Sticky Sesame Cauliflower

This sticky sesame cauliflower is like your favorite Chinese takeout, but better. It’s easy to make, gluten free, vegan, and perfect as a simple entree or an appetizer for a crowd.

It’s no secret that I love sesame anything. Sesame chickpeas, sesame noodles, sesame tofu… it was about time I shared a sesame cauliflower recipe!

I’ve always loved (still do) sesame chicken from Chinese restaurants, but wanted to make a lightened up and vegetarian version of this oh so popular dish.

The cauliflower is coated in batter, baked until it’s crispy, then coated again in the best sticky sesame sauce that comes together in only 5 minutes.

Best of all? This recipe is vegetarian, gluten free, refined sugar free, and truly so easy to make. It’s simple and flavorful, just the way I like things! Try my popcorn cauliflower next!

How to make sesame cauliflower

In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, arrowroot starch, garlic powder and non-dairy milk. Be sure to mix until no clumps remain and it looks like batter. 

Feel free to add a pinch of salt, but the sesame sauce has lots of sodium from the soy sauce so I personally don’t think it needs it!

Add the chopped cauliflower florets into the bowl and carefully mix to coat all of the pieces. Try not to be too rough, you don’t want the florets to break since slightly large ones work best for this recipe.

Alternatively, you can add the batter and cauliflower to a large plastic bag and shake it up to coat everything.

Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 30 minutes. During the final 5-10 minutes, we’ll prepare the sauce. 

Mince the garlic very finely and add to a saute pan with neutral oil. I like to use a garlic press for this recipe since the sauce won’t be blended and very fine garlic tastes best. Saute for about 2-3 minutes or until lightly golden brown. 

Whisk in the sesame oil, grated ginger, honey or maple syrup, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sriracha. Let simmer. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the arrowroot powder and water. Pour into the pot with the sauce.

Let simmer over low heat until thick, whisking occasionally to prevent any clumps from forming. 

When the cauliflower is done, let cool for about 5 minutes and then coat with the sauce. At this point it is done, but you can put it back in the oven for 5-10 minutes to crisp up if desired. 

Sprinkle with chives, sesame seeds and enjoy! You can serve this sesame cauliflower as a appetizer or enjoy it over rice for an entree.

Lower the sugar!

For a lower sugar option, you can cut back on the maple syrup or honey a bit, though this will change the flavor slightly. I’ve made this with just a few tablespoons of honey and it’s still delicious.

You can use either honey or maple syrup for this recipe, but honey does get a bit stickier which works well in this sauce. However, either is perfectly delicious!

Frequently asked questions

How should I cut cauliflower for wings?

Slightly larger florets work best for this recipe. I don’t recommend cutting them too small because they tend to get mushy as they bake. See the photos for reference.

Can I use another flour?

This recipe uses rice flour in the batter to keep it gluten free, but you can safely sub for a regular or gluten free all purpose flour if that’s what you have. Any neutral tasting flour should work just fine.

The arrowroot starch can be subbed for corn starch or tapioca starch. If you don’t have any, you can use extra rice flour with no problem.

Can I make it in an air fryer?

I suggest making my air fryer cauliflower wings instead!

Try these recipes next!

• Sheet Pan Sesame Tofu
• General Tso’s Chickpeas
• Thai Quinoa Salad
• Bang Bang Cauliflower
• Orange Cauliflower

Be sure to follow along on on instagram and subscribe to my email list for more recipes and updates. Leave a comment and rating below if you try this recipe and let us know how it turns out!

4.94 from 15 votes

Easy Sticky Sesame Cauliflower

by: claire cary

This sticky sesame cauliflower is like your favorite Chinese takeout, but better. It’s easy to make, gluten free, vegan, and perfect as a simple entree or an appetizer for a crowd.

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Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 40 minutes mins

4

1x2x3x

Ingredients

Cauliflower:

• ▢ 1 large head cauliflower 6-7 cups chopped*
• ▢ ⅔ cups rice flour white or brown
• ▢ ¼ cup arrowroot starch*
• ▢ 1 tsp garlic powder
• ▢ ½ cup non-dairy milk
• ▢ 2 tbsp breadcrumbs I used gluten free

Sauce:

• ▢ 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• ▢ 1 tbsp neutral oil olive, avocado, refined coconut
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 tsp fresh ginger grated
• ▢ ¼ cup honey or maple syrup*
• ▢ ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
• ▢ 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• ▢ 1 tsp sriracha
• ▢ ½ tbsp arrowroot starch*
• ▢ 1 tbsp cold water

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 
• In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, arrowroot starch (see notes for substitutions), garlic powder and non-dairy milk. Be sure to mix until no clumps remain and it looks like batter. If it seems too thick, whisk in a few extra tablespoons of milk.
• Add the chopped cauliflower florets into the bowl and carefully mix to coat all of the pieces. Alternatively, you can add the batter and cauliflower to a large plastic bag and shake it up to coat everything.
• Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, sprinkle on top the breadcrumbs and bake for 30 minutes. 
• During the final 5-10 minutes, prepare the sauce. 
• Mince the garlic very finely and add to a saute pan with neutral oil. Saute for about 2-3 minutes or until lightly golden brown. 
• Whisk in the sesame oil, grated ginger, honey or maple syrup, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sriracha. Let simmer over low heat. 
• *Only follow this step if using maple syrup and not honey.* If using honey, the sauce should thicken on its own naturally. In a small bowl, whisk together the arrowroot powder and water. Pour into the pot with the sauce.
• Let simmer over low heat until thick, whisking occasionally to prevent any clumps from forming. Once thick, remove from heat.
• When the cauliflower is done, let cool for about 5 minutes and then coat with the sauce. At this point it is done cooking, but you can put it back in the oven for 5-10 minutes to crisp up if desired. 
• Sprinkle with chives, sesame seeds and enjoy!

Notes

You can use either honey or maple syrup for this recipe, but honey does get a bit stickier which works well in this sauce. However, either is perfectly delicious!

Larger florets work best for this recipe. I don’t recommend cutting them too small because they tend to get mushy as they bake. 

The arrowroot starch can be subbed for corn starch or tapioca starch. 

For a lower sugar option, you can cut back on the maple syrup or honey a bit, though this will change the flavor slightly. 

Be sure to use a high quality toasted sesame oil for this recipe for the best flavor.

I like to use a garlic press to mince the garlic to get it very fine since the sauce won’t be blended.

Serving: 1/4 of the recipe / Calories: 340kcal / Carbohydrates: 45g / Protein: 7.8g / Fat: 8.3g / Fiber: 5.7g / Sugar: 18g

Did you make this?

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