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Skip the takeout and try this General Tso’s cauliflower instead! Crispy, saucy, and downright addictive (peep the dozens of 5-star reviews!), this plant-based twist on the Chinese classic delivers all the flavor without the frying—or the meat. Bonus: it’s ready in 30 minutes and can be baked or air-fried!
save this recipe!This Is Way Better Than Takeout
This General Tso’s cauliflower is an oldie but a goodie—and for good reason. It tastes just like your favorite sticky, flavor-packed Chinese takeout, but with a plant-based twist that’ll knock your socks off.
Yes, it’s made entirely from cauliflower, and yes, the texture is mind-blowingly tender and meaty. Smothered in a tangy, sweet, and slightly spicy General Tso’s sauce, this dish brings bold, addictive flavors you’ll want to drizzle on everything!
Reader rating
“This was super tasty, even my meat loving husband rated it highly. And I loved that it was baked not fried.” —Cheryl
Here’s What You’ll Need
It really doesn’t take much to make this General Tso’s cauliflower!
Jump to the recipe card for exact measurements—this is an overview.
- Cauliflower: Cut your cauliflower head into bite-sized florets for even baking and tender bites.
- Breading: To create a crispy coating without frying, we’ll bread the cauliflower in flour, egg, and salt and pepper-seasoned panko. You can use regular breadcrumbs in a pinch, but your florets won’t be as crispy.
- Sauce Flavor Makers: We’ll combine sesame oil, fresh garlic and ginger, veggie broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and tomato paste to create our flavor-packed General Tso’s sauce. Feel free to spice it up with a pinch of red chili flakes!
- Cornstarch: Lastly, we’ll thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch and cold water).
Craving More Takekout?
For another takeout-inspired twist on cauliflower, try my bang bang cauliflower (with chickpeas!).
General Tso’s Cauliflower (Baked or Air Fried)
Ingredients
Cauliflower
- ½ head cauliflower
- ½ cup flour, 60g
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, 50 g
- ¼ tsp each salt and pepper
General Tso's Sauce
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil, 15 mL
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
- ½ cup vegetable broth, 120 mL
- ¼ cup soy sauce, 60 mL
- ¼ cup rice vinegar, 60 mL
- ¼ cup brown sugar, 50 g
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste, 30 g
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp (30 mL) cold water, 15 g
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C)*. Arrange workspace, placing flour, egg, and panko in separate bowls. Mix salt and pepper into panko. Cut cauliflower into bite-sized florets.
- Dredge: Working in batches, coat the florets in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Set on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until crispy.
- Sauce: Set a small saucepan over medium heat and add the sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant, then add remaining sauce ingredients except the cornstarch mixture. Whisk to combine and bring to a simmer. While whisking, slowly pour in the cornstarch mixture. It should thicken quite quickly; if not, continue simmering until thick.
- Assemble: Drizzle sauce over the baked cauliflower and gently toss to coat.
- Serve cauliflower over warm rice or quinoa.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Loved it!!!
Thanks, Susanne! 😀
hi.. wonder if you could use stevia instead of sugar?
Hi Karen, I haven’t tried this substitute but I have a feeling using pure stevia instead would affect the texture. The sugar, when melted, brings a bit of stickiness to the sauce, which I’m not sure you would get with stevia. Perhaps you could try a brown sugar stevia blend? 🙂
Hi!
I really want to try this, any idea what I could use as a substitute for eggs?
Thank you 🙂
Hi Namita! Cream or plain yogurt would work, or for dairy-free you could try flax eggs.
I came here to ask the same question. Maybe a vegan mayo or a vegan yogurt; I don’t think a flax egg would work.
It looks really good.
Sorry, Sarah – but this one just didn’t deliver for us. A week ago we ordered an order of General Tso’s Cauliflower as an appetizer for our table of friends at a local brewpub, and it lasted about 5 minutes. Salty-sweet, crisp, hot and munchable. These were almost certainly deep-fried and probably not vegetarian. Also probably way more sugar than I’m shooting for in my diet. I ate them anyway, with gusto. So I was excited when I saw your post for a home-baked version (we don’t deep-fry anything in this house, ever.) Sadly, the comparison was not favorable. I fear that there’s something essential in the deep-frying process needed to caramelize the sugar in the glaze, for starters. I would love to be proven wrong in this! I may experiment with tweaking your recipe, starting with less tomato paste, more brown sugar, and less vinegar. I saw another recipe for G T ‘s sauce that insisted on using a certain Chinese dark vineger, and thankfully our Asian grocery down the street carries it. Wish me luck.
Sorry to hear, Ken! Thanks for your thoughtful review and I would love to know if you make any changes that put this recipe back in your favor! 😀
This was delicious! It’s sure to become a staple in my house 🙂
Yay! So happy to hear, Liz! 😀
This really is better than the original. Thanks
So happy to hear! Enjoy! 😀
I made this for my daughter and she loved it. She does not like cauliflower, either
I did use store-bought sauce, though…
This was so delicious! Next time I’ll double the sauce though—or maybe my cauliflower head was a lot bigger. It didn’t fully coat them. But still worth it!
Good to know, thanks for the tip Hanna! 😀
I would love to try this, but I would prefer to use my air fryer. How long should I air fry it?
Great question, Teena! I would do 375°F (190°C) for 10 to 15 minutes. Enjoy! 😀
Great recipe! Thank you for sharing. Love how the ginger comes thru!
So happy to hear it, Carmen! 😀
Thank you, this is the first time I have been to your site and tried a recipe (found you on Pinterest). I have to say well done, this was super tasty, even my meat loving husband rated it highly. And I loved that it was baked not fried. Well done!
Ah so happy to hear it, Cheryl! 😀