Description
This Vegan Sticky Sesame Cauliflower recipe delivers crispy, battered cauliflower florets coated in a sweet, tangy, and spicy sesame sauce. Baked to perfection and tossed with a flavorful homemade sauce, it’s a healthy and delicious plant-based alternative for those craving something crunchy and savory with an Asian-inspired twist.
Ingredients
Scale
Batter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free baking flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup plant-based milk such as almond milk
Cauliflower
- 1 medium head cauliflower, around 6 cups florets
Sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tbsp Sriracha
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp ginger, freshly grated
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C (400°F) and line a baking tray with parchment paper for easy cleanup and to prevent sticking.
- Mix Batter: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, and plant-based milk until you achieve a smooth, lump-free batter.
- Prepare Cauliflower: Trim the cauliflower and chop it into bite-sized florets, approximately 6 cups in total, ready for battering.
- Batter Cauliflower: Dip each cauliflower floret fully into the batter, ensuring good coverage, then arrange them on the prepared baking tray.
- Bake Cauliflower: Bake the battered cauliflower in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until they become crispy and golden.
- Make Sauce: While cauliflower bakes, whisk together tomato paste, rice vinegar, tamari, maple syrup, and Sriracha to create the sauce base. In a separate small bowl, combine cornstarch and water to make a slurry.
- Cook Sauce: Heat sesame oil in a pan over medium heat, sauté diced onion, minced garlic, and freshly grated ginger until fragrant and translucent. Add the sauce base and cornstarch slurry to the pan, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens to a glossy consistency.
- Combine: Once the cauliflower is baked and crispy, toss the florets in the thickened sticky sesame sauce until evenly coated. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.
Notes
- You can substitute tamari with regular soy sauce for a more traditional flavor.
- For extra crispiness, consider broiling the baked cauliflower for an additional 2-3 minutes while watching closely.
- Use gluten-free flour and tamari to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Adjust Sriracha quantity to control the spice level according to your preference.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat in an oven or air fryer for best texture.
