This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This baked Sweet and Spicy Baked Cauliflower is one of my favorite side dish recipes to make. An Easy vegetarian cauliflower recipe that’s full of flavor and the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. Makes an amazing appetizer recipe or a side dish option.
You may also like my baked cauliflower parmesan or my cheesy cauliflower bake.
What a fun and delicious way to make baked cauliflower. Tired of having baked cauliflowers that are just bland and needs a boost in the flavor department? This sweet and spicy cauliflower recipe is for you. It is so easy to make and bursting with flavor it will be hard to have only one serving. I know there are so many cauliflower recipes out there these days but you have to try this one!
Ingredients needed
These are just a list of ingredients you will need. Full measurements will be listed further down below in the recipe card.
- Cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
- Cooking Oil Spray
- Garlic Salt or garlic powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Green Onions, sliced
- Sesame Seeds: either white or black
For the Sweet and Spicy Sticky Sauce:
- Honey: I prefer honey but you can use maple syrup
- Garlic Cloves: use fresh if possible
- Low sodium soy sauce or coconut amino
- Sriracha: or another hot sauce
- Hoisin Sauce
- Gluten-free flour or cornstarch
How to make it
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking tray with parchment pepper.
- Arrange the cauliflower florets in a single layer onto the prepared baking tray and spray with cooking oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt, and pepper, and using your hands toss well to coat.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until it starts to brown on the edges. While cauliflower is cooking, combine all the sauce ingredients into a small saucepan and whisk until well incorporated.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir frequently until sauce thickens, about 4-5 minutes.
- Once the cauliflower has finished baking, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Pour the sauce over and toss until fully coated. Top with green onions and sesame seeds and enjoy!
Recipe notes
- You may want to cook the cauliflower to whatever crispiness you prefer.
- The sauce should be cooked well enough to get it thick. You do not want a watery sauce. So, I recommend using cornstarch if you can.
Frequently asked questions
This recipe is not keto. Generally speaking, cauliflower is very similar to Broccoli and is low in carbs. Even though this particular baked cauliflower recipe is not keto-friendly because of the sweet and spicy sauce that’s added to it, generally simply baked cauliflower with no added sugar sauces are keto-friendly. They are a great cruciferous veggie with 1.5 grams of net carbs per half a cup.
Cauliflower tends to have a lot of dirt and sometimes bugs stuck in its crevices. So, it is recommended to soak it in salted water for 10-15 minutes.
This may have happened by overcrowding your pan. Cauliflower has a high water content. If baking, it may be hard to get them crispy if you overcrowd the pan. Make sure you space it out.
If you have leftovers, place them in a sealed container and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
How to make this recipe in an air fryer
If you prefer to use your air fryer to cook the cauliflower instead of baking them in the oven you can. Follow the following steps on how to make this in the air fryer.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400F and lightly spray the grates with cooking oil spray.
- Lay the seasoned cauliflower in the air fryer basket and stir fry for 22-25 minutes or until crispy enough to your liking. Open the air fryer halfway through cooking and toss the florets.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, make the sauce. Add all the sauce ingredients to a small pot and cook until the sauce thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Set aside.
- Once the cauliflower is ready, place in a bowl, toss it with the sauce, and garnish with sliced onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
What to serve it with
- Beef Wellington
- Garlic Beef Tenderloin Roast
- Lemon garlic oven-roasted whole chicken
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast
- Honey Glazed Air Fryer Salmon
- Honey Garlic Air Fryer Tofu
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
You may also like
- Chimichurri grilled cauliflower steaks
- Creamy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
- Keto Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
- Shrimp Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Spicy Honey Baked Cauliflower
- Air Fryer BBQ Cauliflower Wings
Also, remember to subscribe to my NEWSLETTER for free and receive recipes like this Baked Cauliflower Recipe delivered right to your inbox!
FOLLOW Healthy Fitness Meals on FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER for all of my latest blog posts and recipes.
Sweet and Spicy Baked Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 Large Head Cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
- Cooking Oil Spray
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon Green Onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon Sesame Seeds
For the Sweet and Spicy Sticky Sauce:
- ¼ Cup Honey
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- ¼ Cup Low sodium soy sauce or coconut amino
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
- 1 tablespoon Hoisin Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Gluten-free flour or cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking tray with parchment pepper.
- Arrange the 1 Large Head Cauliflower florets in a single layer onto the prepared baking tray and spray with Cooking Oil Spray. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon Garlic Salt, Salt and pepper, to taste, and using your hands, toss well to coat.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until it starts to brown on the edges. While cauliflower is cooking, combine all the sauce ingredients ( ¼ Cup Honey, 2 Garlic Cloves (minced), ¼ Cup Low sodium soy sauce or coconut amino, 1 tablespoon Sriracha, 1 tablespoon Hoisin Sauce, and 1 teaspoon Gluten-free flour or cornstarch ) into a small saucepan and whisk until well incorporated.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir frequently, until sauce thickens about 4-5 minutes.
