Pieces of cauliflower are coated in a breading and then tossed in a sweet and spicy sesame sauce. Making them the perfect appetizer or even a main dish with some rice.
Oh good old cauliflower. The vegetable no one wanted to eat has now turned into everyone’s favorite veggie. I have made so many things from cauliflower: cauliflower gnocchi, vegan cheese, vegan coconut shrimp, mashed cauliflower. So we might as well add one more recipe to the cauliflower craze. These spicy sesame cauliflower wings are sure to make you fall even more in love with cauliflower.
To make the cauliflower wings is actually very easy. We use a chickpea flour “egg” wash (chickpea flour + water) to help the breadcrumbs stick. Chickpea flour is great because adds some good nutrition to the recipe and it is also gluten free if you have an allergy.
For the breadcrumbs I used a combination of panko breadcrumbs and a finer, regular breadcrumb. So why two kinds of breadcrumbs? Mostly, because I felt like it. Combining both of them will help to get a more evenly coated cauliflower wing while still getting the delightful crisp of the panko. If you are gluten free obviously use gluten free breadcrumbs.
Finally, let’s talk sauce. These are coated in such a delicious sauce. But you can of course use any sauce you like. If you have a soy allergy swap the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos. Also, if you are oil free you can leave the sesame oil out.
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Sharing direct links to recipes and pictures is highly encouraged, please do not copy and paste my recipes or share my pictures without permission. I work very hard on my blog and don’t want to see my recipes popping up anywhere. Thank you so much.
Spicy Sesame Cauliflower Wings
Ingredients
Crispy Cauliflower
- 1 head of cauliflower broken into florets [around 650-700g]
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs [45g]
- 6 tbsp about ⅓ cup fine breadcrumbs [60g]
- ½ cup chickpea flour [60g] ¾ cup water
Sesame Sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce low sodium [45ml]
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar [15 ml]
- ¼ cup grade A maple syrup [60ml]
- 1 tbsp sesame oil untoasted [15ml]
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes or to taste
- 1 cup water
- Cornstarch slurry: 2 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water
- 2-3 stalks of green onion chopped
- Sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
- Cut the cauliflower in half and cut the green bottom off.
- Break the cauliflower into medium sized florets. Then cut the stems off. The florets should all be around the same size.
- Prepare chickpea flour “egg” wash by adding chickpea flour and water into a bowl and mix together until smooth.
- Add the breadcrumbs into a big bowl.
- Using one hand add a floret into the chickpea flour “egg” wash and drip off excess.
- Then using the other hand coat the floret in the breadcrumbs. I also like to sometimes shake the bowl to coat it. Using a wet hand and dry hand will help make the process more efficient.
- Place the cauliflower on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Once they are all on baking sheet place in the oven for 20-25 minutes. They will be golden and look dry when they are done.
- While they cook prepare the sauce. First, make the cornstarch slurry by adding the water and cornstarch to a small bowl and whisking together.
- Then in a big bowl or measuring add all of the sauce ingredients (not the slurry yet). Whisk together.
- Once it is whisked add the slurry in and whisk again.
- Heat the sauce up on a low heat in a pot on the stove. It should start out light brown and milky looking and turn dark and slightly more transparent. Stirring it every so often for about 5-10 minutes.
- Once the cauliflower is done cooking let it cool for 15 minutes before tossing in the sauce.
- In a big bowl add some of the green onion, half of the sauce and the cauliflower. The add a little more sauce on top and coat. I like to add some sauce and then toss to make sure everything is getting evenly coated.
- Place in a bowl as an appetizer or serve with rice for dinner. Garnish with more green onion and sesame seeds.
Video
Notes
- If you want to just use 1 kind of breadcrumbs you can use 1 and ¼ cups.
- If you prefer the cauliflower stay crispy you can dip it into the sauce instead of coating it in it.
Hey Francesca. this looks great! I’m trying this recipe tonight. What is the measurement for the sesame oil; I didn’t see it listed. Also FYI the PDF printable is for the Thai tofu recipe. Thanks for sharing 😀
hi thank you for telling me! the sesame oil is 1 tbsp and the PDF is updated to the correct one now if you wanted to print it. let me know how it goes if you try <3
These were soooo yummy! Thank you!
Thank you so much Victoria!!! I am so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
This came out yummy, ut I had to boil the sauce to grt it to thicken
thanks for trying it! yeah that’s okay it is better to have to turn the heat up than put it too high and burn it. our stoves all work differently! 🙂
It was yummy! Eat it with salad.
thank you Sabrina!! oh yes definitely so good on a salad 🙂
Hi,
Did you use toasted sesame oil in the recipe or is it the regular kind? and the rice vinegar used is unseasoned kind, correct?
Thanks
hi just regular sesame oil but you can use toasted if you and rice vinegar is unseasoned yes
Made it today ,amazing!! I needed just a little bit more salt ,looks and taste great without friyng and no gluten. Thank you for this!
Hi Andrea!! I am so glad you enjoyed it that makes me so happy 🙂
Just made this tonight for my husband and me. It was excellent. I was afraid that the garbanzo bean flour would be too noticeable, but it was very yummy. Told my husband it was good enough for company. I think it would be great for an introduction to vegan.
Thank you so much Vicki!! I am so glad to hear both you and your husband enjoyed it. Yes, I have served this to non-vegans and it is always gobbled up and gone within 10 minutes haha!
I tried this out today and so happy to taste the crispy cauliflower especially when I took it out of the oven. However, I realised that the sauce I made had an overpowering taste of the sesame oil. I did add a little garlic powder in my mix. But that didn’t help either. Not sure where I went wrong.
Hi I am sorry to hear that. It could be because the sesame oil was toasted?
Hi, what can I substitute the rice vinegar with?
You can use apple cider vinegar, white vinegar or just leave it out completely
I don’t have any chickpea flour. Can you use another flour instead of chickpea?
Hi Jen you can use all purpose flour or cornstarch
Just made these. They are absolutely delicious. Very easy recipe.
I am so happy you enjoyed it!
I have made these several times. The recipe is so easy and they taste so good. I made them this week for my sister and she absolutely loved them.
Hi Drusilla!! I am so so happy to hear that. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment it really means a lot xo
Fabulous!
thank you!