This Sticky sesame cauliflower tastes just like the sticky sesame chicken from your preferred Chinese takeout place, but totally healthy and vegetarian (and way tasty!!).
This sticky sesame crispy cauliflower bites in batter and oven-baked or air fried to perfection, then smeared in a sticky, spicy & sweet Asian sauce. They make a delicious vegan side dish or meal when paired with rice or noodles.
Sticky Sesame Cauliflower
Cauliflower has been trending for the last couple of years on the internet because of its versatile nature. The Internet is packed with fantastic cauliflower recipes, and my air fryer cauliflower and Crispy buffalo cauliflower are just a few of what’s out there. Anything is possible with cauliflower; you can turn any chicken recipe into a vegan version with these cauliflowers.
If you want to create a homemade vegetarian version of sticky sesame chicken, then you must try this sticky sesame cauliflower recipe. It tastes way better than those Chinese takeouts and is super crispy and sticky on the outside and fork-tender on the inside. They are way healthier, easy to whip up any day and make an excellent vegan side dish with a bed of rice.
Ingredients for Sticky sesame cauliflower
(full ingredient amount in the recipe card below)
For the cauliflower
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- Cauliflower: ½ a head of cauliflower, broken or cut into pieces. You can also use frozen cauliflower florets.
- Milk: Plant-based milk (for the vegan version) or low-fat milk.
- Flour: I have used cornflour; it helps to give extra crispiness to the cauliflower bites. However, you may use any flour.
- Salt & pepper: Do not use much salt, as the sticky Asian sauce may have a more salty flavor because of soy sauce.
Homemade Asian sticky sauce
- Soy sauce or tamari: You may use any liquid amino. Gluten-free option: Use certified gluten-free soy sauce or tamari.
- Vegetable stock: you can use the store-bought or leftover vegetable stock, or 1 cup of water will also do the work
- Vinegar: apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar is the best option for this recipe. However, the rice vinegar gives the sauce a slight hint of sweetness and a very subtle flavor.
- Sesame oil is a must ingredient for the Asian sauce; it is bold and gives the delicious sesame flavor to the sticky sauce.
- Any sweetener: brown sugar or maple syrup, or coconut sugar
- Cornstarch or Cornflour: To thicken the sticky sauce.
How to make sticky sesame cauliflower
How to bake cauliflower
- Cut the cauliflower- into florets, toss the pieces with extra virgin oil, and seasoning of your preference, or you can follow the spices listed in the recipe card.
- Then dip the cauliflower florets in the batter, then flour or panko bread crumbs.
- Spread the cauliflower in an even layer on a baking pan or sheet.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes at 350°F.
- Make sure to flip the cauliflower during the baking process to ensure it cooks thoroughly.
Air fryer cauliflower bites
Cooking crispy cauliflower for sticky sesame cauliflower in an air fryer is way easier and quicker than roasting it in the oven. Though roasting in an air fryer and an oven is quite similar, only the air fryer is faster than the oven, and yes, it uses a lot less oil than the oven recipes. Click here for the detailed recipe.
- Cut the cauliflower into medium to small-sized florets.
- Place all the ingredients and toss the cauliflower with seasoning and olive oil. Stir until everything is combined properly.
- Place the cauliflower florets on the air fryer basket; make sure you do not overcrowd the air fryer basket.
- Shake the basket midway for even cooking, and fry until fork tender.
Start prepping the sticky sauce while the cauliflower is baking or air frying. Place all the Asian sauce ingredients (except the cornstarch) into a small saucepan and heat over low to medium flame. Stir it and let it simmer for a few minutes; add the cornstarch slurry and allow to thicken it further. Once the cauliflower is evenly browned and crispy from the outside, transfer it to a deep mixing bowl, add the homemade Asian sauce, and gently mix until the cauliflower is fully coated. Enjoy it warm!
Tips to make the best sticky cauliflower
- Do not overcrowd the baking pan sheets; using two large sheet pans for baking the cauliflower is better. The cauliflower bites may get soggy if baked in an overcrowded baking pan.
- Timing may differ for the different oven and air fryer models. The cauliflower is baked or fried when it becomes golden brown on the outside.
- For better and crisper results, cut the cauliflower pieces into equal sizes. This helps to get the cauliflower to cook evenly.
- To make this recipe Gluten-free: Replace the regular flour with certified gluten-free flour and use tamari instead of soy sauce.
- When you combine the sticky sauce and the baked cauliflower, the cauliflower may get a bit less crispy. To avoid this, you may serve the sauce and the cauliflower separately. Or combine the sauce just before serving it.
- You can easily double or half this recipe.
More Cauliflower Recipes:
- Crispy cauliflower
- Buffalo cauliflower (air fryer & Oven)
- Cauliflower Curry