An orange cauliflower recipe that is a must try! It's a healthy vegan take on traditional orange chicken and absolutely incredible.
The orange cauliflower is baked but still crispy, has a healthy dose of veggies and and will be your new family favorite!
This post originally published on February 18, 2019
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sumo Citrus. The opinions and text are all mine.
The kids love having this vegan orange chicken alongside our veggie fried rice and veggie stir fry noodles for a whole take out experience!
This recipe takes the unhealthy deep fried idea of traditional orange chicken and gives it a more nutritious makeover. I used the same crispy technique I used in my buffalo cauliflower sliders.
The flavor of orange cauliflower is important of course, but the texture is another crucial component! The crispiness you get following this recipe is perfect, especially combined with the sticky orange sauce.
Ingredients
This vegan orange cauliflower recipe is absolutely delicious but it takes a little bit to get it just so.
Here is what you will need for the base:
- Cauliflower
- Cornmeal
- Bread crumbs
- Hemp seeds
- Almond flour
- Cashew or almond milk
- Sparkling soda water
- Baking powder
To make the orange sauce gather:
- Veggie broth
- Maple syrup
- Sumo Citrus mandarin juice
- Citrus zest
- Tamari or soy sauce
- Rice wine vinegar
- Garlic
- Cornstarch
How to Make Orange Cauliflower
- Coat the cauliflower with the crispy coating.
- Bake.
- Make the sauce.
- Toss in sauce and bake again.
- Serve!
Sumo Citrus
The best food, always starts with a sauce. The key player in this sauce recipe is the citrus. The citrus I grabbed for this is called a Sumo Citrus. I love it because of it's incredible natural sweetness.
Back in January, I had the pleasure of visiting the Sumo Citrus farm where I learned more than I ever thought I could about this amazing little fruit.
Sumo Citrus originated in Japan, and is the perfect combo of the easy to peel mandarin with the sweet naval orange. They are also seedless, pretty much securing them as a mom's favorite thing ever.
These perfect little beings are only available from January until April, so we will call those the sane months where I don't have to fight with orange peels (I know I can't be the only one!).
They are basically the sweetest most amazing citrus ever. The farmers pull off the fruit from the middle of the tree (Sumos love the sun so they leave the outside ones to grab those rays) so that the ones left get sweeter. Making it the perfect ingredient for this orange cauliflower sauce.
What to Serve with Orange Cauliflower
The crunchy outer shell plus the caramelizing sticky goodness of the sauce, makes this healthier orange cauliflower recipe one I couldn't stop snacking on! Here are some of the best foods to enjoy this dish with:
- Serve it over a bed of rice with other veggies on the side. (Learn How to Cook the Perfect Rice here!)
- Easy Veggie Fried Rice
- Crispy Teriyaki Tofu
- General Tso's Tofu
- Indo Chinese Corn Soup
- Stir Fry Cauliflower Rice
- Easy Vegan Thai Peanut Noodles
- Vegan Miso Soup with Noodles and Vegetables
- 20 Minute Vegan Coconut Curry Soup
- 20 Minute Low-Fat Detox Bok Choy Miso Noodle Soup
- Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
Preparation Tips
- If you follow the recipe, you will see that I say to use a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The reason I like using parchment on a baking sheet, is because the parchment helps make this extra crispy.
- To make these kid friendly, do not add the crushed red pepper. Serve as nuggets with sauce as a dipper.
- Grind the hemp seeds first. You can use almond flour instead of hemp seeds to make is easier, but I like the final texture the hemp seeds give because of their natural oils.
- I use a fine grained almond flour, but because this isn't a baked good, any almond flour would work.
- For an extra crispness you can add a small drizzle of oil to the batter if you want.
- If you do not have Sumo Citrus, use a mandarin or orange to gain similar results.
Meal Prep and Storage Tips
- Make the orange sauce ahead of time. Just store it in the fridge in a container and it will keep well for a few days. This gives you plenty of time to use it up!
- Mix up the crispy coating ingredients and store in an airtight container.
