Sticky sesame cauliflower is the sweet, sticky, and addictively delicious dish that tastes like a better-for-you version of Panda Express!
A few weeks ago, I got a text from a friend saying his sister was trying to add more vegan meals to her diet and asking if I had any good tips.
The first advice I had was something I always recommend to anyone who wants to incorporate more plant-based meals into their diet, especially for non-vegans just trying to eat more meatless meals in general.
My first recommendation is to NOT replace meat with vegan meat substitutes, which can just set you up for disappointment when you expect one thing and get another.
Instead, think of it an opportunity to explore new recipes and look at vegetables and natural plant based ingredients in a whole new light.
For example, the popular Buffalo Cauliflower Wings are especially delicious!
So many people never venture further from preparing vegetables in a “mainstream” way, such as steamed or in a side salad.
But when you look at vegetables as the main event, it opens up a brand new realm of culinary possibilities.
Try taking one of your favorite meat-based recipes and recreating them with your favorite vegetable instead.
Or start out by replacing up to half the meat in a recipe with a meatless alternative. Then you can increase the veggies a bit more each time you make the recipe.
Think Kung Pao Eggplant, Sweet Potato Tacos, Mushroom Stroganoff, or this reader favorite vegetarian recipe for Cauliflower Fried Rice.
Or today’s sticky-sweet sesame cauliflower.
Above, watch the sticky sesame cauliflower recipe video
The best part of sesame chicken has always been the sauce.
It’s the sauce, not the chicken, that makes you crave Panda Express every time you walk past the food court in the mall.
It’s the sauce, not the chicken, that makes sesame chicken so addictive.
And this healthy meatless makeover of the classic recipe keeps all the goodness of that sticky-sweet sesame sauce intact. Plus, since you’re not using a fake meat substitute, there’s no expectation—subconscious or otherwise—that the dish will taste like chicken.
Non-vegan dinner guests won’t be wary of trying a taste.
And then another taste…
And then one more…
Want more meatless ideas? Here are over 25 Cauliflower Recipes
Cauliflower, the darling vegetable of the year, is definitely having a moment.
And with more and more cauliflower-based products hitting shelves each day, the cauliflower excitement doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.
If you’ve read my blog for a while, you know I’ve loved cauliflower since long before it was trendy.
The following are just a few of the cauliflower recipes you can find on my blog.
I’m predicting cauliflower is going to be the most popular vegetable of next year as well!
Note: When I researched soy sauce alternatives online, I found a few comments who said you can combine one fourth cup of Worcestershire sauce with a tbsp or two of water to replace half cup of soy sauce.
I haven’t tried it, but if anyone successfully tries this or another option, please feel free to report back for other readers.
Also be sure to try this Cauliflower Mac And Cheese and these BBQ Cauliflower Wings.
Sticky Sesame Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 small head cauliflower, chopped (6 1/2 cups florets)
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, honey, or agave
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 ½ tsp toasted sesame oil
- ½ tsp powdered ginger
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot
- 1/4 cup water
- sesame seeds and scallions, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450 F. Grease a baking pan or line with parchment. Cut cauliflower into florets, then slice so one side of each floret is flat. Arrange in a single layer in the greased pan. Bake 10 minutes on the center rack. Meanwhile, whisk together the soy sauce, sweetener, vinegar, garlic, sesame oil, and ginger in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. While waiting, stir together the cornstarch and water until cornstarch dissolves fully, then slowly whisk this into the saucepan as soon as it boils. Turn heat to medium and cook 2 minutes, stirring more frequently once it returns to a boil. Cook until thick. You can also make the sauce ahead of time if desired, and it thickens more as it sits in the fridge. Flip cauliflower florets and bake 10 additional minutes. If desired, you can now move the pan to the top rack and broil 1-2 minutes. Pour sauce over florets. Sprinkle sesame seeds and optional scallions on top, and serve.*A few readers have commented to say this works in the instant pot, but I've not tried it. If you try, be sure to let me know how it goes!View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
Reader Favorite Recipes:
Fat Bombs (Keto, Vegan, No Bake)
This looks awesome Katie. Reminds me a bit of Gobi Manchurian–though the cauliflower is deep fried in that–but wow it’s delicious!! I would not recommend using maple syrup though, I think it would alter the flavor.
I know a lot of people hate faux meats, but they can be a good transition trick. I don’t use them much, but the one that is totally convincing is the beefy grounds. I’ve tried three different brands, and they are all great for stuff like tacos or lasagne. Though I still prefer just a good black bean taco or Daiya cheese lasagne!
The sauce that makes this sticky looks just like what we’d use in chinese cuisine to make kung pao chicken!
I eat keto, so I can’t use this recipe due to the cornstarch, though looking at it already wets my appetite!
Have you tried using almond meal/flour instead of the cornstarch? If it still fits whatever macros you have to respect in order to remain keto? Having no starch at home but loooads of almond flour, I did this last time I tried a recipe fot a sticky sauce, and it worked wonders. I will probably make this recipe with this sauce as well. Only that for some reason my mouth is watering when I am thinking about making this sauce with pumpkin instead of cauliflower. Won’t be the same texture but might turn out to be delicious!
Even Xanthum Gum would work and it’s keto friendly
I wouldn’t be concerned with such a small amount of cornstarch on keto. It’s all the sugar in this recipe that isn’t keto friendly. You can always use a little xanthan gum as a thickener but I’d forget about this recipe as a keto one. There are lots of “sweet n sour” keto recipes out there.
I used arrowroot, and it works great. Can you use that?
You can use arrowroot starch instead!
You could use arrow root powder instead!
Perhaps you could use arrowroot starch?
It was tasty and easy to make. The amount was too much for one small head of cauliflower. Unfortunately, I realized that after I had poured it all out, so next time I would use half the volume. It would be good on pretty much any type of roasted vegetable!
I haven’t tried this but I’m going to. I also eat keto, and have been using Miracle Noodle products for 25 years. Their organic Konjac Flour. (plant based glucomannan fiber) equally replaces cornstarch.
This does really look delicious. I am just beginning to enjoy cauliflower. I am also on a Ketogenic Diet. What are your thoughts about using Sugar Free Maple Syrup, Sweetleaf Maple or Sukrin Gold instead of Honey, Maple Syrup or Agave? How about replacing the cornstarch or arrowroot with Xanthum Gum. Do you think it is doable?? Thanks so much!
You never know unless you try! Edible experiments can be fun! 😉
Yep another vote for keto here. Ever thought about it Katie ? Ketokatie.com sounds good hay !
For the maple syrup or any sticky syrup required for a recipe what I’ve been doing for our keto lifestyle is using Mrs. Butterworth’s no sugar added, I actually got it from Amazon as an add-on but just becareful because it’s easy to get mixed up between the sugar and the no sugar added. I find it subs well for maple syrup and also for honey. As for the soya sauce, some one got me on to something that is just like soya sauce but better and it’s called Tamari because most are gluten free. Thank you for the wonderful recipes! I just mentioned to my hubby about all these wonderful cauliflower recipes and he said ohhh those sound awesome! I said yup time to go to the grocery store and stock up on large heads of cauliflower and frozen cauliflower I love to use too because they are fantastic on those nights when u are in a hurry all I do is put them in a colander and run it under hot water until its well thawed and then I just dump them out on to paper towels and dry them off the best I can and then pop them in a very hot oven to roast them!!
Thanks for the frozen cauliflower tip! I was just wondering how I could use my frozen bags in this recipe 🙂
All I have is frozen cauliflower and I wasn’t sure how to use thank you so much!!!
How did you cook it? Time? Any different instructions/ingredients??? Thanks! 🙂
A good substitute for soy sauce is coconut aminos. The brand I have in my fridge is “Coconut Secrets.” I got it at the whole foods store.
This is what I use as well!
Thank you for this incredible recipe Katie! I love your dessert recipes but I think I love these more! Thank you for sharing. Hugs, Cath
YES!! What a great idea! I do love my plant meats, but I’m also a big fan of subbing cauliflower. I think this looks just amazing, and I cannot WAIT to try it. Thanks Katie!!
Just to remind those trying to eat vegan, Worcestershire sauce is a no-go. It contains anchovies.
Yes, you are right – it is all about the sauce!! Can’t wait to try this! Thanks Katie!
Helene, I found a vegan/GF Worcestershire sauce at Whole Foods. I’m GF, so I’m going to use tamari in place of the soy sauce.
Edward and Sons or Annies are two of the vegan brands out there.
A lot of them no longer contain anchovies – just check out the ingredients before you purchase. The one I get is vegan friendly.
I found a vegan worcestorshire on Amazon!
There are a number of vegan brands actually. Look for Amy’s.
I bought vegan worcestershire at Sprouts Farmers Market. Probably available at Whole Foods, too.
A vegan version exists – without the anchovies
There are a few brands out there there skip the anchovies. The one I buy is the Kroger store brand 🙂
I have vegan Worcestershire sauce
There are vegan Worcestershire sauces available, Kroger’s brand is accidentally vegan.
Vegan Worcestershire sauce is available in health food stores
I too use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. Lots of flavor and a lot less sodium.
This sounds so good. Its funny i actually never liked cauliflower until i tried it in rice form this past year. I am sure this sauce would make me eat it too.
I’ve never really tried cauliflower and your comment makes me think I will like it. 🙂
She has so many amazing recipes.
Katie, as much as I love your chocolate recipes, I am most excited when I see a new savory recipe. This looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it. Your Coconut Curry recipe is still our family number one favorite and ‘go to’.
I have made something similar to this, and it does not disappoint! Sesame cauliflower will be on the menu soon.
I agree about not just switching to meat substitutes, although it depends on the person. For some people, switching to vegetarian/vegan is a rough ride, and meat analogues can make it easier. However, they are expensive and generally high in sodium, so it’s best not to depend too heavily on them. I love that you offer so many recipes that don’t include meat substitutes!
Yesss!! I agree! Subbing veggies into these types of dishes is the way to go!!! I have even tricked my family into actually liking some of them as much as the originals that inspired them!!! I love the sesame sauce! Excited to try your version of the sauce and with roasted cauliflower. I usually do it over baked tofu:)
This was excellent! And so easy! The kids loved it too.
Had this for dinner tonight and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks for the great idea.
A great soy sauce substitute can be made from a product called Gravy Master combined with water, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, ginger powder, and garlic powder.
There is no real recipe; just water and gravy master about 1/2 and 1/2, then add the other ingredients to personal taste, and more water to suit your purpose. I’ve added dark agave and oj concentrate, plus a bit of agar to make glazes for meats and vegetables from this combo.
I use this because it’s low sodium, and hypertension runs in my family.
Gravy Master–and a similar product called Kitchen Boquet–is a vegetable broth flavor enhancer that has been cooked down to a thick syrup. It’s used in soups and gravies. I do not know if it is gluten free….
Oops! That’s Kitchen “Bouquet” if you are trying to shop for the product. I left out a “U.”
I have a head of Cauliflower i didn’t know how I was going to use, but now I do 😀