Honey Garlic Cauliflower – a crispy fried cauliflower coated with sweet and savoury honey garlic sauce. A perfect appetiser to pair with fried rice.
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This delicious cauliflower is battered and deep-fried just like any other Indo-Chinese starter and then tossed in honey garlic sauce. This vegetarian snack appeals to kids as it is sweet and not so spicy and makes a great crowd-pleaser appetiser at get-together parties, potlucks and on game days. I bet this starter will be a hit at the party and leave your guests wanting more!
Cauliflower is one such versatile vegetable that comes in handy to make a simple side dish aloo gobi or delicious restaurant-style gobi starters such as orange cauliflower, gobi 65 and gobi manchurian.
How to make the honey garlic sauce
This simple honey garlic sauce is incredibly easy to make in less than 10 minutes. Onion and garlic sautéed with chilli powder, soy sauce, ketchup, and honey and simmered with cornflour mixture until sauce reaches desired consistency. Corn flour slurry acts as a thickening agent to get a thick and gravy-consistent sauce.
To spice it up, add in a few chilli flakes at the end or add green chillies along with garlic, cut down ketchup to reduce tanginess.
You can make the sauce ahead and toss the fried cauliflower florets just before you serve. This sauce is pretty versatile – make double or triple the amount of sauce and refrigerate the extra sauce to use it for your next batch appetiser. It can be used as a dipping sauce for spring rolls, samosa or fritters, chickpea veggie patties, sweet potato patties, perfect on grilled vegetables and burger too.
Honey garlic cauliflower recipe variations
For the dry version, do not add cornflour slurry and cut down onions to half the quantity in the honey garlic sauce.
For a more gravy version, add more water along with cornflour slurry (cornstarch mixture) while making honey garlic sauce. Toss the cauliflower florets when the sauce starts to thicken and of free-flowing gravy consistency. Taste and adjust spices and honey.
Sesame seeds add a pop to the dry version of garlic cauliflower.
Spoon of sesame oil adds a lovely nutty flavour.
How to serve Honey garlic cauliflower
Generally, honey garlic sauce coated cauliflower goes well with fried rice, noodles. The dry version tastes good on its own as a starter or appetiser. The gravy version pairs well with plain rice or jeera rice too. It’s absolutely a personal choice to pair it with rice or noodles or relish it on its own.
Ingredients
For cauliflower fry
Cauliflower: Fresh cauliflower
Flours: Plain flour (all purpose flour) and corn flour (corn starch).
Spices: Chilli powder and salt.
Liquids: Oil and water.
For Honey Garlic Sauce
Vegetables: Spring onion, onion, garlic.
Sauces, Flour and Spices: Soy sauce, tomato ketchup, corn flour (corn starch), black pepper powder, salt and chilli powder.
Liquids: Oil and water.
How to make Honey Garlic Cauliflower
Steam cauliflower florets in hot water for 15 minutes in a large bowl. After 15 mins discard the water.
To make a smooth, lump-free batter combine flour, cornflour, Kashmiri chilli powder, salt and water in a large bowl.
Dip cauliflower florets in the batter and deep fry until crisp.
Saute onion, garlic with chilli powder, black pepper, salt, soy sauce, honey and tomato ketchup.
Make lump-free cornflour slurry (cornstarch slurry) by combining a couple of tablespoons water and cornflour in a small second bowl.
Toss crispy cauliflower and spring onion (green onion) in honey garlic sauce.
Piping hot sweet and spicy honey garlic cauliflower is ready to devour.
Tips and Tricks
Ensure the batter is neither too thick nor too thin, it should be of medium consistency so that it coats the cauliflower florets well.
Adjust the consistency of the batter by adding more flour if it’s too thin and more water if it’s too thick.
Make sure water is completely drained from the cauliflower pieces. If you are unsure just spread cauliflower florets on a muslin cloth to air dry to remove excess water.
Fry battered cauliflower in oil over medium heat.
I have used olive oil but feel free to use any cooking oil that you use for regular cooking.
Notes
Adjust spices to suit your taste preference.
Fresh garlic could be replaced with garlic powder.
I’ve used Kashmiri chilli powder that isn’t too hot but imparts bright red colour. You may use any hotter chilli powder for an extra kick.
My family loves semi gravy version with more onions in the sauce. You may cut down the onion to half the quantity or completely skip it.
Cooking time may vary depending on the type of burner you use and your cooking experience.
You may require a little less or more water than the quantity mentioned to make the batter.
Multiply the ingredients accordingly to cater to a large crowd. Although multiplying ingredients works for the "for cauliflower fry" part, it may not work for honey garlic sauce. You may have to increase the quantity a little bit. Keep in mind to adjust soy sauce, ketchup, chilli powder and honey accordingly to suit your taste.
