Sticky Lemon Cauliflower

This Sticky Lemon Cauliflower Recipe is tangy, crunchy, and so delicious! It’s baked in the oven and coated with an easy homemade lemon sauce.

Raise your hand if you love lemons! Lemon is my favorite citrus; I use it in many things. It’s great for a cleansing cup of lemon water in the morning, an ingredient in a homemade tangy salad dressing, and it inspired this Sticky Lemon Cauliflower recipe, too.

This recipe is adapted from my Vegan Orange Chicken Recipe, which I make all the time. Both recipes call for coating the cauliflower in batter and Panko and baking. Here, the cauliflower is tossed with this zippy lemon sauce. 

Why Your Body Will Love This Asian-Inspired Cauliflower Recipe

• Digestive Health – Cauliflower is high in fiber, which helps digestion run smoothly and keeps the belly feeling full for longer. It also contains prebiotic fiber, which feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut.
• Skin Health – Cauliflower contains sulforaphane, a great compound for the skin. It helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles, promotes collagen production, and may help protect the skin against harmful UV radiation.
• Heart Health – Sulforaphane is also known to help lower cholesterol levels, keeping arteries clear of fatty buildup. This contributes to lower blood pressure and lowers the risk of heart disease.

What You’ll Need For This Sticky Lemon Cauliflower Recipe

• Cauliflower – This recipe’s main ingredient is cauliflower. Its soft, slightly meaty texture and mild flavor make it a great vehicle for the lemon sauce. I like to use a medium-sized head of white cauliflower.
• Batter – The batter is made of all-purpose flour, plain almond milk, and a few seasonings. It’s nice and thick and really coats the cauliflower.
• Panko – Panko is the best breadcrumb for this sticky lemon cauliflower because it gets too crispy. If you don’t have panko on hand, you can use any other kind of breadcrumb or even crushed crackers.
• Lemon Sauce – This lemon sauce is very similar to my Healthy Orange Sauce, just with a few tweaks. Lemons aren’t nearly as sweet as oranges, so I had to make a few changes to ensure it wasn’t too tart.

How To Make  Sticky Lemon Cauliflower 

I love this recipe because it’s really not that hard to make; it’s made with healthy ingredients, and my family of meat-eaters happens to love it! This lemon cauliflower is so close to the lemon chicken you might find at a Chinese restaurant; the cauliflower mimics it so well! Cauliflower is a great way to pack in some extra veggies!

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut the cauliflower into small to medium-sized florets. The smaller they are, the crispier they will get.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and almond milk. Add all the cauliflower to the bowl and mix until each floret is coated in batter.
3. Next, pour one cup of the panko over the cauliflower, mix, and then pour the remaining cup in. Mix until the cauliflower is coated with batter and panko.
4. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick mat and lay the cauliflower out. Ensure they’re touching as little as possible and are not piled on each other. Bake the cauliflower until crispy and starting to brown, 20 minutes, and then remove it from the oven.
5. While cauliflower is baking, add all lemon sauce ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and whisk. Pour into a saucepan and cook until thickened, 7-10 minutes.
6. Pour about 3/4 of the sauce over the baked cauliflower and mix until combined. Place back into the oven for about 10 minutes, until crispy.
7. If desired, serve over rice. Just before serving, spoon the remaining lemon sauce over the cauliflower. Garnish with sesame seeds, green onion, and lemon wedges.

How To Serve Your Lemon Cauliflower 

I served mine over white basmati rice because that’s what my family likes. You can serve it over any other type of rice or grain your family prefers, including brown rice, black rice, quinoa, farro, buckwheat, or barley. You can also serve it over cauliflower rice, but that might be a little too much cauliflower, haha! I also enjoyed mine with a drizzle of tahini. That may sound strange, but tahini and lemon go together well, so it made sense to me!

Have a question about this recipe? Ask me in the comments and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

Looking For More Delicious Cauliflower Recipes?

Cauliflower Parmesan

Curried Cauliflower Salad

Creamy Cauliflower Queso Dip

Cauliflower Fried Rice

Sticky Lemon Cauliflower

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4.9 from 7 reviews

• Author: She Likes Food
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

This Sticky Lemon Cauliflower is tangy, crispy and delicious!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 medium sized head cauliflower
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk, or other plant based milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• Optional garnishes: sesame seeds, sliced green onion, cilantro, lemon wedges
• Lemon Sauce Recipe:
• 1/3 cup lemon juice juice, I like to use fresh squeezed
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons water
• 1/3 cup low sodium tamari or soy sauce
• 1/3 cup toasted sesame oil
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 3 teaspoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch

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Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut the cauliflower into small to medium sized florets. The smaller they are, the crispier they will get.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and almond milk. Add all the cauliflower to the bowl and mix until each floret is coated in batter.
3. Next, pour one cup of the panko over the cauliflower, mix and then pour the remaining up in. Mix until cauliflower is all coated with batter and panko.
4. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick mat and lay cauliflower out. You want to make sure that it’s touching as little as possible and not piled on top of eachother. Bake cauliflower until crispy and starting to brown, 20 minutes, and then remove from oven.
5. While cauliflower is baking, add all lemon sauce ingredients to a medium sized bowl and whisk. Pour into a saucepan and cook until thickened, 7-10 minutes.
6. Pour about 3/4 of the sauce over the baked cauliflower and mix until combined. Place back into the oven for about 10 minutes, until crispy.
7. Serve over rice, if desired, and spoon remaining lemon sauce over caulliflower just before serving. Garnish with sesame seeds, green onion and lemon wedges.

• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Category: Dinner, Vegan
• Method: Stovetop, Oven
• Cuisine: Asian