This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.

Sharing my healthier twist on a classic Chinese dish with this Better Than Takeout Kung Pao Cauliflower. Oven-roasted cauliflower tossed in a sweet, spicy, and sticky kung pao sauce. I’ve swapped the chicken for nutrient-packed cauliflower, and replaced the deep frying with oven roasting. This kung pao cauliflower is the perfect healthy, but still delicious, alternative to the traditional heavier sugary version. It has a quick 30 minute cooking time and uses pantry staple ingredients. Making this recipe perfect for any night of the week.

overhead photo of Better Than Takeout Kung Pao Cauliflower in a bowl with rice and chopsticks

This feels like a very appropriate Monday recipe. Vegetarian? Check. Gluten-free? Check. Healthy? Check. Vegetable filled? Check. Delicious? Absolutely.

Aside from possibly a salad, this is the ideal Monday night dinner. It’s beyond good, super easy, and pretty dang healthy too. Yet, it tastes more like guilty pleasure take-out style food. So it’s also crave-worthy.

Promise it’s not too good to be true. It’s all in the uniqueness of a head of cauliflower. And yes, I know cauliflower is being used a lot right now, but I’ve shared several cauliflower recipes over the past six years. Including these popular sriracha buffalo cauliflower bites and this Indian coconut butter cauliflower.

roasted cauliflower on baking sheet before tossing with sauce

And like the rest of the world, I’ve been obsessed with cauliflower ever since I realized how many different foods it can be substituted into. I’m not sure why I haven’t shared this recipe sooner. It’s one that has been on my list for a few months now. Think of your very favorite takeout style Kung Pao chicken. Swap the deep-fried chicken for lightly breaded and roasted cauliflower. Swap the sugar-filled sauce with a less sweet and much healthier version. Put the two together and you have the BEST vegetarian Kung Pao recipe that doesn’t even taste “healthy”.

It’s SO GOOD.

Better Than Takeout Kung Pao Cauliflower in skillet

I don’t have a whole lot to ramble on about…except this recipe…so let’s jump right in!

As you might guess from all the above, this is a really simple recipe, with only two parts…

overhead photo of Better Than Takeout Kung Pao Cauliflower in bowl

Step one is all about preparing the cauliflower. To keep this recipe light and healthy, I skipped the breading and deep frying and instead tossed the cauliflower in a light “batter”. Then I threw it under the broiler to give it a quick char. I find this method to work SO well, and I actually prefer it to deep frying. Which yes, I did try and ended up not liking very much. Cooking the cauliflower in the oven allows for it to hold its shape and retain flavor. With frying all I tasted wad the oily breading…roasting is tastier, easier, and healthier too.

Into it!

side angled close up photo of Better Than Takeout Kung Pao Cauliflower in serving bowl

While the cauliflower is cooking, start step two, the Kung Pao sauce. Not going to lie, this is what this recipe is all about. Yes, the cauliflower is good, but it’s really just a vessel for the sauce to “stick” to.

And trust me, this sauce is so very good.

It’s a mix up of salty soy sauce, sweet and tangy hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and green onions. The hoisin sauce is the key, it lends a sweet and tangy flavor that sets the sauce apart from others. It’s addictingly good and a condiment I always like to have on hand for easy Chinese inspired recipes at home. It’s not the healthiest sauce to buy store-bought though. So when I have time I really like to make homemade hoisin sauce via this recipe on Bon Appétit. It allows me to control the ingredients going into the sauce and make it tangier and/or spicier too!

When I don’t have time to make my own hoisin, this one is my favorite from the store.  A little goes a long way!

Aside from the hoisin, this sauce is hinted with garlic, ginger, and green onions, making it incredibly flavorful.

overhead close up photo of Better Than Takeout Kung Pao Cauliflower in bowl with chopsticks

The sauce comes together in about 5 minutes on the stove-top. Then slide in the cauliflower, toss to combine, add salty roasted peanuts, and DONE. Yes, it’s that easy and quick. In fact, it’s so quick that you can probably make the entire dish and have it ready before your rice is finished cooking. Hint, start the rice before you get to work on the cauliflower.

The sauce coats the cauliflower and it’s beyond perfection. Sweet, sticky, salty, tangy, and a touch spicy…you don’t even realize you’re eating a vegetable.

Serve over your favorite steamed rice, or even quinoa. You’ll have a vegetable-filled dinner that’s satisfying and so delicious.

Monday night takeout…only made at home, made healthier, and honestly, better than the real deal takeout.

Looking for other “better than takeout” style recipes? Try my coconut butter cauliflower, 20-minute peanut noodles, szechuan noodles with sesame chili oil, or my favorite weeknight udon noodles.

Next up on my takeout style recipes? Thinking about chicken fried rice. Thoughts?

side angled close up photo of Better Than Takeout Kung Pao Cauliflower in a bowl with rice an chopsticks

If you make this Better Than Takeout Kung Pao Cauliflower, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Extra Sticky Kung Pao Cauliflower.

