Cauliflower has never tasted better! This bang bang cauliflower is a gluten free and vegan take on the popular bang bang shrimp. It’s spicy, perfectly sweet and so easy to make.
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It’s kind of crazy how many things can be done with cauliflower. Gnocchi, fried rice, pizza crust and these insanely good bang bang cauliflower bites.
This recipe is really simple to make and perfect as an appetizer for a crowd, or simple vegetarian dinner at home. We’ll be battering and breading the cauliflower florets to give a nice crispy exterior, then loading them up with a sweet and spicy bang bang sauce that’s just 2 simple ingredients!
If you’re unfamiliar with bang bang sauce, it’s a simple recipe made with mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, honey and sriracha.
This recipe is vegan, so we’re just leaving out the honey (the sweet chili sauce is plenty sweet if you ask me) and using either vegan mayo or cashew cream in place of regular mayo. It’s sweet, spicy and a total crowd pleaser!
How to make this recipe
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the cauliflower into medium sized florets and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, milk, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and cornstarch until smooth.
In a second bowl, add the breadcrumbs.
Take one piece of cauliflower, dip it in the batter, let the excess drip off, then roll into the breadcrumbs. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You can just add the breadcrumbs to the same bowl as the batter and mix together, but I prefer the texture when it’s done separately.
Repeat until all cauliflower has been used. The batter may thicken a bit as it sits, if it gets too thick, just add a splash of milk and whisk.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the cauliflower has browned slightly. After 25 minutes, I usually turn the oven off and let it crisp up for an additional 5 minutes, but it should be done at 25 depending on how large the florets were.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
Whisk together all sauce ingredients. Combine the cauliflower with the sauce and serve immediately.
Serving suggestions
I generally like to serve this recipe exactly as is as an appetizer, with some chives sprinkled on top.
If you want to make it more of an entree, you can serve it over jasmine rice or my homemade fried rice, and maybe have some teriyaki salmon on the side!
Does it keep?
Unfortunately, baked cauliflower dishes like this one don’t keep well. Once the sauce is added, the cauliflower will slowly start to get soggy, so it’s best to eat them as soon as they’re ready.
If you have some leftovers and don’t want to waste any food, you can add them back into the oven at 425 to get them to crisp up again. Not quite as good as fresh, but better than nothing!
Final tips
There are a few different routes you can take with the sauce. The first is the more traditional one, which is to use a mixture of (vegan) mayo and sweet chili sauce.
The second is to use my homemade cashew cream in place of the mayo to thicken up the sauce and give it the creamy feel. Finally, you can just do without the mayo/cream and keep it simple with the sweet chili sauce.
Finally, if you want a bit of a lighter option, you can omit the breadcrumbs entirely. The final recipe will of course have a different texture, but the rest of the batter will still allow the cauliflower to get plenty crispy and delicious.
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Bang Bang Cauliflower
Ingredients
Cauliflower:
- 1 head cauliflower
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour (I used gluten free)
- 3/4 cup plain non-dairy milk
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (I used gluten free)
- 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup vegan mayo OR homemade cashew cream (click for recipe) (see notes for other options)
- 6 tbsp sweet chili sauce (a little more than 1/3 cup)
- 2 tsp sriracha (or to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut the cauliflower into medium sized florets and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, milk, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and cornstarch until smooth.
- In a second bowl, add the breadcrumbs.
- Take one piece of cauliflower, dip it in the batter, let the excess drip off, then roll into the breadcrumbs. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You can just add the breadcrumbs to the same bowl as the batter and mix together, but I prefer the texture when it's done separately.
- Repeat until all cauliflower has been used. The batter may thicken a bit as it sits, if it gets too thick, just add a splash of milk and whisk.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the cauliflower has browned slightly. After 25 minutes, I usually turn the oven off and let it crisp up for an additional 5 minutes, but it should be done at 25 depending on how large the florets were.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Whisk together all sauce ingredients. Combine the cauliflower with the sauce and serve immediately.
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