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Sticky and Spicy Baked Cauliflower

3.1

(124)

A plate of rice topped with a spicy red sauce coated cauliflower
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Sophie Strangio

No need to deal with a pot of hot oil to get crispy battered cauliflower. These oven-baked florets come out crackly and just rich enough before getting bathed in a sticky-sweet gochujang glaze.

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What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

1

cup (125 g) all-purpose flour

½

cup cornstarch

2

tsp. baking powder

1

tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt

1

large head of cauliflower (about 2½ lb.), cut into large florets

¼

cup gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)

3

Tbsp. soy sauce

2

Tbsp. pure maple syrup

2

Tbsp. mirin

2

tsp. unseasoned rice vinegar

Steamed rice, toasted sesame seeds, and thinly sliced scallions (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 400°. Whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl to combine. Whisk in 1 cup water to create a thin pancake-like batter (you may need to add more water to achieve the right consistency). Using your hand or 2 forks and working one at a time, dip cauliflower florets into batter, letting excess drip back into bowl, and divide between 2 parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets. Bake cauliflower until edges are just beginning to turn golden brown, 20–25 minutes.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, whisk gochujang, soy sauce, maple syrup, mirin, and 1 cup water in a medium bowl. Pour sauce into a skillet large enough to hold all of the cauliflower florets (a 12" skillet should do it) and bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally. Cook, whisking, until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, 8–10 minutes. Stir in vinegar and remove pan from heat.

    Step 3

    Using tongs, transfer cauliflower to skillet with glaze and toss until florets are evenly coated in sauce.

    Step 4

    Divide rice among shallow bowls and spoon cauliflower over. Top with sesame seeds and scallions.

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Reviews (124)

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  • I feel like this recipe would have been good if the cauliflower was cooked any other way besides the batter/bake. The batter added a very strange texture. The sauce was super good so we ended up just mixing the sauce with the rice and pushing aside the cauliflower.

    • Jessica Dempsey

    • California

    • 2/6/2024

  • I can't eat spicy unfortunately. Is there an alternative that anyone can suggest that would not include the gochujang? Is it essential to the flavor profile? I really want to make this, sooner than later. Thanks!

    • Margie W

    • Denver Colorado

    • 1/11/2024

  • Tasty! Of course I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but this made a super tasty dinner. I used 1 c GF flour and 1 c water for the batter (that was the lightest flour I had - I would use corn starch or rice flour next time). I had a giant cauliflower so I added all of the florets to a large bowl with the batter and mixed until it was evenly distributed. I baked it in a single layer on greased baking sheets, flipping halfway through. The sauce didn't have the right balance so I added sweet chili sauce at the end and it was perfect. I will definitely make this again!

    • Amrita

    • Waterbury, VT

    • 10/15/2023

  • This is a very good baked cauliflower recipe, and, like some other reviews mentioned, rewarms well. The sauce is very tasty, and the cooked, battered cauliflower has a meaty texture. I had no issues with soggy batter that others described, but did make sure to use visual descriptions ("just beginning to turn brown") rather than estimated cooking times as a guide.

    • Emily

    • Mississippi, USA

    • 6/27/2023

  • After seeing this on so many BA’s Best and recommended lists, I finally got around to making it.. and it was the most disappointing BA recipe I can remember. The texture, the taste.. nothing worked. And I normally love this flavor profile. I can labor through just about any meal, but I couldn’t bring myself to finish this.

    • Joey

    • Grand Rapids, MI

    • 2/8/2023

  • I loved this recipe. I think my batter could have been thinner so when I make it again (that's right, it is on my 'Favorites' list. I even liked it cold. Rewarmed though it rocked over rice.

    • Mary-Ann

    • 12/31/2022

  • I mostly liked this, and so did my husband - the battering of the cauliflower gave it a meaty texture! My only complaint is that once it gets cold, it starts to become less appetizing, so make sure it stays nice and hot.

    • Katherine

    • Connecticut

    • 12/24/2022