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 283 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

SavePrintEmail

Ingredients

  • 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons canned full fat coconut milk
  • 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos
  • 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons real maple syrup or honey
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame or peanut oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
  • 4 green onions, chopped, plus more for serving
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
  • 1 pinch black pepper
  • 1/4 cup salted peanuts, chopped, plus more for serving
  • steamed white or brown rice, for serving
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat the broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
    2. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with 1 tablespoon cornstarch to coat. Add the coconut milk and 2 tablespoons soy say, tossing to evenly coat all the florets. Spread the cauliflower in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and broil for 3-4 minutes, until the cauliflower is just beginning to char on the edges. Reduce the oven temp to 425 and bake another 5 minutes, until just tender.
    3. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Combine the remaining 1/3 cup soy sauce, hoisin sauce, honey, vinegar, crushed red pepper flakes, and a pinch of pepper. Add 1/4 cup water and the remaining 1 tablespoons cornstarch, whisking until combined and smooth.
    4. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and green onions, and cook 5 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in the soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low. Add the cauliflower and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the peanuts.
    5. Serve the cauliflower and sauce over bowls of rice. Top with additional peanuts and green onions. Enjoy!
View Recipe Comments

horizontal photo of Better Than Takeout Kung Pao Cauliflower in a bowl

Add a Comment

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Made this tonight amidst the COVID lockdown! Absolutely incredible. Sautéed a diced chicken breast and added the cooked chicken in to the last step. Superb! Glad I stumbled upon this recipe and your site! Cheers!

    Reply

    1. I am glad you did as well! And so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Jessica! I hope you are staying safe and well! xTieghan

      Reply

  3. 5 stars
    This recipe is SO good and really a convincing substitute for takeout Chinese, without the absolute sodium bomb. I totally loved it (I just wish I had made more!). The sauce is SO flavorful. Could not get enough!

    Reply

  4. 4 stars
    The taste was on point! But mine wasn’t very sticky and was a little runny. I’m wondering if honey is better than maple syrup since it’s stickier? I’ll try honey next time! Yummy!

    Reply

  5. I’ve made this 3 times. Each time trying to tweak it to make it less salty. This time I used low-sodium soy. But I’m wondering what hoisin you use? I’m thinking next time I’ll use half the amount of soy + water to make up the rest. I’m determined to get this one dialed in because we love it so much, just need it to be a little less salty.

    Reply

  6. 3 stars
    I absolutely love every recipe you make except for this one.
    It was way too salty for me. I used low sodium soy sauce & no salt peanuts.
    Any suggestions would be great.
    Cheers~

    Reply

    1. Hi Kristan, not sure why this turned out so salty for you, but next time I would try reducing the soy sauce to 1/4 cup and the hoisin sauce to 2 tablespoons. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you! xTieghan

      Reply

  7. 5 stars
    This was easy to make and delicious. We served it with mixed vegetable egg fried rice and home made spring rolls. It was quite thick and sweet. You wouldn’t want too much of it. Will definitely try it again.

    Reply

  8. 3 stars
    I’m not sure if the cauliflower I had was just small but it was drowning in the sauce by the time I was ready to serve. I added some broccoli to try to balance it out, but it all just became soggy. I wish I had just spooned some sauce over the vegetables instead of dumping them in the pan. Sauce was a bit too salty (despite using low-sodium soy) and not sweet/spicy enough. I think next time, I’ll half the ingredients for the sauce recipe and only use liquid aminos instead of soy.

    Reply

    1. Hi Sonia! Are there any questions I could help you with? I hope this turns out better for you the next time! xTieghan

      Reply

  9. Any suggestions on a substitute for the coconut milk? I don’t like the idea of opening up a can and only using two tablespoons. Thanks in advance – I look forward to trying this!

    Reply

    1. HI! You can use heavy cream, plain yogurt, or whole milk. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan

      Reply

  12. 5 stars
    I read the comments about the salty factor so I adjusted the recipe to 2tbs hoisin and 1/4 cup Low sodium soy sauce with about 3-4 tbs maple syrup and 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (my mom doesn’t love spicy, I’ll add more next time).
    I broiled cauliflower for maybe 6 mins and roasted for 12-ish (ovens vary). Looved how the flavors turned out, and the garlic, green onion, ginger sauté is a very nice addition. Will def make again!

    Reply

  13. 3 stars
    OK…so last night I made 4 asian recipes from HBH. Better than takeout drunken Noodles, 5 stars…coconut curry chicken meatballs, 5 stars…ginger sesame potstickers, 5 stars…and this. I loved the method but the sauce just isn’t for me. I found it to be a bit salty and really didn’t like the flavor that the hoisin added…now, that being said…it could have been the brand of hoisin I used or just simply that it isn’t to my taste. I think that I will try this again using another HBH sauce base.

    Reply

    1. Hi Michelle! I am so glad you enjoyed the other two recipes so much and hope you love this one maybe with a different sauce. Are there any questions I could help you out with?? Please let me know! xTieghan

      Reply

  14. 4 stars
    Made this for dinner tonight. It was very good & I will definitely make it again. I made it pretty exactly as per directions & wouldn’t change anything. Thank you for a great recipe!

    Reply