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    Home » Appetizers

    Bang Bang Cauliflower

    Published: Dec 10, 2021 Updated: Dec 10, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Bang Bang Cauliflower

    Bang bang cauliflower is battered, smothered in panko breadcrumbs, baked until crispy and then tossed in a creamy, spicy bang bang sauce. It’s really delicious and so easy to make at home.

    Bang bang cauliflower with chopped chives on a plate.

    This bang bang cauliflower is our latest cauliflower obsession. It is SO good and it’s so easy to make. It makes the perfect appetizer and it’s always a crowd pleaser!

    After making our BBQ cauliflower wings and our buffalo cauliflower, bang bang cauliflower was just the logical next step.

    What Is Bang Bang Cauliflower?

    Bang bang cauliflower is basically cauliflower wings, with a bang bang sauce. And if your next question is: what is bang bang sauce? Well, bang bang sauce is a creamy spicy sauce made with mayonnaise, sriracha and Thai chili sauce!

    It’s seriously delicious, and there is just enough creamy mayonnaise to offset the spiciness so you’ll love it even if you prefer the milder things in life.

    What You’ll Need To Make This Recipe:

    Photo of the ingredients needed to make bang bang cauliflower.

    Ingredient Notes

    • Panko breadcrumbs – we love panko for this as it really makes the cauliflower very crispy. You could use a different kind of breadcrumb, but it may not come out quite as crispy as panko.
    • Cauliflower florets – you can buy your cauliflower ready cut into florets to save time, or you can cut them off a large head of cauliflower yourself.
    • Vegan mayonnaise – should be a thick and creamy mayonnaise.
    • Soy milk – can be swapped for another non-dairy milk if you prefer.
    Bang bang cauliflower on a plate with chopped chives and bang bang sauce.

    How To Make Bang Bang Cauliflower

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    • Add vegan mayonnaise, sriracha sauce, Thai sweet chili sauce and maple syrup to a mixing bowl and mix together until well combined. Set aside.
    Two photo collage showing ingredients for bang bang sauce added to a bowl and mixed together.
    • Add soy milk, all purpose flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and ground black pepper to a large mixing bowl and whisk it into a batter.
    Collage of two photos showing ingredients for batter added to bowl and mixed together.
    • Add panko breadcrumbs to a separate bowl along with salt and ground black pepper. Mix together.
    Two photo collage showing breadcrumbs, salt and pepper added to bowl and mixed together.
    • Add cauliflower florets to the batter in the large bowl and toss them so that they are well coated with batter.
    Two photo collage showing cauliflower florets added to batter and mixed so that the cauliflower is covered in batter.
    • Transfer the pieces of cauliflower in batches to the breadcrumbs bowl and gently toss them in the breadcrumbs so that they are coated on all sides.
    Two photo collage showing battered cauliflower added to breadcrumbs and coated.
    • Place the cauliflower florets on a parchment lined baking sheet.
    • Bake at 450°F (230°C) for 20 minutes.
    Two photo collage showing battered and breaded cauliflower on a parchment lined baking tray before and after baking.
    • Remove the baked cauliflower from the oven and add them to a large bowl with the bang bang sauce. Toss them gently in the sauce until they’re completely coated.
    Two photo collage showing baked cauliflower added to mixing bowl with bang bang sauce and tossed until coated.
    • Return the cauliflower to the parchment lined baking tray. Place them back in the oven to bake for a final 10 minutes.
    Two photo collage showing bang bang cauliflower on a parchment lined baking tray before and after baking.
    • Your bang bang cauliflower is ready to serve.
    Bang bang cauliflower on a parchment lined baking sheet.

    What To Serve With Bang Bang Cauliflower

    This is divine served as an appetizer, topped with fresh chopped chives with extra vegan bang bang sauce on the side for dipping.

    Or, if you want to offset the spiciness a bit more then serve it with some vegan ranch dressing on the side for dipping.

    You can also serve this with noodles, rice or vegan fried rice for a main course, or serve them in tacos with salsa and guacamole and extra bang bang sauce.

    Bang bang cauliflower on a plate with chopped chives and bang bang sauce.

    Make It In The Air Fryer

    If you’d like to make your bang bang cauliflower in the air fryer instead of the oven, then you can. I prefer the oven since there is more space to do it all in one batch, and usually air fryers are smaller so you have to do it in separate batches. I love to reheat this in the air fryer though!

    Nonetheless if you’d like to do it all in the air fryer then preheat the air fryer to 400°F (200°C). Place the battered and breaded cauliflower in a single row, with plenty of space around each piece. Air fry for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned and crispy. Add the bang bang sauce and then return to the air fryer for around 5 minutes until nicely crisped again.

    Make Them Gluten Free

    If you’d like to make this vegan bang bang cauliflower gluten free then simply replace the flour with a gluten free all purpose flour blend. You’ll also need to use gluten free breadcrumbs.

    Bang bang cauliflower on a plate.

    Storing Tips

    Keep leftovers stored in a covered container in the fridge for 3-4 days. They can be reheated in the microwave or in the oven (at 350°F until heated through) but will lose some of their crispiness.