Do not add all water at once while making a batter. Add a little at a time working your way until all the flour is combined with water and reaches smooth lump-free consistency. Too much at a time makes the batter runny.
Corn flour in the UK is corn starch in America. Plain flour in the UK is all-purpose flour in America
More party appetisers
📖 Recipe Card
Honey Garlic Cauliflower
Ingredients
1 Cup = 250ml ; 1 Tablespoon =15ml ; 1 Teaspoon = 5ml
For Cauliflower Fry
- 2 cups (or) 329 gms (or) 1 medium size cauliflower Cauliflower Florets
- Oil for deep frying
- ¼ cup (or) 60 gms Plain Flour
- 1.5 (1 ½) Tablespoons (or) 20 gms Corn Flour
- Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Chilli powder
- ¾ Cup Water
For Honey Garlic Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Oil
- ½ Cup ( 50 gms/1 small onion) Onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp (4 cloves) Garlic finely chopped
- 1 Teaspoon Chilli powder
- ½ Teaspoon Pepper Powder
- Salt
- 2 Teaspoons Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Tomato Ketchup
- 2 Tablespoons Honey
- ½ Teaspoon Corn Flour
- ¼+¼ Cups Water
- Spring Onions handful, chopped
Instructions
For Battered Cauliflower
- In a deep bowl, place cauliflower florets.2 cups (or) 329 gms (or) 1 medium size cauliflower Cauliflower Florets
- Fill the bowl with sufficient hot water so that florets are completely submerged.
- Close the bowl and let it sit for 15 minutes.
- Now discard the water and keep florets aside.
- In a 2nd bowl, combine the plain flour, cornflour, salt and chilli powder.¼ cup (or) 60 gms Plain Flour, 1.5 (1 ½) Tablespoons (or) 20 gms Corn Flour, Salt, 1 Tablespoon Chilli powder
- Make a smooth lump-free batter by adding little water at a time. You may need a little less or more water to get the right consistency. Keep the batter aside.¾ Cup Water
- In a deep frying pan or Kadai, heat sufficient oil on medium-high.Oil
- Dip cauliflower florets in the batter and fry.
- Now carefully flip and fry another side until crisp and golden colour.
- Remove fried florets and place them on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
- Fry florets in batches until you’ve fried all the florets.
For Honey Garlic Cauliflower
- In a pan, heat oil on medium-high heat.2 Tablespoons Oil
- Add onion, garlic and stir and cook for a minute or until onions are translucent.½ Cup ( 50 gms/1 small onion) Onion, 1 tablespoon (4 cloves) Garlic
- Turn down the heat slightly, add chilli powder followed by salt, pepper powder and mix well.1 Teaspoon Chilli powder, ½ Teaspoon Pepper Powder, Salt
- Then add in the soy sauce, tomato ketchup, honey and mix well.2 Teaspoons Soy Sauce, 1 Tablespoon Tomato Ketchup, 2 Tablespoons Honey
- In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon cornflour and ¼ cup water, mix well until cornflour slurry is smooth and lump-free.½ Teaspoon Corn Flour, ¼+¼ Cups Water
- Add the slurry and ¼ cup water to the sauce turn the heat up to medium-high and bring it to boil.
- Now turn down the heat slightly and allow to bubble for 5 minutes until slightly reduced and thickened.
- Add fried cauliflower florets and stir to coat well.
- Finally, mix in spring onion.Spring Onions
- Delicious and lip-smacking honey garlic cauliflower are ready to enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
How to bake battered cauliflower?
For a healthy option, battered cauliflower could be baked instead of deep frying.
Preheat the oven to 200C (395F).
Place the battered florets on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Arrange the florets in a single layer and put the baking sheet in the oven. Spray oil on florets or brush them with oil.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes flipping the florets halfway through for even baking.
Once the florets turn light brown and crisp up, take them out of the oven and toss in the sauce.
Healthy and tasty honey-garlic cauliflower is ready to enjoy!
Tips: baking times varies depending on the type of oven and settings.
KEEP IN TOUCH
Do let me know if you make delicious cauliflower with honey garlic sauce. If you like this recipe kindly consider rating it using stars in the comment section or on the recipe card to help more people find this recipe online. You can stay up to date by following me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or subscribing to my Youtube channel. Or why not subscribe to my blog and get simple recipes straight to your inbox?
Pallavi says
Turned out great! I skipped the chilli powder as I was making it for my kids and added some more veggies. Both kids and adults loved it with egg fried rice!
Geetha Priyanka says
Happy to know you and your family members liked it! Thanks for taking time to leave your feedback.
Keisha Burgess says
Is the corn flour the same as corn starch?
Geetha Priyanka says
Yes, it is. Corn flour in the UK is same as corn starch in the US.