- The cauliflower will get a bit soft if you store it, so it is best to make fresh cauliflower each time for the perfect crisp.
- If you don't eat this all, first check if you have a pulse. Then take the leftovers and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
- When you are ready to eat this again, spread the orange cauliflower out on a parchment lined cookie sheet and rebake a bit to get some of the crisp back.
- You can also pop the leftovers in an air fryer to get it crispy again.
Common Questions
Of course! While most people think of chicken or pork dishes when they think of Chinese food, there are a ton of vegan-friendly options. Most Chinese restaurants will have quite a few tofu dishes, as well as meat-free options. Look over the menu and talk to the chefs for clarification.
Orange cauliflower is the veggie alternative to orange chicken. Orange chicken is a North American Chinese food staple. It is made of chopped chicken that is battered and deep-fried. The chicken is then dredged in traditional orange sauce and served over rice.
Compared to it's battered and fried originator, this recipe is pretty healthy! It uses cauliflower that is roasted instead of chicken that is fried. Plus the sauce is made using citrus and natural sweeteners instead of loads of sugar.
More often than not, yes! The sauce is primarily made with orange juice, sweeteners, soy sauce and cornstarch. This sauce recipe is completely plant based.
More Cauliflower Recipes
Recreating classic tastes and textures of your favorite dishes is possible with completely plant based ingredients! Here are some of our favorites:
- Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower
- Broccoli Cauliflower Veggie Tots
- Healthy Vegan Cauliflower Soup
- Vegan Cauliflower Casserole
- BBQ Cauliflower Bites Bowl
- Crispy Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos
Orange Cauliflower (Vegan Orange Chicken)
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower , medium-size
- 1 cup orange cauliflower sauce , see below
Crispy Coating:
Batter:
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 cup cashew or almond milk
- 1 cup sparkling soda water
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- drizzle oil , optional (see notes)
To Serve (optional):
- Brown rice
- Cauliflower rice , for a low carb option
- Sliced green onions
- Crushed red pepper
- Any other veggies you want
Orange Cauliflower Sauce:
- 1 cup veggie broth
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup Sumo Citrus mandarin juice , see note
- 2 teaspoons zest from citrus
- ½ cup Tamari or soy sauce
- ½ cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated garlic , about 4 cloves (use zester you used for the citrus zest)
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup warm water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F/ 232°C.
- Slice the cauliflower into large bite-size pieces. Or cut into nugget size if making for kids.
- Make the crispy coating by mixing together the cornmeal, bread crumbs, ground hemp seeds (or almond flour), and salt, then place it in a shallow baking dish. You can also put it into a large plastic bag for the shake and bake option.
- Make the batter by combining the almond flour, milk, water and baking powder in a bowl until fully mixed. Add a drizzle of oil if you’d like.
- Using one hand for the batter and one for the coating (this helps avoid clumping of the coating), dip each cauliflower piece in the batter then place in the coating dish and cover with coating. If using the plastic bag, simply place the batter coated cauliflower into the bag and shake to coat in the topping. It should all fit but do it in parts if need be, just make sure to only use half of the coating so that it doesn't all get wet.
- Place each piece on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Make sure to evenly spread out the pieces.
- Bake for about 25 minutes.
- While baking, make the sauce by whisking all ingredients, except the cornstarch and water, in a small bowl.
- Add to a pot and cook on medium until it begins to bubble.
- Combine the cornstarch and water until dissolved.
- Pour into the pot and whisk well. Simmer until it thickens, about 5-7 minutes. It will reduce by about half.
- Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and drizzle about ¼ cup sauce on top of the cauliflower pieces, trying to coat the top sides well. Using a pastry brush can help.
- Flip them over and drizzle another ¼ cup of sauce on top of the other sides, trying to coat them well. You can use more of the sauce to coat here and then have less to drizzle on top when you eat, it’s up to you at what stage you want to use the sauce.
- Put them back in the oven and bake for 10 minutes until they’re crispy.
- Serve immediately over rice with optional toppings!
