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Bang Bang Cauliflower Recipe

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4.50 from 14 votes
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 45 mins
Yield 8 cups (4 servings)
Category Appetizer
Cuisine Asian/American

Description

Crispy baked cauliflower bites dunked in a creamy sweet and spicy bang bang sauce. Perfect as an appetizer or vegetarian dinner!

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 cups whole-wheat Panko bread crumbs (regular or gluten-free Panko also work)
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend
  • ¼ cup cornstarch or arrowroot starch
  • 1 large head cauliflower, about 2 pounds, cut into florets
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup sweet chili sauce
  • 1-2 tablespoons sriracha
  • 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoon honey

For serving, optional

  • thinly sliced scallions
  • Bibb lettuce or iceberg lettuce
  • thinly sliced english cucumbers
  • thinly sliced serranos
  • sesame seeds

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 450°F (232ºC) with racks set in upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Whisk together flour and cornstarch in a large bowl. Add cauliflower florets and toss to coat.
  • Dump cauliflower into a strainer set over a sink; shake to discard excess flour.
  • In now empty large bowl, beat 3 eggs. Add flour-coated cauliflower and stir to coat using rubber spatula.
  • Whisk together 2 cups Panko, 2 tablespoons oil, 1½ teaspoons garlic powder, 1¼ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a second shallow bowl.
  • Dredge cauliflower pieces in Panko mixture to coat.
  • Arrange cauliflower pieces in a single layer on prepared sheets.
  • Bake cauliflower until crispy and golden, 22–25 minutes, flipping pieces and rotating pans halfway through.

Bang Bang Sauce

  • Whisk together ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup sweet chili sauce, 1–2 tablespoons sriracha, 2 teaspoons vinegar and 2 teaspoons honey.
  • Serve bang bang sauce as a dip alongside crispy cauliflower, drizzle it over top crispy cauliflower in lettuce wraps, or toss cauliflower with sauce—you choose!

Air Fryer Instructions

  • Heat air fryer to 450ºF (232ºC). Arrange coated cauliflower pieces in single layer in basket.
  • Air fry until crispy and golden brown, about 13 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Equipment

baking sheets
large mixing bowl
rubber spatula

Video

Notes

I love using whole-wheat Panko, but you cal also use regular Panko or gluten-free Panko if you need to.
If you're making this gluten-free, use a 1:1 baking flour blend and gluten-free Panko instead of almond meal, corn meal, etc.
This is our favorite mayo to use. Though any type of mayo will work (including vegan mayonnaise). 
Make it vegan: if you would like to make this vegan, use vegan buttermilk or aqua faba in place of the egg and use vegan mayonnaise.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 150kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 4gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 161mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5g
Keywords baked cauliflower bites, bang bang cauliflower, vegan bang bang cauliflower
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