 hours ahead to bring the butter to room temperature.
- Fresh Garlic. You can also use powdered garlic.
- Cheddar cheese. You could replace it with another cheese you prefer such as parmesan or if you want an even more accentuated taste, you could even use blue cheese.
- Medium egg.
- Salt and black pepper.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
While you can enjoy the roasted cauliflower steaks as a main dish, you can combine them with a nice salad, orange chicken, some delicious home burgers, homemade chicken patties, near some pork, fish, or for sure you can make a nice pie from them.
Sauces to Serve Near the Cauliflower Steak
This cauliflower steak would go well with a chimichurri sauce, romesco sauce, buffalo sauce, marinara sauce, sweet-chili pepper sauce, pesto, dill sauce, or tzatziki.
👩🍳 Step-by-step Directions
Bring the butter to room temperature then mix it with your favorite spices. Today, I decided to season only with salt and pepper.
Take a sharp knife and cut the cauliflower into steaks.
Quick Note: Don’t throw away the cauliflower leftovers because you can make delicious pasta, ragout, or just season and cook them as is in the air fryer.
After you have ready the cauliflower steaks, with the mixture obtained, grease them well until the cauliflower steaks will be fully covered on all sides.
Then take another bowl and beat one egg. Spin the cauliflower steak through the beaten egg until it will be covered with egg on all sides.
Take another plate (promise, the last one) And pour in it the panko or breadcrumbs. Rotate the cauliflower steaks in breadcrumbs until it will be covered on all sides.
Preheat the air fryer and place the steak in the preheated air fryer basket.
Roast the cauliflower steak at 375°F / 190°C for about 13-15 minutes.
Quick Note: The cooking time is approximate only because it may differ by the size of your cauliflower steak and the air fryer model. Personally, I used for this recipe the Cosori Air Fryer 5.8QT and it took me 15 minutes.
For extra flavor and texture, grate over the steak cheddar or parmesan cheese and bake the steaks for another 2-3 minutes or until the cheese melts.
Our cauliflower steak in the air fryer is ready to be enjoyed.
Just take a look at this wonderful golden color that these roasted cauliflower steaks got:
♻️ Make Ahead and Storage:
Can I Prepare the Cauliflower Steaks Ahead?
I don’t recommend cooking the cauliflower ahead because the taste changes a lot. Also, you will lose the crunchy texture because the breadcrumbs will soften shortly. Because of that, enjoy the meal as you cooked.
How Long Do They Last in the Fridge?
This is a dish that you should serve as soon as it is cooked because the cauliflower kept in the fridge will change its taste and you will lose the texture.
How to Reheat the Cauliflower Steaks?
When you will reheat the next days, the crust will soften. If this is not a problem for you, then you can reheat it in the oven or in the microwave. If you want to return the crust, then I recommend reheating the cauliflowers back in the air fryer for 3-4 minutes.
What to Do With Leftovers?
As the cauliflowers are not very good to freeze because they will become mushy, a better idea will be to use them as leftovers. You can chop them and use them in salads, or stir fry.
📋 Recipe Card:
Air Fryer Cauliflower Steaks With Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Steak Cauliflower 0.5 lb
- ½ Cup Panko or Breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1 Clove Garlic
- 1 tablespoon Cheddar Cheese
- 1 Egg
- ¼ teaspoon Salt or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Cut the cauliflower into steaks.1 Steak Cauliflower
- Mix the butter with the salt and pepper and other spices that you decided to use.1 tablespoon Butter, ¼ teaspoon Salt, ⅛ teaspoon Black Pepper, 1 Clove Garlic
- Grease the cauliflower steak with a mixture of butter and spices.1 Steak Cauliflower
- Take another plate and beat one egg.1 Egg
- Soak the cauliflower steak in the bowl with the beaten egg until it will be covered on all sides.
- In another plate, pour the panko or breadcrubms and cover evenly the steak with breadcrumbs on all sides.½ Cup Panko
- Preheat the air fryer and cook it for about 15 minutes at 375°F / 190°C.
- For an extra flavor and texture, sprinkle over the steak grated cheddar cheese and cook it for another 2-3 minutes or until the cheese melts.1 tablespoon Cheddar Cheese
Quick Note
I highly recommend reading the entire recipe to find more tips and notes about this recipe. Read Full Recipe ⇑
Notes
- Choose a cauliflower with a large head that feels heavy and fresh. Avoid fluffy and lightweight cauliflowers, as they may not yield the best results.
- Slice the cauliflower into steaks of similar thickness, about 1″ thick for a crispy texture or 1 1/2″ for a softer texture. A large chef’s knife will help with this process. Don’t discard any florets that fall apart; they can be used for other dishes like vegetable broth, risotto, or pasta.
- These cauliflower steaks are versatile and can be served as a main dish or alongside various accompaniments. Consider pairing them with salads, homemade burgers, orange chicken, chicken patties, pork, fish, or incorporating them into a savory pie.
- There are numerous sauces that pair well with these cauliflower steaks, such as chimichurri, romesco, buffalo, marinara, sweet-chili pepper, pesto, dill, or tzatziki. Experiment with different sauces to find your favorite combination.
- The suggested cooking time and temperature are approximate and may vary depending on the size of your cauliflower steaks and the model of your air fryer. In this recipe, a Cosori Air Fryer 5.8QT was used, taking approximately 15 minutes at 375°F / 190°C.
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