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
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
Sticky Sesame Cauliflower Recipe (Gluten free Vegan)
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!
Janine
Tasty. I was craving an Asian sweet and sour/spicy dish and this filled the craving. Next time I will cook the last bit in the airfryer to try to crisp it up.
Vegan Richa Support
perfect – good idea
Stef
This recipe is so incredible!! It truly tasted like sesame chicken you would get in a fancy restaurant but the fact it is meat-free and made with healthy ingredients makes it that much better. I used the following substitutions/adjustments and I will do it the same next time! I swapped cornstarch with arrowroot powder, swapped rice flour with cassava flour, swapped tamari with coconut aminos, and cut down the maple syrup to 1/4 cup instead and it was just the right amount of sweetness for me and my husband! I also used 2 parts honey 1 part maple syrup which makes it not vegan but we enjoy the flavor of honey in this.
Vegan Richa Support
sounds amazing, thank you
Serra
This was delicious!! I doubled the recipe and instead of a second head of cauliflower, I added a block of cubed tofu! Turned out great and we loved it, over a bed of rice!
Vegan Richa Support
woo hoo!! sounds delish
Sam
I’ve made this a bunch of times and it does not disappoint. I omitted sesame seeds and swapped avocado oil since my daughter is allergic to sesame. It’s still amazing!
Vegan Richa Support
sounds great Sam
Laura
Delicious! I ran out of soy sauce, so I used amino acids instead. I also added a tablespoon of chili flakes, because I like it hot. This recipe is a keeper!
Vegan Richa Support
love chili flakes!!!!!
Deniz
I think its too salty
Richa
Might be the brand of the soy sauce? I use low sodium soy sauce.
Ang
Oh dear, my husband said he couldn’t wait to be finished lol! I tried. Umm its pretty salty love. I had to add additional sweet& sour sauce over it to balance with sweet.
Soy sauce is salty. Sooooo probably no more salt needed in recipe. But sugar yes i think. Good job at presenting the recipe and taking the time to post it. I was honestly very excited to make it. Perhaps a different type of soy sauce as a suggestion could be in the recipe orrr um less soysauce, more water and more sugar. Thankyou.
Richa
I use low sodium soy sauce .that probably is less salty hence the measure accordingly. Use 1 tbsp less as you can add more later if needed. Brands sometimes vary as well.
Lindsey
SO good. My husband said it’s the best vegan dish he’s ever had. My kids loved it too! Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
wow! thank YOU
Mildred
This recipe came out delicious! Love it!
Vegan Richa Support
hooray 😃
Andra Kinlaw
THIS was cauliflower heaven! Even my picky teens gobbled it up. I used tapioca flour vs rice flour and it was crispy perfection. Also used Coconut aminos vs tamari and just delicious!
Vegan Richa Support
like cauliflower clouds of heaven!
Ezmi
Too much ginger, too salty, not crispy.
Thought I’d try baked and not fried for a healthier version but this didn’t work at all.
Crispy until the sauce went on, then just a soggy, sticky, mess even with the extra 15 minutes in the oven after coating.
Was rightly skeptical about this.
The sauce was sooooo salty from the soy (I even used light soy) and there was way too much fresh ginger in this recipe.
I love ginger in Asian food but not when it takes over. I should have gone with my instincts – reduced the soy, only add one tsp of fresh ginger.
Richa
I am sorry it didn’t work out for you. Several 100s of people have made this with success. You can reduce the ginger and soy to preference. The crisp coating unfortunately will soften in time because of the moisture from both the sauce and the cauliflower. I like to bake them longer the first time to crisp them up really well and do a quick bake and serve immediately. Did you use rice flour for the batter? You can make the batter thicker and also toss the cauliflower in breadcrumbs for extra crispy ness.
Florencia
The colifllower is in the oven, but I can say that the sause is DELISH
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome!! Do leave a rating too!
Nancy Knapp
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.
Vegan Richa Support
yum!
Moriah
haven’t tried the recipe yet because i don’t have maple syrup or honey. how would i replace with brown sugar or another sugar? can’t wait to try it, thank you for sharing!
Vegan Richa Support
you could . just whisk well until it’s dissolved
Melissa
Omg this was incredible!!! I didn’t change a thing except used both cauliflower & broccoli. Served with a cup of basmati rice and a vegetable egg roll and I’m very satiated! This one’s going in the rotation for sure. Thanks for another great recipe!
Mackenzie
I’m 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.
Vegan Richa Support
welcome back !
Kate D.
To quote the boyfriend: “This is great,” “This is really good,” “This sauce is great,” “This tastes like restaurant food.”
Cauliflower didn’t get crispy – maybe used too much batter? Had to use cake flour instead of rice flour, don’t 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.