    Reheating In The Air Fryer

    To restore all the crispiness to your bang bang cauliflower, reheat leftovers in the air fryer for 10 minutes. This brings all the crispiness back, so if you have an air fryer, this is the best way to reheat them.

    Piece of bang bang cauliflower dipped in bang bang sauce.

    More Delicious Cauliflower Recipes

    1. Vegan Cauliflower Cheese
    2. Vegan Cauliflower Curry
    3. Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower
    4. BBQ Cauliflower Wings
    5. Vegan Cauliflower Soup
    6. Vegan Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Bang bang cauliflower with chopped chives on a white plate.

    Bang Bang Cauliflower

    This bang bang cauliflower is battered, smothered in panko breadcrumbs, baked until crispy and then tossed in a creamy, spicy bang bang sauce. It's really delicious and so easy to make at home.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American, Asian-Inspired
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 25 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 271kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    Bang Bang Sauce

    • ½ cup Vegan Mayonnaise (120g)
    • ¼ cup Sriracha Sauce (60ml)
    • 2 Tablespoons Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
    • 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup

    Cauliflower:

    • 2 pounds Cauliflower Florets (900g)

    Batter:

    • 1 cup Soy Milk (240ml) or other non-dairy milk
    • ¾ cup All Purpose Flour (93g)
    • 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
    • 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
    • 1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
    • ¼ teaspoon Salt
    • ¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

    Breadcrumbs:

    • 2 cups Panko Breadcrumbs
    • ¼ teaspoon Salt
    • ¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

    Serving (Optional):

    • Fresh Chopped Chives
    • Extra Bang Bang Sauce
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
    • Add vegan mayonnaise, sriracha sauce, Thai sweet chili sauce and maple syrup to a mixing bowl and mix together until well combined. Set aside.
    • Add soy milk, all purpose flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and ground black pepper to a large mixing bowl and whisk it into a batter.
    • Add panko breadcrumbs to a separate bowl along with salt and ground black pepper. Mix together.
    • Add cauliflower florets to the batter in the large bowl and toss them so that they are well coated with batter.
    • Transfer the pieces of cauliflower in batches to the breadcrumbs bowl and gently toss them in the breadcrumbs so that they are coated on all sides.
    • Place the cauliflower florets on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
    • Remove the baked cauliflower from the oven and add them to a large bowl with the bang bang sauce. Toss them gently in the sauce until they're completely coated.
    • Return the cauliflower to the parchment lined baking tray. Place them back in the oven to bake for a final 10 minutes.
    • Sprinkle with fresh chopped chives and serve with extra bang bang sauce (optional) for dipping. Or serve with a sauce of your choice.

    Notes

    1. Vegan mayonnaise – should be a thick and creamy mayonnaise.
    2. Panko breadcrumbs – we love panko for this as it really makes the cauliflower very crispy. You could use a different kind of breadcrumb, but it may not come out quite as crispy as panko.
    3. Cauliflower florets – you can buy your cauliflower ready cut into florets to save time, or you can cut them off a large head of cauliflower yourself.
    4. Air fryer: To make this in the air fryer then preheat the air fryer to 400°F (200°C). Place the battered and breaded cauliflower in a single row, with plenty of space around each piece. Air fry for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned and crispy. Add the bang bang sauce and then return to the air fryer for around 5 minutes until nicely crisped again. Repeat for the next batch.
    5. Gluten-free: If you’d like to make this vegan bang bang cauliflower gluten free then simply replace the flour with a gluten free all purpose flour blend. You’ll also need to use gluten free breadcrumbs.
    6. Storing and reheating: Keep leftovers stored in a covered container in the fridge for 3-4 days. They can be reheated in the microwave or in the oven (at 350°F until heated through) but will lose some of their crispiness. To restore all the crispiness to your bang bang cauliflower, reheat leftovers in the air fryer for 10 minutes. This brings all the crispiness back, so if you have an air fryer, this is the best way to reheat them.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 627mg | Potassium: 467mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 129IU | Vitamin C: 63mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 2mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Karen Davies says

      December 12, 2021 at 8:47 am

      Hi

      Can you freeze them?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 13, 2021 at 11:03 am

        Hi Karen, I don’t think so. The texture will change too much when thawed.

        Reply
    2. Angie says

      December 10, 2021 at 8:08 pm

      Can you do it with broccoli? And do you have a recipe for vegan crab cake?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 11, 2021 at 12:52 pm

        Hi Angie, sure I think broccoli would work great as well! We don’t have a recipe for vegan crab cakes yet but it’s on our list so we’ll definitely make that soon. 🙂

        Reply
    3. Jeanne says

      December 10, 2021 at 5:53 pm

      Alison, what can you use as a sauce so the cauliflower is not spicy?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 11, 2021 at 12:49 pm

        Hi Jeanne, if you don’t like it spicy at all, then you might prefer our BBQ cauliflower, it’s made the same way but with a BBQ sauce so it’s not spicy. 🙂

        Reply

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