This post contains affiliate links. Please see ourĀ disclosure policy.
This Sticky Sesame Cauliflower is a crowd pleaser! Cauliflower is battered and baked , then coated in sticky spicy sesame sauce and baked again. Serve as is or with rice or in lettuce cups. Vegan Gluten-free Nut-free Refined sugar free RecipeĀ Jump to Recipe
When you need some sticky sweet tangy delicious sauced something, cauliflower fits right in. Cauliflower florets are tossed in a rice flour and starch batter and baked to crisp. The sticky sesame sauce uses sesame oil, garlic, ginger, soy/tamari, vinegar, maple syrup and some sriracha for heat for a addictive flavor profile. Brush this sticky sauce on the baked cauliflower and serve, or bake again for more sticky crispy cauliflower!
Serve it over rice, by itself or in lettuce wraps! I use sesame oil in the batter and the sauce for extra sesame flavor profile. For additional protein, add in some firm tofu, seitan or soycurls with the cauliflower. Lets make this!
Ingredients for Sticky Sesame Cauliflower and substitution options
- The Sticky Sesame Sauce has sesame oil, garlic, ginger, tamari/soy sauce, maple syrup for sweet, rice vinegar, Sriracha, and starch to thicken.
- You can use coconut aminos to make this soy-free
- Maple syrup can be subbed with sugar or other sweetener
- Omit the Sriracha for lower heat.
- The batter for the crispy cauliflower has ā
- rice flour, that makes the batter crisp and non doughy on baking. You can use a mix of half all purpose flour and half starch as a substitute.
- corn or tapioca starch to add lighter and crisp texture
- sesame oil for more sesame profile
- black pepper, salt and garlic for flavor
- garnished of lightly toasted white sesame and black sesame seeds and scallions.
How to make Sticky Sesame Cauliflower
Transfer to the parchment lined baking sheet or dish and bake for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, assemble the sauce ingredients. Saute the ginger and garlic in sesame oil for a minute, then add the soy sauce, vinegar, sriracha and maple syrup and bring to a boil.
Add cornstarch slurry and cook to thicken.
Brush the sticky thick sauce on the cauliflower florets or add the florets to the sauce and mix gently. Then bake again.
Garnish with sesame seeds and scallions and serve over rice.
Tips to make Crispy Sticky Sesame Cauliflower
- For a nicely crispy result, bake the cauliflower on a baking sheet.
- Bake the sauce coated cauliflower for longer.
- Use smaller size cauliflower florets
If you plan to serve the sauced cauliflower without baking, you can add another tsp starch for extra thick sauce that will glaze the cauliflower.
More Cauliflower Recipes
- Taco Spice roasted Cauliflower
- Spicy Pepper Cauliflower Bites
- Mango Sriracha Cauliflower
- Aloo Gobi ā Baked
- Nashville Cauliflower Bites
- Kung Pao Cauliflower
Sticky Sesame Cauliflower Recipe (Gluten free Vegan)
IngredientsĀ Ā
Sesame Soy Sauce:
- 2Ā tsp. sesame oil
- 2Ā tspĀ fresh grated ginger
- 2Ā cloves of garlic, , minced
- 1/4 cupĀ gluten-free tamari , or soy sauce
- 1/3Ā cupĀ maple syrup
- 1.5 tbspĀ rice vinegar
- 1Ā tspĀ sriracha
- 2 tspĀ cornstarch or 1.5 tsp tapioca starch
- 1/4Ā cupĀ cold water
Cauliflower:
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 3 tbsp tapioca or corn starch.
- 1/2Ā teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4Ā teaspoonĀ salt
- dash of black pepper and cayenne
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1Ā small head of cauliflower, , chopped into equal size florets
- Garnish: sesame seeds and scallions
InstructionsĀ
- Sticky Sesame Sauce: Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Cook the garlic ginger for a minute. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple and bring to boil. Mix cornstarch in the water and add this cornstarch slurry and bring to a boil to thicken, Take off heat.
- Cauliflower: Preheat the oven to 425 deg F ( 220 C). Line a baking sheet or dish with parchment. In a large bowl add the dry ingredients for the batter and whisk well. Add the wet ingredients and min until smooth.
- Add the cauliflower and mix to coat. This batter keeps thickening as it sits, so mix and toss quickly.
- Transfer to the the lined baking sheet. and bake for 30 mins. Make the sticky sauce in the meanwhile if you havent yet.
- Once baked, you can do one of the following: 1. Brush the sauce over the cauliflower florets and bake for additional 10 to 15 mins (time depends on how crisp and sticky you want the sauce)2. Wait for a few mins then transfer the florets to the sauce. Mix gently to coat. Serve immediately or transfer to the baking sheet to bake for 10 to 15 mins.
- Sprinkle black and white sesame seeds and chopped scallions and serve as is, or over rice or in lettuce wraps!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is delicious! I also had to use regular flour, but it was still so good. I made jasmine rice and added peas to the rice but you could also add edamame.
I also sprinkled some cashews on top.
yum!
havenāt tried the recipe yet because i donāt have maple syrup or honey. how would i replace with brown sugar or another sugar? canāt wait to try it, thank you for sharing!
you could . just whisk well until itās dissolved
Omg this was incredible!!! I didnāt change a thing except used both cauliflower & broccoli. Served with a cup of basmati rice and a vegetable egg roll and Iām very satiated! This oneās going in the rotation for sure. Thanks for another great recipe!
Iām just recently began embracing vegan cooking after a 20 year break for health reasons. This is fantastic, and I found low low sodium. Fusion Asian sauce that helped me keep the sodium really low.
welcome back !
To quote the boyfriend: āThis is great,ā āThis is really good,ā āThis sauce is great,ā āThis tastes like restaurant food.ā
Cauliflower didnāt get crispy ā maybe used too much batter? Had to use cake flour instead of rice flour, donāt know if that changes things with the starch etc. But the sauce was %*^&ing amazing and the cauliflower was really just a sauce delivery device. Served with rice. Will 100% make again.
good to hear
Can I pre make the sauce 2 days ahead?
yes, it will keep in the fridge no problem
This is soo good! Wanna try this with rehydrated soy curls or something else next time!
great idea
This recipe is excellent, tasty and fail safe. A crowd pleaser! I am wondering if I can use this recipe & technique for other vegetables.
For example I have some leftover roasted delicata squash rings, and I was thinking this would be an excellent way to use them and get them nice and crispy instead of something like a tempura since I donāt want to deep fry them. What do you think?
good idea it would work excellent
I did try it before I heard back from you. It worked from a technical standpoint but IMO the squash rings tasted too sweet for the batter. I would try again with a different seasoning/flavor profile. At the same time, I tried some onion rings with the batter and that was excellent!
good for you for trying!
This is so delicious. I made extra, but my family ate whole thing! We are a big fan of Vegan Richa.
My goodness, your batter is better!
Threw the coated cauliflower into a hot air fryer basket and leveraged the brittleness of the rice flour batter to avoid a lumpen mess. Moved the florets from the side and bottom a few times and it was perfect. Coated with sauce, decanted to a heat- proof serving dish and air-dried again before serving.
My kitchen gets ridiculously hot and I avoid the oven whenever possible, and the recipe as is was, as usual, perfect.
wow nice methods