Sweet-spicy-crunchy Gochujang Cauliflower can be served as an appetizer or an entree! Gochujang Cauliflower Wings make a perfect game day snack, or serve it over rice for a delicious, veggie dinner. Glutenfree Nutfree
This recipe has an amazing, spicy flavor and a crunchy texture without the need to deep fry. While you bake the cauliflower, prepare the sauce in a pan on the stove. Toss it all together, and enjoy!
If you’re not familiar with gochujang, it’s a fermented Korean red chili paste with a sweet and spicy flavor. It adds sweet heat and an umami flavor to all sorts of dishes and pairs perfectly with crunchy, baked cauliflower.
Why You’ll Love Gochujang Cauliflower
- Easy to make
- Baked, not fried
- Perfect, crunchy texture
- Full of flavor
- It’s naturally gluten-free
More Vegan Cauliflower Recipes:
Recipe Card
Gochujang Cauliflower Wings
Ingredients
For the Baked Cauliflower
- 1/2 cup (80 g) rice flour
- 3 tablespoons tapioca starch or cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- a good dash of black pepper
- 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) water
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 small (265 g) head of cauliflower chopped into equal-sized florets, about 4 cups
For the Gochujang Sauce
- 1/2 cup (136.5 g) gochujang, I use Mother-in-Law brand, use Glutenfree brand if needed . Use 1/4 to 1/3 cup for less heat
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce ,use tamari for gluten-free
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup of water
- green onion and sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
To Bake the Cauliflower
- Preheat the oven for 425° F/220° C. Line a baking sheet or baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients for the batter. Mix well, then add in the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
- Add in the cauliflower and toss to coat. The batter should be just thick enough so that it coats the cauliflower well, and it's going to be enough for the cauliflower. The batter keeps thickening as it sits, so you'll want to mix it in pretty quickly.
- Transfer the cauliflower florets to the lined baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes, or until cauliflower inside is cooked. Meanwhile, make your gochujang sauce.
To Make the Gochujang Sauce
- Add the gochujang, soy sauce, maple syrup, salt, and vinegar to a large skillet on medium heat and mix well.
- Mix the cornstarch in the 1/4 cup of water, and add to the simmering sauce mixture and mix well. Take off the heat as soon as the sauce thickens.
- Add your baked cauliflower to the skillet, and toss well to coat. Garnish with some green onion, or sesame seeds if you like. Serve with rice or noodles or in lettuce cups.
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients:
- cauliflower coating: we use rice flour, tapioca or corn starch, garlic powder, salt and pepper, water, oil, and sesame oil. Rice flour gives a nice crunchy coating. You can use all purpose flour as well but it won’t be as crunchy
- cauliflower cut into bite-sized florets
- gochujang sauce: a spicy Korean chili paste
- rest of the sauce ingredients: soy sauce, maple syrup, salt, rice or apple cider vinegar, and cornstarch mixed with water (to thicken)
Tips:
- Make sure you have your cauliflower ready to go before mixing the batter. The batter thickens quickly, so you want to toss the cauliflower into it immediately.
- When you spread the cauliflower onto the baking sheet, do it in a single layer, and try to make sure the wings aren’t touching each other.
How to Make Gochujang Cauliflower Wings:
First, cut the cauliflower into florets and gather your batter ingredients.
Mix the dry ingredients for the coating in a large bowl. That’s the rice flour, starch, garlic, salt, and pepper. Then, add the water and oils and mix until you have a smooth batter.
Toss in the cauliflower florets, mixing to coat them really well in the batter. The batter should be just thick enough so it coats the cauliflower well, and it’s going to be enough for the cauliflower. The batter keeps thickening as it sits, so you’ll want to mix it in pretty quickly.
Transfer the cauliflower to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in a single layer, making sure the florets are spread out and not touching each other. Bake at 425° F/220° C for 30 minutes.
While the cauliflower bakes, make the sweet-and-spicy gochujang sauce.
Add the gochujang, soy sauce, maple syrup, salt, and vinegar to a large skillet over medium heat and mix well.
