Kung pao cauliflower is the perfect healthy alternative inspired by one of my favorite classic Chinese dishes: kung pao chicken. It's vegan, gluten-free, and has way less sugar than the traditional kung pao sauce while still being equally delicious. This recipe is perfect served as an appetizer or as part of a main dish.
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Growing up, Chinese food was me and my dads 'thing.' Vegetable dumplings and kung pao chicken were staple take out items. Since going vegan, we've had to find ways to still enjoy our favorites today so this recipe is the perfect way to do just that! Watch out PF Changs, this homemade kung pao cauliflower might just be better than take out. It's similar to our fan favorite bang bang cauliflower recipe but uses an entirely different sauce.
This vegan kung pao cauliflower is crispy, healthy, easy to make, and your new guilty pleasure. Serve this recipe alone as an appetizer, or over a bed of rice with roasted peanuts to make an easy weeknight meal.
Key Ingredients
This kung pao cauliflower is easy to make and calls for pretty basic, pantry-friendly ingredients!
- Cauliflower: Cauliflower is so versatile and takes on flavors so perfectly. This recipe is no exception!
- Corn Starch: tossing the cauliflower in corn starch will ensure that a nice, crispy coating is achieved after roasting or air-frying.
- Oil: to help the corn starch stick to the cauliflower.
- Kung Pao Sauce: this vegan kung pao sauce is truly the star of the show (no offense to the cauliflower). It's the perfect combination of salty, sweet, and tangy made from tamari or coconut aminos, hoisin sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, fresh garlic, minced ginger, sriracha, and pepper.
Instructions
This recipe is super simple to make, with really only two major steps: make the cauliflower and make the sauce! Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees F and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Toss the cauliflower in olive oil and cornstarch and spread evenly across the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping half way through.
- In a bowl, whisk together tamari or coconut aminos, hoisin sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha, pepper, water, and cornstarch.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and sauté the garlic and ginger for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat.
- Add the cauliflower to the sauce and stir until evenly coated.
- Serve as is or over rice, topping with peanuts, scallions, and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Recipe Variations & Substitutions
I love this recipe as is but feel free to try out these simple changes:
Air fry the cauliflower instead of baking/roasting it. Air fryer kung pao cauliflower is seriously top notch! To do this, preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees F and place the cauliflower in the basket in a row. Cook for 12-15 minutes, or until golden, giving the basket a shake halfway through.
Make cauliflower 'nuggets' instead by tossing the cauliflower in a batter made of your favorite dairy-free milk (1 cup), flour (1 cup), and seasonings and then coating in breadcrumbs before roasting.
Keep this recipe gluten-free by ensuring you're using a corn starch that is gluten-free and tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
Expert Tips
- Cut the cauliflower florets into the same size to ensure they all cook evenly. Also, the larger you cut the florets, the crispier they'll stay (smaller florets can get really soft and mushy).
- Eat the kung pao cauliflower immediately, otherwise they'll start to get soggy about 20 minutes after you toss them in the kung pao sauce. Or only toss them in the sauce when right before you're ready to serve.
- Double the sauce or more if needed depending on the size of your cauliflower head.
FAQ
You can serve them as is as an appetizer or a snack, or you can put them over a bed of rice with peanuts, scallions, and sesame seeds as a satisfying plant-based meal.
Kung pao cauliflower is best served immediately. However, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven at 400 degrees F.
Other recipes you might like
- Bang Bang Cauliflower
- Maple Glazed Cashew Tofu
- Buffalo Cauliflower Wraps
- Curried Cauliflower Pita Wraps
Be sure to leave a comment and rating down below if you try this recipe! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram for more recipes and updates.
📖 Recipe
Kung Pao Cauliflower
Ingredients
Cauliflower
- 1 medium to large head of cauliflower chopped into florets
- 1 tablespoon (10 g) corn starch
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil
Vegan Kung Pao Sauce
- ⅓ cup (75 mL) soy sauce
- ¼ cup (60 g) water
- 1 tablespoon (10 g) cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons (45 mL) hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) sriracha
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) sesame oil
- 3 cloves (15 g) garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) ginger minced
Serving Suggestions
- Basmati Rice
- Roasted salted peanuts
- Scallions
- Red pepper flakes
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Toss the cauliflower in olive oil and cornstarch and spread evenly across the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping half way through.1 medium to large head of cauliflower, 1 tablespoon corn starch, 1 tablespoon olive oil
- In a bowl, whisk together tamari or coconut aminos, hoisin sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha, pepper, water, and cornstarch.¼ cup water, ⅓ cup soy sauce, 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sriracha, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and sauté the garlic and ginger for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the sauce from step 3 and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat.1 tablespoon sesame oil, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon ginger
- Add the cauliflower to the sauce and stir until evenly coated.
- Serve as is or over rice, topping with peanuts, scallions, and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
J D
Next time I think I’ll add carrots, peas, onions, and something to thicken the sauce, and maybe a tempura batter on the cauliflower, but this was really good!😊
Lauren Casolaro
So glad you enjoyed it!! Definitely let us know how it comes out with those additions next time!
Lauren
I used an air fryer for the cauliflower and it came out perfectly!
Jess
This recipe was so good! I used purple cauliflower because that's what I had on hand and it was delicious. The sauce was amazing
Pinch of Parsley
Thanks for your comment, Jess, so glad you loved it. What a fun idea, I'll have to try it with purple cauliflower next time!
Shannon
This recipe was so good and so easy to make! I had to leave my cauliflower in the oven a little longer bc my oven sucks, but it came out super crispy. The sauce has the perfect amount of sweetness and heat! The leftovers hold up really well too, even when just using a microwave to reheat. Highly recommend!
Pinch of Parsley
Hi Shannon! I'm so so happy you loved this recipe!! Glad you were able to enjoy the leftovers 🙂