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)
Just served this over brown rice this evening. My husband and I both loved it! Definitely adding this to the menu rotation. Thank you!
You are my kind of girl!!! OMG i am in loooove with these
Looks delicious, but It seems to have a ton of sodium; Is that per serving?? Way over the 600mg/meal my husband’s cardiologist recommends. Any way to get it down?
Try coconut Aminos in place of soy sauce! Gives a little different flavor, but still in the same profile!
I like the taste of cauliflower in this recipe. This looks so yummy! Thank you for sharing it.
– Gustavo Woltmann
We decided to put this on the meal list for this week and if it’s a hit (which I am sure it will be) we are adding it to our Super Bowl menu for the vegetarians!
I just made this tonight watching the Dallas – Packers game…… of course this recipe was the highlight as Dallas lost. Awesome dish! Put over rice it is soo meaty. I toasted the sesame seeds. I almost can’t tell it’s cauliflower. I highly recommend it!!! It is sweet but I have a sweet tooth.
Had for dinner yesterday. Very yummy and easy!
Made this today – yum! However, I made the sauce & threw is the raw cauliflower & cooked it in the sauce. Served with rice & red lentils cooked together. Fantastic! Thanks.
When I poured the sauce over the cauliflower and put the dish back in the oven, the sauce lost its thickness and turned the whole thing into cauliflower soup. The dish would have been great if not for that. Do you know how to prevent this from happening?
Maybe cook the sauce longer? You can also stick the sauce in the fridge for a few hours and it thickens quite a bit as it sits!
I can definitely attest to it looking like her photos without having to batter it because mine looked similar when I made it. Could you possibly have forgotten an ingredient or maybe used a different sweetener or not cooked the sauce down long enough?
Do you have to boil the sauce?
If so, why do you have to wait until it boils to add cornstarch?
that is what activates corn starch- in any recipe corn starch has to be boiled to work
I love all of her recipes but this one didn’t turn out. We followed it perfectly. Checked and triple checked. It looks like faintly brown cauliflower and not much sauce left over even though we measured everything out as it says in the recipe. The sauce is yummy and cauliflower is always good but what a bummer. The pic is so deceiving.
Maybe cook the sauce longer as someone else suggested? Mine turned out like the pictures show, just a little darker in color.
This was AMAZING!!! Not sure why some other commenters said their sauce didn’t get thick because mine turned out pretty much like the pictures show, maybe a tad darker in color but just as gorgeous and more importantly DELICIOUS! 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight. My kids are picky but will usually eat cauliflower, especially if it’s in a sauce. I found it to be a little too much soy for me. I will definitely make this again but cut the soy sauce down to !/4 or 2/3 cup. It went great with basmati rice.
In the photo it looks like you are cooking in a cast iron skillet. What is that method? Baking in the cast iron? Or stove top?