When all of that is combined, mix the cornstarch in a quarter cup of water, then add that to the skillet, mixing again. As soon as the sauce thickens, remove the pan from the heat.
Add the baked cauliflower to the skillet, tossing to coat in that flavorful sauce.
garnish with green onions or sesame seeds, if you like. Serve with rice or noodles or in lettuce wraps
Storage and Reheating:
Store in a covered container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the oven at 350° F or in a pan on the stove. Do not microwave, because the breading will get mushy.
Jennifer Lovelett
Fantastic AND the leftover sauce was used to make a vegetable stir fry and sesame seed with air fryer crispy tofu.
Vegan Richa Support
glad you enjoyed!
Susan
This recipe is amazing. I made it to serve with your fantastic spicy peanut ramen [www.veganricha.com/spicy-peanut-butter-ramen]. It made more than I needed for the ramen, but we had no problem with the leftovers. The cauliflower was perfectly cooked, the texture from the coating was great, the sauce was perfect. I’ll be making this cauliflower again and again. Thanks for another fantastic recipe!
Richa
Awesome
Jennifer Lovelett
My head is spinning how good this is. The batter was a perfect, quality too. Typically so much waste. Sauce is fantastic. Personally a bit excessive but that’s a bonus for me. Tasted cauliflower before tossing in sauce. I have ideas to take this cauliflower technique further. Never cease to be amazed by your skill and palate.
Mahalo nui loa
Vegan Richa Support
🙂 thank you for being so kind!
Michelle
Honestly amazing!! I used 1tsp of harissa and Kale for my green. Wouldn’t change a thing.
Vegan Richa Support
yay! thank you!
Sue
Super easy and super delicious! My gochijang is very spicy, glad I reduced the amount I used. Thanks Richa.
Vegan Richa Support
yay!
Josee
Made this dish for supper tonight. It was absolutely delicious. Hubby thought it was the best asian meal I have made to date. Thanks for providing the recipe. 😋
Vegan Richa Support
thank YOU for making it!
judy bruett
do you use white rice flour or brown rice flour ? how does using all purpose flour change the texture or taste. Wondering if it is worth buying rice flour just for this recipe.
Richa
White rice flour. Taste will be similar, they won’t be as crisp. They will crisp when just baked so serve soon:)
Matt Lancaster
Honestly, one of the best recipes I’ve made in some time. I ate is last night, daydreamed about the leftovers all day, had an early dinner because I couldn’t wait, and sent several people the link. Just a fantastic dish.
Vegan Richa Support
yay, thank you!
Heidi
Is there a way to make this oil free?
Vegan Richa Support
omit the oil
Maneesha
Wow this looks great! If we do not have cauliflower, are there any other veggies we can substitute, or do you recommend cauliflower as the best veg to use for this recipe?
Vegan Richa Support
cauliflower is the best because it takes on the flavor so well, but you could probably use tofu as well!
Shashi C Ishai
Although all your recipes are delicious, I do have one consistent problem with many recipes. I have type I diabetes and need to inject myself with insulin before each meal. Items such as maple syrup, and other sweeteners raise my sugar quite high, despite the insulin coverage. Can I modify any of these recipes with other options?
Richa
What do you usually use for the seeet element in recipes ?
Bonnie
Studies now say erythritol 1:1 substitute can be used by diabetics, even better I think is xylitol.
MB
Great, quick dinner recipe – loved it with the cauliflower but will have to try with tofu as well. Sauce is the perfect consistency we enjoyed it with jasmine rice. Yummy!! Will definitely be making this again! Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
hooray! thank you!
Nora Paley
Looks good and I will make it tonight although I really am put off by constant comparisons to meat dishes in the copy. Calling them “Wings” actually makes me lose my appetite. If these are for vegans why continue with the meaty titles and comparisons ? I have never eaten wings and never wished to.
Vegan Richa Support
It helps some better understand what the recipe is and what it may be a good substitute for. Calling it baked cauliflower isn’t as helpful for some beginner vegans as calling the recipe by its meat comparison. I hope this helps!