Baked Cornmeal Crusted Cauliflower
This vegan cornmeal crusted cauliflower was an instant favorite for a holiday side the first time I made it. Growing up south of the south and having southern influences in food weave through my meals has been something that stuck with me my whole life. While we lived in Nashville I savored every vegan southern option available and still miss the vegan southern fried chicken and biscuits from The Southern V like nobodies business.
In Europe there is basically no southern food, and I wanted a nod to something familiar and comforting this season, so I made this perfectly southern and vegan suitable crusted cauliflower, and I am in love.
If you love fried green tomatoes or friend okra and haven’t tried cornmeal crusted cauliflower, here is your chance to give it a go. It’s got all the southern charm and is so diverse. I use to avoid cauliflower (was never a fan of the cauliflower pizza crust explosion or the cauliflower “rice”) recipes but now I am working with it so much more and really enjoying it.
I love this recipe not only because it’s quick and delicious, but because it is very low fuss and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients. You need no special equipment to make cornmeal crusted cauliflower and even though this recipe is for a side dish, you can easily turn it into a main or incorporate it into a bowl.
A head of cauliflower will get you two good slices, the rest will be more of larger florets. If you specifically want to make this dish, keep that in mind. It’s very easy to double or triple the recipe. One key it to make sure the cauliflower isn’t too thick in either the cauliflower steaks or the florets. Too thick cauliflower could be difficult to evenly bake.
Batter for Cornmeal Crusted Cauliflower
The batter is a combination of chickpea flour and white flour. This will make it so the breadcrumbs stick while crusted cauliflower is baking.
You will want to use a spoon to drip the batter in all the nooks in the cauliflower to make sure you are coating not just the surface of the slices, but all the little holes inside.
Crispy Coating for Cauliflower
The same goes for when you coat the cauliflower with the dry mix of breadcrumbs and cornmeal. Make sure you get in the little nooks to get that real cornmeal crusted effect on the cauliflower.
Plating the Cauliflower
If you are making the cauliflower as a main, it would be great to serve it like a “cauliflower steak” with some sides like pureed potatoes or greens. If you are serving it as a side it goes well with garlic greens or a variety of sauces. Some ideas of how to serve this cauliflower include:
Served the vegan cauliflower with sauteed rainbow chard and a protein.
Throw in Cajun seasoning into the dry mix and serve with rice and beans
Dress with a vegan gravy.
Use it as a base for buffalo cauliflower.
Serve with a lemon wedge and parsley sprinkle.
Serve with za’atar and hummus and salad.
If you are looking for more holiday sides, check these out!
Vegan Baked Cornmeal Crusted Cauliflower
Meltaway delicious easy baked cornmeal crusted cauliflower to use as a side or a main.
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1/4 cup chickpea flower
- 1/2 cup of white flour
- 1 tbsp garlic powder + 1/2 tsp
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to
- Clean cauliflower head and then slice into as many "steaks" as you can get, about an inch thick. For the pieces that didn't stay together, you can still use them, just make sure they are also not thicker than an inch anywhere.
- In a medium size bowl, mix together chickpea flour, flour, 1 tbsp of the garlic, onion powder and water and mix well.
- In another medium size bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, cornmeal, the rest of the garlic powder, and salt.
- Drench the cauliflower in the wet batter, making sure to get all the holes and nooks drenched as well.
- Coat in breadcrumbs completely.
- Lay on a baking sheet add brush withl olive oil on both sides and edges.
- Bake for 30 minutes and then carefully flip and bake for another 15 minutes or until edges brown.
- Serve warm!
If enjoyed this meal let me know what you think by leaving a ★★★★★ star rating and comment below with any questions or feedback. These are two small things that add up to a ton of support, which I really appreciate. Also show off your pics to me on instagram by tagging @theveganholidayblog and #veganholidaypic – I am excited to see your meals!
Sometimes I can make a small commission if you purchase something I wholeheartedly recommend. The small percentage (that doesn’t cost you anything) helps me keep this blog alive! Thank you for your support.
