Sesame Glazed Cauliflower Bites
Baked till crispy and coated with a sticky glaze, these Sesame Cauliflower Wings add some veggie action to your game day snacks. These tasty little bites make great vegan and gluten free appetizers, but you can also enjoy them as an easy vegetable side dish for your favorite Asian-style meals!
Easy Glazed Cauliflower Wings
My husband is hardcore about college football. We don’t watch a lot of pro football, but he has to watch his alma mater every Saturday in the fall, and oftentimes he has to watch the adjacent teams. You know, those they will play, those they already played. Those playing the teams they are going to play.
That means we are hardcore about game day snacks. Since he is an uber-carnivore, I’m usually making Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos or BBQ Turkey Meatballs or a big pot of Beef Chili. But sometimes I have to balance that out with some veggies like these Sesame Cauliflower Wings.
OK, they aren’t technically wings, but they pack a punch of bold deliciousness with the Asian flavors and sticky-sweet caramelization that develops. I have to admit, although I’m always happy when I get him eating veggies (and he loved these), I was a bit disappointed since I wanted to devour the entire plate.
In fact, they are so good that we don’t save them for game day. You’ll often find them on the table when I make stir fry for dinner!
Ingredients
The simple ingredients give these veggie bites some seriously sweet and savory Asian-inspired flavor. Just be sure to use the gluten free or vegan options as needed.
For the sauce:
- Soy sauce. Use gluten free soy sauce or tamari, if needed.
- Honey. You can also use agave or maple syrup to make it strict vegan
- Rice vinegar. Be sure it is unseasoned and gluten free.
- Sesame oil.
- Fresh ginger. Grated. Or you can substitute about a half-teaspoon
- Scallions. You can save some for garnish, if you like.
- Sesame seeds. Again, additional can be used for garnish.
For the cauliflower wings:
- Cauliflower. One large head, washed and thoroughly dried, then cut into florets.
- Unsweetened almond milk. Regular dairy milk or another non-dairy milk can be substituted.
- Brown rice flour. If you are not gluten free, all-purpose flour can be used.
- Garlic powder.
How to Make Sesame Cauliflower Wings
When you are ready to get started, preheat your oven to 450°F and coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or a thin layer of oil.
Make the glaze. Combine the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and scallions in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
Coat the cauliflower. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, rice flour, and garlic powder to make the batter. Add the cauliflower and use a spatula to toss it around until it is thoroughly coated with the batter.
Bake the cauliflower wings. Spread the cauliflower florets into a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 450°F until they are golden but slightly less done than you want them.
Glaze the cauliflower. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and toss to coat. Return it to the oven for another 5 minutes, toss again, and then finish in the oven until the cauliflower is glazed and cooked to the desired doneness.
Serve. Transfer the cauliflower bites to a plate and garnish with more scallions and sesame seeds if you like. If there is excess sauce on the baking sheet, you can pour it into a bowl and use it for dipping.
Tips for Success
Cut to your desired size. Smaller florets will get more tender on the inside as they crisp up on the outside. Larger ones will stay crisp-tender all the way through or will need to bake a little longer.
You can use parchment. If you are worried about sticking, you can line your pan, but I think a thin coating of oil or cooking spray does just fine and allows for more crispness and caramelization to develop.
Save some glaze. If you are worried about the coating getting too soggy, don’t use all of the glaze. You can always reserve some as a sauce for dipping the cauliflower bites.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
You can keep any leftover cauliflower wings in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days. However, the coating will start to get a little soggy. They reheat just fine in the microwave if you don’t mind them being softer. But you can also pop them back in the oven or air fryer at 400°F for a few minutes to get them hot and crisp them up a bit.
Serving Suggestions
These Sesame Cauliflower Wings make a great appetizer to serve with your spread of game days snacks like Gluten Free Air Fryer Pizza Rolls or Gluten Free Ham and Cheese Sliders.
But they are also delicious as a side dish for Maple Sesame Glazed Salmon or Gluten Free Bao Buns. Or try it with some of these other meals:
Things You’ll Need
Sheet pans. I always rave about my Nordicware baking sheets for making cookies, roasting vegetables, and more. And baking cauliflower wings just one more use for them.
