This takeout-inspired Sesame Cauliflower tosses crispy baked cauliflower in the best sticky, tangy, and sweet sesame sauce. Serve it over rice for an amazing appetizer, lunch, or dinner!
Want even more finger-licking good vegan cauliflower recipes? You’ll have to try this Orange Cauliflower, these Buffalo Cauliflower Wings, and this Easy Bang Bang Cauliflower!
My family eats at Veggie Grill way too often, but I can’t get enough of their crispy glazed cauliflower appetizer. My Sticky Sesame Cauliflower recipe is like a lighter, baked version of both my favorite appetizer and Chinese takeout sesame chicken. It has the same crispy crunch and sticky-sweet sesame goodness in every bite.
I love to pile the sticky cauliflower over a bed of rice for easy dinners, but it’s just as amazing served as a crispy party appetizer with the sesame sauce on the side for dipping. If your family is anything like mine, this recipe will be an instant hit!
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“I’ve made this more than 20 times. It is a weekly go to and a family favorite. Super easy and so delicious!” – Sarah
Why you’ll love this sticky sesame cauliflower
- A family favorite – Even my kids go crazy for this cauliflower! It’s such a hit that I pretty much make it for dinner at least once a week now. And my kids are NOT adventurous eaters, so this is saying lot!
- The best sesame sauce – Just like my popular Sesame Tofu, this recipe coats cauliflower in a finger-licking good sweet, tangy, and savory sesame sauce.
- Baked (not fried) comfort food – Baking the battered cauliflower florets puts a lighter spin on the takeout classic without losing any of the crunch. You can air fry the cauliflower, too!
How to make sesame cauliflower
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Batter and bake the cauliflower: Whisk the flour, cornstarch, salt, and water together until smooth. Coat the cauliflower florets in the batter, then place them on a prepared baking sheet.
Spray the cauliflower with oil, then bake it until crispy, flipping halfway through. Set aside.
Bake on two sheet pans
It’s best to bake the florets on two large sheet pans. If you try to crowd them all on one pan, they won’t get as crispy.
Make the sesame sauce: Meanwhile, add the soy sauce, agave, rice vinegar, garlic, Sriracha, and ginger to a saucepan.
Heat the sauce to a boil. Pour in the cornstarch slurry and whisk constantly until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil.
Add the crispy baked cauliflower to the pot with the sesame sauce and stir to coat.
Serve the sesame cauliflower over a bed of rice and garnish with sesame seeds and/or chopped green onions. Enjoy!
Keep the cauliflower crispy
Tossing the baked cauliflower in the sesame sauce will cause it to lose its crunch pretty quickly. For maximum crunchiness, serve the sesame sauce on the side for dipping instead.
Frequently asked questions
Sure! Air fry the battered cauliflower in two or three batches at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the florets are golden and crispy.
For gluten-free sesame cauliflower, replace the regular flour with a gluten-free flour mix and use tamari instead of soy sauce.
I haven’t tested it, but I’m sure frozen cauliflower florets would work just as well. Just make sure you thaw the florets before dunking them in the batter and baking. They may not be as crispy as fresh cauliflower, but they’ll still taste great.
Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days, although I like to serve sesame cauliflower as soon as it’s ready since it tends to lose its crunch pretty quickly.
To reheat, bake or air fry the leftover cauliflower at 400ºF for 8 to 10 minutes or until it’s crispy again.
Sticky Sesame Cauliflower
Ingredients
For the Baked Cauliflower
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 6 cups)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
For the Sticky Sesame Sauce
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup agave or pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sriracha hot sauce, more or less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
For serving
- sesame seeds
- chopped green onions
- cooked white or brown rice
Instructions
Bake the Cauliflower
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and spray one large or two smaller baking sheets with oil (may also use parchment paper). Prepare the cauliflower by chopping it into florets.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt and water until a smooth batter is formed.
- Add the cauliflower to the bowl with the batter and stir to coat each floret. Lift the cauliflower florets, shake off excess batter and place on prepared baking sheet. Leave a little space in between the florets on the baking sheet so they can get crispy; they shouldn't be touching.
- Spray the cauliflower lightly with oil and bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until lightly brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Make the Sauce
- While the cauliflower is baking, prepare the sauce. In a large pot or saucepan (you will add the cauliflower when it's finished, so make sure you have a big pan), add the soy sauce, agave, rice vinegar, garlic, Sriracha and ginger.
