BBQ cauliflower wedges, creamy tahini yogurt, tangy sumac onions, and crispy chickpeas are such a lovely combination—truly a match made in flavor and texture contrast heaven! This recipe for grilled cauliflower wedges becomes perfectly fork tender and slightly smoky after a quick steam and finish on the grill, all in under an hour total. Serve with a fresh green salad on the side for a satisfying and unique vegan BBQ dinner.

I love a veggie burger as much as anyone, but I am passionate about making vegetables the star at a cookout. Cauliflower becomes nutty, slightly sweet, and smoky on the grill. Combine this with a tangy and lush tahini yogurt, crispy chickpeas on top, bracing sumac onions, and plenty of fresh herbs? This is an all-out flavour party zone.

I learned about sumac onions from my Ottolenghi cookbooks initially. I later learned that they are also known as Turkish onions or Turkish onion salad. This is a condiment/salad served throughout the Middle East that is tangy, a little sharp, slightly lemony, and sometimes combined with chopped parsley. These onions can sit in your fridge in a covered container for up to 3 days, and are the perfect addition to grilled foods, sandwiches, wraps, and mezze platters. Sumac delivers that acidic, bright, and citrusy note that tames the burn of raw red onion–it is absolutely essential here.

How do you cut cauliflower for the BBQ?

• I prefer wedges to grilled cauliflower steak! With wedges, you use the entire cauliflower. There’s no leftover florets to use up later because you only extracted 2-3 perfect steaks from a whole head.
• To begin, I flip the cauliflower upside down on my cutting board so that the core is facing me.
• I carefully cut through the core with a chef’s knife, creating 2 equal halves.
• Then, keeping the core intact, I cut 4 wedges from each half of cauliflower.
• From here, I steam the wedges, and then cover with our grilled cauliflower seasoning: paprika, cumin, garlic powder, olive oil, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. It’s now ready to grill!

Steaming the cauliflower for 8-10 minutes is absolutely crucial. It ensures a completely tender end product. We don’t want charred crunchy cauliflower! Once this step is done, we grill cauliflower wedges with oil, spices etc.

I hope that you give this vegan grilled main a try soon. It would be perfect with a simple and fresh green salad dressed with my red wine vinegar and thyme dressing.

Grilled Cauliflower Wedges with Tahini Yogurt & Sumac Onions

Grilled cauliflower wedges are perfectly tender and spiced after a quick steam and finish on the BBQ. Served with a luscious tahini yogurt, tangy sumac onions, and crispy chickpeas, this vegan main is so impressive.

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Servings 4 -6

Ingredients

Sumac Onions

• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons sumac
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Tahini Yogurt

• ¼ cup tahini
• ¼ cup unsweetened vegan yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 small clove garlic, finely minced or grated with a Microplane
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 tablespoons cold water, plus extra

Grilled Cauliflower Wedges

• 1 medium head cauliflower
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

To Serve:

• crispy chickpeas (see notes)
• chopped leafy herbs (cilantro, mint, parsley, basil or a mix)
• extra drizzles of olive oil

Equipment

• Grill

Notes

• My favourite unsweetened vegan yogurts for savoury applications are Yoggu or Culina.
• I quickly tossed my chickpeas with oil, salt, and pepper and air fried them for 12 minutes at 390 to get them crispy, shaking the basket often. You could also accomplish this in the oven with the method that I outline in this recipe. If you have a bag of store bought crispy chickpeas hanging around, they would be great too!
• If you don’t have a grill, I recommend roasting the steamed cauliflower wedges with all the spices, oil etc in a 400 oven for about 20 minutes, flipping the pieces over at the halfway point. You could also just break the cauliflower down into florets and skip the steaming step! If you’re doing that, I’d increase the roasting time to 40 minutes.
• The sumac onions can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. The yogurt tahini will keep for up to a week.

Instructions

• Make the sumac onions. In a medium bowl, combine the sliced onions, apple cider vinegar, sumac, salt, and pepper. Give them a toss with your hands and set aside for at least 20 minutes.
• Make the tahini sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and water. The texture should be fluid but fluffy in a way. Add more water is necessary, and then set aside in the fridge.
• Cut your cauliflower into 2-3-inch wedges, leaving the core intact. I flip the cauliflower head upside down and cut right through the core to have 2 equal halves. Then I cut each half into 4 even quarters.
• Grab a large, deep skillet with a lid and pour a couple inches of water in. Bring that up to a simmer over medium heat on the stove. Add the cauliflower wedges to the skillet (or into a steamer basket if you have one) and place the lid on top. Steam until just tender in the core, about 7-8 minutes.
• Set the steamed cauliflower wedges on a baking sheet and blot them dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, maple syrup, paprika, garlic powder, and cumin. Brush this mixture on all sides of the cauliflower wedges. Season the cauliflower wedges on all sides with salt and pepper.
• Preheat a grill to high. Lightly mist the grill with oil spray. Place the cauliflower wedges on the grill grates, shut the lid, and grill until char marks appear, about 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, gently flip the pieces over and char the other side for another 3-4 minutes.
• To serve, swoop the tahini sauce over the surface of your serving platter. Arrange the grilled cauliflower wedges on top. Top the cauliflower with the sumac onions, crispy chickpeas, chopped herbs, and some little drizzles of olive oil. Enjoy immediately!

Author: Laura Wright

Course: Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Middle Eastern

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: apple cider vinegar, cauliflower, chickpeas, chili garlic sauce, cilantro, coconut milk yogurt, cumin, fall, garlic powder, grill, grilling, lemon, mint, non dairy yogurt, olive oil, paprika, parsley, pickled red onions, red onion, spring, steamed, steamer basket, sumac, summer, tahini, vegan yogurt, winter