Vegan Cauliflower Gratin

A simple & cozy vegan cauliflower gratin dish that's filled with a rich bechamel sauce and topped with a savory crispy panko topping. This is the perfect healthy side dish for any occasion and can easily be turned into a full meal.

We had lots of gratins growing up. I mean, what's the easiest way to have your kids eat their cauliflower or broccoli without having to beg? Smothering them with a rich sauce then top with a melting cheese plus a crispy topping will definitively do it.

Also, I grew up in Quebec, which is heavily influenced by French cuisine. I actually did not even realized this until I was way past my childhood (like most of everything in life, I suppose). Eating "raclettes", "fondues bourguignonnes", red wine flavored meat stews and meat pates were just the normal. So, needless to say that this vegan gratin recipe is right up my alley.

And growing up, I feel like most food could get the special gratin treatment, if you had the extra oven time available. I remember "gratiner" just about anything: toasts, ANY pasta dishes, simple veggies and even rice dishes.

I have to say that even though gratins can come in so many ways, to me, a real classic gratin dish is much more than simply adding cheese to melt on top of your meal. It implicates to bathe the ingredients into a rich and creamy white sauce and then add a savory topping. Baking it in the oven helps the flavors to develop as the veggies cook and crisp the top for added texture.

And making a vegan version of a cauliflower gratin is nothing but easy and as delicious as the classic dish. The basic white sauce is simply made using vegan milk (and swap the butter for oil) and after generously topping the dish with a tasty crispy panko mixture, I promise you won't even realize there is no cheese in there.

So, what is a classic gratin by definition?

Just like described by Caroline Lange in this FOOD 52 article, a gratin actually has an unclear definition. All gratins are baked in the oven and it seems like most gratins will end up with a crispy topping after a quick broil. But then, the gratin recipe can vary widely, some with a creamy mixture, some with cheese, filled with pasta, veggies, rice, or seafood/meat, etc. I bet you already make lots of gratins without even realizing it!

What you'll need

• A large head of cauliflower, chopped in florets
• A batch of this vegan bechamel (olive oil, flour, vegan milk, spices) that's cooked with a white onion.
• Panko breadcrumbs
• Spices: salt, nutritional yeast, dried parsley, paprika

How to make a vegan cauliflower gratin

• First, prepare the vegan bechamel sauce. Follow the link to get the step-by-step recipe and more details on how to make a great bechamel.
• For this cauliflower gratin, after adding the olive oil to the pot, I like to cook a diced onion before adding the flour, it adds so much more flavor. Also, when the bechamel is done, add a little nutritional yeast (gives a cheesy flavor), salt and pepper.

While making the bechamel, also steam or boil the cauliflower florets for about 5 minutes so they are tender after baking. Also, combine in a small bowl the panko breadcrumbs, paprika, nutritional yeast, dried parsley and salt (this is the crispy topping mixture).

Then build the gratin: start with some bechamel at the bottom of the baking dish, then add the steamed/boiled cauliflower, then top with the rest of the bechamel and finish up by spreading the panko mixture all over the dish.

Cook in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the sauce gets bubbly on the side with the top slightly browned. I also recommend to do an additional few minutes of broiling to really get the top crispier (careful, it burns quickly!).

Watch how to make it

Cooking tips when making a vegan cauliflower gratin

• Keep the florets pieces on a larger size. This will help the vegetable keep its shape when cooking and prevent the dish from becoming mushy.
• I recommend to use a panko kind of breadcrumbs. I use the panko from Kikkoman. This will allow to reach a crispy top without adding any oil/butter in the topping mixture.
• Broiling the gratin really makes a difference, but it burns super fast, so stay around and put a timer for 2-3 minutes so you don't forget about it.

Vegan cauliflower gratin as a side dish for the holidays

I had in mind of keeping this recipe to post just before Thanksgiving, but hey, who needs the holidays to enjoy a delicious rich gratin?

This creamy cauliflower dish really is a perfect side dish to bring to pot lucks or to serve to guests for Thanskgiving, Christmas or New year celebrations. If you are fully vegan, then it will secure something that you can actually eat since most Holiday foods are far from being plant-based friendly. And, even all the non-vegan people won't noticed it is a dairy-free side dish.

If serving it during the holidays, then you could also top the gratin with extra crispy onions and use more herbs when making the bechamel sauce, like fresh thyme or rosemary.

Modifications to the recipe

This gratin recipe is so versatile! It makes for a great side dish, but you can also plump it up to turn it into a full meal:

• Add al dente cooked noodles to the dish and be generous with the nutritional yeast when adding to the bechamel to make it cheesier. Don't hesitate to double the bechamel if adding lots of noodles.
• Add roasted tempeh, tofu or chickpeas to make it more filling.
• Add more veggies, like wilted green, roasted mushroom or green peas and serve over cooked rice or with a side of crusty bread.

Also, if you want to make the sauce even more rich, then you can use a cashew cream sauce instead of the bechamel. And if you are looking for a melting cheese kind of texture, then you can also add vegan cheese string to the dish.

Storage and reheating

Store any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. The sauce will thicken as it rest and cool down. Simply reheat in the microwave when ready to eat.

Other cozy baked dishes you might like

• Vegan baked ziti
• Vegan lasagna roll-ups
• Garlic cream pasta bake
• Vegan white sauce lasagna

I hope you enjoy this vegan cauliflower gratin as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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