- Bring to a boil and stir to combine. Whisk together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl, and then add to the pan. Stir over medium heat constantly for 1-3 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and stir in the sesame oil.
- When the cauliflower is done baking, add it to the sauce in the pan and stir to coat. Serve over a bed of rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds and/or chopped green onions. Enjoy! TIP: If you want the cauliflower to remain crispy, simple serve the sauce on the side for dipping.
Notes
- Gluten free: Replace the flour with a gluten free flour mix, and use tamari instead of soy sauce.
- May also use arrowroot instead of cornstarch if needed.
- Nutritional information is for Sticky Sesame Cauliflower only and does not include rice.
This took a little time, but it was really worth it! It was really tasty. The cauliflower had just the right amount of crunch and the sauce was more than enough to coat an entire head of large cauliflower. Thanks!
Hi Nora, I thoroughly enjoy your recipes. Can I substitute tofu for the cauliflower? It should work. Right?
It should work okay. Or you could go make my Sesame Tofu instead. I probably wouldn’t coat the tofu with the flour-water mixture.
Was skeptical about baking vs deep frying but it turned out better than expected. Thanks for the recipe!!! Just the right amount of crispy, sweet and tangy
May I use oat flour instead?
Thank you Nora
PS love your recipes
I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure, I’m a little afraid it will turn out mushy but I don’t know. Thanks for loving my recipes!
Yummmmyy this was scrumptious
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you loved it!
My husband laims to not be a fan of Chinese food, but he loved this meal. I served on basmati rice which is obviously not Chinese, but it was fab that way. Great recipe.
I’m glad you guys enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for sharing your review!
This recipe is so tasty and satisfying! I did not have light soy sauce, so it was a bit too salty, will reduce the amount of regular soy sauce next time. Also, I added a teaspoon of rice flour in the cauliflower batter to make them extra crispy and it worked! Would definitely make this again.
Thank you for taking time to share you review and comments! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
The most tastiest recipe! My taste buds are so satisfied. Thank you! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
I love that your taste buds are satisfied! Thank you for sharing your review, and let me know how you like my other recipes! Happy cooking!
Sounds delicious! any recommendations on how to do the cauliflower if I’m using an air fryer instead?
Hope you love it! You can cook the cauliflower in the air fryer, you just may need to do it in batches so they don’t all stick together. I’d try 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until crispy but not burnt. Hope that helps!
Tasty recipe!
I used wheat flour instead of white and swapped out the sesame oil for olive oil.
My husband thought it was from Trader Joe’s!
Hi! Thank you for sharing! Glad you liked the recipe!
This recipe is so simple and delicious. I make it almost weekly and everyone loves it—including my 3.5 year old. Absolutely love it.
Hi Whitney. I’m so glad you and your family love the cauliflower! That’s exciting when you find something your kids love! Thank you very much for sharing!
I somehow overbought cauliflower and needed a recipe stat. Tried this tonight and am in love! So easy and amazingly delicious. ?
I’ve made this more than 20 times. It is a weekly go to and a family favorite. Super easy and so delicious!
That’s so great to hear!
I’ve made this recipe many times in the past but the new update seems very different. Too thick and salty. Do you have a copy of the old recipe?
Actually the only thing that is different is that I used almond flour instead of regular flour. So you could try that, but I actually prefer it using regular flour. You can always decrease the soy sauce and increase water to make it less salty and thinner. Hope that helps!
Awesome! Way better than take out. Only thing I changed was quinoa instead of rice. But oh so good. Thank you.
Great to hear! Thanks!
Very good! Made no substitutions and it was perfect.
I’ve been cooking through your desserts but my boyfriend keeps complaining that I’m making him gain weight, so I decided to try something savory instead. ? This dish was so good. Here are a few things I did differently:
-I used liquid aminos instead of soy sauce
-I poured the cauliflower in the batter and mixed it around because I’m lazy!
-I cooked the cauliflower in my air fryer on 375 until crispy
Amazing! A tad too salty but I think maybe it’s because I used aminos? Regardless, I was so proud of the way it turned out that I took a picture and tagged you on my Instagram story. Can’t wait to make more of your recipes.
Haha thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it!