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Spicy Crispy Kung Pao Cauliflower

January 12, 2016 By Richa 136 Comments

Crispy Kung Pao Cauliflower. Cauliflower battered and baked and tossed in spicy kung pao sauce. Super hot Appetizer for gameday. Vegan Recipe. Can be gluten-free with gluten-free breadcrumbs. Double the kung pao sauce for larger cauliflower or to serve over rice. 

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Crispy Kung Pao Cauliflower. Cauliflower battered and baked and tossed in spicy kung pao sauce. | VeganRicha.com #vegan #appetizer #snack #cauliflower #kungpao #recipe

 Sundays are shaping up for only one thing these days, Gameday! And all that excitement and 4 hours of tv calls for delicious finger food. 

These crispy kung pao cauliflower bites are just that, crispy, spicy, juicy, hot, and super fun. Bake the cauliflower, make the kung pao sauce.  Arrange the cauliflower in one layer in a serving plate/bowl. Drizzle the sauce just before serving. 

The dish can also be served with rice or other cooked grains. The recipe is for snack kung pao cauliflower bites. Double the sauce to serve over rice, or if you have a good large cauliflower head. The sauce can get hot depending on the chilies you use. Taste before drizzling over the cauliflower. If too hot, make another batch of the sauce without the chilies and mix. For a quick recipe, toss cauliflower in salt, cayenne and oil and bake until done, or cook in a pan with a splash of water until tender, then toss in the sauce. Serve with a jar of cold water. 🙂

Whats your favorite spicy gameday food?

Crispy Kung Pao Cauliflower. Cauliflower battered and baked and tossed in spicy kung pao sauce. | VeganRicha.com #vegan #appetizer #snack #cauliflower #kungpao #recipe

Crispy Kung Pao Cauliflower. Cauliflower battered and baked and tossed in spicy kung pao sauce. | VeganRicha.com #vegan #appetizer #snack #cauliflower #kungpao #recipe

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Crispy Kung Pao Cauliflower. Cauliflower battered and baked and tossed in spicy kung pao sauce. | VeganRicha.com #vegan #appetizer #snack #cauliflower #kungpao #recipe

Print Recipe
4.84 from 42 votes

Spicy Crispy Kung Pao Cauliflower Recipe

Crispy Kung Pao Cauliflower. Cauliflower battered and baked and tossed in spicy kung pao sauce. Super hot Appetizer for gameday. Vegan Recipe. Can be gluten-free with gluten-free breadcrumbs. Double the kung pao sauce for larger cauliflower or to serve over rice.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time40 mins
Total Time55 mins
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Asian
Servings: 4
Calories: 189kcal
Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

For the Baked Crispy Cauliflower

  • 5 tbsp corn starch or other starch
  • 6 tbsp bread crumbs use gluten-free crumbs to make gf
  • 5 tbsp or more water
  • 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) cayenne use a 1/3 tsp for less heat
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
  • 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) roasted sesame oil
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 1 medium head of cauliflower chopped into florets

For the Kung Pao sauce:

  • 1 tsp oil
  • 8 to 10 (8 to 10 ) dried red chilies chinese red chilies, or arbol or cayenne, or use california red for less heat
  • 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) coarsely crushed sichuan peppercorns or use a mix of coarsely crushed black pepper and red pepper flakes
  • 2 to 3 tbsp chopped cashews or peanuts
  • 4 to 5 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 inch ginger minced
  • 2 tbsp scallions chopped

Sauce mix

  • 2.5 tbsp low sodium soy sauce/tamari use certified gluten-free sauce to make gf
  • 1.5 to 2 tbsp (1.5 to 1 tbsp) rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp chinese rice wine optional
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1/4 cup (63 ml) + 2 tbsp water use 1/2 cup for more sauce
  • 1 tsp cornstarch

Instructions

  • Chop up the cauliflower and keep aside. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F / 220ºc. Mix the cornstarch breadcrumbs, and the rest of the ingredients to make a batter. Let the batter sit for 10 seconds to thicken if it isn't thick. The cornstarch continues to thicken the batter, so as soon as it is a good not too watery consistency, start dipping the cauliflower in the batter, tap to drop excess and place on parchment lined baking sheet. If the batter thickens too much while working, add a tsp or more water and mix in and continue.
  • Bake for 30 minutes or longer until the florets are cooked through. Check with a toothpick/knife
  • Meanwhile make the sauce. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the red chilies and peppercorns and cook until the red chilies are fragrant, but not overly brown, or someone starts sneezing. (For more heat, break some of the chilies into half and add to the skillet.)
  • Add the nuts and mix for a few seconds. Add the ginger, garlic, reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook until the garlic is golden. 4 to 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
  • Add in the scallions, and 2 to 3 tbsp finely chopped green peppers or other veggies if using and mix in. Increase heat to medium. Cook for a minute.
  • Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl and add to the skillet. Continue to cook until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens slightly. 2 mins. Carefully taste and adjust salt, sweet and spice. If the sauce is not hot enough, break a few of the chilies open or add in red pepper flakes to taste and mix in.
  • Arrange the baked cauliflower in a shallow bowl in one layer. When ready to serve, Drizzle the sauce over each floret. Serve.
  • To store, store the baked cauliflower and sauce separately. Heat the sauce, pour over the florets. To serve with rice/cooked grains, double the sauce mix and bring to a boil to thicken, toss in the cauliflower and serve immediately over rice.

