Vegan Gochujang Cauliflower

This vegan gochujang cauliflower is a delicious pump-your-fist-in-the-air kind of delicious. I battered cauliflower florets in a spicy sauce with hits of deep umami flavors and a salty funk. We loved these flavor bombs served over rice!

I’m obsessed with this vegan gochujang cauliflower recipe. It’s so easy to make! The sauce clings well to the battered cauliflower, which is crispy on the outside and super soft on the inside. These vegan gochujang cauliflower wings are pleasantly spicy and feel so rich and bold with the soy sauce. It’s balanced out nicely with the sweetness of the agave and mirin.

The vinegar added at the very end balances out the sweet notes. Everything works so well in this sauce together. I want to put it on everything!

What Is Gochujang?

I’ve been craving gochujang lately. Gochujang is a Korean vegan condiment. Always check the label, but it’s typically vegan. It has a super-thick consistency and just makes me feel instantly happy. It’s made from gochugaru (red pepper powder), soybeans, sugar, rice and salt. These ingredients will vary based on the brand you purchase, but it’s almost always a naturally vegan food.

Gochujang is traditionally fermented over years in earthenware pots. During the fermentation process, the starches are converted to sugars, infusing the paste with a subtle sweetness. Some brands rely heavily on corn syrup to bypass this process.

The fermented soybeans give the paste its umami flavor while the chile peppers add heat to balance out the sweetness. It’s a perfect ingredient to build a sauce around! Check out my double-dredged tofu recipe for another way to enjoy gochujang!

How to make this recipe

This Korean gochujang cauliflower recipe is really easy and non-fussy. Here’s what I did:

• I whipped up a quick batter.
• I chopped a head of cauliflower into florets then dunked them into the batter to coat. Then I baked it until golden.
• While the florets baked, I simmered the gochujang and soy sauce over medium heat until thick, then added in rice vinegar.
• I then tossed the baked florets into the thick sauce and boom you have flavor bombs to serve over rice … delicious!

How To Select A Perfect Head Of Cauliflower

I love cauliflower. It’s perfect sliced into steaks and battered, roasted and baked in a curry, roasted whole and pureed into soups. In your search for cauliflower, look for compact and bright white florets, no brown spots and crispy green leaves at the base. Kind of like this beauty!

Key Ingredients

In addition to the cauliflower, this recipe has two components: the batter and sauce. Both are easy to whip up. Make your batter and sauce while your cauliflower bakes.

For the batter

Rice flour: This adds some lightness to the batter. Rice flour is naturally gluten-free, and you can experiment with combining it with a gluten-free, all-purpose flour if you are avoiding gluten in your diet.

Double Zero (00) flour: This is durum wheat, very finely ground. It adds some body to the batter. It’s also great for pizza crusts!

Cornstarch: This is going to work with the lightness of the rice flour, strength of the 00 flour and add some crispiness and crunch.

For the Sauce

Gochujang: This super-umami Korean paste is going to add an explosion of flavor to this dish. It’s deeply crimson, pleasantly spicy and super rich.

Soy sauce: This adds more umami and beautiful saltiness to the sauce. I love both of these sauces separately but, when combined, they both become even more magical!

Agave: This is going to slightly caramelize when heated, adding a little bit of sweetness to balance out the salt and umami. It will help thicken the sauce, so it clings perfectly to the cauliflower.

Can I Deep-Fry This Recipe?

You sure can! Baking is obviously easier and instructions for that are on the recipe card below. But I’m also including instructions here for deep-frying, which is heavenly. To deep-fry, you’ll want to follow this batter recipe and instructions:

Fry Batter Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white rice flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 to 1 cup cold fizzy water
• canola oil, for frying

Deep-Frying Instructions

1. Combine the flours, cornstarch and salt. Slowly add in the 3/4 cup of fizzy water. Stir until smooth. You want the batter to be smooth but thick enough to cling to the cauliflower. Add an additional 1/4 cup of water if needed.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the cauliflower florets. Allow them to boil and soften for a few minutes.
3. Using a skimmer or tongs, remove the florets from the water. Place onto a dish towel.
4. Fold the towel over the florets. Gently press down on the cauliflower to get rid of some of the moisture.
5. Transfer the florets into the batter. Using your hands, very gently coat them. Set aside.
6. Place several inches of canola oil into a heavy pot over medium-high heat. After about 7 minutes, throw a pinch of batter into the pot. If it bubbles immediately, you are ready to fry.
7. Working in small batches*, drop the battered florets into the hot oil. Using a skimmer, gently stir to ensure the batter doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
8. Allow the florets to fry for a few minutes until golden. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

*It’s important that you work in small batches here—overcrowding the pot will reduce the temperature of the oil resulting in soggy, greasy florets. Keep the temperature between 350 and 375, using a fry thermometer if you need to.

Once fried, toss your deep-fried florets into the gochujang sauce and serve over rice!

How To Serve This Vegan Gochujang Cauliflower Wings Recipe

This recipe is perfect over rice, with chopped scallions, sesame seeds and crushed peanuts if you’d like. It can be the main dish for two or an appetizer for four. Serve it piping hot!

For More Cauliflower Recipes, Check These Ideas Out!

Hungry for more recipe ideas using cauliflower? These cauliflower recipes are great ways to prep and serve this vegetable. Baked, fried or pureed, cauliflower is so versatile and delicious!

• Craving curry? This Cauliflower and Mushroom Curry recipe will satisfy! This is a great dish to prep on the weekend so you can enjoy it as a quick and easy weeknight dinner. It tastes best as leftovers!
• This gluten-free Firecracker Cauliflower is one of my favorites! Roast an entire head of cauliflower doused in a spicy firecracker sauce and slice open for a heavenly dish.
• Looking for some crunch? Check out this Vegan Bang Bang Cauliflower and prepare yourself for crispy cauliflower florets that are baked, not fried!
• I love this General Tso’s Cauliflower recipe, because the cauliflower is incredibly crispy and the tasty sauce clings so well to it.
• This Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Salad is a perfect blend of crispy, spicy, fresh, and creamy!

This post was last updated on July 10, 2024.