- Once the cauliflower has finished baking, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Pour the sauce over and toss until fully coated. Top with 1 tablespoon Green Onions (sliced) and 1 tablespoon Sesame Seeds and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Soak the cauliflower in salted water to make sure all debris is removed. Rinse well.
- Cut the florets into even sizes to ensure even cooking.
- Use cornstarch if you can, it will make the sauce thicken well.
- Sometimes it is hard to get that really crispy cauliflower in the oven. Feel free to air-fry them. Follow my air fryer instructions.
- Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love all things cauliflower! Can’t wait to try this spicy version out on the family.
Thank you. Hope you like it
I made yesterday and everyone ask me to make it again, was so so tasty.
Thanks Rena for all your delicious recipes
Perfect. Glad everyone loved it
How could I make this recipe keto friendly….could I use almond flour instead of white flour?
Hi. Almond flour won’t work. Use a keto equivalent of cornstarch. Maybe Glucomannan Powder or xanthan gum. you may also skip it.
Ive tried doing this recipe with two little changes. Instead of honey i went for agave syrup (because vegan), and i added some fresh cilantro at the end. This fits perfectly to the hoisin sauce and makes the experience even more Vietnamese style.
Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks for the feedback Kai. Glad you loved it.
Delicious recipe. I’ll make it again and everybody liked it .
Glad everyone loved it.
Hi
What can I replace the honey with as Im vegan but like the look of the recipe?
Thanks
You can use maple syrup but its not as sticky.
This was delicious. My husband loves it and that is saying a lot. He likes a lot of flavor so it was perfect.. definitely making again.
Perfect! Thanks for the feedback
Loved this! We don’t like really spicy, so I used half of the siracha. We fought over the leftovers!
This was delicious but a little too hot with a Tablespoon of Sriacha. I would start out with a Teaspoon next time and taste. It was so good that I still ate it all!
I made this for my family last night and it was a hit! Husband and kids all requested I make it again! I made it with 3/4 the amount of sauce and it was the perfect amount in my opinion! Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback
Going to make this dish tonight. Sounds delish!
Thanks!
Delicious! Makes a great meal with grilled salmon!
Thanks! Yes that sounds delish
Made this last night and it was so delicious, husband and kids agreed. I loved it so much I made the sauce again just now for lunch and put it over some shallow fried tofu cubes. Thank you.
Glad you guys loved it
Made this tonight and it was delish! It went over extremely well with our dinner guests. Turns out we didn’t make enough. Sometimes it’s Nice to leave people wanting more. Will make again for upcoming family dinner.
Thank you! So glad you loved it
I made this tonight as part of a Buddha bowl. Added rice, some sautéed spinach, and my husband had a little ground turkey with his and it was delish. I will make this again and again!! We both loved this cauliflower! I thought it might be a little too spicy so I put in a little less Siricha and a little more honey and it was perfect for us! Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you liked it.
Made this tonight. Most excellent! I made only 1/2 of the head, but about 3/4 of the sauce. I had to add a little more corn starch to thicken the sauce. BI must say, the sauce also worked very nicely with our pork chops! And, when all said and done, any remaining sauce on the plate was mopped up with a piece of garlic bread! Very good, we will definitely be making again! Thank you!
Glad you liked it!
We loved this recipe.
Instead of putting sauce all over cauliflower, we used the sauce for dipping. Yes, there was leftover sauce which made it all the better for dipping other veg and meat on subsequent meals.
InezMarie
Such a great idea!
This was a delicious recipe and amazing sauce! I added sauteed shrimp and doubled the sauce recipe then tossed everything together. So good. Probably only need .5 more of the recipe but if you added rice all that extra sauce could have been absorbed in the rice. Thanks for sharing all your delicious meals and for making healthy eating exciting and enjoyable!
Thanks for the feedback, Stephanie. Glad you liked it.
This was a failure on so many levels: Too spicy hot, not sweet, not sticky (but runny) and extremely salty. Inedible.
Made this tonight and it was delish! Ended up making the hoisin sauce from scratch – was shocked I had all the ingredients to make it! My sauce got a tiny bit too thick, otherwise, it was beyond yummy. Will make again!
Hi Sam, So glad you liked it.
It was love at first sight for for me when I saw the plate of your sweet and spicy cauliflower on Instagram. I tried the recipe yesterday and I was blown away by the deliciousness. Nothing beats finding more interesting ways to incorporate vegetables into meals. Thanks for sharing. Next on my list is your healthy oatmeal banana bread. I can tell I am in for a delicious treat already❤❤
Thank you so much, Abiola. Gald you liked it.
amazing!