This Baked Vegan Teriyaki Cauliflower is quick, easy, and full of flavor! It’s just as good as takeout and perfect for weeknight dinners. Enjoy this sweet and savory cauliflower wing recipe as an appetizer or as a main dish.
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These teriyaki cauliflower wings can be served as an appetizer to feed a crowd or served over rice for a delicious weeknight dinner.
Cauliflower wings are the perfect crowd-pleasing recipe. Made with simple ingredients, easy to make, and tastes incredible!
Ingredients
This sticky teriyaki cauliflower is baked and battered cauliflower florets that are covered in homemade teriyaki sauce! It's vegan, dairy-free, and can be made gluten-free.
Cauliflower: Chop a medium head of cauliflower into bite-sized florets. It is then battered, breaded, and baked then tossed in the most delicious homemade teriyaki sauce.
All-Purpose Flour: I use regular all-purpose flour for this recipe. If you're gluten-free, you can use gluten-free all-purpose in this recipe.
Seasonings: The teriyaki sauce adds so much flavor so I kept it simple and used garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika.
Plant-Based Milk: I used unsweetened soy milk but any plant-based milk without added sugar will work.
Panko Breadcrumbs: Panko breadcrumbs are not always vegan. Be sure to check the ingredients to make sure it's free of dairy and eggs. I recommend Edward & Sons Panko Breadcrumbs or Fusion Select Panko Breadcrumbs. If you're gluten-free, you can use rice-based panko breadcrumbs or Vegify Cauliflower Veggie Crumbles.
Vegan Teriyaki Sauce: You can use store-bought teriyaki sauce but I love making mine from scratch- it's easy, delicious, and a bit spicy! It's made with low-sodium soy sauce, maple syrup, and orange juice.
Helpful Equipment
You don't need anything fancy to make these teriyaki wings.
But a few kitchen staples that come in handy are parchment paper or a reusable silicone mat, a large baking tray, and different-sized mixing bowls for the batter.
How to Make This Recipe
Chop the head of cauliflower into bite-sized florets.
Whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, garlic, onion, paprika, and black pepper in a bowl. Pour in the unsweetened plant-based milk and whisk into a smooth batter. It should resemble pancake batter.
In a separate shallow bowl, add the panko breadcrumbs.
Coat each piece of cauliflower in the batter mixture and drip off the excess. Transfer the coated cauliflower immediately into the breadcrumbs. Place onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Continue until all the cauliflower has been battered and coated in breadcrumbs.
Bake at 450F for 20-22 minutes until golden brown.
While the cauliflower is baking, make the teriyaki sauce. Making your own teriyaki sauce is incredibly easy and tastes way better than store-bought. It’s done in under 10 minutes and is the perfect amount of sweet, spicy, tangy, and salty.
Coat the baked cauliflower pieces in the teriyaki sauce and place them back onto a large baking sheet. Bake for another 5 minutes.
Serve your teriyaki cauliflower bites over white rice or brown rice and top with thinly sliced green onions and a drizzle of teriyaki sauce.
Serving Ideas
This easy vegan teriyaki cauliflower can be served over jasmine rice and topped with sesame seeds and green onion for a delicious dinner or served as an appetizer or side dish.
Have leftover sauce? You can use teriyaki sauce for more than just these vegan teriyaki cauliflower wings. Use as a marinade for tofu, drizzled over a plant-based protein, noodle dishes, stir fry, grain bowls, or as a dipping sauce with spring rolls.
Substitutions & Additions
Cauliflower: Breaded and baked cauliflower is absolutely delicious but if you'd like to play around with this batter and breading with a different base, go for it! Try tofu, seitan, jackfruit, broccoli florets, or oyster mushrooms.
Make it gluten-free: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs and gluten-free flour instead.
Tips & Tricks
Let the excess batter drip off! Make sure you allow the excess batter to drip off before tossing in the panko breadcrumbs.
Use fresh cauliflower. Frozen cauliflower will work but the end result ends up being mushy on the inside.
Use spray oil before baking. I recommend spraying a bit of avocado oil on the breaded cauliflower to get them extra crisp.
Storage & Reheating
These crispy cauliflower wings are baked to golden brown perfection and tossed with a simple vegan teriyaki sauce. They are best eaten fresh but can be enjoyed as leftovers.
Storage: Store leftover teriyaki cauliflower wings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Keep in mind that this recipe tastes best when served fresh but can be reheated in a 350F preheated oven or on the stovetop until warmed through. I would avoid reheating in the microwave or the wings will get soggy.
Freezing: I do not recommend freezing this recipe as it will change the texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most of the time teriyaki sauce is vegan-friendly but it can vary based on the recipe or brand. It's always best to check the ingredients.
Soy sauce is not gluten-free so you’ll want to use tamari which is gluten-free.
It's cauliflower, not chicken so I wouldn't say you could fool a meat eater with these teriyaki cauliflower wings but they are incredibly delicious for what they are and I think everyone would enjoy these!
You can. Let the cauliflower thaw completely first and then batter and bake as normal. Keep in mind that cauliflower may be on the mushier side than fresh cauliflower.
Cauliflower wings can become soggy when too much sauce is added. I like to gently coat them in a thin layer of teriyaki sauce and drizzle more on top when ready to serve. You can also opt to serve the sauce on the side to keep them extra crisp.
More Cauliflower Recipes
Recipe
Baked Vegan Teriyaki Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 medium Head of Cauliflower chopped into florets
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 cup Plant-Based Milk unsweetened
- 1 ½ cups Vegan Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1 Batch Teriyaki Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Chop the head of cauliflower into bite-sized pieces.
- Whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, garlic, onion, paprika, and black pepper in a bowl. Pour in the unsweetened plant-basd milk and whisk until smooth. It should resemble pancake batter.
- In a separate bowl, add the panko breadcrumbs.
- Coat each piece of cauliflower in the batter and drip off the excess. Toss immediately into the breadcrumbs. Place onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Continue until all the cauliflower has been battered and coated in breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes until golden brown.
- While the cauliflower is baking, make the teriyaki sauce.
- Coat each cauliflower bite in the teriyaki sauce and place them back onto the baking tray. Bake for another 5 minutes. You won't need all the teriyaki sauce- I like to drizzle a little extra over the top.
- Serve over jasmine rice and top with thinly sliced green onions. Drizzle a little more teriyaki sauce over the top and enjoy!
Notes
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