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

Chop the cauliflower into similar size florets. Mix the dry ingredients for the batter in a large bowl. Add water and mix to make a smooth batter.

Add florets to the batter and toss well to coat.

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.

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