Kung Pao Cauliflower, or My New Favorite Dinner!
I’ll do almost anything to convince you to make kung pao cauliflower today.
Seriously if there is one other thing I can’t stop eating right now (I’m looking at you, green bean salad), it’s THIS.
I always find myself in limbo this time of year. I still love that it’s summer, that we can swim and enjoy all the incredible tomatoes and peaches and grill all the things.
And at the same time, I start to crave fall. I become so excited for what’s to come – the recipes, the comfort food, the scents, the sounds, everything.
Everywhere we go, whether it’s the grocery store or Target or the mall or farmer’s markets – it’s all in limbo. This past weekend, all of the apples were overflowing at our local farm and the peaches are dwindling.
It’s a time of year where I’m caught between wanting to make an easy sheet pan dinner and making the best tomato panzanella. Once requires turning on the oven and the other just requires lots of salt and homemade dressing!
Like this. This felt more like a cooler-weather recipe to me, but I couldn’t even WAIT to make it.
I saw a bon appetit recipe for kung pao cauliflower a few weeks ago and couldn’t get it out of my head. It seemed a little complicated for what I wanted at the time. So I made it all work on a sheet pan with a quick sauce. Tons of flavor. We are talking TONS.
And I just love that you could make the cauliflower as a side dish to something else, or you could make the cauliflower with rice and serve it like that.
I opt for the latter. Eddie likes it as a side dish to something else.
Of course!
When I first went to PF Changs as a kid, their kung pao shrimp and scallops were my go-to. I still love that meal.
It’s crazy, because I never had an affinity for spicy food but I reeeeeally adore that dish. And it’s stuck.
Kung pao cauliflower just SOUNDS like something I’d like to eat everyday.
This is SO flavorful. It’s crunchy and crisp. But it’s sweet and saucy. But it’s kind of spicy. And then it’s even good cold.
It’s HEAVEN.
Kung Pao Cauliflower
Kung Pao Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets (about 3 to 4 cups)
- olive oil spray
- sea salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 handful of chiles de arbol
- ⅓ cup peanuts, chopped
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- jasmine rice, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place the cauliflower on a nonstick baking sheet and spritz it with olive oil. Sprinkle it with a pinch of salt freshly ground pepper. Roast the cauliflower for 15 minutes, until just slightly crisp.
- While the cauliflower is roasting, whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin, sherry vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, cornstarch, garlic and ginger. You may need to whisk a few times to get rid of any cornstarch lumps.
- After 15 minutes, pull the cauliflower out. Add the chiles and pour the sauce all over the cauliflower. Toss well to coat all the cauliflower. Return the pan to the oven. Roast for another 15 to 20 minutes, stirring and tossing the cauliflower ever 5 to 10 minutes. This will depend on your oven - you just don’t want the sauce to burn in the corners, but you want to give it enough time to thicken up between tossings.
- When the cauliflower is roasted and sauce, remove the pan from the oven. Cover it with the green onions and peanuts. Serve immediately as a side or on top of jasmine rice!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Really, just grab a fork and eat it right off the pan.
73 Comments on “Kung Pao Cauliflower, or My New Favorite Dinner!”
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This looks pretty delicious! We just saw a sesame cauliflower dish featured on The Kitchen this weekend, and we decided we want to try Asian-inspired veggies for dinners. Adding this Kung Pao Cauliflower to the weekly menu! I’m also excited to start making dinners again that move past salads and grilling. :-) (PS–there’s a typo in the ingredients list: I think you meant “sea” salt. :-D )
I used to live in China and ate Kung Pao (Gong Bao) all the time! We make it at home now and marinate the chicken/pork/whatever in veggie oil, Shaoxing wine, white pepper, cornstarch, and salt. It’s delicious every time!
finally, kung pao cauliflower, the best flavor bomb for cauliflower, well done and thank you
Will this last a few days?
I’m a big fan of jasmine rice, this recipe is just what you need on the menu at your family dinner. The low sodium soy sauce is a healthy and smart move!
This was bomb. this was bomb. this was bomb. this was bomb. thank you!
I added onions and sugar snaps to bulk it up!
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I made this last night and my husband and I loved it!! It is such a great addition to meatless monday! thank you!
You had me at cauliflower!! Love this recipe and how flavorful the sauce is. Yum!!!
Awesome recipe. I will try this at my home. Love this kung pao cauliflower recipe. Thank you for share.
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This looks so good! Could I add chicken and use the same sauce recipe?
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This was awesome! I love cauliflower and always looking for Interesting new dishes. Thank you!
This has an amazing taste! Just what I was looking for and super easy. I’m going to try this sauce with chicken. The addition of the brown sugar takes the edge off the vinegar. I will be making this agaim!
I made this for dinner last week and enjoyed the leftovers for lunch. One of my favorite dishes I’ve made in awhile! I doubled the sauce and used some to marinate tofu. Threw the tofu on the baking sheet with the cauliflower and roasted it all together. SO good!
Made this tonight with just a few modifications based on what I had: rice wine vinegar and dried red pepper flakes instead of the chile de arbol. This was delish! I’d double the sauce next time for sure.
