Teriyaki Cauliflower Wings – An Easy Dish to Love!

This delicious baked teriyaki cauliflower recipe can be used to make wings or smaller bites, depending on how large (or small) you slice your cauliflower florets.

Try this vegan dish over rice, with noodles, or on its own. It makes a great dish for parties!

The breading makes this dish much more satisfying than plain vegetables, while still being lighter than traditional meat or fake-meat “wings.”

If you have doubts that cauliflower can hold its own as a “wing,” you may be pleasantly surprised. These are crispy, savory, and very flavorful.

I was quite impressed with how these teriyaki cauliflower wings turned out, and I hope you will be too!

You probably already know that cauliflower is very nutritious.

However, if you have picky eaters in your home, they may not be thrilled to eat it plain.

Not to worry! This dish has so much rich flavor packed in, they may not even realize it’s made with cauliflower!

Note: you may wish to make the teriyaki sauce the day before, or in the morning, so it has plenty of time to thicken before you toss the cauliflower in it.

It’s not necessary for a delicious outcome, but the teriyaki sauce is pretty runny when you first make it, so it can be a little more challenging to work with.

Alternate Sauces you could try

One nice thing about this recipe is that once you have the batter and breading part down, you can make these easy cauliflower wings with any seasoning you’d like! Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Buffalo Cauliflower Wings (depending on the sauce they may or may not be vegan, since many buffalo sauces use butter)
• Barbecue Cauliflower Wings
• Sichuan Cauliflower Wings (my recipe for Sichuan sauce is linked – similar to teriyaki but spicier)
• Orange Cauliflower Wings
• Hot Cauliflower Wings with sriracha sauce

Can you make these teriyaki cauliflower wings ahead of time?

They will definitely be crispiest fresh out of the oven.

That being said, our leftover cauliflower was still very delicious the next day!

If you want to make them ahead, try reheating them in the oven or an air-fryer so they don’t get soggy.

You could even bake them in an air-fryer rather than the oven, but it would take longer and be less efficient.

Quick Tips for Easier, Faster Teriyaki Cauliflower Wings

If you need to make these in a hurry, you can always use pre-chopped cauliflower florets to save time.

For the same reason, you can of course use store bought teriyaki sauce for a shorter time from start to a meal on the table.

(However, this homemade teriyaki sauce only takes about 10 minutes to mix up, and the fresh ginger is really nice!)

Why do you need milk for the batter?

The proteins in the milk (or in our case almond milk) help the coating stick to the cauliflower.

You can make this with water instead, and it would still taste delicious, but the breading would be more likely to fall off of the “wings.”

You could also use some olive oil to the batter for even crispier results.

Teriyaki Cauliflower Wings Ingredients

Before you begin, you will need:

Edible Ingredients

• 1 small head of cauliflower
• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs

For the batter

• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

For the Teriyaki Sauce

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup liquid aminos (or soy sauce)
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil (or leave it out for a no added oil recipe)
• 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic, to taste
• 1-2 inches of fresh ginger, to taste
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• Green onions, to garnish (optional)
• Sesame seeds, to garnish (optional)

Tools and Equipment

• Knife and cutting board
• Large bowls and whisks (or one whisk and wash as you go)
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper (if you have a reusable silicone baking mat, that works too so they won’t stick)
• Garlic press, or allow more time for mincing
• Saucepan
• Forks and spoons

How to Make Teriyaki Cauliflower Wings

First, batter, bread, and bake the cauliflower wings

1. To begin, wash and slice your cauliflower into florets.
2. After that, make the batter. Whisk together the almond milk and flour, then add in the salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders.
3. Next, set up your breading station with the cauliflower florets, batter, a plate for the breadcrumbs, and a lined baking sheet. You may wish to pour smaller batches of the breadcrumbs on the plate as you need them. That way, if you drip batter on them, not many get soggy.
4. Using a fork, dip and swirl each “wing” in the batter until coated, then press them on the plate of breadcrumbs to create a crust. Lay them on the baking sheet without crowding them.
5. Once all the cauliflower wings have been battered and breaded, bake for 15 minutes. Then turn the cauliflower wings with a fork or spatula. Bake for another 5 minutes if they don’t look quite done yet.

While they bake, make the teriyaki sauce

1. Then, whisk the water, liquid aminos, maple syrup, toasted sesame oil, minced ginger and garlic together in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Allow to boil and reduce for 2 minutes, then whisk in the cornstarch and reduce the heat to a simmer while you cook the teriyaki sauce for about 3 more minutes to thicken.
2. After that, submerge each floret in teriyaki sauce and place them back on the baking sheet. You can use a spoon to drizzle a little extra sauce over your cauliflower wings. Sprinkle some sesame seeds over the top and bake for another five minutes.
3. Once they are done, you can drizzle any remaining teriyaki sauce and extra sesame seeds on top, then garnish with fresh chopped green onions, serve, and enjoy!

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Make it gluten-free!

Substitute a gluten-free flour, such as almond flour, for the wheat flour in the batter.

You can buy gluten-free Panko bread crumbs, or you could use crushed almond crackers or something similar in place of the breadcrumbs.

Liquid aminos are gluten-free, but soy sauce is not. You could also use tamari as a soy sauce alternative.

Variations on this teriyaki cauliflower wing recipe

I prefer savory to sweet, so I thought this was perfectly sweet as is. That being said, it is not as sweet as teriyaki sauce you might find in a restaurant.

You can add a tablespoon or so of sugar if desired for a sweeter sauce. Alternatively, you could drizzle a little honey over the final product (delicious but no longer vegan).

To add a bit more heat, feel free to sprinkle some crushed red pepper flakes over the top as a garnish.

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Related Asian-Inspired Recipes

• Sichuan Broccoli and Tofu (you can use this Sichuan sauce to make Sichuan wings as well for a little more kick)
• Tallarin Saltado (Peruvian-Cantonese fusion stir-fried noodles)

Related Party Food Recipes You May Enjoy

• Buffalo tofu wings (try the buffalo sauce on any leftover cauliflower if you run out of teriyaki)
• Baked halloumi fries (like fried mozzarella sticks, but squeakier)
• Guacamole
• Pico de Gallo (scroll down a bit – or make the quesadillas too!)
• Hummus
• Deviled potatoes (think deviled eggs but more delicious and vegan)
• Air fryer popcorn

I hope you love this teriyaki cauliflower recipe!