Notes
- You can use almond flour instead of hemp seeds to make is easier, but I like the final texture the hemp seeds give because of their natural oils.
- I use a fine grained almond flour, but because this isn't a baked good, any almond flour would work.
- You can add a small drizzle of oil to the batter if you want. It is definitely not needed but can add an extra crispness to the final product.
- If you do not have Sumo Citrus, use a mandarin or orange to gain similar results.
- Sauce makes about 1 cup.
- Nutrition facts do not include all of the batter and coating since all of it is not used. An average of how much used is accounted for.
- To make these kid friendly, do not add the crushed red pepper. Serve as nuggets with sauce as a dipper.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Charmaine
Seriously yummy.. kids want it to be a regular on the menu rotation
Sophia DeSantis
I am thrilled you liked it Charmaine!! Thank you so much!
Sarah
The whole family loved this! The sauce was absolute perfection!
Pam Campbell
Wow!! Made this tonight exactly as the recipe called for and what an absolute treat! The cauliflower was done perfectly and the sauce was truly to die for!!!!! But, as all your recipes, it was perfect. Thank you so much for all you do to make healthy eating amazing eating. Even my vegan reluctant husband says all your recipes are a "10"!!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much Pam! I am so happy you liked it!
Erin
I enjoyed the flavors in this a lot! My boyfriend, who is not a vegetarian, also liked it and said it will be a permanent fixture on our menu. I will note that I made half the batter and I feel like it still could have covered 4 heads of cauliflower with just half the batter and crispy coating. After adding the sauce and cooking the cauliflower again, the cauliflower did not get crispy. Are there any recommendations for a different way to cook this such as under the broiler to ensure crispiness?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Erin! The batter is more than you need but I created it this way to ensure there was plenty to coat the pieces nice and thick. If you didn't have enough batter it may have affected the end crispiness. Also, when you add the sauce, you want just a thin coating. I use a pastry brush to get it on. If it's too much it will affect the end result as well. I am guessing it was perhaps not spread on thin and pooled in between the pieces, this has happened before to me too and doesn't let the cauliflower get crispy. Also, make sure you use parchment paper. It helps crisp the bottoms. You can definitely try putting it under the broiler but watch it carefully!
Tanya
DELICIOUS!!! My favorite recipe on this website!!
veggiesdontbite
Oh wow! What a complement! Thanks so much!
Amanda
OMG LORD!!!!! This is so flipping good! I ate half the tray before I even put the meal together.
veggiesdontbite
Haha!! Thank you so much Amanda!
Jean
This was more like 3recipes including the rice and each more delicious than the last. It all comes together beautifully! Definitely a keeper!!! Thanks!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much!! I am thrilled you liked it!
Cindy
Can I add more almond flour to substitute for the cornmeal?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Cindy! While you can add more almond flour, you won't get the same crispy outer texture. Let me know how it goes!
Sheri
Do you think this would work if I used tofu in place of cauliflower?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Sheri! Yes, I think it would! Just watch the cooking time.
Lindsay Shreeve
Made these tonight for my family. They are AMAZING! I have a husband and 6 kids 9 and under and everyone ate it and went back for more. They voted it was a keeper! I did not have soda water for the batter so I used one cup of cold water with a Tablespoon of lemon juice. I doubled the recipe for us but I quadrupled the sauce so that I could freeze half and have it premade for the next time I make it. If you double the recipe you do not need to double the batter, there is plenty. I set my oven to convection at 425 and cooked for the time suggested so I could have 2 baking sheets in at the same time. Came out perfect! Thanks for coming up with these amazing recipes! I love your site!
veggiesdontbite
Yay Lindsay!!! Thank you so so much for the great review and letting me know. I am so happy you guys liked it! And really good to know on the soda water sub! And yes, there is a lot of batter, I always make less than more. Just in case! Thank you again!
Cassie Autumn Tran
Who needs chinese takeout when you have this? Such a PERFECT homemade recipe for one of my favorite Chinese dishes ever, aside from chow mein, Mapo tofu, and black bean eggplant!
JD
I love the sauce and how crispy these can get without frying!