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.
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:
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.
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.
- 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 at 450°F (230°C) 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.
- Your bang bang cauliflower is ready to serve.
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.
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.
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.
More Delicious Cauliflower Recipes
- Vegan Cauliflower Cheese
- Vegan Cauliflower Curry
- Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower
- BBQ Cauliflower Wings
- Vegan Cauliflower Soup
- Vegan Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Bang Bang Cauliflower
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
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
- Vegan mayonnaise – should be a thick and creamy mayonnaise.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Hi
Can you freeze them?
Hi Karen, I don’t think so. The texture will change too much when thawed.
Can you do it with broccoli? And do you have a recipe for vegan crab cake?
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. 🙂
Alison, what can you use as a sauce so the cauliflower is not spicy?
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. 🙂