Paul says
It tastes alright but not worth the amount of mess it takes to make it
Sendang says
Made this recipe several times already because my family really love it! Even my 7-year old niece who doesn't eat veggie now craves for it 👍🏻 Thank you very much for sharing your recipe.💕
Let me also share that i made it using other veggies like brocolli, eggplant (cut in circles) carrot (which i also blanched). Isn't that cool 😊 Again, thank you and take care...
Geetha Priyanka says
Sendang, I'm so happy to know that your family likes this recipe. Thanks for your feedback and for sharing your idea of using other veggies. I'm going to use other veggies the next time I plan to make this recipe 🙂
Mandy says
WOW ! WOW ! WOW ! This came out sooo great ! Waaay back when my husband and I ate meat, we enjoyed General Tso's Chicken at Chinese restaurants. We've long since gone plant-based... sooo glad we found an immensely tasty and exceptionally better for you recipe we can make ourselves with restaurant quality look and taste ! Thank you !
Geetha Priyanka says
I'm so glad you like this recipe 🙂
Michelle says
I have another garlic honet cauliflower recipe that is my go too but it just wasn't my favorite. So I decided to give this a try amd I am so glad I did. This one is way better and so tasty! It will be my new go to! Thanks for this! I'm sorry if there are typos inthis reciew my screen is covered woth ads I cannot exit for some reason
Geetha Priyanka says
Glad you liked this recipe and thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback. Sorry to hear the disturbance caused by ads but the income I get from them covers the blog expenses.
Karen Coe says
This is my All Time Favorite Dish ! I've made it 3xs . I'm going to make it every week....It will make me 3 meals. Love Love this receipe!
Geetha Priyanka says
I'm so so happy to hear how much you love this recipe. Thanks for taking time to leave your feedback.
Robin says
Just wondering if this would be ok to bake instead of frying?
Geetha Priyanka says
Yes, you can bake or air fry it as well. Just ensure to arrange florets in a single layer with good spacing between them in a baking tray.
Yana says
This is delicious!!! Cauliflower is a staple vegetable in Eastern European cuisine but I was looking for something different and found it for sure. Thank you!! I will try it with meat too.
Geetha Priyanka says
I'm so pleased to know you find this recipe useful. do let me know how you enjoyed it when you get to try it.
Brett says
I added a little sesame oil on it and it really kicked it up a notch!!
Geetha Priyanka says
That sounds great! Love the idea of sesame oil, I'll try it next time.
sapana says
Honey garlic cauliflower would make a nice appetiser for Christmas or any party. Such a wonderful recipe.
Geetha Priyanka says
Yes, Sapana it indeed is a great dish for parties.
kiki says
Can we bake these instead of frying?
Geetha Priyanka says
Absolutely. Bake the battered florets at 400F(205C) for 20-30 minutes or until crisp. Spraying a little oil halfway through baking would help crisp up the florets. Hope you enjoy it.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
That is just the most beautiful looking cauliflower appetizer and I really want to grab it from the screen. Such a lovely recipe and I can;t wait to make it for the boys.
Geetha Priyanka says
Thank you Sandhya, I'm sure your boys will love this as much as they love other Indo-Chinese dishes.
Rafeeda - The Big Sweet Tooth says
The honey garlic caulflower is high in flavor content and acceptability. Looks so well made and must have been totally delicious...
Geetha Priyanka says
Thank you. It indeed is delicious 🙂
Sujata Roy says
Honey garlic cauliflower looks mouthwatering. Its really a crowd pleaser. Bookmarking it to try sometime. Perfect tea time snack or party starter. I would love to enjoy it on its own.
Geetha Priyanka says
Thank you 🙂
Mayuri Patel says
Beautiful colour of the honey garlic cauliflower, I've made potatoes in this sauce and now will have to try with cauliflower. Wish I could reach out for some right away.
Geetha Priyanka says
Potatoes in honey garlic sauce sound yum! I must try it out sometime. Thanks for stopping by Mayuriji 🙂
Lata Lala says
As my kiddos love Chinese preparations this Honey Garlic Cauliflower is a wonderful preparation to lure them to eat cauliflower.
A crispy layer on cauliflower coated with sweet and savoury honey garlic sauce sounds to yummilicious.
I am drooling ?
Geetha Priyanka says
I totally agree with you Lataji, This surely is a great way to feed cauliflower to kids. I hope your child likes this. Do let me know how you all enjoyed it 🙂
Pavani says
Such an inviting and addictive cauliflower dish. My kids love gobhi manchurian and your version with honey-garlic sauce sounds even more delicious. Will have to try it out for them.
Geetha Priyanka says
Yes, Pavani this is a slightly varied version of gobi manchurian, I would love to know how you all enjoyed this dish.
Vandana says
I love almost every Indo-Chinese dish. I never get bored of this cuisine. Your honey garlic cauliflower looks very tempting. Perfect for this season.
Geetha Priyanka says
Thank you Vandana 🙂