Is this sweet and spicy orange cauliflower better than takeout? You betcha. It has that perfect balance of sweet, sour, and spicy. All because of some simple flavors combined with freshly squeezed orange juice! Such a satisfying lunch or dinner ready in no time.
Classic comforting takeout, but make it plant-based and ummm…better. There, I said it. Of course, there are times when takeout is desired and necessary, but honestly, I only like ordering stuff that’s better than what I can do at practically no cost at home. For example, we tried this Indonesian place the other day, and they had jackfruit curry that had a slight sweet sour zing to it. It was truly magnificent. Anyways, that has absolutely nothing to do with this recipe. So let’s get on with it.
This sweet and spicy orange cauliflower is…
sweet, spicy, sour, and sticky
done in about 30-minutes
vegan and oil-free
about to satisfy your takeout cravings
The Rundown
Make a batter. I use a mix of chickpea flour and all-purpose flour, but you shouldn’t have problems using one or the other. If you do choose to go with 100% chickpea flour, I’d suggest adding 2 tbsp of cornstarch so that the batter stays together better.
Air fry or bake your cauliflower to crisp perfection. I air fried because it only takes 10 minutes and I find that it makes the cauliflower crispier, but you can definitely oven bake for twice as long.
Mix the sauce in a bowl. You will definitely want to use freshly squeezed orange juice from about 2 oranges for this sauce. It also uses tamari (sub soy sauce), rice vinegar (sub apple cider vinegar), red chili flakes, and ginger.
Heat the sauce on the stove and add a cornstarch slurry, which is just cornstarch and water mixed together. Coat the cauliflower in the sauce. This part on the stove should be done in just 5 minutes!
Sweet and Spicy Orange Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower
Batter
- ½ cup chickpea flour sub all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ cup nondairy milk
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- salt
Orange juice sauce
- ⅔ cup freshly squeezed orange juice ~ 2 oranges
- 1.5 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp red chili flakes
- 1 inch of ginger, grated
- cornstarch slurry: 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water
- scallions for topping
- sesame seeds for topping
Instructions
- Cut cauliflower into florets.
- Mix all the batter ingredients in a mixing bowl: chickpea flour, all-purpose flour, cumin, salt, pepper, and nondairy milk. Add up to 1/4 cup more milk if necessary.
- Toss florets in the batter until they are all coated. Air fry for 10 minutes at 400 F or oven bake for around 20 minutes at 400 F. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to do two batches. Toss them around in the basket in the middle of air frying.
- While the cauliflower air fries, mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and the cornstarch slurry in a separate bowl.
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the orange juice sauce. When it starts to bubble, add the cornstarch slurry. After the sauce has thickened a bit, toss the cauliflower in, take the pan off the heat, and coat the cauliflower in the sauce.
- Serve with rice or noodles and top with scallions, sesame seeds, and extra red chili flakes.
If you like this sweet and spicy orange cauliflower recipe, you’ll also love…
this takeout-inspired recipe: Better-Than-Takeout Healthy Eggplant Tofu
this cauliflower recipe: BBQ Cauliflower Wings
this citrus-y recipe: Warm Broccoli Orange Lentil Salad
