Honey Garlic Cauliflower – crispy golden cauliflower tossed in a sticky honey garlic sauce. It is a tasty and easy to make dish with a sweet and savoury flavour combination. Perfect as an appetiser or a side dish.
This delicious cauliflower is battered and deep-fried just like any other Indo-Chinese starter, then tossed in a honey garlic sauce. It’s a perfect vegetarian snack that both kids and adults love. A total crowd-pleaser for get-togethers, potlucks and game days. I bet this will be the star of your party and leave your guests coming back for more!
Cauliflower is one of those versatile vegetables 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.
Notes on Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this delicious honey garlic cauliflower. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
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
(This is an overview with process photos, the full recipe is at the bottom in a recipe card)
Add cauliflower florets to a large bowl of hot water. Cover the bowl with a plate or a lid and let it sit for 15 minutes. Afterwards, drain and discard water.
In a large bowl, whisk together plain flour(all purpose flour), cornflour (corn starch), Kashmiri chilli powder, salt and water to form a smooth, lump free batter.
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 enjoy on its own or with vegetable fried rice.
How to make the honey garlic sauce
This simple honey garlic sauce is incredibly easy to make in under 10 minutes. Saute onion and garlic with chilli powder, soy sauce, ketchup, and honey, then simmer with cornflour mixture until it thickens to reach your desired consistency. Corn flour slurry acts as a thickening agent to get a thick and gravy like sauce.
For extra spice, add in a few chilli flakes at the end or toss green chillies along with garlic. You can also cut down on ketchup to reduce tanginess.
You can make the sauce ahead of time and toss the fried cauliflower florets just before serving. This sauce is pretty versatile. Prepare double or triple the batch and store the extra sauce in the fridge for your next appetiser.
This sauce also works great as a dipping sauce for vegetable spring rolls, samosa or zucchini corn fritters, baked vegetable patties, chickpea veggie patties, sweet potato patties, or even grilled vegetables and burgers.
How to serve Honey garlic cauliflower
Generally, honey garlic sauce coated cauliflower goes well with fried rice or noodles. The dry version is delicious on its own as a starter or appetiser, while the gravy version pairs well with plain rice or jeera rice. It’s absolutely a personal choice, enjoy it with rice or noodles or relish it on its own.
Variations and Substitutions
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 is 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.
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 a 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 the 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 the 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 a 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
How to bake battered cauliflower?
For a healthy option, battered cauliflower could be baked instead of deep frying.
Preheat the oven to 200 C (395 F).
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 them in the sauce.
Healthy and tasty honey-garlic cauliflower is ready to enjoy!
Tips: baking times vary depending on the type of oven and settings.
More Party Appetisers
KEEP IN TOUCH
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Honey Garlic Cauliflower
Equipment
- 2 Mixing Bowls
- 1 Plate
- 1 Kadai/Skillet
- 1 Slotted Spoon
- 1 Shallow pan
- 2 spoons
Ingredients
1 Cup = 250ml ; 1 Tablespoon =15ml ; 1 Teaspoon = 5ml
For Cauliflower Fry
- 2 cups (or) 329 gms (or) 1 medium size cauliflower florets
- oil for deep frying
- ¼ cup (or) 60 gms plain flour
- 1.5 tablespoons (or) 20 gms corn flour
- salt as required
- 1 tablespoon kashmiri chilli powder
- ¾ cup water
For Honey Garlic Sauce
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ cup (or) 50 gms/1 small onion onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoons (or) 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper powder
- salt as required
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon corn flour
- ½ cups water
- handful spring onions (green onion) chopped
Instructions
For Battered Cauliflower
- In a deep bowl, place2 cups (or) 329 gms (or) 1 medium size cauliflower florets.2 cups (or) 329 gms (or) 1 medium size 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 ¼ cup (or) 60 gms plain flour, 1.5 tablespoons (or) 20 gms corn flour, salt and 1 tablespoon kashmiri chilli powder.¼ cup (or) 60 gms plain flour, 1.5 tablespoons (or) 20 gms corn flour, salt, 1 tablespoon kashmiri chilli powder
- Make a smooth lump-free batter by adding ¾ cup water little 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 2 tablespoons oil on medium-high heat.2 tablespoons oil
- Add ½ cup (or) 50 gms/1 small onion onion, 1 tablespoons (or) 4 cloves garlic and stir and cook for a minute or until onions are translucent.½ cup (or) 50 gms/1 small onion onion, 1 tablespoons (or) 4 cloves garlic
- Turn down the heat slightly, add 1 teaspoon chilli powder followed by salt, ½ teaspoon pepper powder and mix well.1 teaspoon chilli powder, ½ teaspoon pepper powder, salt
- Then add in the 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup, 2 tablespoons honey and mix well.2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup, 2 tablespoons honey
- In a small bowl, combine ½ teaspoon corn flour and ½ cups water, mix well until cornflour slurry is smooth and lump-free.½ teaspoon corn flour, ½ cups water
- Add the slurry and ¼ cups 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 handful spring onions (green onion).handful spring onions (green onion)
- Delicious and lip-smacking honey garlic cauliflower are ready to enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Welcome to Flavours Treat. I share vegetarian recipes made with wholesome, mostly fresh ingredients. Every recipe has easy-to-follow instructions with process shots (detailed step-wise pictures), a short video and lots of tips to help your cooking journey. Read more
Welcome to Flavours Treat. I share vegetarian recipes made with wholesome, mostly fresh ingredients. Every recipe has easy-to-follow instructions with process shots (detailed step-wise pictures), a short video and lots of tips to help your cooking journey. Read more
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!
Happy to know you and your family members liked it! Thanks for taking time to leave your feedback.
Is the corn flour the same as corn starch?
Yes, it is. Corn flour in the UK is same as corn starch in the US.
It tastes alright but not worth the amount of mess it takes to make it
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…
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 🙂
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 !
I’m so glad you like this recipe 🙂
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
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.
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!
I’m so so happy to hear how much you love this recipe. Thanks for taking time to leave your feedback.
Just wondering if this would be ok to bake instead of frying?
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.
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.
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.
I added a little sesame oil on it and it really kicked it up a notch!!
That sounds great! Love the idea of sesame oil, I’ll try it next time.
Honey garlic cauliflower would make a nice appetiser for Christmas or any party. Such a wonderful recipe.
Yes, Sapana it indeed is a great dish for parties.
Can we bake these instead of frying?
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.
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.
Thank you Sandhya, I’m sure your boys will love this as much as they love other Indo-Chinese dishes.
The honey garlic caulflower is high in flavor content and acceptability. Looks so well made and must have been totally delicious…
Thank you. It indeed is delicious 🙂
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.
Thank you 🙂
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.
Potatoes in honey garlic sauce sound yum! I must try it out sometime. Thanks for stopping by Mayuriji 🙂
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 ?
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 🙂
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.
Yes, Pavani this is a slightly varied version of gobi manchurian, I would love to know how you all enjoyed this dish.
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.
Thank you Vandana 🙂