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!
Linda
I made this tonight and it was amazing! I will definitely make this one again. Thank you
Vegan Richa Support
Great news. Thank you kindly.
Danielle Robert
O.M.G. This was fantastic! <3 Takes like General Tsao chicken but with cauli. Definitely will make this again.
Amanda
This is wonderful. We absolutely loved this recipe!
I am following an AIP diet, therefore I made a couple small changes. I used cassava flour instead of rice, by doing this I needed to add more water to achieve a batter consistency. Also instead of vinegar I used lime, and chili flakes to replace sriracha. Lastly I opted for tapioca flour over corn starch and coconut aminos for soy sauce.
I’m not a big fan of cauliflower, but prepared like this I could eat it all day long! Best cauliflower ever! I can’t wait to make it again.
Vegan Richa Support
Excellent! I’m so glad this worked for you, thanks for stopping by!
Maia
Richa,
You never disappoint in your recipes. I’ve made General Tso cauliflower from another vegan website and while it was good, this was so much better. I think the rice flour made a huge difference. It wasn’t gummy, easy to mix, and coat the cauliflower florets. Also this recipe took less time and the flavor was fantastic. Based on the reviews of this recipe I chose to take a chance and triple the recipe and was so happy how much all of us in our family loved this recipe. This recipe will be a staple in our lives. Thank you again!
Richa
Awesome
loz
hi there, this recipe looks delicious. Just wondering would it be possible to swap out the maple syrup for golden syrup or is there a better substitution? thanks!
Vegan Richa Support
I don’t see why not. that would be perfect
Anna
This sauce is amazing I make it at least once a week! It’s so simple and so delicious. Thank you 🙂
Vegan Richa Support
wowza! it’s on the regular rotation. thanks a million!!
Dana
This was delicious and exactly the flavor I was looking for. The only thing I would do differently is make sure I have low sodium soy sauce/tamari next time. I had to use regular soy sauce because that was all I had and it was borderline too salty, but still delicious! We served it with quinoa. This will definitely go into our regular rotation.
Vegan Richa Support
Thank you Dana <3 Next time you could decrease the soy a little and increase the water a little bit without tamari.
Susan Finnis
Absolutely fantastic! This was easy to make with clear instructions. My husband and I ate the whole lot for dinner- all 4 servings
Vegan Richa Support
perfect – wow! 😆
Samta
This recipe is easy and tasty. I have made it a few times and it’s a hit every time.
Vegan Richa Support
awesome. can’t beat that. thank you for the amazing 5 star rating!
Dana
Definitely a keeper! Soo good 🙂 It felt like I had just ordered some chineses take away!
Mindy
Hi. Trying this for the first time tonight. Read the recipe many times. Realized you forgot to say “add sriracha” in the sauce mixture. It’s listed as an ingredient and shown in the video but not mentioned in the instructions. Just wanted you to know.
Vegan Richa Support
thanks Mindy
Sue
Thanks for this recipe. Unfortunately it was much too sweet for my preference. Also, I didn’t feel the extra work of battering and baking really made a difference to the crispness of the cauliflower (I followed the twice-baked instructions). I have enjoyed your other recipes and will continue to experiment!
Amna
This was ridiculously good and easy. Oh my god. My taste buds cannot believe what they just had! I didn’t have Sriracha so I didn’t use it. It didn’t make a difference to me as I like my food mild anyway. I’ll be making this again and again. Yum!
aman_kochar
What’s a good substitute for rice flour?
Vegan Richa Support
if you are ok with gluten, then use regular all purpose flour
Sam
Excellent! Crispy and tastes great. You have to really get the batter all over the cauliflower and into the crevices otherwise the batter will fall off. But even then, the crunchy pieces of flour cook and taste great once cooked. My daughter has a sesame allergy so I used sunflower oil and skipped the sesame seeds, but it still tasted delicious. Thanks for another great recipe!
Priya Shah
I’m really looking forward to making this today but only have corn flour not cornstarch, and no tapioca starch or other options available. What would recommend I use instead please?
Vegan Richa Support
no problem – you can use the corn flour or regular flour, arrowroot, potato starch, or rice flour would work.
Priya Shah
Hi Richa, thank you for your reply.
I used regular plain flour (or all purpose as Americans call it) and it worked but I didn’t like the consistency that much. I think I’ll give corn flour or add rice flour next time.