Vegan Richa Support
good to hear
Diana
Can I pre make the sauce 2 days ahead?
Vegan Richa Support
yes, it will keep in the fridge no problem
Amanda Harumi
This is soo good! Wanna try this with rehydrated soy curls or something else next time!
Vegan Richa Support
great idea
Bess
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 don’t want to deep fry them. What do you think?
Vegan Richa Support
good idea it would work excellent
Bess Hochstein
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!
Vegan Richa Support
good for you for trying!
Emi
This is so delicious. I made extra, but my family ate whole thing! We are a big fan of Vegan Richa.
Mark
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.
Vegan Richa Support
wow nice methods
Julie
Shut the front door!! This is amazing! I will be making this again very soon.
Laura
Great recipe! I substituted honey because I was out of maple syrup–worked great. I would maybe reduce the amount slightly, as it was on the sweeter side. Also substituted all purpose flour and it worked great. Sauced the cauliflower and threw them back in the oven for 10 minutes. Served with rice and edamame, like someone had suggested. Tasty meal, loved it!
Vegan Richa Support
thanks for popping in ♡
Pam Bee
Another great recipe! It was easy to make and so delicious. Thanks so much!
HannaM
Best quarantine recipe I’ve found! It has become a staple in my house. So delicious, and not too hard to make! I sometimes add tofu for protein, and tomorrow I’m going to try adding chickpeas to see how it goes.
Vegan Richa Support
thank you! that’s so good to hear
Miranda
I love this recipe and have made it many times! My only recommendation is to start with baking the cauliflower and then make the sauce while the cauli is baking.
Allison
This was sooo delicious!!!
Allison
can I sub the rice flour for all purpose flour?
Richa
Yes.
Bez
Simple and delicious 💞
Vegan Richa Support
So glad you enjoyed this! Thanks for stopping by!
Bella
I was sceptical when I tasted the batter as it was soo floury raw but cooked it was amazing! Only batter I’ve tried that gets and stays crispy from baking and not deep frying!
Used about half or a quarter of the syrup though but that’s very individual 🙂
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome!
Ryon
This recipe was great! I used white whole wheat flour instead of rice flour, and added shelled edamame and quinoa to turn it into a balanced meal.
Dena
Wonderful flavors! Cannot wait to make it again!
Katrina
Could I use glutinous rice flour? And if so would I still use the starch?
Vegan Richa Support
not for frying/ batters. glutinous rice flour will give a sticky texture..you cant deep fry the batter but its normally used to make sweet desserts
Becky
can this be made ahead then cooked again to finish it?
Vegan Richa Support
Yes I recommend preparing the cauliflower and waiting for the next time to bake it with the sauce
Jen
Excellent recipe – loads of flavours. Easy and quick – perfect for busy weeknights. I had tried various similar recipe but nothing compared to this winner. Great job!
Richa
❤️❤️
Callie
This is a great recipe. I am not a very experienced cook, but this recipe was easy to follow and delicious. I look forward to making it again and again!
Richa
Awesome
Jeff
Really good flavor, love the blog in general and have done 4-5 recipes including this one which was a hit around the table.
One question if you have the time. It seemed my sauce kept separating and never gotta that stickiness I was looking for, you know what that might be? Maybe I skipped the boiling step? Or the oil/water? I added cornstarch and that didn’t seem to make a difference.
Thanks again!
Richa
Did you boil to thicken the sauce?
Jeff
I *recall* doing that step, but doesn’t mean it actually happened. 🙂 Really appreciate your quick response and all of your recipes!
Richa
The oil kind of stays separate until it boils and thickens. Just cook a bit longer
Lauren
So looking forward to making this, in fact about to now! But is there anything I could replace the cornstarch/tapioca with as I don’t have either in right now. Xx
Richa
If you are using rice flour then you need the starch. Else use just all purpose
Senecea
I made this dish earlier this afternoon and it’s absolutely delicious! Next time, I believe I’ll make it with Soy Curls, the sauce and batter are SO GOOD!
Thank you so much for your recipes, they’re easy to follow and the flavors are amazing!
Vegan Richa Support
Music to my ears, thank you!
Erin
This is an excellent and easy recipe that we go back to again and again.
Vegan Richa Support
I’m so happy you liked it!!
April
This is an excellent recipe. I’ve made it before and just made it again yesterday. It’s delicious and I wouldn’t change a thing!!!!
P.S. My omnivore bf loved it so much that he used your recipe with chicken instead of cauliflower. I feel like he’s broken some kind of unwritten rule by doing this. It’s quite unsettling to say the least.
Vegan Richa Support
i’m glad you wouldn’t change a thing =)