This sweet and spicy vegan orange cauliflower is such a treat! Made with a simple breading including panko breadcrumbs that turns the cauliflower bites extra crispy plus an amazingly delicious orange sauce. This meal is definitively better than Chinese take out, and healthier too!

Overhead view on a long rectangular white plate filled with spicy orange cauliflower bites. The cauliflower bites are garnished with sesame seeds and sliced green onion. There are more sesame seeds and green onion in small bowls on the side as well as more of the orange sauce in a small jug.

Ok. Before we dig in the vegan orange cauliflower amazingness, let's first talk about that orange sauce.

Have you made it yet? Crispy coconut tofu bathing in orange sauce? Vegan sushi rolls dipping orange sauce? Or, buddha bowl covered in orange sauce? NO? Really? Well, you are missing out.

This sauce was actually one of my first recipes I posted on the blog and has been a favorite since then (especially all of you, my pinterest fans). It is a licking finger good sweet and spicy orange sauce that improves any dish it touches. A tangy, zesty and perfectly sweetened sauce with a great sticky texture to coat every bite beautifully. Need I say more?

And now, let's move on to the cauliflower bites. I first discovered the magic from breading cauliflower florets before baking them when testing for this teriyaki cauliflower dish. Crispy battered outside layer with a soft and tender middle. So good. Something else you gotta write down on your to-cook-list if not done already.

SO, what happens when you combine the BEST sauce in the whole world with meaty and AMAZINGLY crispy cauliflower bites together? BAM. the.most.terrific.meal.out.there.

This definitively has been a fav meal in our family. My husband rubs his hands with excitement when I'm serving him a plate of this recipe and my kids are "almost" quiet while eating it. Orange cauliflower for the win!

Overhead view on a bowl filled with brown rice and topped with a homemade spicy orange cauliflower. The dish is also garnished with sesame seeds and green onion.

A vegan orange "chicken" recipe

Who knew that cauliflower would make for a great meat replacement in a vegetarian Chinese orange 'chicken' recipe.

When breading cauliflower florets before baking them in the oven, it does help keeping the shape of the veggie and turns each bite into a crispy and meaty 'chunk'. You won't fool anyone saying it's chicken, obv, but cauliflower surprisingly does an amazing job at replacing the meat in that kind of saucy meal.

What if I don't like spicy food?

The spiciness from this dish comes from the orange sauce that contains sambal oelek (or chili paste). When making the orange sauce, if you don't want it spicy or make it for kids, then simply omit or add less of this ingredient. You can also add a touch more of maple syrup to soften the flavor as needed.

Spicy orange cauliflower ingredients

2 batches of this sweet and spicy vegan orange sauce: you will have some extra even after tossing in the cauliflower bites.
Cauliflower: one small head is usually enough for this recipe.
Flour: use either whole wheat or all-purpose flour.
Onion and garlic powder: gives some extra flavor to the breading.
Panko breadcrumbs: better than regular breadcrumbs for this recipe as it creates a crispy topping.
Green onion and sesame seeds: for garnishing at serving, if desired.

Showing are the ingredients needed to make this recipe: cauliflower, homemade orange sauce, flour, panko breadcrumbs and spices.

How to make a vegan spicy orange cauliflower

Step 1: Prepare the cauliflower

Start by cutting the cauliflower into medium-large florets. You do not want to cut them too small as they might get too soft.

Also, keep a portion of the stem on the florets to help you hold on the pieces while breading.

Then, pre-heat your oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2: Breading

You will need 2 medium size bowls. Shallow bowls that are wider work best as they give you more space to work.

In the first bowl, add the flour, onion powder, garlic powder and stir to combine. Then, add the water and whisk until you get a uniform batter. It should be a thick batter.

In the second bowl, transfer the panko breadcrumbs. You can add a pinch of salt too if desired, but I usually don't since the sauce is already so flavorful.

Then, taking one floret at the time (hold it by the stem), dip in the batter until all covered and then, gently hit the size of the bowl to remove the excess. Transfer the piece to the bowl with the panko and use your other hand to cover the floret completely. You really want the floret to be fully covered with the panko without any areas where you can still see the batter underneath. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and keep going until you are done with all the florets.

Step 3: Bake and make the sauce

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then gently flip the pieces and bake for 15 more minutes.

This should give you enough time to make the orange sauce on the stove. Once the sauce is done, remove from the heat and let it slightly cool down until the cauliflower is ready.

Also, this is a good time to prepare the other ingredients you want to serve the cauliflower with, like rice or noodles.

Step 4: Combine

Once the cauliflower is baked, then I like to transfer to a large bowl and pour some of the sauce over. Then use a large spoon to toss the pieces around and make sure they are completely covered. Be gentle as you are stirring not to remove the breading and add as much sauce as you need.

In process picture: there is a hand that cutting a head of cauliflower into florets to show the size of the pieces.

In process picture: you can see a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and many breaded cauliflower bites as well as 2 bowls containing the breading mixtures. There is also a hand that breading one cauliflower floret while the picture was taken.

Watch how to make it

Front angle view on a pile of spicy orange cauliflower bites that are on a large rectangular white plate. There is a large serving spoon on the side as well as more orange sauce, sesame seeds and green onion in the background.

Can I make this orange cauliflower gluten-free?

Yes, you can use a gluten-free flour instead of the wheat flour, like this 1:1 gluten-free flour from Bob's Red Mill.

Also, I haven't tried it, but I think that you could use rice flour instead of wheat flour when breading cauliflower bites. Check out Claire's BBQ cauliflower at Eat With Clarity to use her gluten-free cauliflower rice batter.