Tasted lovely though – would like to try it with tofu too next time!
I like I lot of your record and have 2 of your books too.. thanks so much for providing so many recipes for free on your website.
Richa
Thanks for getting the books! Rice flour def gives a better texture than all purpose which can tend to get gummy.
Jess
Super delicious! I used regular flour and worked out great!
Thank you for another winner Richa!
Jenna Nelson
Will brown rice flour work for the rice flour?
Melanie
Hi! Thank you so much to sharing this recipe! I’m looking forward to trying this, however, I could not help to stop and wonder about the listed caloric amount per serving. Is it in ‘kcal’ or ‘cal?’ One part mentions it is 229kcal (which is well over 200,000cal) and under the Nutrition Facts, it mentions it is 229 calories. Please make it clear how many calories per serving this recipe calls for. I would greatly appreciate it!
Vegan Richa Support
your welcome! each serving is 229 calories. kcal and cal are essentially the same just different abbreviations.
Sarit
Hey Richa!
Any other GF suggestions as a substitute for rice flour? I have buckwheat or almond flour. Would either of these work?
I was hoping to make rice flour in my vitamix but I realize I only have jasmine rice!
Thanks,
Sarit
Vegan Richa Support
buckwheat or almond will not work but cassava will.
Brodie
These look amazing!!
Do you think I can swap out tapioca starch for corn flour?? 😬
Richa
Yes
Lauren
Wonderful! I subbed all purpose flour for rice flour and it was still nice and crunchy. The sauce was delicious and think and yummy. Great recipe! Thanks!
Laura
Unfortunately I tried this last night, and had a bit of a fail. The flavor was DELICIOUS, but the cauliflower was extremely soggy. The first hiccup I had was that the batter to coat the cauliflower did largely end up pooling under the cauliflower during baking. (Is there a way to make it stick better to the cauliflower?) After the first bake, I had to pick up each floret by hand and tear the excess, rubbery pools of cornstarch blend away. The cauliflower was downright soggy, and I had used slightly smaller florets than you show in your pictures. After glazing and baking for the additional 10 min, they were still so soggy that I attempted to bake them for another 10 min, which resulted in many pieces catching and having blackened tips.
I’m determined to keep trying until I get this right and hoping you can help guide me. In the substitutions area, you mention substituting rice flour for half all-purpose flour and half starch. I used 1/4c flour and 1/4c cornstarch. Then still put the 3 additional tbsp cornstarch in as well. Did I misinterpret your substitution advice and overdo the cornstarch? I don’t know what else I could have done wrong. Please help!
Richa
oh no! the batter works really welel with rice flour for thick batter that bakes crispy. With all purpose flour, you might need to add enough tomake a batter that doesnt flow off. flour can sometimes be too fluffed up so measuring might actually give you less flour. in any case, add more flour until the batter is thick and that should help. once baked, you can keep the baked florets and sauce separate until ready to serve for less soggy result
Pam
This was so good. I subbed cassava for rice flour since what I had and was still really yummy. Definitely making this again.
Sandi
Very nice crispy texture to the cauliflower; the sauce was so tasty and easy to make. We ate much of the baked cauliflower before I could coat it with the sauce, so I added the remaining sauce to firm tofu. All amazing! Thank you!
Richa
awesome
Bri
So tasty! My non vegan mom loved it.
Richa
yay
Spencer W
Both the floury batter and the sticky glaze melted off onto the tray for me. I used the exact ingredient quantities. How thick do they need to be?
Richa
hmm maybe something happened in the measuring or mixing? add a bit more flour to the batter. And a bit more starch to the glaze for thickening, or alternatively, bake the battered cauliflower longer until crisp andjust toss in the glaze pan to serve
Spencer W
OK thanks. It could have been I just didn’t know how long to let it thicken or how thick it was supposed to be but it was very tasty so I’ll definitely try it again 🙂
Blue
This was INCREDIBLE! I am a Chinese food junkie and this was the perfect replacement for some of my faves! Because the recipe came from YOU, I already knew it was going to be amazing, so I doubled it. The only thing I did differently was to throw some of the golden cauli nuggets into the air fryer after the 30 minute bake time to really crisp them up before adding the delectable sauce- WOWSA! Thank you so much for what you do. You have no idea how impactful you have been to my plant-based transition and journey!
