Baked Orange Cauliflower (2024)

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Thisorange cauliflower recipeis crispy baked cauliflower pieces coated in anorange sauce. It’s likeorange chickenbut with cauliflower instead!

Yes, I’m still making cauliflower recipes. I really love cauliflower-izing everything. I’ve made several variations on orange chicken in the past, but this is my first time replacing the chicken with cauliflower.

The addicting sauce, as you can imagine, works wonderfully with the crispy baked golden cauliflower pieces that are first coated in panko bread crumbs. This is a great vegetable main dish – you won’t miss the chicken.

Lovelovehow this turned out and hope you will too!

Ingredients

Cauliflower floret
Panko breadcrumbs
Large eggs
Water
Orange juice
Granulated sugar
Rice vinegar
Low-sodium soy sauce
Minced garlic
Minced ginger
Sriracha
Ketchup
Cornstarch and water mixed together
Optional garnishes: sliced green onions, scallions, or sesame seeds

How to Make It

Coat the cauliflower florets in egg and allow the excess to drip off. Coat all of the florets in the bread crumbs and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 400°F or until the breading is golden and crispy.

While the cauliflower bakes, make the sauce. Combine the orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sriracha, and ketchup in a saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil, and then add the cornstarch and water mixture. Stir until the sauce is thickened.

Drizzle the orange sauce over the baked cauliflower and add your garnishes if using.

Tips for the Best Orange Cauliflower

Be sure to let the excess egg drip off the cauliflower before you bread them. If there is too much egg, it will get your breadcrumbs too wet, and they won’t stick as well.

To make breading easy, I place the panko in a resealable bag and place a couple of florets in the bag, seal it, and shake until they are evenly coated. Don’t add too many florets at once because your breadcrumbs will get too wet.

This dish is best when it’s made. The breading will soften once you add the sauce.

More Cauliflower Main Dishes

Cauliflower Tacos
General Tso’s Cauliflower
Lemon Cauliflower
Mongolian Cauliflower

You can also check out my entirecauliflower recipe collection.

Baked Orange Cauliflower

Servings: 2

Ingredients

1/2 head of cauliflower cut into bite-sized florets
2 cups panko breadcrumbs Kikkomanbrand preferred for even baking
2 large eggs whisked

For the Sauce

2 tbsp water
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp orange juice
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 1/2 tbsp vinegar
1/8 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 tsp ginger minced
1 tsp sriracha if you find this to be too much spice, you can replace half of it with ketchup to get the orange color without affecting flavor too much
1 tsp ketchup
2 tsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set aside whisked egg in a small mixing bowl. Add about 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs into a Ziploc bag.Line an extra-large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Dip cauliflower in egg mixture and then shake a few times so that excess egg drips off. You don't want to dampen your breadcrumbs with excess eggbecause then they won't stick to the cauliflower. Set aside dipped cauliflower on a cutting board or plate, so that more excess egg has a chance to drip off. Repeat with remaining cauliflower.
Take an egg dipped cauliflower and place into a bag of breadcrumbs. Seal and shake a few times until it is completely covered in breadcrumbs. Remove and place onto baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cauliflower, adding an additional 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs to the bag whenever you run out. You can do a few cauliflower at a time, but I don't recommend more than 3-4 because your cauliflower won't be as well covered in breadcrumbs.
Bake for about 15-20minutes or until coating is a dark golden brown and crunchy.
While the cauliflower is baking, make the sauce. Using a small saucepan, add all ingredients listed except the last set (1 tbsp water + 2 tsp cornstarch).Bring sauce to a low boil, stirring constantly. In a small bowl, completely dissolve cornstarch in water, then add to the mixture. Stir until sauce boils again and cook until sauce thickens. Drizzle sauce over cauliflower. Add fresh chopped scallions if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5of recipe, Calories: 382kcal, Carbohydrates: 68g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 5.3g, Saturated Fat: 1.8g, Sodium: 819.1mg, Fiber: 3.3g, Sugar: 33.1g, NET CARBS: 65

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Mention @KirbieCravings and tag #kirbiecravings!