Baked Crispy Cauliflower Sandwiches

If you’re looking for fall comfort food, look no further than these Baked Crispy Cauliflower Sandwiches! Crispy, savoury, and filling, these plant-based sandwiches tick all those boxes!

While creating a recipe for Crispy Chicken Sandwiches we decided to create a plant-based version as well. And I’m not sorry we did. Thick cauliflower steaks get an even coating of crispy Panko and are then baked to a golden perfection. Loaded with crisp lettuce and crunchy dill pickles, these Crispy Cauliflower Sandwiches will be on repeat!  You can make this vegetarian or vegan (see the subs below) or gluten free by substituting gluten free variation of the ingredients (flour, Panko, buns etc).

Ways to Use Cauliflower

Is there nothing cauliflower can’t do? It really is such a versatile ingredient. From using it in soups, adding nutrition to mashed potatoes or to turning it into pizza crust it’s the vegetable that can do it all. Jill has a cauliflower gnocchi recipe over on her blog that I need to try (and if you haven’t tried the Cauliflower Tacos in the cookbook you’re missing out!). Cauliflower is low in calories and carbohydrates with cancer-fighting phytochemicals.

Cauliflower works well in this recipe: it can be sliced thick, has a great texture and bakes to the perfect tenderness. If you want to level up this sandwich you could also try coating the outside of these crispy cauliflower steaks in hot sauce after baking for a buffalo cauliflower sandwich! We enjoyed these with a generous spread of vegan mayo, crisp lettuce, and piles of dill pickles. You could also add some avocado for extra healthy fats and vitamins or a thick slice of tomato.

How to Cut Cauliflower Steaks

There isn’t much forgiveness in cutting cauliflower steaks in my experience.  Therefore, we wanted to give you some guidance. No pressure lol. Start by removing all leaves and the protruding part of the cauliflower head stem, leaving about 1/2″ of stem at the bottom to hold your head of cauliflower together. Using a large sharp knife, hold the cauliflower upright and cut it vertically into 1″ thick slices, keeping each cauliflower ‘steak’ intact. You’ll have some pieces that don’t hold together and that’s normal! With those smaller end pieces you can bread them individually and enjoy them as a snack or save them for another recipe.

Baked Crispy Cauliflower Sandwiches

4.8 from 5 votes

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Baked Crispy Cauliflower Sandwiches

These sandwiches are so satisfying and make for such a fun dinner!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Baked, Cauliflower, Crispy, Sandwich

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 4

Author Fraîche

Ingredients

Cauliflower:

• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into 1" thick steaks*

Flour Mixture:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Egg Mixture:

• 3 eggs, well beaten (or 1 + cup of plant-based milk)

Panko Mixture:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups panko crumbs
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika

Sandwich:

• 4 buns
• green lettuce
• mayonnaise
• sliced pickles

Instructions

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F and place a wire baking rack on top of a large baking sheet. Alternately you can use a parchment-lined baking sheet (it may just not be as crispy on the bottom this way).

2. In a shallow bowl or pie plate combine the flour mixture ingredients together well. Set aside.

3. In a separate medium shallow bowl or pie plate whisk the eggs together until well-beaten (alternately place the milk in the bowl).

Prepare the Panko

1. In a large frying pan heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Mix all of the remaining panko mixture ingredients together in a shallow bowl or pie plate and pour them into the pan. Stir constantly until the panko is lightly toasted and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Pour the mixture back into the original shallow bowl or pie plate.

2. Using your hands, take a piece of cauliflower and coat it on both sides in the flour mixture shaking off the excess (if it doesn't stick simply rinse it lightly under water first and try again).

3. Next, coat each piece with the egg mixture or milk and finish by pressing each side into the panko mixture to evenly coat. Place the piece of cauliflower on the prepared baking rack and repeat with the remaining cauliflower pieces, being careful not to make them touch. Once the pieces are all coated and placed on the baking rack, place the pan in the oven and bake until they are golden brown, approximately 30-40 minutes.

4. Assemble your sandwiches with your desired toppings and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*Remove all the leaves and the protruding part of the cauliflower stem, leaving about 1/2″ of stem at the bottom to hold your head of cauliflower together. Using a large sharp knife, hold the cauliflower upright and cut it vertically into 1″ thick slices, keeping each cauliflower ‘steak’ intact.