This Vegan Orange Chicken is SO good! It’s full of fresh orange flavor, perfectly crispy, and the texture is gold. You’ll never believe it’s made with cauliflower. And, kids love it!
I am SO excited about this Vegan Orange Chicken recipe! It’s crispy, the cauliflower has an amazing texture, and the homemade orange sauce is so flavorful. I have a Vegan Orange Tofu recipe I made years ago, but this orange “chicken” made with cauliflower is my new favorite.
After making Jessica In The Kitchen’s Cauliflower Hot Wings for the Super Bowl, I was inspired to create this recipe. The texture of the cauliflower was great; it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and it was so tasty when mixed with the sauce. I immediately decided I had to try her technique to make the BEST Vegan Orange Chicken!
What Makes This The Best Vegan Orange Chicken Recipe?
I promise not to throw the word “Best” around lightly! Back in the day, I loved the orange chicken from Panda Express, so I know exactly what it’s supposed to taste like. As I said before, I’ve made a vegan orange chicken recipe using crispy tofu before, and it was good, but the texture from this breaded and baked cauliflower is spot on! It’s crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and holds onto the sauce really well.
Another thing I love about this recipe is the homemade orange sauce. It’s made with healthy ingredients and nothing strange or artificial. It has orange juice and zest, and I added some garlic and ginger for extra flavor.
The Best Vegan Orange Chicken Recipe Ingredients
- Cauliflower – This recipe calls for fresh cauliflower. I recommend a medium-sized head; you’ll need enough florets to fill the baking sheet without overcrowding, or else they won’t get crispy. I used white cauliflower, but you can also use purple or yellow.
- Batter – The batter is made by mixing together equal parts flour and plain almond milk. I seasoned my flour with salt, onion, and garlic powder. That is totally optional, though.
- Panko – You can also use regular bread crumbs, but I find panko makes cauliflower super crispy, which I really like.
- Orange Sauce – I created an easy and healthier orange sauce recipe a few years ago and used it for this vegan orange chicken. It’s super quick and easy to make, but you can also use bottled orange sauce to make it a little easier.
How to Make Vegan Orange Chicken
This recipe has a few steps, but they are all really simple and don’t require much work.
- First, cut your cauliflower into florets. You can make them any size you want, but the smaller they are, the crispier they’ll get. I like to do a mixture of small- and medium-sized.
- Next, mix up your batter. It will seem a little thick, but it needs to be thick enough to coat the cauliflower well. Once all the cauliflower florets are covered in batter, pour in the panko and mix until the cauliflower is evenly coated. I like to pour one cup in, mix it, and then pour the other cup in.
- Lay your cauliflower out on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper or a non-stick mat. Make sure to arrange them in a single layer and have them touching as little as possible. They won’t get as crispy if they’re touching or piled on top of each other. Bake the cauliflower until crispy.
- Make the orange sauce while the cauliflower is baking. Add all ingredients to a bowl, whisk until combined, and then pour into a medium-sized saucepan. Cook sauce until thickened. Remove cauliflower from the oven, toss with 3/4 of the sauce, and then put back into the oven to cook a little longer. I like drizzling portions with the remaining orange sauce just before serving.
Have a question about this orange cauliflower recipe? Aske me in the comments, and I’ll get back to you ASAP!
Looking For More Vegan Asian-Inspired Recipes?
Korean-Inspired Tofu & Vegetable Bowls
Vegan Orange Chicken Recipe [The Best!]
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This is the best Vegan Orange Chicken Recipe! It’s made with crispy cauliflower and a delicious homemade orange sauce!
Ingredients
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
Orange Sauce Recipe:
1 cup orange juice, I like to use fresh squeezed
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup low sodium tamari
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 clove garlic, grated
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- While cauliflower is baking, add all orange sauce ingredients to a medium sized bowl and whisk. Pour into a saucepan and cook until thickened, 7-10 minutes.
- 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.
- Serve over rice, if desired, and spoon remaining orange sauce over caulliflower just before serving. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dinner, Vegan
- Method: Oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
Just made for 2 vegan 21-year olds and me. Delicious. Thank you.
That’s so nice to hear!!
Awesome recipe! Will definitely make it again!
So glad you liked it!!
How does this equate to 10 grams protein per serving? Can’t wait to try but curious where protein comes from.
It’s a mixture of the cauliflower, breadcrumbs, flour and almond milk
This was delicious!! My daughter even asked for the recipe when she leaves for college. So good, and it would be fun to try other sauces. Thank you!
What a great recipe! Very easy and turned out delicious! I just had to add extra corn starch as my sauce wasn’t thickening with 2 teaspoons. Lovely flavour, excellent texture! Sprinkled sesame seeds on top before serving over rice. Will definitely make this again! Thank you for the recipe!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
While this looks good, I do not find it very healthful with the panko and flour.
Many people, myself included, do not eat wheat or other grains. Nor do we
eat such high carb foods. Your single portion is more carbs than my whole day’s
allowance. And people on Keto or Paleo could also not use this recipe.
How about creating some alternatives for the flour and the panko?
Would almond meal work?
Would root flours work?
Hello, I did not create this recipe for people who are keto, paleo, grain free or low carb. I haven’t tried it with any other flour besides GF AP and regular AP. I suspect that almond meal or root flour would work but I can’t say for sure.