Whisk. Using a whisk makes the batter come together nice and smooth. You’ll also want a small one for the sauce.
Microplane. My favorite tool for grating ginger so you don’t end up with large chunks.
Baked Sesame Cauliflower Wings
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari for gluten free
- 1/4 cup honey or agave or maple syrup for vegan
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1-2 sliced scallions, plus additional for garnish, (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds, plus additional for garnish, (optional)
For the cauliflower:
- one large head cauliflower, washed and thoroughly dried
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour or all-purpose flour (if not gluten free)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
For the sauce:
- Combine the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and scallions in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
For the cauliflower:
- Preheat your oven to 450°F, and spray a baking sheet with oil or cooking spray.
- Cut the cauliflower into florets. The smaller they are, the faster they will cook and softer they will get.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, rice flour, and garlic powder. Add the cauliflower to the batter and toss until it is thoroughly coated.
- Arrange the cauliflower on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 450°F for 15-20 minutes, or until slightly less done than you want them.
- Remove from the oven and pour the sauce over the cauliflower, tossing to coat (see Note). Return to oven for another 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and gently flip and toss the cauliflower in the sauce on the sheet. Return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes, or until crisp and glazed on the outside, and tender inside.
- Place the cauliflower on a serving plate or bowl, and if desired, sprinkle with some additional scallion and/or sesame seeds.
- If desired, pour any remaining sauce off of the baking sheet into a bowl for dipping.
Notes
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I absolutely love this idea! Cauliflower is so versatile. I would not be able to stop eating these. If I lived in your house, I’d have to take mine in the other room to watch other TV. I’m okay with professional football, though I’d prefer to watch something else, but college football puts me to sleep.
Haha, when I get bored after awhile, I just half watch and get on the computer 🙂
I can relate–cooking something delicious for the hubby, then needing to cook some meat to go with it! I know he’ll love these–even if he just considers them a side!
Haha, these meaty men 🙂
I saw this last night as I was going to bed and couldn’t stop thinking about it. This is something I need to try soon. I just love everything about this, especially how healthy but full of flavor it is!
Thanks Nicole! The only wings where you can eat the whole plate and call it healthy.
I am ready for some football and for these delicious wings! What a brilliant idea.
Thanks Isabel! We are ready for football too!!
This is genius and I love love love the idea. I am so going to make these!
Thanks! Sorta took the idea from Buffo cauliflower I’ve seen and made, but wanted a new flavor.
I could not wait to check these out when I saw the title. I’ve been on a cauliflower kick lately and these sound delish!
I love transforming cauliflower! So versatile!
Love it!!! What a healthy and great idea! Now I know what I am going to do the next time I have cauliflower!!
Thanks! Hope you love them!
Haha your son reminds me of my nephew. He used to cry when the Gators lost. Luckily we had a good season that year and I think he only cried one or two times, but he would be so upset and no one could talk to him (he was about 5 lol) I can’t wait to try these healthy wings 🙂
Thanks for hosting! Actually it is my hubby who yells and cries. My son has just gotten used to it. He’d rather watch Toy Story 🙂
Rutgers is my alma mater, too! Those games were always so much fun. I love this recipe, it sounds delicious and is such a good alternative for those of us who aren’t meat eaters.
RU Rah Rah! Yes, tailgates can be so meaty, and while I like it, I thought this would be a fun alternative.
Oh my goodness, Brianne. I can see why both carnivores and veggie lovers would be diving for this dish. I’ve saved this recipe and definitely want to give it a go. To avoid spillage in the oven, I’m thinking to put the florets in a baking dish so when I add sauce, no dripping occurs. Or do you paint on the sauce like egg yolk on scones? What do you think?
A baking dish would work, but for a whole head you may need two. I guess the technical term for what I used is “jelly roll pan”. It is a baking sheet or cookie sheet with about half inch high sides. No spillage using that with this amount of sauce.