Although we LOVED the complex flavor of this recipe, it was extremely salty. I did use oyster sauce instead of hoisin because that’s what I had, but I think I’ll modify it next time and cut the soy sauce (and maybe the hoisin) in half, and add some chicken or veggie broth to fill out the sauce. Really good, but just a little over-the-top with the saltiness. Prepared it with Jasmine rice and pan-fried potstickers! Thank you!
Made this last night and it was super tasty! I wish I had doubled the recipe because it was just as good reheated, the only mods made were adding a bit of red pepper flakes and sriracha to the sauce and pan frying some onion and bok choy alongside. Very tasty, just the right amount of sauce and would totally work with some different veggies thrown in the mix to help clear out the fridge. Will make again, no doubt.
This recipe was simply amazing! And so so easy to make!
This is super tasty! I’ve made several times. My only complaint is I wish there was more sauce, I double when I remember but if I don’t it definitely doesn’t look like that picture, way less sauce
This is so good. I could have eaten both servings. Easy to make and belies how tasty it is.
I made this tonight, and it was so good I wish I had doubled the recipe. I added some red chili flake at the end, as I love some heat. Excellent!
Made this and LOVED it!!!
I made this today and it is delicious! Easy to make on one sheet pan and easy clean up.
I used cauliflower from my garden!! Because it was so fresh, I roasted it for a much shorter time, probably 20 minutes total. It was so good!!! The sauce is awesome! I doubled it like others suggested. We will definitely be using this again even when I have to buy cauliflower. Thank you!!!!!
I have made this recipe twice now…it is absolutely delicious! Even my husband likes it…he loves the hot punch it has! He doesn’t like anything onions, but i just add snap peas for grean and he eats it.
I made this for dinner last night and it was easy and so delicious! I will definitely being adding it to our rotation. I made it exactly how recipe directs, next time I’m adding carrots and snap or snow peas!
Great! I didn’t have the chilies, which would’ve been spectacular, but still great with some chile flakes! Make this!
I made this last night and it is freakin’ delicious. This dish is going to be on heavy rotation at my house.
This was awesome! As you said, it is really good cold as well.
Only changes we did because we didn’t have all ingredients was…brown basmati rice, toasted cashews and in place of fresh chilies we used some Chipotle powder and a few dashes of Tabasco. We also used Parchment paper and foil in the pan.
A new favorite way to eat more Cauliflower!
I bought some fresh cauliflower form a local farm near were we live in Florida. I looked up this recipe and thought it looked good. I had all the ingredients except the green onions and the Hoisin sauce. I substituted Oyster Sauce for the Hoisin and used some dried chopped onions in place of the green onions. I also didn’t have the “chiles de arbols”, but when I looked them up, they were hot peppers and I wouldn’t have used them anyway. It was easy to make and it was really delicious and my wife loved it. I certainly would make it again.
Great recipe. This was great. We made tacos with it.
My husband and I made this for supper tonight……… OMG. This meal was AMAZING! The sauce was *chef’s kiss*. We forgot we were even eating cauliflower lol we are def adding this to our dinner rotation :D
Made this our vegetarian friend who came to stay, it was an absolute hit!! Yumm will def make again!
I made this last night for a very skeptical husband before I ran out the door. When I got home he told me he’d LOVED it!
I didn’t have Thai chilis, so I cheated and used about a teaspoon of sambal oelek (I tease my husband that he doesn’t like anything spicier than a Twinkie). You could also cheat with Sriracha and maybe just red pepper flakes, if that’s all you’ve got around.
I had a large cauliflower and couldn’t think of interesting things to do with it fot my evening meal .
It was a great hit . I added mushrooms, chilli and coriander with the rest of ingredients ❤️❤️
This was so tasty! I ate everything on my plate and was really full but wasn’t uncomfortably stuffed. I couldn’t find sherry vinegar so used rice vinegar and my oven is hot so roasted at 180 degrees Celsius. Instructions were really clear and spot on. Will definitely be making again! I think it would be really tasty with fresh edamame beans too. Thank you for the recipie.
Delicious and couldn’t be easier. I added a green pepper chopped with the cauliflower. All other ingredients in same amounts. Amazing. Will be making again, and again, and again.
Yummy yummy to my tummy.
Just a wonderful recipe. Made it many times with so many compliments. I now make a double recipe to share with my two golden neighbors. I do add seasoned rice wine vinegar and little more sesame oil at the end.
I seldom leave reviews but I felt I had to on this one. Made it exactly to recipe and the only things I added were more peanuts and Served with pickled onions. My new family favourite.
Thank you for this delicious recipe Jessica, I have to stop myself from eating a whole cauliflower in 1 sitting. I love it. Your newest fan.
I’m not a fan of cauliflower but I’m trying to increase vegetables in my daily meals. So I thought I’d give this a shot since I had half of one leftover. One word for this recipe – WOWZA!!! Kung Pao Cauliflower is my new favourite-ist recipe evah!! So glad I found this recipe.
It was very good. My husband liked it also. I had a huge cauliflower to use up and had plenty of sauce for all. Easy clean up with parchment down on pan first.
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