Bang Bang Cauliflower (Vegan)
These Vegan Bang Bang Cauliflower Wings are crispy, sweet & spicy and tossed in a creamy spicy mayo sauce! It’s pretty easy to make, and tastes phenomenal! P.S. you can also make it in the air fryer or without!
Without a doubt, I’m in love with cauliflower. If you’re feeling deja vu – ish yes, we’ve had this conversation before! After being introduced to cauliflower wings and cauliflower soup, I’ve gone out of my way to seek out all the ways to master cauliflower. Here I am again, but this time with bang bang cauliflower!
What is bang bang cauliflower?
Bang bang cauliflower is essentially cauliflower wings in a bang bang sauce. Surprise! Another cauliflower wings recipe! But bang bang is a special sauce made up of a Chili paste (or really any thick spicy sauce like sriracha), mayo and a sweetener and it tastes sooo divine. After making bang bang broccoli, I knew I wanted to make a cauliflower version. They are similar, but different in flavour and cooking times so I wanted to do a separate version.
Can you make cauliflower wings in the air fryer?
I also get asked all the time “can I make cauliflower wings in the air fryer?” So I wanted to address that in this post! Long story short – yes, you can make cauliflower wings in your air fryer!
I’ll include the bake time below and I will also include a bake time for making this in the oven. To me, they come out basically the same, it’s just a matter of preference.
This bang bang cauliflower is honestly a dream come true. As if I didn’t already love spicy cauliflower wings (hello buffalo cauliflower wings) this bang bang sauce rode into my life like a knight in shining armour. Crispy crunchy cauliflower combined with a sweet and creamy sauce = perfection.
How to make bang bang cauliflower
First, you batter and bread the cauliflower similar to in my cauliflower wings recipes. The difference here is the batter. It’s more of a tempura batter, and comes out nice and light. It really adheres well to the cauliflower.
Next, you toss the cauliflower in the sauce. I eat this two ways. Sometimes I toss the sauce in it and eat It immediately. Or, if you’re like me normally and need to find a show to watch while eating (which let’s be real, take a while sometimes), I toss it in the sauce then stick it back in the air fryer or oven for another minute or two. The sauce really seeps in and the cauliflower stays extra crunchy.
Needless to say; these cauliflower bites are supreme. Like, top-notch foods. I highly recommend them, and love that they actually do taste great the next day too! Be sure to give it a try and happy eating friends!
What to Serve/Eat Bang Bang Cauliflower with
This goes so well with so many things.
- Noodles, fried rice, in lettuce wraps or with dumplings! It’s totally up to you!
- Batter up other veggies you may have and treat it the same. It’s a great way to use leftovers and tastes amazing!
Enjoy friends! If you make this Vegan Bang Bang Cauliflower, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much! P.S. – do you know that we have an entire blog dedicated to low carb recipes named Low Carb Vegan Recipes?! Be sure to check it out!
Vegan Bang Bang Cauliflower
Ingredients
Bang Bang Sauce
- 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sambal oelek or any other chili paste (including sriracha)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave nectar
Bang Bang Cauliflower
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour gluten-free or regular
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek or any chili paste
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or any nut milk + two teaspoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup crispy Panko breadcrumbs seasoned with salt pepper, onion powder & garlic powder
Instructions
BANG BANG SAUCE
- Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. It should be liquid-y. Set aside.
BANG BANG CAULIFLOWER
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F/230 degrees C. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking sheet or greased foil. Using a knife, remove florets from the cauliflower (aka cut off the leaves and don't use the stems).
- In a bowl, mix the flour, chilli paste, cornstarch, nut milk, ACV, sea salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Stir to combine - the batter should be like a sticky tempura batter. If the batter is too thick, feel free to thin it out with some more milk and vice versa.
- In a separate bowl, place the panko breadcrumbs. Line it up beside the batter bowl. Toss the cauliflower in the batter mixture (you can add them all at once), using a spatula or spoon to coat them all.
- Then, transfer them to the panko breadcrumbs (you can do this in two or three batches) to coat completely, then place onto the baking sheet, giving each floret enough space.
- Bake for 22 minutes. Please ensure your oven is completely preheated and hot.
