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    Home » Recipes » Vegetarian

    Baked Bang Bang Cauliflower

    Published: Feb 16, 2018 · Modified: Mar 8, 2023 by Maria Doss · This post may contain affiliate links · 14 Comments

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    This Bang Bang Cauliflower Recipe features crispy baked cauliflower florets with the most delicious bang bang sauce. These are great as appetizer, snack or made into bang bang cauliflower tacos, 'tis bangin good!!!

    How good do these look??

    And, it's not fried. Crispy exterior with soft cooked cauliflower on the inside......Best baked cauliflower recipe!

    Do not skip the sauce. It is the sauce that takes humble cauliflower over the top delicious.

    What makes these Baked Bang Bang Cauliflower so good?

    • Crispy coating
    • Baked not fried
    • Healthy
    • Easy
    • Addictive
    • Appetizer / Snack
    • Great in tacos
    • Delicious

    Cauliflower has always been one of my go to favorites for weeknights. One of my favorite ways to cook, is simply to roast them with some olive oil, salt and pepper. My kids could finish an entire tray 🙂

    Your picky eaters will devour this! They might not even realize that they are eating a veggie. More cauliflower dishes - Tandoori cauliflower wings, Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites or Tandoori Wraps.

    Let's get to the secret in making Best Bang Bang Cauliflower:

    The secret in making the golden, crispy baked cauliflower lies in toasting the breadcrumbs. Yes, I fell in love with this method that I saw here. A regular coating of breadcrumbs doesn't necessarily develop a golden color but also results in uneven brown and white crumby look. So, panko is first toasted in a skillet with some oil, until golden and crisp. The cauliflower pieces are then coated with this crumb, making them crispier and more browned when baked. Brilliant! 

    How to make bang bang cauliflower?

    Step-1: Toast PANKO breadcrumbs in some oil over medium heat, until golden and cool completely.

    Step-2: Make marinade. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, egg, buttermilk and seasonings in a large bowl.

    Step-3: Add chopped cauliflower florets, and toss well, making sure the marinade is coated really well.

    Step-4: Coat each floret in the breadcrumbs and place on a greased baking tray.

    Step-5: Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes, until deep golden.

    Step-6: Make bang bang sauce and serve.

    bang bang cauliflower
    bang bang cauliflower
    bang bang cauliflower

    How to make Bang Bang Sauce?

    Bang bang sauce is simply mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, sriracha and garlic powder mixed together.

    It is creamy, sweet, spicy, garlicky .... YUMMM

    Chicken and Green Beans Stir Fry <----- An easy weeknight dinner idea that uses sweet chili sauce

    How to serve this healthy bang bang cauliflower?

    Appetizer / Snack - It is addictive and it does not feel like you are eating cauliflower. A huge hit at parties!!

    Few notes:

    Instead of adopting a regular breading method of flour-egg mixture-bread crumb, I've come up with a much easier one which involves tossing the cauliflower in a batter and then coating them with breadcrumbs. The crumbs stay intact and forms a lovely crust on the outside.

    Sweet chili sauce can be found in the Asian section of all major grocery stores <--- one yummy sauce. Adds so much flavor without having to add tons on ingredients.

    Keeping track of all the cauliflower recipes around here?

    Sweet & Spicy Sriracha Roasted Cauliflower and Cashews

    Creamy Instant Pot Thai Curry Cauliflower Soup

    Deep Fried Cauliflower

    Baked Bang Bang Cauliflower

    This bang bang cauliflower recipe features crispy baked cauliflower bites with the most delicious sweet chili mayo. 'Tis bangin good!! 
    4.7 from 18 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 34 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 44 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 Servings
    Calories: 664kcal
    Author: Maria Doss

    Ingredients

    Baked cauliflower

    • 11/2 cups panko bread crumbs
    • 2 tablepsoons vegetable oil
    • ½ medium cauliflower, cut into 1 to 11/2 inch florets

    Marinade ingredients

    • ½ cup all pupose flour
    • ¼ cup cornstarch
    • ½ cup buttermilk
    • 1 egg, large, beaten lightly
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder

    Bang bang sauce

    • ½ cup mayonnaise
    • 2 tablepsoons sweet chili sauce
    • 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 and ½ tablespoons water
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Toast panko

    • Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add panko and vegetable oil. Cook until evenly golden and toasted (stirring constantly). Transfer toasted panko into a bowl and let cool completely. 

