Sticky Sesame Vegan Cauliflower Wings (VIDEO)
By Jessica Hylton -
- Updated
These Sticky Sesame Vegan Cauliflower Wings are the best veggie wings I’ve ever had! Loaded with a maple sesame flavour and spice, they are the perfect game day snack for vegans!
Sticky Sesame Vegan Cauliflower Wings? YES please! Confession time: there would’ve been way more wings in the pictures, but I kind of devoured them seconds after they came out of the oven. Happily so, burning the roof of my mouth and smiling in deep satisfaction. You see, this isn’t the first time I’ve made vegan cauliflower wings, so I knew to expect delicious, flavourful bites of pure sticky goodness. I was SO right. Shall we?
With Super Bowl Sunday around the corner, no doubt you’re preparing snacks even if you’re not that into the actual game. Personally, I just go along with the team my husband chooses. It’s pretty ironic since I played basically every sport under the sun from karate to football (soccer) to my all-time favourite synchronised swimming.
I can watch and get ANY sport within 10 minutes, but for some reason when it comes to American Football I get so wrapped in all the delicious food that it’s been explained to me about four times but all I hear is “crunch crunch”. Oops.
I doubt this year will be any different, especially if I’m nibbling on these babies. Vegan cauliflower wings are what have been “missing” from the vegetarian world for years, but are definitely here to stay.
They taste JUST like regular wings. Without sauce, they are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and with sauce they are EVEN better.
I decided to go with a sweet and spicy sesame sauce for these wings, and they are sticky, soft on the outside, and unbelievably divine. The spice has just the right amount of kick, and the sweet sesame flavour takes it completely over the top.
They are great for a meal or as a snack, and the best part? You can show down basically a million of these without any guilt. It’s also completely gluten-free, so you can serve these to all your guests despite their dietary specifications. PRETTY sure that qualifies as a touchdown!
These wings are also incredibly easy to make. Batter them up, back them, dip ’em in sauce, and bake in the oven for just 5 more minutes. Your entire house will smell like amazing and if you’re anything like me, you’ll be sitting in front of the oven counting down. Promise me you’ll make these? You do not want to miss out on how amazing these are.
What to Serve Cauliflower Wings With
You can serve these wings with pretty much, ANYTHING. Fries, noodles, rice, by themselves, even in a sandwich! I’ve even loaded them onto a salad.
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Q: What can I substitute for the liquid aminos?
A: I usually don’t recommend substitutions, but you can substitute liquid aminos for tamari equally. If you want to substitute soy sauce, I recommend a reduced-sodium soy sauce. If you’re using regular soy sauce, you’ll need to taste test the sauce first before putting on the wings and possibly add more maple syrup to balance it out.
Q: Do I have to make these vegan cauliflower wings with the breadcrumbs?
A: Yes! The breadcrumbs make the cauliflower wings crispy before the sauce goes on, and also means that you can make them sauceless. Ideally, you should make them with panko breadcrumbs which I’ve linked to below. I’ve made these without the breadcrumbs and it doesn’t work without the breading. IF you’re NOT gluten-free, you can use regular panko breadcrumbs. These are the gluten-free breadcrumbs I use – otherwise, I just make them myself (day-old bread in a food processor/blender, then toast it).
Q: If I’m not gluten-free, can I use regular flour and panko breadcrumbs?
A: Yes!
| WHAT YOU’LL NEED // MY FAVORITE INGREDIENTS & PREP PRODUCTS |
Enjoy friends! If you make this Sticky Sesame Cauliflower Wings, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love 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!
Sticky Sesame Vegan Cauliflower Wings
These Sticky Sesame Vegan Cauliflower Wings are the best veggie wings I've ever had! Loaded with a maple sesame flavor and spice, they are the perfect game day snack for vegans!
Ingredients
- 1 small head cauliflower
- 1/2 cup all purpose gluten free flour*
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1/2 if you want it very spicy, leave out if you don't like spice
- 1 cup crispy/panko gluten free breadcrumbs seasoned with salt & pepper
Sauce
- 5 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons liquid aminos or low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch + 1 teaspoon water mix together separately from the rest of ingredients in a small bowl for a cornstarch slurry
- ¼ cup water
- chopped scallions & sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F/230 degrees C. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with a silicone baking sheet or greased foil.