Video

Notes

Its easy for the sauce to go from mild to super hot with the broken chilies. Whole chilies add a smoked mild heat flavor and you can adjust the heat using pepper flakes later. I usually break half the chilies and use hot cayenne or thai and the sauce easily gets to 5 star heat. 🙂
Nutritional values based on one serving

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Spicy Crispy Kung Pao Cauliflower Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 189 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Sodium 690mg30%
Potassium 200mg6%
Carbohydrates 29g10%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 230IU5%
Vitamin C 30.1mg36%
Calcium 41mg4%
Iron 1.5mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Filed Under: Asian Vegan Recipes, gameday, main course, popular, superbowl Tagged With: cauliflower, chinese, vegan

By Richa Hingle

Hi, I am Richa! I am a Recipe Creator, food photographer, videographer, Cookbook Author of Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen & Vegan Richa's Everyday Kitchen. Love flavor, easy, creative food? then do stop by & try some!
More about Vegan Richa »

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Comments

  1. Mychal says

    January 3, 2017 at 7:25 am

    This looks fantastic! Can I use panko breadcrumbs instead of regular bread crumbs?

    Reply
    • Richa says

      January 3, 2017 at 11:15 am

      yes!

      Reply
  2. Theresa "Sam" Houghton says

    January 14, 2017 at 9:47 am

    Wow, this sounds so delicious! I would eat it as a meal with some sauteed veggies and rice. 😀

    Reply
  3. Heather Lane says

    January 28, 2017 at 8:43 am

    I used to eat meat. I used to eat sea creatures. Sushi used to be my favorite “food.” Been vegan for 4 years now and THIS is one of my FAVORITE recipes…definitely the best Kung Pao anything I’ve ever had. I’ve shared it with friends who eat meat and they agree! Share this recipe and bookmark it!

    Reply
  4. Claudia Gilbert says

    January 30, 2017 at 12:53 am

    We had this for dinner, it was so good! Swap this for tofu and some stir fried veggies over rice, heaven. Thanks for all your recipes. Love love them!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      January 30, 2017 at 10:15 am

      Awesome!

      Reply
  5. Sam says

    February 17, 2017 at 2:21 pm

    This is one of my favourite vegan dishes I have ever made!!!!!! Thanks 🙂

    Reply
  6. Patience Merriman says

    February 25, 2017 at 12:13 pm

    Can I make a quicker version of the KP sauce using sriracha and omitting the chili peppers and scallions? Also, I have seen some recipes for this sauce using sesame oil (a taste I like)? Would this work?

    Reply
    • Richa says

      February 27, 2017 at 2:25 pm

      You can adjust it with any flavor you like. It will taste fine since most of those flavors go well together, but will not be like this Kung pao sauce flavor profile.

      Reply
  7. Terri Nix says

    July 5, 2017 at 7:58 pm

    5 stars
    This was really delicious. I had a large cauliflower and tripled the recipe. It was perfect! Everyone loved it. Will make this again for sure. This was our main dish that I served with rice and steamed broccoli. Looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow!

    Reply
  8. lara says

    July 17, 2017 at 3:06 pm

    This was very yummy! Light but rich with flavours will be making this again soon!

    Reply
  9. Rossy Allen says

    July 19, 2017 at 10:30 am

    5 stars
    My husband and I made this last night and it was delicious! We did cut open several of the peppers (and even ate a few) so it was rather spicy, but oh so good! Thank you so much for the recipe, we will be making it again!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      July 19, 2017 at 11:19 pm

      Awesome! yes once you break the chiles, it can get hot quickly

      Reply
  10. Alexis Concorso says

    July 23, 2017 at 4:12 pm

    5 stars
    Great dish! I used Panko instead of plain bread crumbs- I doubled the batter ingredients and quadrupled the amount of water.

