This Orange Cauliflower is a vegan spin on the famous Panda Express's Asian Orange Chicken. This is lightened up take out of the classic Orange Chicken. Crispy baked cauliflower chunks are tossed in sticky, tangy, and sweet sauce, making your family love vegetables!

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Orange Cauliflower is the vegetarian alternative to famous Panda Express's orange chicken recipe. 

Here crispy baked cauliflower chunks are tossed in thick, sticky, and sweet sauce, which you will love with rice or noodles.

After sesame chicken, my next favorite is the Orange chicken recipe from the popular Panda Express takeout dish. 

If you love a Chinese takeout dish then this baked orange cauliflower is a healthy recipe you have to try.

What is Orange Cauliflower?

Orange cauliflower is lightened up take-out classic Orange chicken. 

This vegan orange ('chicken') cauliflower is crispy cauliflower chunks tossed in sweet and sticky orange sauce garnished with sesame seeds, which is an excellent spin to your favorite Chinese takeout dish.

No one ever thought that cauliflower can be an excellent replacement for chicken. If you never liked cauliflower then this recipe of orange cauliflower will make you love this vegetable.

This is a vegan recipe but you can add honey instead of sugar for this recipe too.

How to make Orange Cauliflower?

Step1:  Prepare Cauliflower

Add flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper powder and mix well in a bowl. Slowly add water to make a smooth paste.

Step3:  Prepare Orange Sauce

Here are the ingredients to make the orange sauce:

Mix together ingredients for sauce except for cornstarch slurry. 

Step4:  Put it all together

In a pan add oil, add ginger and garlic, saute further.

Add sauce mix and let it boil for 2 mins.

Add cornstarch slurry to the pan and let it cook further till the sauce thickens.

Keep stirring the sauce in-between.

Add baked cauliflower chunks to the pan and toss the pieces well to evenly coat the sauce.

If you want some sauce in the dish, do not cook the sauce for very long, as the sauce thickens when it cools down.

Can I use Air Fryer to make the Orange Cauliflower?

Yes! Here I have baked the cauliflower in the recipe but air frying is another great option for deep frying.

Just arrange the cauliflower pieces with some gap in between them and cook till they are crispy and done.

What do I serve with Orange Cauliflower?

Serve this delicious Asian orange cauliflower with cashew noodles,  creamy mushroom pasta, Thai pineapple fried rice, Pad Thai.

Can I make this recipe gluten-free?

Yes! To make this recipe gluten-free use gluten-free flour, cornstarch, chickpea flour, and gluten-free breadcrumbs as an alternative to making this recipe.

Tips to make the best baked orange cauliflower:

• If you want the recipe to be gluten-free then replace ingredients with gluten-free flour and breadcrumbs, cornstarch, chickpea flour. 
• You can air fry cauliflower too instead of baking or deep frying. 
• Using freshly squeezed orange juice is the best but canned works well. If the juice is tart or sweet, then adding more / less sugar/honey or any other alternative that works for you should be adjusted accordingly.
• Do not toss cauliflower chunks in sauce and leave it as the sauce will make the cauliflower soggy. Toss cauliflower in sauce only when you want to serve the dish.
• Baking the florets till the top of the florets is golden brown is ideal. But you can check once in between cooking if the cauliflower is cooked well.

More cauliflower recipes you will love:

• General Tso's Cauliflower
• Baked Honey Sriracha Cauliflower Wings

You will love these tools in the kitchen that will help in making this recipe quick and mess-free:

• Mixing bowl
• Tongs
• Baking pan
• Silicone baking mat
• Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Pan

The Ultimate Best Orange Cauliflower

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Servings: 4 Servings

Author: Savory Bites Recipes

Prep Time:: 15 MinCook Time:: 20 MinTotal Time:: 35 Min

This Orange Cauliflower is a vegan spin on the famous Panda Express's Asian Orange Chicken. This is lightened up take out of the classic Orange Chicken. Crispy baked cauliflower chunks are tossed in sticky, tangy, and sweet sauce, making your family love vegetables!

Ingredients

For Batter:

• 1/3 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/3 Cup Cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/4 tsp Pepper Powder
• 1/2 Cup Water

For Orange Sauce:

• 3/4 Cup Orange Sauce
• 1/3 Cup Sugar
• 1.5 Tbsp Hoisin
• 1.5 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp White Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Cornstarch + 2 Tbsp Water, mixed
• 1.5 Tbsp Sriracha
• 1 Tbsp Garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Ginger, minced

Additional:

• 1 medium cauliflower head, cut into florets
• Sesame seeds for garnish 

Instructions

Prepare the cauliflower:

1. Add flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper powder and mix well in a bowl.
2. Slowly add water to make a smooth paste.
3. Dip the florets in the batter and coat florets in breadcrumbs.
4. Arrange all the florets on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake for 15mins at 350F or till the top is golden brown.

For Orange Sauce:

1. Mix together ingredients for sauce except for cornstarch slurry.

Put it all together:

1. In a pan add oil, add ginger and garlic, saute further.
2. Add sauce mix and let it boil for 2 mins.
3. Add cornstarch slurry to the pan and let it cook further till the sauce thickens.
4. Keep stirring the sauce in-between.
5. Add baked cauliflower chunks to the pan and toss the pieces well to evenly coat the sauce.
6. If you want some sauce in the dish, do not cook the sauce for very long, as the sauce thickens when it cools down.
7. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve.

Notes:

• If you want the recipe to be gluten-free then replace ingredients with gluten-free flour and breadcrumbs, cornstarch, chickpea flour. 
• You can air fry cauliflower too instead of baking or deep frying. 
• Using freshly squeezed orange juice is the best but canned works well. If the juice is tart or sweet, then adding more / less sugar/honey or any other alternative that works for you should be adjusted accordingly.
• Do not toss cauliflower chunks in sauce and leave it as the sauce will make the cauliflower soggy. Toss cauliflower in sauce only when you want to serve the dish.
• Baking the florets till the top of the florets is golden brown is ideal. But you can check once in between cooking if the cauliflower is cooked well.

Recommended Products:

Air Fryer

Baking Pan

Silicone Mat

Calories

422.40

Fat (grams)

11.77

Sat. Fat (grams)

1.66

Carbs (grams)

74.73

Fiber (grams)

5.67

Net carbs

69.06

Sugar (grams)

43.12

Protein (grams)

7.70

Sodium (milligrams)

900.64

Cholesterol (grams)

0.18

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