Air Fryer Sesame Cauliflower Wings
These crispy air fryer cauliflower wings are coated in a spicy sesame garlic sauce. They’re easy to make, both vegan and gluten free and the perfect crowd pleasing appetizer.
Been on a major air fryer kick lately and I can’t wait to share all the delicious things I’ve been cooking up, staring with these air fryer cauliflower wings!
They’re baked/fried in the air fryer without any oil, just a simple gluten free breading, until crispy, then coated in a sticky, spicy and perfectly sweet sesame sauce.
You can easily forgo the sesame sauce and coat these wings in BBQ sauce or buffalo sauce instead for a different flavor profile. Or, for a lighter option, you can make these cauliflower wings with no breading at all.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Vegan & gluten free
- Easy to make
- Crispy
- Packed with flavor
How to make air fryer cauliflower
Cut the cauliflower into medium/small florets.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, milk, garlic and salt. Add the cauliflower to the batter and toss to coat. Toss in the breadcrumbs and mix until well coated.
Preheat your air fryer to 370 degrees Fahrenheit. This should only take a couple of minutes.
Once ready, add half of the cauliflower to the air fryer basket in one layer. You will likely need to do 2 batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
Set the air fryer to 370 for 10-13 minutes depending on how crispy you like it.
Meanwhile, add the minced garlic to a small pot with the oil. Saute until lightly golden brown, then add in the ginger.
Saute for 1-2 minutes. Add in all remaining ingredients aside from the water and cornstarch. Whisk well to combine.
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In a small dish, whisk together the water and cornstarch and add to the sauce. bring to a low boil, then remove from heat to let thicken.
When both batches of the cauliflower are done, add to a large mixing bowl and toss with the sauce. Sprinkle on sesame seeds and chopped scallions and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
You can serve these air fryer cauliflower wings either as an appetizer or main dish. If you’re going the appetizer route, I like to sprinkle them with some sesame seeds and finely chopped scallions.
If you’re going the main dish route, they’re delicious over some fresh jasmine rice or cauliflower rice for a lighter option!
Do they store well?
Unfortunately, no. Cauliflower wings in general don’t hold up very well so I don’t recommend making them ahead of time.
Once the sauce is added, they lose their crispness pretty quickly, so I recommend serving as soon as they’re ready!
Variations
No breading: If you want a lighter option, you can air fry the cauliflower with just a drizzle of oil, then toss in the sesame sauce. This will make it much lower in both carbs and calories.
Use broccoli: You can easily use broccoli instead of cauliflower, but of course they’re going to taste a bit different. Follow all of the same steps, but air fry for about 3 minutes less since broccoli cooks faster.
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Air Fryer Sesame Cauliflower Wings
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Cauliflower
- 1 medium head cauliflower
- ⅔ cup gluten free all purpose flour or regular AP flour
- ⅔ cup plain non-dairy milk I used almond
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup plain gluten free breadcrumbs
Spicy Sesame Sauce
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons water or vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons gochujang see notes
- 1-2 teaspoons sriracha
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- Cut the cauliflower into medium/small florets.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, milk, garlic powder and salt.
- Add the cauliflower to the batter and toss to coat. Toss in the breadcrumbs and mix until well coated.
- Preheat your air fryer to 370 degrees Fahrenheit. This should only take a couple of minutes.
- Once ready, add half of the cauliflower to the air fryer basket in one layer. You will likely need to do 2 batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Set the air fryer to 370 for 10-13 minutes depending on how crispy you like it.
- Meanwhile, add the minced garlic to a small pot with the oil. Saute until lightly golden brown, then add in the ginger.
- Saute for 1-2 minutes. Add in all remaining ingredients aside from the water and cornstarch. Whisk well to combine.
- In a small dish, whisk together the water and cornstarch and add to the sauce. bring to a low boil, then remove from heat to let thicken.
- When both batches of the cauliflower are done, add to a large mixing bowl and toss with the sauce. Sprinkle on sesame seeds and chopped scallions and enjoy!
Notes
Comments
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The ratios for the batter/breading are all wrong. At first it was just a few solid clumps. I had to add a while lot more milk to thin it to the right consistency. Because of that, there was way too much of it for the cauliflower and it became too soupy and never got crisp.
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Sorry you had this experience! If you’re having issues, you can try dunking each piece of cauliflower individually in the batter.
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This tastes exactly like the Cheesecake Factory Korean Cauliflower. So good!!! Thank you for the recipe
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SO GOOD!! Even for someone like me who doesn’t usually cook, this recipe was an absolute breeze and tasted incredible! The cauliflower achieved that perfect balance – wonderfully crispy on the outside and delightfully moist on the inside. And that sauce? Seriously wonderful!
I used a 12-ounce bag of pre-cut cauliflower, and it was the ideal amount for the coating. Speaking of the coating, it’s a total game-changer! I can already tell I’ll be reaching for this recipe again and again.
For anyone exploring a plant-based diet, this recipe is a truly delicious winner!
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I loved cauliflower in this preparation. The sauce was a perfect balance of heat to sweet. I don’t think there was enough sauce though. My cauliflower didn’t seem overly large, but I used all the sauce on the first half I air-fried. I would make this again and double the sauce. I used regular flour and Panko bread crumbs, otherwise everything was made as stated. I also don’t think you need to use broth in the sauce. Water was fine as there are already a lot of flavors going on.
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Can you bake this if you don’t have an air fryer?
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Yes. Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes.
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Delicious. I did add a little more milk as found the batter a little thick,sprayed with Pam in the fryer and increased the heat to 425,turned after 10 mins and spayed gain. The sauce is delicious. I cut back on sriracha as I used Sambel olek chili sauce. Even cauliflower haters would think it’s chicken yum yum
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Thank you, Sue!
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Could you substitute mirin for the maple syrup or honey? Will the sauce be too thin?
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I haven’t tried that but it should be ok!
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Want to make this for a large group for a party over rice. Does this hold well if I make ahead?
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Unfortunately, no. These are best served fresh!
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First time really making anything out of cauliflower and this was brilliant! Super easy, super tasty. Will be using it to replace chicken in breadcrumbs in a noddle dish I make regularly.
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So happy to hear that! Thanks, Hazel!
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My son is allergic to sesame. Is there a substitute I could use for the sesame oil or is it fine to omit? Thank you!
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There really isn’t a great substitute, but that’s what gives the sesame flavor so omitting it will change the flavor profile.
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really good, saved this,will def make it again.thanks btw ,used a different chili paste. all good
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just made this for lunch ! it is delicious!!!! Proper restaurant level taste! Thank you! What is your recommendation of must cook on your blog?
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Thank you!! I’d say my vodka pasta, almond flour cookies and sweet potato burrito bowl are among my most popular!
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