    Reply
  11. Kelli says

    September 9, 2017 at 4:53 am

    How would you recommend substituting tofu for the cauliflower in this recipe?

    Reply
    • Richa says

      September 11, 2017 at 2:12 pm

      Yes, Press the tofu, cube then toss in the batter and bake. Dress with the sauce and serve.

      Reply
      • Babs says

        November 9, 2017 at 2:50 pm

        I’ll try that sometime soon, but I LOVE the cauliflower! Nice to know about using tofu, too.

        Reply
  12. Rafael says

    September 16, 2017 at 2:08 pm

    Been vegetarian for over 10 years now, and this is without a doubt the best Kung Pao that I’ve had.

    Reply
    • Richa says

      September 16, 2017 at 9:46 pm

      Thanks!!

      Reply
  13. Marcus says

    October 2, 2017 at 6:39 pm

    This was amazing!!!!!! My sauce didn’t go very far, but it was so easy I just whipped up another batch.

    Reply
  14. JC says

    October 3, 2017 at 11:05 am

    Hello

    Like 2 other people in here I could not understand the recipe
    1/4 cup + 1 tbsp corn starch?
    1/4 cup + 2 tbsp bread crumbs?
    1/4 cup + 1 tbsp water?
    What does it mean?
    I saw your answers but left me just as clueless
    Can you be more specific or if possible just put the total amount of the ingredients without the + and adding more

    Example
    1/4 cup of corn starch
    1/4 cup of bread crumbs
    1/4 cup of water

    Or is it
    1 tbsp corn starch
    2 tbsp bread crumbs
    1 tbsp water

    Thank You in advanced !!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      October 3, 2017 at 11:09 am

      1/4 cup + 1 tbsp corn starch = 5 tbsp cornstarch
      1/4 cup + 2 tbsp bread crumbs = 6 tbsp breadccrumbs
      1/4 cup + 1 tbsp water = 5 tbsp water.

      i’ll update it in tbsp

      Reply
      • JC says

        October 3, 2017 at 1:21 pm

        Perfect I understand it now , Im not a chef so i did not know 1 cup equal 4 table spoons
        It is much clearer
        I appreciate the help

        Thanks!!

        Reply
        • Mary in Maryland says

          October 28, 2017 at 5:16 pm

          Actually 1/4 cup (60 cc) equals four tablespoons.

          Reply
  15. Mary in Maryland says

    October 28, 2017 at 5:14 pm

    5 stars
    Just tried this for dinner as my husband looks for crunchy stuff when we eat out. I subbed flour for the breadcrumbs and needed a little extra water. Delicious. Probably loses crunch when stored, but he seems to be downing the extra cauliflower as he does dishes. I’ve asked for everyday vegan for my birthday, but am recommending it on blogs even before I get it. Is this recipe in the book?

    Reply
    • Richa says

      October 28, 2017 at 10:06 pm

      Yes this recipe is in the book. Its modified a bit for super runhy cauliflower bites that you can toss with various sauces like kung pao, orange, sweet and sour, firecracker and more. 🙂

      Reply
  16. Babs says

    November 9, 2017 at 2:46 pm

    5 stars
    I had saved this recipe some time ago and finally pulled it out and made it for supper. It is very tasty and I really enjoyed it immensely! The crunch and spice were great with that nice umami taste! I doubled the sauce since I served it with rice, but not much was to be had. However, it was more than enough to coat the cauliflower and if there were more sauce it would be too overpowering. It was a hit with my two grandsons, as well. They are not big on vegetables and trying yet another new dish was off-putting for them, but they did agree they liked it! 😉 Another recipe I will put on my “tried and true” list to make again!

    Reply
  17. Scotty says

    December 12, 2017 at 9:45 pm

    5 stars
    This was amazeballs! Thanks for the recipe!!! =)

    Reply
    • Richa says

      December 12, 2017 at 11:00 pm

      yay!

      Reply
  18. Anne K Meyer says

    January 19, 2018 at 7:32 am

    I have your book and want to try cauliflower. Is there another sauce I could use on the crunchy baked cauliflower?

    Reply
    • Richa says

      January 19, 2018 at 10:32 am

      yes you can use the sweet and sour sauce and orange sauce(for less heat), firecracker or buffalo sauces, manchurian sauce (so good), and even peanut sauce. lots of options inthe book

      Reply
  19. Sharon Herbitter says

    February 4, 2018 at 2:10 pm

    5 stars
    This might be my husband’s favorite recipe. Dipping the florets was a pain, though. Instead, I make the batter in a large bowl and just dump the raw cauliflower in it and stir it until each piece is coated. Works great and is so much faster and easier!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      February 4, 2018 at 5:43 pm

      Awesome!