Richa
awesome!
Lia
WOW! This is absolutely delicious. I’m eating as I type – we can’t stop saying how good this is. Thank you so much for this recipe! This is the second recipe of yours that I made this week – the first was the PB&J baked oatmeal and that was SO good, too!
Richa
Thanks!
Lisa McLean
Oh myyyyy goodness this is delicious!!!!
Thank you Richa x
Laura Gray
This was amazing! I didn’t have fresh cauliflower so I used a bag of frozen that I cooked for 4 minutes in the microwave. Then I drained and followed the rest of the directions. It didn’t brown when I baked it but once that delicious sauce was on it — who cares! I also made it without oil so that brought the calories down significantly. Thanks for this great recipe!
Richa
great!
Maneesha
Absolutely delicious! I added sriracha to the sauce, turned out so divine! Thank you, Richa!
Richa
awesome!
Susan
Can this be made without oil?
Richa
yes, omit it from the sauce and from the batter.
Kelly
This was very good, but not one of your Knock-it-out-of-the-park recipes, in my opinion. Still tasty, though! If I make it again, I will double the sticky sauce to give it more flavor. We added some roasted cashews on top and that was yummy.
Richa
No probs! adjust away to personal preference! My florets might have been smaller, also brands of sauces vary in flavor, so that might affect it too.
Virginia Gross
Outstanding flavors and ease of prep. Seriously one of the tastiest treats I’ve made in awhile. Very addicting with its sweet, salty, savory stickiness.
Richa
Thanks!
Lorna
Sure it’s amazing and really hoping to try this, but can you sub sesame seed oil for another? Sesame seed allergy but I’m OK with other nuts and seeds if that helps.
Richa
just omit it, use neutral oil, add more of the other flavors like garlic, soy etc
Lena Müller
This is so good! Thank you Richa, I love your recipes.
Richa
Thanks!
Bob
It says to add corn starch slurry. What’s corn starch slurry? Was I supposed to mix the corn starch with the water at some point?
Richa
Yes mix the cornstarch withthe water to combine and then add that. Updated the instructions.
Nic
Delicious! Not too sweet, with a spicy kick!! It was great over rice! I will try the lettuce wraps next time. 😋
gloria
What can I substitute for rice flour? Small-town living limits the items I can buy at the grocery store.
Richa
if you are ok with gluten, then use regular all purpose flour
Puja
Could wheat flour also work?
Richa
It makes the batter too doughy and chewy
Mush
Amazing delish and better than chicken!
Astrid
Made this today and it was a big hit! Thank you for this recipe. I will definitely be making this again!
Richa
yay!
jk
made this twice already, came out great!
Richa
yay!
Suleika
These were sooo good..!! I am certainly gonna make these again!
Richa
Awesome!
Bel
Made this for my family and everyone loved it! Thanks for the recipe!
Richa
yay!
Logan "Rattleheade" Cadwallader
Wonderful recipe! So very easy to make and enjoyable to eat. I have been looking for something to go along side my various Asian Rice dishes for some time. Now I have one that I will make time after time. Oh by the way my Wife took some to work, then shared with her Co-worker, and then I was asked to share this recipe with her. Definitely a Hit. Thank you so much for this.
Richa
awesome!
Laura
We loved this so much I’ve now made it two nights in a row. Also started experimenting – the second night I added some tomato sauce and a bit more soya sauce. Really excellent stuff!
Richa
yay!
Louis
This was excellent. I added a little cayenne pepper to the dry mixture for the coating and twice the powdered garlic. Nice and spicy.
Richa
awesome!
RUTH
And to think that I just wasted a head of cauliflower on a roasted veg/lemon/orzo salad! Kidding. But, I now wish I had a head to try this out. Sounds WONDERFUL! I miss the flavors of Gen. Tso’s Chicken – this sounds like it might scratch that itch! Maybe add some seitan….. Thanks!
Richa
yes this is close to general tsos
Jean
I’m already planning on when to make this again. It was easy and absolutely delicious !!!! I wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you Richa!
Vegan Richa Support
thank YOU! awesome, awesome, awesome
Sue
Yum. Can’t wait to make these! Thanks Richa!
Richa
thanks Sue!