Vegan Butter Chicken Cauliflower
Roasted Butter Chicken Cauliflower
This recipe for vegan butter chicken cauliflower is inspired by its predecessor and comes together quickly any night of the week, but is also fancy enough for entertaining. This cashew-cardamom-tomato-based gravy with roasted cauliflower is mildly sweet and sublime and beautifully mimics the flavours of the OG butter chicken
Why Is Butter Chicken So Popular?
Butter Chicken is loved around the world because it’s rich, comforting, and perfectly balanced -creamy, mildly spiced, and crowd-friendly. But the real reason it became iconic goes back to Old Delhi.
In the late 1950s, two migrants running the legendary Moti Mahal restaurant found a clever way to revive leftover tandoori chicken. They simmered it in a buttery tomato gravy, creating a dish that felt indulgent but familiar. That combination of smoky chicken, creamy sauce, and gentle aromatics sparked a global obsession.
Butter Chicken’s story is also one of culture and technique. It draws from Mughlai cooking traditions, Punjabi kitchen staples, and the classic Indian principle of “cook once, eat many meals”—a method still used to reduce waste in home kitchens today.
So every time you scoop that velvety curry with naan or roti, you’re not just eating something delicious- you’re dipping into a piece of culinary history.
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WHY MAKE THIS RECIPE
It’s fully vegan, but still rich and comforting.
This Butter Chicken Cauliflower is plant-based, but it doesn’t miss any of the “butteriness” or creaminess you expect from the classic. It’s warm, satisfying, and feels like proper comfort food.The sauce tastes like the real deal.
Just like traditional butter chicken, the gravy is a silky tomato base layered with cardamom, garam masala, ginger, garlic, and fenugreek. It has that mild sweetness too - I use dates to replicate it - and the richness comes from a simple cashew cream that blends right in.It’s weeknight-easy but dinner-party good.
This dish comes together in about 45 minutes, and the cauliflower and gravy cook at the same time. It’s unfussy enough for a weeknight and special enough to serve guests. My daughters and friends practically lick their plates clean… we never have leftovers.
Spice Roasted Cauliflower
INGREDIENT NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Like most of my recipes, this one also calls for pantry staples. I have covered everything along with suitable substitutions below, but please see the recipe card for quantities.
Cauliflower: I have used cauliflower to mimic the tandoori chicken because it chars beautifully in the oven which is delicious in this recipe. And frankly, it is also very budget-friendly and accessible. The other alternative is tofu, I like this recipe from Pick Up Limes
Jeera Powder: I recommend using toasted cumin powder - one that is toasted and then ground. The earthy tones of cumin pair really well with the sweetness of smoked paprika. This is a pantry staple in most Indian kitchen
Smoked Paprika: You can use any variety of smoked paprika, this is to mimic the flavours of the tandoor, which a nice smoky taste to the gravy.
Whole spices - cardamom, whole black pepper, cinnamon - I have used whole spices because when it is toasted in hot oil or butter they release their aroma. Making the gravy so fragrant. Cardamom is quintessential here, it is the dominant flavour of this cauliflower butter chicken sauce recipe.
Cashew: This is important to the gravy, it gives the gravy a nice creamy richness that is found in butter chicken. Some versions online use coconut milk or cream, but personally, I find it alters the flavour profile and I don't recommend it.
INSTRUCTIONS
Soak the Cashews and Dates
Add the cashews and dates to a bowl and cover with warm water. If you’re using a high-speed blender, a 15-minute soak is enough. With a regular blender, give them 30 minutes or a bit longer so everything blends smooth.
Roast the Cauliflower
On a lined baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with olive oil and your spices. Use your hands to coat every floret well. Roast at 425°F - the high heat helps the cauliflower caramelize and get those charred edges that taste incredible in the creamy sauce.
Make the Vegan Butter Sauce
This sauce is dreamy: creamy, velvety, and full of flavour. You can make it while the cauliflower roasts.
Blend the soaked cashews and dates until smooth.
Scoop out a couple of tablespoons to use later as garnish.
Add the cooked tomato mixture to the blender and blitz everything together until silky.
Pour the sauce back into the pot and warm it through.
Finish with kasoori methi, Kashmiri chilli powder, and garam masala.
Fold in the roasted cauliflower and add a drizzle of cashew cream on top. A small bit of vegan butter works beautifully too.
Garnish with cilantro and serve with naan, steamed basmati rice, or rotis.
This would be perfect with rice roti. Also if you are looking for easy weeknight meal ideas that are hearty and wholesome - Instant Pot Black-eyed Peas Curry.
Vegan Butter Chicken Cauliflower
This vegetarian/vegan Butter Chicken Cauliflower has a creamy cashew-cardamom gravy with roasted cauliflower. Mildly sweet, deeply satisfying and sublime - a plant-based Indian dinner that works any night.
Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower, washed and chopped into large florets (about 800 g)
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri Lal Mirch or paprika
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
- Salt, to taste
- ¼ cup cashews, soaked in warm water (about 40 g)
- 2-3 Medjool dates, soaked in warm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4-6 green cardamom pods, crushed
- ½ teaspoon peppercorns
- 2 cloves
- ½-inch cinnamon stick
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1-inch piece ginger, roughly chopped
- 5-6 Roma tomatoes, chopped (about 500 g)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri Lal Mirch or paprika
- Salt, to taste
- ½ teaspoon garam masala (optional)
- 1 teaspoon crushed kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- Fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with olive oil, cumin, turmeric, Kashmiri Lal Mirch, smoked paprika (if using), and salt until well coated. Spread onto the baking sheet and roast for 35 - 40 minutes, until golden and lightly charred.
- While the cauliflower roasts, heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the crushed cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and peppercorns and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, and salt. Cook for 6 - 7 minutes until thick, glossy, and the tomatoes have broken down.
- Drain the soaked cashews and dates and blend until completely smooth. Remove 2 tablespoons of this cashew cream and set aside for garnish.
- Take the tomato mixture off the heat and transfer it to the blender. Blend with about ½ cup water until very smooth.
- Pour the blended gravy back into the Dutch oven. Add a little more water if needed (up to 1 cup) to reach a thick, pourable consistency. Stir in Kashmiri Lal Mirch, kasoori methi, and garam masala (if using). Simmer for 3 - 4 minutes.
- When the cauliflower is done, add it to the gravy and simmer for 5 minutes to let the flavours combine.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Drizzle with the reserved cashew cream and garnish with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime before serving.
