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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 Recipe 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 –
- 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
Chop the cauliflower into similar size florets. Mix the dry ingredients for the batter in a large bowl. Add water and mix to make a smooth batter.
Add florets to the batter and toss well to coat.
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 – Baked
- Nashville Cauliflower Bites
- Kung Pao Cauliflower
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4.97 from 92 votes
Sticky Sesame Cauliflower Recipe (Gluten free Vegan)
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 Recipe
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time45 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese, Vegan
Keyword: crispy sesame cauliflower, sesame cauliflower, sticky sesame cauliflower recipe, sticky sesame sauce
Servings: 4
Calories: 229kcal
Author: Vegan Richa
Ingredients
Sesame Soy Sauce:
- 2 tsp. sesame oil
- 2 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic , minced
- 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) gluten-free tamari or soy sauce
- 1/3 cup (78.86 ml) maple syrup
- 1.5 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 2 tsp cornstarch or 1.5 tsp tapioca starch
- 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) cold water
Cauliflower:
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 3 tbsp tapioca or corn starch.
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- dash of black pepper and cayenne
- 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) water
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 (265 g) small head of cauliflower , chopped into equal size florets
- Garnish: sesame seeds and scallions
Instructions
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
Sub some of the cauliflower with firm tofu, rehydrated soy curls, or seitan for added protein.
Nutrition is for 1 serve, does not include rice
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Sticky Sesame Cauliflower Recipe (Gluten free Vegan)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 229Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 652mg28%
Potassium 310mg9%
Carbohydrates 43g14%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 14g16%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin C 37.5mg45%
Calcium 43mg4%
Iron 0.8mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Did you make this recipe?Please do leave a comment and rating below.. Tag me on Instagram @veganricha
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️If you Love the Recipe, Please consider rating it using stars in comments! It helps readers and helps more people find the recipe online! I love hearing from you all! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Reader Interactions
Comments
Cindy R
This was super tasty! Definitely a keeper. Do you think I could substitute tofu for the cauliflower?Reply
Vegan Richa Support
Yes tofu will work.
Reply
Fifi
Utterly delicious, served with Asian Slaw, will be making again and again.Reply
Vegan Richa Support
Yay!! Thank you for commenting.
Reply
Kayla
Can agave be subbed?
Reply
Vegan Richa Support
See AlsoBeef Soup (Kharcho) RecipeYes
Reply
Becca
Mmmm! I made this for our Super Bowl party and they were a hit. I subbed oat flour for rice flour because I didn’t have it on hand-it still worked out. My hubby practically licked the bowl clean after all the cauliflower was gone.Reply
Vegan Richa Support
Hahahaha thats’s great!
Reply
Jam
This is great! Made it twice now. First time with cauliflower and tofu. Second time cauliflower and broccoli! First time baked after sauce was on, second time did not. Both were fantastic! This is on the regular menu now. Great way to get in some veggiesReply
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome!
Reply
Nancy
How do you get the batter to stick to the cauliflower? It tasted fine but I could have roasted the cauliflower without the batter because it was all in a sheet under the vegetables. I would appreciate any suggestions.
Reply
Richa
Make a thicker batter the nut doesn’t slip off, see video. That’s why I use rice flour. Did you change anything? If using all purpose flour you’ll need a tad bit more to get a thick batter
Reply
Mary
Turned out great! Easier and better tasting than other similar recipes I’ve tried in the past.Reply
Vegan Richa Support
Good to know!
Reply
Katrina
This recipe came out sooooooo good, I actually made the comment to my boyfriend that I could serve it in a restaurant lol. I’m making it a new part of my regular go-to meals for sure, it really hit the spot!!Reply
Vegan Richa Support
Happy to hear!
Reply
Jean Simmons
Made this last night – super tasty. I added cubes of tofu to the cauli mix to up the protein which worked well. Will definitely make again.Reply
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome!
Reply
Pam
Made this tonight! So glad I did. It was a 15 out of 10! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!Reply
Vegan Richa Support
Thank you for making my recipes!
Reply
Julia
Absolutely amazing! Just made this and it absolutely rivals the expensive version at a local boutique restaurant that I’m sure is full of fat, sugar and everything else.Reply
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome!
Reply
Cindy
This is the first recipe of yours I have made. Incredible! I will definitely be adding this to our favorite recipe list! Thanks!Reply
Vegan Richa Support
Welcome Cindy!! Glad you enjoyed it.
Reply
Lulu
Hi from France!
I discovered your website belatedly, but now, after I bought your first book, I keep going back and doing recipes daily. Your Instagram page is such an inspiration. I went to an Asian shop to buy the spices and herbs I did not own (not too many, but still).
This one is for today, for a family of 5 including two teens, so I more than doubled.
Thank you so much for your flavourful ideas, I think you are our favorite chef so far!Reply
Vegan Richa Support
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Reply
Liz
Looks delicious!! Can you substitute a different type of flour if you don’t have rice flour?
Reply
Vegan Richa Support
Yes, you can use all purpose flour, but will need a little bit more to get the batter thick enough.
Reply
Kater
Amazing; it was a hit, worth the long baking time.Reply
Vegan Richa Support
thank you!
Reply
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