Baked Sesame Orange Cauliflower

With over a dozen 5-star reviews, this baked sesame orange cauliflower is ready in just 30 minutes and is always a hit! It tastes like takeout, with a crispy baked coating and flavor-packed Asian-style sauce. So go ahead and skip the online ordering and make this instead!

Something that’s in everyone’s fridge at one point or another is leftover American Chinese takeout. Sweet and sour chicken is a classic one (my grandpa’s fridge usually has this in it). It’s always so terrible, it’s amazing – the sauce could sometimes be mistaken for strawberry Jell-O.

Fortunately, ever since I used my food science degree to reverse engineer a healthier General Tso’s sauce (and subsequently sticky garlic sauce), I’ve been satisfying that hankering for wonderful, terrible American Chinese food (with a lot less terrible thrown in).

here’s what you’ll need

The ingredients for this super-tasty orange cauliflower recipe are all classic Asian ingredients. Think soy sauce, citrus, ginger, sesame, etc, with some additional ingredients to ensure that cauliflower really crunches! Jump to the recipe card for the measurements.

• Cauliflower: Obviously, we need cauliflower for this crispy cauliflower dish! Cauliflower is a great option for making cauliflower orange “chicken” because it holds its texture when baked or fried and can be breaded like chicken.
• Flour and Eggs: Flour and eggs help create a crispy breading. Eggs are what stabilize the batter when baked.
• Panko Breadcrumbs: By breading this baked orange cauliflower with panko breadcrumbs and flour, the breading ends up very crunchy and delicious with just baking (no frying needed!).
• Sesame Oil: Sesame oil is in most Asian-inspired dishes but you may not even know it’s there until you try it without it. So, be sure to use the oil! Toasted or non-toasted is fine.
• Garlic and Ginger: Garlic is my love language. The Grinch made me think having a soul full of garlic was a bad thing, turns out – it’s probably what made his heart grow 3 times its size. I prefer to use freshly grated ginger and fresh minced garlic, but jarred will work too.
• Orange Juice and Zest: Grab that fresh, winter citrus to use the juice and zest for this recipe! The juice adds flavor, and the zest adds pow-pow flavor!
• Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar is a unique type of vinegar that results in a slightly sweet and tart flavor. It is pretty mild so it does not overpower any of the other flavors. Use white vinegar if you don’t have it.
• Honey: That sticky texture that orange chicken is known for is even stickier and more delicious when you use honey
• Soy Sauce: Of course, we need soy sauce for umami!
• Cornstarch: A small amount of cornstarch is needed to thicken this sauce. Arrowroot starch could also be used.

How to Make baked sesame Orange Cauliflower

Making this cauliflower is so simple and quick that you might never order takeout again! Just kidding, you probably will when you really just need that wonderfully terrible sweet and sour. Here’s a quick overview. Be sure to jump to the recipe card for the full instructions.

Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Arrange your workspace, placing the flour, egg, and panko in separate bowls. Mix salt and pepper into the panko.

Step 2: Shake & Bake
Cut cauliflower into bite-sized florets. Working in batches, coat the florets in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs. Set on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crispy.

Step 3: Make the 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 for 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.

Step 4: Assemble
Drizzle sauce over the baked cauliflower and gently toss to evenly coat. Serve cauliflower over warm rice.

Orange Cauliflower Pairings

Any of these recipes are delicious alongside this sticky orange cauliflower!

• Thai Cucumber Salad is one of my favorite dishes to serve for dinner because it is fresh, light, and zingy with bright herbs and chili flakes!
• Kimchi Fried Rice can be served underneath the sticky cauliflower or on the side.
• Loaded Kimchi Fries are amazing! They are everything I love about fries with so much flavor that goes perfectly with sticky orange cauliflower!

Or for a different take on chicken, try our Chick-Fil-A Cauliflower Sandwich or Bang Bang Cauliflower!