Serves 4
photo by Justin Limoges
Cauliflower schnitzel – breaded, fried, and shatteringly crispy – is my vegan take on the central European classic. The secret is roasting the cauliflower steaks first, which brings out a toasty, almost chicken-y quality before they even hit the breading station. Then they get dipped in a mustard slurry, coated in seasoned breadcrumbs, and pan-fried until golden. It’s a project, but it’s the kind of project where you eat schnitzel at the end, so.
I won’t lie, it takes a lot of dishes. Reserve this for a night when you’ve got an army to help clean up, or at least someone who owes you a favor.
The mustard cream sauce is life changing. Sautéed shallots hit with beer, cashew cream, and whole grain mustard brings each crispy bite to new heights. Rich, tangy, and might make you burst into song or whatever they’re doing at the biergarten down the street in Brooklyn. Serve over The Best Vegan Mashed Potatoes Ever if you want the full biergarten experience, but potato salad, roasted potatoes, rice, or pasta all work. If you like, sneak some lemon slices onto the roasting tray for an extra pop of wow (see how pretty they are in the pic).
Recipe note: Ready for cauliflower butchery? To get perfect steaks, get the biggest heads of cauli you can find. To cut the steaks, trim the leafy base, slice each head in half through the core, then cut one or two thick slabs (about ¾ inch) from each half, keeping the core intact so they hold together. You can trim it down a bit more if it’s leafy but you need to keep some of that so it stays steaky. You’ll get 4 steaks per head. Save the ends and crumbly bits for another use…stir fry, soup, whatever.
And also, since I know you will ask, you can use just the Cauliflower Cutlets in so many ways! Here are a few ideas.
Cauliflower Parm: Layer the cutlets with marinara and vegan mozzarella, then bake until bubbly. You know the drill.
Cauliflower Piccata: Simmer briefly in a quick lemon, capers, and white wine pan sauce. One of the fastest elegant dinners that exists.
Cauliflower Katsu: Use panko breadcrumbs instead and serve with rice and Japanese curry. A whole different vibe.
Cutlet Sandwich: Tuck a cutlet into a crusty roll with lettuce, tomato, vegan mayo, and pickles. Cauli-fil-A, if you will. Or go the Italian route with marinara and melty mozz.
Or really, anywhere a chicken cutlet might go: on top of a Caesar salad, sliced over a lemony pasta, or floating in a bowl of ramen.
Cauliflower Schnitzel FAQ:
Can I make this gluten-free? Swap the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free blend and use gluten-free breadcrumbs. The rest of the recipe is naturally gluten-free.
Can I use a different beer? Pilsner is ideal for its clean, light flavor, but any lager will work. Avoid anything too hoppy or dark, it’ll overpower the sauce. You can also sub in more vegetable broth if you want to skip the beer entirely.
Can I leave the beer out? Yes, use veggie broth. It’ll still have WOW from the mustard.
Can I bake these instead of frying? You can, but they won’t be as crispy. Bake at 425°F on a parchment-lined sheet sprayed with oil, about 15 minutes per side. Mist the tops with a little oil before baking.
Can I make this vegan schnitzel in an air fryer? Yes! Air fry at 375°F for about 10 to12 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and crispy. You’ll probably need to work in batches depending on your air fryer size. Spray or brush the breaded steaks lightly with oil before they go in.
Can I prep these ahead of time? You can roast and bread the steaks a few hours ahead and refrigerate them on parchment. Fry just before serving. The sauce can be made a day ahead and reheated with a few splashes of water.
What’s poultry seasoning? There are so many different brands and they really do vary. Some contain ginger and rosemary. Some contain thyme and pepper. The two brands I enjoy most are luckily widely available and hopefully companies that will be around for a good long time: Frontier Co-op and Penzey’s Spices. They’re different, but you can’t go wrong with either. They are both unsalted, so make sure whatever blend you choose contains no salt, or you may have to adjust the salt in the recipe. Pop on over here and scroll down for a DIY poultry seasoning.
What does schnitzel mean? Schnitzel literally means “slice” or “cut” in German. Traditionally it’s a thin meat cutlet that’s pounded, breaded, and fried. This version is a vegan schnitzel made with thick slabs of cauliflower, except we don’t need to pound our vegetables.
What if I don’t have a high-speed blender for the cashew cream? Soak the cashews in boiling water for at least 30 minutes, or in room temperature water for two hours or overnight. Then blend in a regular blender until smooth. It may take a little longer but you’ll get there.
Cauliflower Schnitzel with Mustard Cream Sauce
Ingredients
For the cauliflower schnitzel:
- 2 large heads cauliflower cut into 8 steaks total
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning store-bought or homemade
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the slurry:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cups cold unsweetened soy milk or any unsweetened vegan milk
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
For the breading:
- 2 cups fine dry breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning store-bought or homemade
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt use less if your poultry seasoning contains salt
- Safflower oil for frying
For the mustard cream sauce:
- 1 cup thinly sliced shallots
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Pinch plus ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup whole unroasted cashews
- 1½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup pilsner beer
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
For garnish
- Lemon slices for roasting
- Fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Place four cauliflower steaks on each sheet. Drizzle each with 1½ tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with poultry seasoning and salt. Toss to coat. Tuck lemon slices onto the tray if using. Bake for 12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Remove and set aside to cool.
- While the cauliflower roasts, make the sauce. Preheat a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the shallots in olive oil with a pinch of salt for about 10 minutes, until lightly caramelized. Meanwhile, blend the cashews and broth in a high-speed blender until completely smooth.
- Turn the heat up under the shallots and pour in the beer, ½ teaspoon salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Let it bubble and reduce for about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add the cashew cream, and stir until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mustard. Taste for seasoning. Keep warm.
- Make the slurry: In a wide bowl, whisk together the flour and cornstarch. Add half the soy milk and stir until smooth. Mix in the remaining milk and Dijon mustard.
- Now we are ready to bread the cutlets. On a large rimmed plate, mix together the breadcrumbs, poultry seasoning, and salt.
- Set up your assembly line, left to right: roasted cauliflower, slurry, breadcrumbs, and a piece of parchment for the finished steaks. Dip each steak into the slurry, let the excess drip off, then press into the breadcrumbs, sprinkling more on top to coat completely. Use one hand for wet, one for dry, or you'll end up with a breadcrumb mitten.
- Now we cook! Preheat a large cast-iron pan over medium heat. Pour a thin layer of safflower oil into the pan, about ¼ inch deep. Fry the steaks in batches until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Keep finished steaks warm in a 250°F oven.
- Serve over mashed potatoes or your preferred starch, spooning plenty of mustard cream sauce over the top. Garnish with fresh parsley and roasted lemon slices.