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it 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). Chop the cauliflower into smaller pieces to resemble the size of the wings.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the gluten-free flour, almond milk, salt, ground black pepper and garlic powder in a bowl to make the batter. If the batter is too thick, feel free to thin it out with some more milk. In a separate bowl, place the 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. Transfer them to the breadcrumbs (you can do this in two or three batches) to coat completely, then place onto the baking sheet, giving each wing enough space. Repeat until all of the wings are coated.
- Bake for 22 minutes. Please ensure your oven is completely preheated and hot. While baking, prepare the ingredients for the sauce by whisking together.
- Remove from oven. Toss the wings 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 5 minutes for the sauce to soak into the wings.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Maple Ginger Sauce
- After you put the cauliflower in, you can start making the sauce. In a pan over medium-high heat, mix all the sauce ingredients. Whisk together to help dissolve the cornstarch slurry. Bring to a boil, then a simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken up. Whisk frequently so the cornstarch doesn't thicken up in spots but instead mixes evenly throughout the sauce. Taste test and add more sugar/soy if you want it sweeter or saltier. Remove from heat and allow to cool until needed. It'll also thicken up as it cools!
NOTES
NOTES:
– Either way tastes great, sauce or sauceless, it’s your choice!
– Don’t use olive oil to grease the baking sheet since it will burn the bottom of your wings.
– The batter will only adhere to the cauliflower wings dry. So, if for any reason you wet your cauliflower, it has to be 100% dry for the batter to stick. Without sauce, the wings are 24 calories each. Yes, You can use regular or whole wheat flour if not gluten-free and regular breadcrumbs if you’re not GF. Some Gluten-Free flours are thicker than others, so if your batter seems way too thick, add in a few tablespoons of milk to thin it out a little if necessary. I use Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose GF (NOT Baking) Flour. If you want to substitute soy sauce, PLEASE taste the sauce before it goes on the wings first. Some soy sauces can make this too salty. I recommend a reduced-sodium soy sauce. HOW TO STORE CAULIFLOWER WINGS
You can store these Cauliflower Wings in an airtight Tupperware container in your fridge for up to 4 days, and reheat them in an oven until warmed. They taste best fresh. I wouldn’t recommend freezing these as the batter may get soggy. Cauliflower Recipes From Across the Web Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Chickpea Pepperoni by Half Baked Harvest
– Don’t use olive oil to grease the baking sheet since it will burn the bottom of your wings.
– The batter will only adhere to the cauliflower wings dry. So, if for any reason you wet your cauliflower, it has to be 100% dry for the batter to stick. Without sauce, the wings are 24 calories each. Yes, You can use regular or whole wheat flour if not gluten-free and regular breadcrumbs if you’re not GF. Some Gluten-Free flours are thicker than others, so if your batter seems way too thick, add in a few tablespoons of milk to thin it out a little if necessary. I use Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose GF (NOT Baking) Flour. If you want to substitute soy sauce, PLEASE taste the sauce before it goes on the wings first. Some soy sauces can make this too salty. I recommend a reduced-sodium soy sauce. HOW TO STORE CAULIFLOWER WINGS
You can store these Cauliflower Wings in an airtight Tupperware container in your fridge for up to 4 days, and reheat them in an oven until warmed. They taste best fresh. I wouldn’t recommend freezing these as the batter may get soggy. Cauliflower Recipes From Across the Web Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Chickpea Pepperoni by Half Baked Harvest
Nutrition
Calories: 33kcal
by Jessica
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These were so yummy! I had to double the gluten-free panko and would double the sesame sauce next time – but they were crispy and sooooo tasty! These are definitely on my list to make again 🙂
I absolutely adore this recipe and make it regularly! The recipe is really easy to follow. The cauliflower wings are delicious by themselves but the sauce is so worth adding. So delicious!
Can I make this ahead – ie Roast in the oven for first 22mind but leave them to cool, then add the sauce later and cook the final 5 mins?
Hi Kim, thank you so much for reading. Yes, you can bake ahead! I hope this helps.