- Remove from oven. Toss the battered baked cauliflower in the sauce (I like to use a spatula to move them around to get properly coated) then using tongs or a spoon, remove and place back on the baking sheet. Bake for another 1-2 minutes for the sauce to soak into the wings.
- Remove from oven, top with sesame seeds, eat immediately and enjoy!
AIR FRYER INSTRUCTIONS
- IF using an air fryer, preheat to 400 degrees F/200 degrees C.
- Repeat all the steps and then place in your air fryer in a single row, so that all the cauliflower has a little bit of space around each piece. Cook for 12-15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway, then continuing to cook. After you add the sauce, bake for another 1 to 2 minutes in the air fryer!
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
So excited to try this. We have been making bang bang broccoli non stop since you shared that recipe a couple weeks ago. It’s a family favorite already!
We hope you enjoy Marisa! Thank you so much for reading and we’re happy you enjoy our other bang bang recipe!
I absolutely loved the bang bang cauliflower. I made it for my parents 2 weeks ago and they loved it as well!! My mom is quite picky when it comes to food, and she could not get enough. I’m leaving this comment as I’m making an encore of this recipe. It’s in the oven right now and I can’t wait to have it again!! Yum yum!
Oh man, this is great! We’re happy to hear that you and your mom loved it! And what’s more, you’re making it again. We’re so happy over here. Thanks for leaving such a nice comment Peggy!
Hi, I don’t have any breadcrumbs. Can I nix it?
Hey Patricia,
It doesn’t come out anywhere near as crispy, but yes you can! It’ll still taste delicious!
During COVID, I put my foot down and told my house of three sons plus husband that I wasn’t doing all the cooking, and that everyone had to take one night to make a meal and clean up. And can I say that in a house full of boys/men, the competitive spirit is alive and well? Trust me when I say that on ‘your’ night to cook you better be bringing your A game. I made this as part of my ‘Asian Inspired’ night and it was phenomenal. SO GOOD. Fiddly, which is not my thing, I’m pretty much a dump and run girl, but since I had nowhere to go (thanks, COVID)…I only used 1 tbsp maple syrup but other than that followed to the letter. AMAZING. Just make it. You’ll see. Thanks for the recipe!
We feel so happy to use our photo as a part of your A game for dinner night! Even better that everyone loved it. Thanks so much for such a nice review Jill!
Spicy, crispy, and perfect! These are now a part of our weekly meal rotation! I serve them with fried rice. I like the sauce to get a little extra caramelized so I started baking them for 20 minutes then tossing them in the sauce and putting them back for 3 minutes. I really appreciate that the proportions of the recipe are just right — I don’t end up with any extra sauce or batter going to waste! A++
We’re so happy you like this recipe Elizabeth! A++ is such a high rating lol thank you so much.
Hello, I made this for dinner tonight and it tastes amazing. Be safe and healthy. Nora
Thank you so much Nora. We’re happy that you enjoyed it. Please stay safe too!
Surprised by how easy this was. So crispy and delicious! Perfect amount of spicy goodness. I live alone so I halved the recipe…which was good because I probably would have eaten the whole pan. Can’t wait to try more recipes. 💕
Thank you so much Cara! We’re so happy that you were able to make this and enjoyed it. Thank you for leaving such a nice review!
Super easy to follow and so yummy! You can barely tell it’s a vegetable 😉 I put them on top of rice and it was a great, healthy meal.
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe Hannah! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment!
There are not enough words to describe how delicious this dish is!! I have been trying many cauliflower recipes over the past few months, and this is by far the crispiest, most flavorful one I have tried. My boyfriend’s only request was to double the recipe next time so he could eat more haha. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Haha we’re so happy that You enjoyed this Recipe Meaghan! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment!
An amazing recipe! I used the air fryer version and it was perfectly crispy, while not being dry. Tossing with sauce and frying it for another minute or 2 is genius.
This is the first recipe I’ve tried from Jessica and I can’t wait to try more!
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe Swati! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment! Looking forward to talking to you about recipe number 2.
This recipe was amazing! Super easy to follow and it came out so good. Perfectly spicy and crispy. Can’t wait to have the leftovers!!
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe Dani! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment!