As someone who isn’t a vegetarian, and thinks plain cauliflower is a bit ‘meh’, I can confirm these Asian Style Cauliflower Wings are flippin’ delicious! The best way to make cauliflower taste good!! Perfect Vegetarian Chicken Wings!

Close up image of Asian cauliflower wings on a blue plate
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It’s one of those recipes where Chris and I hover over the dish right after I’ve finished the photos, and noisily demolish them on the spot. Whilst at the same time, being astounded that we’re enjoying a cauliflower-based snack so much.

This recipe first came about when one of our lovely readers asked for a vegetarian version of our Crispy Asian Chicken Wings. At first, I looked at the screen, a little bemused, wondering how it could be possible to make anything taste as good as those chicken wings.

Although I do make an effort to make vegetarian recipes, as well as meaty ones, I’m not overly keen on meat substitutes – such as tofu, quorn, veggie bacon etc. When it’s trying to taste like a meat, it usually puts me off.

I much prefer to make the most of natural veggie ingredients. In this case, cauliflower was the perfect answer!

The wings are first coated in a buffalo style coating:

Spices being poured from a plate to a jug to make coating for baked cauliflower wings
Sauce being poured onto cauliflower florets

Before being baked in the oven. This gives a nice crispness to the cauliflower.

Cauliflower florets going into the oven

Then they’re coated in my classic Asian style sauce (the same one I use for the chicken wings)

Asian style sauce being poured over baked cauliflower florets

And finally topped with spring onions and chilli flakes.

Asian cauliflower wings on a blue plate with spring onions sprinkled on top

Can I make them gluten free?

Yes, you can replace the soy sauce with tamari. Replace the flour with gluten free plain flour blend. Also ensure the sweet chilli sauce you’re using is gluten free.

Can I make them ahead?

I find these wings taste best when eaten right away. However, you can make the cauliflower batter (just stir together the ingredients) and the Asian sauce (just stir together the ingredients, but don’t cook the sauce until the cauliflower wings are in the oven) up to the day before, then cover and refrigerate so it’s quicker to cook the next day.

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4.80 from 10 votes

Baked Cauliflower Wings – Asian Style

As someone who isn’t a vegetarian, and thinks plain cauliflower is a bit ‘meh’, I can confirm these Asian Style Cauliflower Wings are flippin’ delicious! The best way to make cauliflower taste good!!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Asian

Ingredients

  • 120 ml (1/2 cup) milk
  • 120 ml (1/2 cup) water
  • 90 g (2/3 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour (use gluten free plain flour blend if required)
  • 1 tsp garlic salt
  • ½ tsp celery salt
  • ½ tbsp paprika
  • ¼ tsp chilli flakes
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp ground pepper
  • 1 head of cauliflower cut into chunky florets

Sauce:

  • 1 tsp vegetable oil
  • pinch salt and pepper
  • 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger peeled and minced
  • 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (check it's gluten-free if required)
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 4 tbsp brown sugar
  • 5 tbsp soy sauce (use tamari for gluten-free)
  • 2 cloves garlic pealed and minced
  • 1 tsp lemon grass paste

Also:

  • 2 tbsp chopped spring onions scallions
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes
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Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 220C/425F (fan) and line a large baking tray with a silicone mat or baking parchment.
  • Add the milk, water, flour, garlic salt, celery salt, paprika, chilli flakes, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Mix it all together until no lumps remain, then add the cauliflower florets.
    120 ml (1/2 cup) milk, 120 ml (1/2 cup) water, 90 g (2/3 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour, 1 tsp garlic salt, 1/2 tsp celery salt, 1/2 tbsp paprika, ¼ tsp chilli flakes, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground pepper, 1 head of cauliflower
  • Mix together to completely cover the florets. Use a slotted spoon to lift the florets out of the mixture, allowing the excess batter to drip off. Place the florets on the prepared baking tray, leaving a little room between each.
  • Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, turning once after 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, add all of the sauce ingredients into a saucepan, stir and bring to the boil. Allow to bubble for 5-10 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly (it will thicken more as it cools). Turn off the heat.
    1 tsp vegetable oil, pinch salt and pepper, 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce, 2 tbsp honey, 4 tbsp brown sugar, 5 tbsp soy sauce, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp lemon grass paste
  • Place the wings in a large bowl and very carefully pour over the sticky sauce (be careful, it will be VERY hot). Toss to combine, then serve topped with chopped spring onions (scallions) and chilli flakes.
    2 tbsp chopped spring onions, 1/2 tsp chilli flakes

Video

Notes

Nutritional information is per serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 2388mg | Potassium: 595mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 610IU | Vitamin C: 72.8mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 2.5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More AMAZING vegetarian appetizers:

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Welcome to Kitchen Sanctuary

Hi, I'm Nicky and I love to cook! I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

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Comments

  1. Donna says:

    5 stars
    Made this as a side with a Thai dinner (also used the beef massaman recipe from here too) and it was amazing. I think I would use a little less liquid in the batter next time. Great flavours!!

  2. Dawn m Brant says:

    Looks delicious and would love to make, why is everything but the milk and water amounts in American measurements? Love your recipes!

    1. Chris Corbishley says:

      Hi Dawn,

      Although we are based in the UK we have quite a following in the US too so we try and ensure that we cater for both UK and US measurements in our recipes.

      In this instance, it looks like the conversion may have become a little wonky. I have corrected this now so it shows the correct quantities.

      Thanks and hope you enjoy them.

      Chris & Nicky

  3. Sim S says:

    5 stars
    Loved this recipe & will certainly make it again. Somehow, after a buffet dinner I had leftovers & heeded your advice about not cooking them in advance. But I hate wasting food so I smashed up the cauliflower, before adding it to a stir fry of other leftovers. Not the prettiest looking dish but damn delicious!

  4. Derek Westwood says:

    Can I substitute more water for the milk?

    1. Chris Corbishley says:

      Hi Derek,

      I havn’t tried this batter with all water but you could give it a go. If it works out please let us know

      Thanks

      Chris

  5. Sam says:

    4 stars
    I too am not a vegetarian, but my wife and three kids are. Out of sheer convenience, I end up cooking vegetarian meals almost every day. These flat out delicious, they just happen to be vegetarian too. Recipes like this are the whole reason I started a food blog.

  6. Danielle says:

    5 stars
    I am in heaven. While I do prefer meat options (like your wings) I also love new ideas for veggies. The sauce is just amazing and I can’t wait to give this a try.

  7. Kris says:

    5 stars
    OMG these were delicious. I love the fact i can make a batch of these and a batch of the Chicken wing version and use the same sauce, perfect for me (non veggie) and for my friend who is a veggie. Thanks so much for sharing. Will be making these again

  8. Connie Hoffman says:

    I don’t do soy at all. Is there anything I can substitute? And preferably without salt or low sodium.

    1. Chris Corbishley says:

      Hi Connie,

      We are struggling with this one. The salty soy taste is integral to the flavour of the sauce.

      Do you use a Soy Sauce substitute for other recipes? Let me know

      Thanks

      Chris

      1. Connie Hoffman says:

        No I don’t. I was hoping you knew of any.

      2. Loretta Bozza says:

        I know this is an old post, but a great soy substitute is Coconut Aminos. It is not sodium-free, but considerably less sodium than soy sauce. Hope that helps!

  9. carol says:

    The cauliflower wings sound great and I definitely will make them; however, do I have to use “lemongrass”? Looked it up and may be difficult to find a a supermkt. They say a substitute would be the zest of a lemon. Is this necessary in the recipe? Don’t want to ruin the recipe. What do you think?

    1. Chris Corbishley says:

      Hi Carole,

      I just had a chat with Nicky about this one. You can leave the lemongrass out completely, i wouldn’t substitute it for anything. Its shouldn’t affect the taste to much without the lemongrass.

      Thanks

      Chris

    2. GeeDee says:

      You can get it minced, in a jar. If yousubstitute lemon zest use sparingly as it has a completely different flavour

    3. Garry says:

      4 stars
      Hi Carol,
      we grow our own lemongrass here in South Australia!
      I thinly sliced a stalk of it and then pounded it in the mortar and pestle to a “paste”.
      Added 3 tablespoons of this to the sauce mixture and i reckon it could have had more.
      I din’t have any sweet chilli sauce either so used ABC sauce instead, so it’s a different brew to the recipe . We’ll devour them and see how they taste.
      Regards,
      Garry.

  10. Brandan braxy says:

    I like the nutrients in each food stuff!