    Baked cauliflower

    • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. 
    • Stir all marinade ingredients in a medium bowl, until smooth and lump free. Add cauliflower pieces and toss around until every floret is well coated. 
    • Remove a floret (draining any excess marinade) into the breadcrumbs, coat all sides well with the breadcrumbs and then place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat process with all florets and place in a single layer.
    • Bake cauliflower for about 30 minutes, until crisp. Serve hot.

    Bang bang sauce

    • Stir all bang bang sauce ingredients together (sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to a day)
    • Drizzle sauce over cauliflower florets and serve immediately or serve as dipping on the side.
      These are delicious made into Bang Bang Cauliflower Tacos

    Notes

    Sweet chili sauce can be found in the Asian section of all major grocery stores <--- one yummy sauce. Adds so much flavor without having to add tons on ingredients. 

    Due to the high water content in cooked cauliflower, these nuggets won't be crispy when cold. Delicious nonetheless.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 Serving | Calories: 664kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 15g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 1491mg | Potassium: 467mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 213mg | Iron: 5mg

    Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.

    Did you make this recipe?Mention @KitchenAtHoskins or tag #kitchenathoskins!

    Some of the links above are affiliate links, which pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting kitchenathoskins.com

    All contents and images are my original work, unless and otherwise mentioned. Please do not use my recipes or images without linking back to www.kitchenathoskins.com. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite in your own words and don’t forget to include a link back to the original recipe.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Katherine | Love In My Oven

      February 17, 2018 at 3:29 am

      These are making me yell inside with excitement!! I would eat the whole serving and not even feel too guilty.

      Reply
      • Maria Doss

        February 17, 2018 at 5:41 am

        Right? I love these so much:) Have a great weekend Kathy.

        Reply
      • Beth

        February 12, 2023 at 11:33 pm

        4 stars
        I baked these on convection bake on a wire rack @ 400 degrees for 25 min. I did spray them with olive oil before putting in the oven (not in recipe) but highly recommend. Crazy crunchy! In lieu of garlic powder in the bang bang sauce, I grated 2 garlic cloves (not in recipe). I ate the entire thing myself! Very, very, very good.

        Reply
    2. Patrick@looneyforfood.com

      February 17, 2018 at 11:39 pm

      Love all things cauliflower and crispy!

      Reply
      • Maria Doss

        February 18, 2018 at 2:07 am

        Thanks Patrick:)

        Reply
    3. Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats

      February 19, 2018 at 4:06 am

      Bang! Bang! Pow!! I want some of these now!! What a fun recipe 🙂

      Reply
    4. Veena

      April 08, 2018 at 12:24 pm

      Love cauliflower, and this looks like an amazing recipe. Want to try it soon.

      Could you please suggest a replacement for mayo, if possible!!

      Thank you Maria

      Reply
      • Maria Doss

        April 09, 2018 at 1:18 pm

        You could sub greek yogurt but with compromises in flavor. I'd suggest greek yogurt + little sugar (to cut down the tartness) + sweet chili sauce + sriracha + garlic powder + water. Hope it helps:)

        Reply
    5. Mariana Lopez

      August 01, 2018 at 1:54 am

      5 stars
      Just made these and they are AMAZINGGGG !! super crispy and flavorful. thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂

      Reply
      • Maria Doss

        August 02, 2018 at 2:22 am

        Thank you so much for trying, glad you liked it:)

        Reply
    6. Helen

      February 24, 2020 at 11:07 am

      I have out of town guest, and I'm trying them today,

      Reply
    7. MK

      October 23, 2020 at 5:22 am

      Do these freeze well to be reheated later on?

      Reply
      • Maria Doss

        October 26, 2020 at 1:08 am

        Hi MK, Honestly, you can freeze cooked & cooled cauliflower and re heat them later (just like frozen chicken nuggets) with a little compromise to the texture. Hope it helps:)

        Reply
    8. Vicki

      April 03, 2021 at 7:42 am

      I did the panko crumbs, made the marinade, added the cauliflower and made the sauce earlier so putting it all together was quick and easy. My husband is STILL raving about it!!

      Reply

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    Hi I'm Maria, the recipe developer, photographer, and videographer behind this food blog. Here you’ll find simple everyday recipes that pack in serious flavors, with a sprinkling of creative twists to familiar dishes. I also focus on including an overview of why the recipe works, valuable tips, step-by-step photos, and videos to guide you along the way.
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