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 so yummy!
Can the oven step be omitted? I prefer to limit cooking vegetables, being as close to raw as I can when I can.
The taste will of course be different, but the sauce is fine by itself so if you like the taste of raw cauliflower (I don’t), then why not?
I doubt it. I tried making sesame sauce, and it clearly needs to be cooked to get thick. You can’t just stir the stuff together and get a sauce 🙁
HI, I am on an elimination diet and can’t do rice vinegar. Anything I could substitute for this??
You never know if something will work unless you try, but feel free to experiment, and be sure to report back if you do!
What about Apple cider vinegar? It has a different flavor, but it’s what I always use when a recipe calls for rice wine vinegar. Or Balsamic vinegar might work here, too. I know both of those are Whole30 approved, so I’m assuming they’re approved on your diet.
I used apple cider vinegar instead of rice vinegar and it came out delicious!
Cauliflower has always been my favorite! This is going on next week’s menu plan. 🙂
At first glance, I thought it was meat. Aside from being healthy, cooking and eating will be fun with this recipe.
Looks Healthy and Delicious!, i always run out of ideas when it comes vegetables like cauliflower, but this one is definitely on my to do list for the weekend, Thanks for posting!
Do you serve with rice? Think I might add some tofu too.
It was alright. I made it tonight. I think it needed more sweetness (I used maple syrup) or more cooking time to develop the flavors of the sauce. I’ll make it again but maybe with less soy sauce (I used a GF sauce but usually I just buy tamari) and I’ll try it with a different sweetener.
Finally, comments from someone who actually made this! Thank you.
I love this and I’m sure my family will. What a wonderful idea.
It was pretty tasty! My sauce wasn’t quite as sticky though & did not coat the cauliflower like in the picture, you could definitely see that it was white cauliflower. Anyway, I enjoyed it & will make it again. I put it over brown rice & added some rotisserie chicken
Hmm maybe it needed to be cooked down longer (the sauce)? The sauce will get thicker as it cooks and the cornstarch does its job. Did you use maple syrup or another sweetener? And cornstarch or arrowroot?
I had the same problem and my sauce did not stick to the cauliflower. i had used part maple syrup and part agave and cornstarch and cooked it until it was thick before pouring over the cauliflower. any advice?
Oh yes!! Tonight!! Just need the green onions!
I was so excited I made this for brunch! I roasted some leftover cabbage with the cauliflower and it was delicious over jasmine rice. Another great one, Katie!!
A very healthy recipe, thanks for sharing!
I’m OBSESSED with orange-glazed, sesame-glazed or lemon-glazed ANYTHING. Chinese food was one of my favorites to indulge on–SO good. Definitely going to try out this cauliflower–but I bet tofu, tempeh or even soy chicken would taste fantastic with this sesame sauce too!
Delicious recipe! My sauce didn’t thicken and stayed runny, even after being baked on the cauliflower — didn’t think I did anything wrong, though ☹ But it tasted great and the cauliflower cooked perfectly.
If anyone’s curious as to which options I used (maybe that affected the sauce?), I used cornstarch for the thickener and honey for the sweetener. I also subbed some garlic power for the chopped garlic, but that shouldn’t have affected consistency.
I had the same thing–sauce didn’t thicken as much as I would have liked once I poured it on the cauliflower. It was still delicious, though.
Hahaha true the garlic wouldn’t change anything. I think maybe just cook the sauce down longer?
This sounds amazing.
Why didn’t my sauce look as orange? I followed the recipe to a T besides the final 3-5 minutes to bake/broil the florets covered in sauce (didn’t want to risk cracking Pyrex). It was delicious, just curious as to why my sauce has a different look. I used honey as a sweetener.
Hi, thanks for making it! Was it more brown in color? Maybe it’s just the extra saturation on the images that makes them look more orange here? It would be fun if readers could leave pictures with their comments. I’ll ask Katie if that’s something we can maybe implement for the comment section.