      Reply
  20. Monique Heenan says

    March 16, 2018 at 8:07 am

    I made this using chunky peanut butter in the place of the peanuts. Sooo delicious!

    Reply
  21. Liana says

    May 15, 2018 at 3:48 pm

    5 stars
    Hi!
    This recipe is absolutely delicious!
    I made it with arrowroot starch instead of corn. I did add a 1/2 cup of water and reduced the amount of starch to get the same consistency as in the video.
    Such a clever recipe to batter the cauliflower. After baking it, it comes out perfectly! My husband and mother love this recipe!!

    Reply
  22. Janet says

    June 5, 2018 at 1:28 am

    5 stars
    This cauliflower recipe is AMAZING!!!! Sooooo delish! So many yummy flavors…I’ll be making this again and again!

    Reply
  23. Allie says

    June 10, 2018 at 4:00 pm

    5 stars
    I made this tonight and it was so good! I love the sauce. (Because I can’t handle very much heat, I skipped the chilies altogether and halved the chili flakes). I think I would probably halve the cayenne in the batter next time too. But I’m pretty wimpy. 🙂
    I had similar issue with the batter as some commentors above- it didn’t seem very thick but it didn’t really stick to the cauliflower and i ended up having to make a second batch. I was thinking next time I’ll try doing the dry bowl and wet bowl to make it more like a nugget coating and coat dry, wet and back to dry again. I’m thinking I might need to double the batter.
    The sauce was delish- I definitely want to to double that next time so I can really drizzle it on.
    This was so good. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. (I love that it was baked cauliflower too),

    Reply
  24. Adam says

    August 26, 2018 at 1:31 pm

    5 stars
    What a tasty recipe! I’m not usually a cauliflower person, but this is phenomenal! I made double batter and sauce, thinned the batter a tiny bit, and only dipped the floret heads in the batter. I had the perfect amount of batter for this method. This recipe is going in my regular cycle for sure. Thanks!

    Reply
  25. Donna C. says

    January 4, 2019 at 6:36 pm

    I have a peanut and tree nut allergy. Will the recipe be just as good without the nuts? Will any seed substitutions work?

    Reply
    • Richa says

      January 4, 2019 at 7:56 pm

      yes, try some sunflower seeds for the nutty flavor

      Reply
  26. Ida Moser says

    February 3, 2019 at 4:57 pm

    5 stars
    Fabulous recipe!! The sauce was perfect and same for the crispiness and flavors of cauliflower where I had batter. I had trouble making the breading adhere to the cauliflower uniformly. I used whole wheat Panko and I added extra water but it wasn’t runny. Any suggestions? I’d definitely prepare again but I’d like more uniform breading on the cauliflower. Thanks for all of your fabulous recipes. I have your cookbooks and I refer to those frequently!

    Reply
  27. Kennedy says

    February 4, 2019 at 4:17 pm

    5 stars
    SO DANG TASTY!! This was seriously amazing!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      February 4, 2019 at 11:25 pm

      awesome!

      Reply
  28. Nicole says

    June 22, 2019 at 10:23 am

    Recipe looks so good! I was wondering if it could possibly be prepared oil free?

    Reply
    • Richa says

      July 14, 2019 at 11:06 pm

      yes omit the oil from the batter + breading. Dry toast the nuts and the chilies and set aside. Then saute the garlic and rest in broth and add the chilies and cashews a bit later when adding the mixed sauce.

      Reply
  29. Jessica P says

    July 26, 2019 at 6:47 pm

    5 stars
    This will be a new staple. We used jalapeños for spice because we didn’t have the dried red chilies or Sichuan peppercorns and it still had a wonderful flavor. I needed quite a bit more water to make the batter thin enough to dip the cauliflower in. I also think our sauce was a little thicker so I would stir the cauliflower in the sauce to coat it instead of drizzling. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  30. Chaz says

    September 10, 2019 at 10:33 am

    This recipe turns out amazing but it is so much more confusing than it needs to be. Why are there two sauces, both called “sauce” in the instructions?

    Reply
  31. Jennifer says

    September 10, 2019 at 7:52 pm

    5 stars
    I made Kung Pao chicken for the carnivores in my family and made this version for me. It was very tasty. The cauliflower crisped up just enough in the oven. The paprika added some extra zing. I look forward to trying some of your other plant based recipes. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      September 10, 2019 at 8:11 pm

      awesome!

      Reply
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Hi, I'm Richa! I create flavorful plant based recipes that are inspired by my Indian upbringing, including many gluten-free, soy-free, and oil-free options. Read more about me and the blog...

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