Black Pepper Cauliflower

This easy recipe for Black Pepper Cauliflower is a vegan spin on black pepper chicken. Bake the cauliflower, make the sweet and spicy pepper sauce, combine and your meal is ready. Nut-free & glutenfree!

Craving takeout? Make Black Pepper Cauliflower! Ever since  General Tso Cauliflower and Cauliflower Wings recipes became viral on social media, we all know that cauliflower is a fantastic veggie to carry all these delicious sweet and sticky sauces we love and usually get delivered from our local takeout favorite.

This recipe for Black Pepper Cauliflower is a new favorite and a vegan spin on black pepper chicken. Bake, make the sauce, combine and yummy! Your meal is ready.

Unlike many other cauliflower recipes, this one does not require frying. We simply toss the cauliflower florets in cornstarch and some spices – freshly ground black pepper obviously being the most important one – then bake them.

While the cauliflower bakes we make our spicy, sticky sauce, then toss everything together.

For the sauce, we rely on the magic sweet-salty combination of soy sauce and maple syrup along with white pepper, ginger and red chili for a bit of heat. You will love the combination of spicy, sweet and salty in this dish.

I like to add some chopped celery stalks for some fresh crunch.

You can serve the Black Pepper Cauliflower as is, or with rice, or as a topping for bowls or as a filling for lettuce wraps.  Any way you serve it up will be delicious.

More cauliflower dishes:

Baked Gobi Manchurian; Cauliflower Manchurian

Sticky Sesame Cauliflower

Bbq Cauliflower Wings

 Nashville Hot Cauliflower Bites

Spicy Baked Cauliflower Bites with Celery Ranch. 

Black Pepper Cauliflower

5 from 44 votes

By: Vegan Richa

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 40 minutes mins

Total: 50 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Indian

SaveSaved Pin Print

This easy recipe for Black Pepper Cauliflower is a new favorite and a vegan spin on black pepper chicken. Bake the cauliflower, make the sweet and spicy sauce, combine and your meal is ready. Nut-free & glutenfree! 

Save this recipe!

Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

Save Recipe

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 heaping cups cauliflower florets, , a small head of cauliflower

For the marinade:

• ▢ 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or use tamari for gluten-free
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ketchup
• ▢ 2 teaspoons oil
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 2-3 tablespoons cornstarch, or use tapioca starch

For the sauce:

• ▢ 1 teaspoon oil
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1/2 inch ginger minced
• ▢ 2 dried red chilies, , such as cayenne, or use California red for less heat or use Chinese, Indian or Thai for spicier
• ▢ 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• ▢ 3/4 cup chopped celery
• ▢ 2 tablespoon soy sauce, or use tamari for gluten-free
• ▢ 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon or more freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• ▢ 1.5 teaspoons cornstarch, or use tapioca starch
• ▢ 1/2 cup water
• ▢ Green onion and sesame seeds, for garnish

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Chop up the cauliflower into small to medium size florets and add to a large bowl.
• In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, ketchup, oil, salt, garlic powder and black pepper. Pour the mixture over the cauliflower and toss to coat really well(toss for half a minute). Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cornstarch over the cauliflower and toss again until all the cauliflower florets are coated.
• If there’s any sauce in the bowl then add some more cornstarch. The cauliflower florets should not be wet and also should not have any dry patches of cornstarch.
• Once all the cauliflower florets are evenly coated, transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread them around so they are not touching each other.
• Bake at 400ºF (200ºC) for 24-28 minutes. Check at the 24-minute mark if the cauliflower florets are done, otherwise bake for 5 more minutes or so.
• Meanwhile make the sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and once the oil is hot add the garlic, ginger and dried red chilies and stir for a few seconds. Then add in the onion, celery and a good pinch of salt. Mix really well and cook until the onion just starts to turn translucent.
• Then add in the soy sauce, maple syrup, black and white pepper and mix in. Mix the cornstarch in the 1/2 cup of water. Then pour that mixture into the pan and mix well. Once the sauce comes to a boil and thickens, switch off the heat.
• Take the cauliflower out of the oven and add to the sauce. Toss to coat really well. Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds and serve as it is or with rice or quinoa.
• Store refrigerated in a closed container for upto 3 days.

  This makes a light dinner as is over rice or a side salad. For heartier meal, serve over quinoa or replace half the cauliflower with tofu  to make black pepper cauliflower tofu.

Video

Notes

• This recipe is nut-free, gluten-free(with tamari) 
• To make it without cornstarch use another starch such as tapioca starch or potato starch.
• Dried red chilies substitute, use 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
• For added heat, break the red chilies into half
• Oilfree: omit from cauliflower, add 1-2 teaspoons aquafaba or broth instead. For the sauce, sauté in 2-3 tbsp broth and proceed

Nutrition

Calories: 108kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 0.4g, Sodium: 632mg, Potassium: 441mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 309IU, Vitamin C: 71mg, Calcium: 48mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Ingredients:

• cauliflower florets – a small head of cauliflower makes enough
• the cauliflower is seasoned with  soy sauce, ketchup, and oil as well as garlic powder and ground black pepper
• cornstarch helps turn the dry and liquid seasoning ingredients into a breading that coats the cauliflower
• For the sauce we sautee ginger, garlic and chili
• veggies:  red onion and celery provide some crunch
• soy sauce and maple syrup are added to achieve that sweet and salty
• black pepper and white pepper are added for heat
• a cornstarch slurry helps thicken the sauce
• garnish: Green onion and sesame seeds

Tips:

• This recipe is nut-free and gluten-free.
• To make it without cornstarch use another starch such as tapioca starch or potato starch.
• If you don’t have dried red chilies, add 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
• for the chilies, you can use California red for less heat or use Chinese, Indian or Thai for spicier

How to make Black Pepper Cauliflower

Chop up the cauliflower into small to medium size florets and add to a large bowl.

In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, ketchup, oil, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Pour the mixture over the cauliflower and toss to coat really well.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cornstarch over the cauliflower and toss again until all the cauliflower florets are coated.

If there’s any sauce in the bowl then add some more cornstarch. The cauliflower florets should not be wet but also should not have any dry patches of cornstarch.

Once all the cauliflower florets are evenly coated, transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread them around so they are not touching each other.

Bake at 400ºF (200ºC) for 24- 28 minutes. Check at the 24 minute mark if the cauliflower florets are done, otherwise bake for 5 more minutes or so.

Meanwhile make the sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and once the oil is hot add the garlic, ginger and dried red chilies and stir for a few seconds then add in the onion, celery and a good pinch of salt.

Mix really well and cook until the onion just starts to turn translucent. Then add in the soy sauce, maple syrup, black and white pepper and mix in. Mix the cornstarch in the 1/2 cup of water. Then pour that mixture into the pan and mix well. Once the sauce comes to a boil, switch off the heat.

Take the cauliflower out of the oven and add  to the sauce. Toss to coat really well.

Garnish with some green onion and sesame seeds and serve as it is or with some rice or quinoa for added protein.

This makes a light dinner as is over rice or a side salad. For heartier meal, serve over quinoa or replace half the cauliflower with tofu  to make black pepper cauliflower tofu.

Store refrigerated for upto 3 days.