Also, be sure to use a gluten-free panko breadcrumbs (like this panko from kikkoman)

Can I use store-bought orange juice?

Let's face it, there is just nothing like freshly squeezed orange juice to make an orange sauce from scratch. You will only need a few oranges and you hands (or this citrus squeezer) to get the juice and be sure your sauce is at its best.

But if you must get store bought orange juice, then aim for a cold pressed orange juice (like this juice from Evolution) with no other ingredients other than oranges. You might have to adjust your sauce depending on how sweet/tart your juice is.

Overhead view on a close up on a pile of vegan orange cauliflower placed on a white plate and garnished with sesame seeds and green onions. There is a large serving spoon on the side as well.

Cooking tips

Be sure to use extra sweet Navel orange to make the sauce. If your oranges are more tart, then add a splash of extra maple syrup.
When preparing the cauliflower, it is important to keep the cauliflower pieces on the larger side.
Your cauliflower bites will have a better texture if there is not too much batter around. You want the batter to be all around, but not too thick. So, once dipped in the batter, be sure to remove the excess before diving into the panko.
Space out the cauliflower pieces on your baking sheet. They will roast and crisp better that way.
Right after baked, the cauliflower bites are at their best crispiness. Once tossed in the sauce, they will absorb some of it and become less crispy (still really good though). So I recommend you combine the cauliflower with the sauce just when ready to eat for optimal texture.

Baked orange cauliflower serving suggestions

This meal is amazing served over rice or noodles. You will have some extra sauce to drizzle over your whole dish as well.

Great pairing ideas include: roasted tofu, broccoli or broccolini, roasted peppers, bok choy, snap peas, green beans and carrots. You can roast extra veggies to include them while tossing with the sauce. Again, there is enough sauce for extra veggies/ingredients.

These orange cauliflower bites would also go great with a vegan chow mein or spicy garlic noodles.

Also, I love to sprinkle sesame seeds and green onion for texture and a nice pop in color.

Close up on a pile of spicy orange cauliflower bites that are on a large rectangular white plate. There is a large serving spoon on the side as well as more orange sauce and sesame seeds in the background. There is a focus on the top cauliflower bite to show the silky orange sauce texture.

Storage

This recipe is not great for leftovers or longer storage. The breading from the cauliflower will keep soaking the sauce as it rests and will lose all of its great crispy texture (might even get a little soggy after a while).

But, we are not afraid of not-perfect-vegan-food here and we definitely ate the leftovers from my testings with excitement. But, it's just not going to be the best recipe to make more of it to get extra for lunch.

If you expect some leftovers, then I would recommend to only toss the cauliflower bites in some of the sauce that you will eat right away. Keep the extra sauce and roasted cauliflower apart from each other in the fridge, reheat them apart and then toss again. You could also reheat the cauliflower in the oven to revive some of the texture.

You can also make the orange sauce ahead of time and reheat just before serving.

Overhead view on a bowl filled with brown rice and topped with a homemade spicy orange cauliflower. There are chop sticks holding on a cauliflower bite that was cut in half to show the middle texture.

Other Asian saucy recipes you might like

I hope you enjoy this orange cauliflower as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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Spicy Orange Cauliflower (Oven-Baked and Vegan)

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Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Servings people

Author Jessica Laroche

Ingredients

For the oven-baked cauliflower bites

1 small head of cauliflower - chopped in large florets
1 cup flour - all-purpose or white whole wheat
1 ½ tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup water
1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs

For the sauce

2 batches of spicy orange sauce - see notes, can be made ahead
green onions - for garnishing, optional
sesame seeds - for garnishing, optional

Instructions

Make the oven-baked cauliflower bites

Pre-heat the oven to 400º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, garlic powder and onion powder with the water and whisk to combine (I use a fork).
Transfer the panko breadcrumbs in a second medium bowl.
Taking one floret at the time, dip the cauliflower bites in the flour-water batter until completely covered, then gently hit the side of the bowl to remove the excess of batter.
Then, completely covered the battered cauliflower with the panko and transfer on the prepared baking sheet. Keep going until you covered all the cauliflower pieces.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, flipping half way through.

Make the orange sauce

Follow the instruction on this sweet and spicy orange sauce, be sure to double the recipe for a saucier cauliflower. Once the sauce is done, set aside so it has time to slightly cool down.

Combine

Simply transfer the oven-baked cauliflower bites to a bowl and pour some of the orange sauce over. Be gently when stirring the pieces so you don't break their breading. You might have some extra orange sauce you can use to drizzle over rice or noodles or keep in the fridge for a later usage.

Video

Notes

Storage: This recipe does not keep very well in the fridge as the cauliflower will soak on the sauce and get softer over time. If expecting leftovers, then try to toss only the cauliflower with some of the sauce that you will eat at that seating. Keep the remaining cauliflower and sauce apart in the fridge and reheat the cauliflower bites in the oven for a few minutes to revive some of its crispy texture.
Be sure to use extra sweet Navel orange to make the sauce. If your oranges are more tart, then add a splash of extra maple syrup.
When preparing the cauliflower, it is important to keep the cauliflower pieces on the larger side.
Your cauliflower bites will have a better texture if there is not too much batter around. You want the batter to be all around, but not too thick. So, once dipped in the batter, be sure to remove the excess before diving into the panko.
Space out the cauliflower pieces on your baking sheet. They will roast and crisp better that way.
Right after baked, the cauliflower bites are at their best crispiness. Once tossed in the sauce, they will absorb some of it and become less crispy (still really good though). So I recommend you combine the cauliflower with the sauce just when ready to eat for optimal texture.

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