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Baked Orange Sesame Cauliflower is the perfect game day snack! These sticky cauliflower bites will please your vegetarian and omnivore guests alike.
Recipe and photos were updated 1/28/19. Original writing remains.
This is one of my all time FAVORITES! The recipe testing for this post required a LOT of self control, so that I didn’t eat the whole tray before I took photos.
The inspiration for this recipe came from the buffalo cauliflower craze. I’m a big fan of this trend, and I love how these faux “wings” have been popping up on menus everywhere. They’re a great way to add more veggies to your diet, especially for unsuspecting husbands, boyfriends, and kids ;-)!
Nothing against buffalo, but I wanted to experiment with a different kind of glaze and create something with an Asian twist. With hints of orange, sesame, and ginger, the final product is finger lickin’ good.
I also had football in mind when I created this dish. Not the actual sport of football, but the viewing parties that happen every Saturday and Sunday in the fall. These bites would be the perfect addition to a an appetizer spread, especially for the Super Bowl.
If you aren’t familiar with orange sesame flavoring, it’s a fantastic combination of sweet and salty. Orange sesame sauces taste great over vegetables, rice, and chicken. In this recipe, it gives the cauliflower a sticky coating remniscient of Asian take-out dishes.
So if you make this recipe and enjoy the taste, bookmark it for later. You can use the sauce to flavor all different kinds of meals!
Vegetarian Game Day Recipes
If you’re specifically visiting this page to plan your Super Bowl menu, you might want to also check out:
Baked Orange Sesame Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower - chopped into florets
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk - can sub cow's milk
- 1/2 cup gluten-free all purpose flour - can sub regular flour
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tbsp orange zest - leave out for a sweeter sauce
- 2 tbsp honey - substitute maple syrup to make vegan
- 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 cloves garlic - minced or pressed
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp cold water
- 2 scallions - sliced, for serving
- Sesame seeds - optional, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together almond milk and flour. Add cauliflower florets, and mix until they are coated. Transfer florets to the lined baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is roasting, prepare the sauce. Combine honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, orange juice, orange zest, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking often. In a separate bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water together.
- Add the cornstarch and water mixture to the boiling sauce. Bring it back to a boil and cook, stirring often until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. The sauce should be sticky and thick. Remove sauce from heat.
- Once the cauliflower is finished baking, pour sauce over florets. You may need to use a brush to completely coat the florets in the sauce. Roast for another 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Top with scallions and sesame seeds to serve. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Want to save this for your next game day party? Pin these Baked Orange Sesame Cauliflower Bites now to make later!
Enjoy!
Lizzie
Jenny Streit
10/20/2017 at 10:08 amThese look delicious! Great idea! I do have a question…can cow’s milk be substituted for the almond milk?
Lizzie
10/20/2017 at 10:47 amThank you!! They are one of my favorite recipes I’ve ever made!
Yes, cow’s milk can be substituted for almond. I’ve also seen some people make cauliflower bites using water in place of milk, and mixing that with flour to create the coating!