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
Tongs
$21 At Amazon
Whisk
$10 At Amazon
Large Straight-Sided Skillet
$200 At Amazon
Chef's Knife
$34.53 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
1
½
2
1
1
¼
3
2
2
2
Preparation
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.
How would you rate Sticky and Spicy Baked Cauliflower?
Leave a Review
Reviews (124)
Back to TopI 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