Sesame Cauliflower (Chinese take-out style vegetarian sesame chicken. Easily made vegan!)

March 30, 2021Brianna

Sesame cauliflower tastes almost identical to Chinese take-out style sesame chicken but vegetarian. It’s also easily made vegan if you use agave instead of honey, or a vegan honey. So delicious and even easier and healthier to make than my original Sesame Chicken recipe because you don’t have to bread or fry anything.

I sometimes will make mine half cauliflower and half chicken so it’s a bit more filling and satisfies my meat-loving family. Try making it half and half if you want to make it faster and more healthy but still really want the meat.

Sesame Cauliflower (Chinese take-out style vegetarian sesame chicken)

Print Recipe

Delicious Chinese take-out style sesame chicken but vegetarian. Easily made vegan. So delicious and even easier to make than my original Sesame Chicken recipe.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: serves about 5-6 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Cauliflower-

1 large head of cauliflower (about 3.5 pounds), cut into medium-sized florets

2–3 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Sauce-

2 tablespoons sesame oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

¼ cup honey

¼ cup sweet chili sauce

6 tablespoons ketchup

1/3 cup brown sugar

½ cup soy sauce

2–3 tablespoons sesame seeds

1–2 green onions, chopped

Serve with steamed rice, if desired (I prefer using sushi rice because it’s a good sticky rice)

Instructions

Cauliflower-

Preheat to 450 F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

In a large bowl drizzle the chopped cauliflower with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Pour onto prepared baking sheet and evenly distribute so there’s none overlapping. If needed, you can spread out onto 2 sheets instead of one.

Bake for about 10 minutes, turn the cauliflower and return to oven for 5 minutes. Check the cauliflower to see if it’s done at this point. You don’t want it to be too soft or it will get mushy when you pour it into the sauce. Cook 5 more minutes if it’s still too hard.

Sauce-

In a liquid measuring cup or a medium mixing bowl combine all the sauce ingredients except the sesame seeds and green onions. Whisk together.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, pour the sauce mixture and whisk frequently for about 4-5 minutes till sauce is sticky and beginning to thicken. Pour in the cooked cauliflower and gently toss in the sauce. Remove from heat and serve over rice.