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5.0 from 9 votes

General Tso's Cauliflower

Recreate one of the most popular Chinese chicken dishes with this vegetarian recipe for General Tso's Cauliflower! In this recipe, crispy cauliflower is tossed with THE BEST spicy General Tso's sauce to create a delicious vegetarian meal.

Prep Time
12 mins
Cook Time
12 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 612 kcal
Course: Main Course , Appetizer
Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients

General Tso’s Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • ¼ cup gluten-free soy sauce or traditional soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon fresh garlic crushed
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger grated
  • ½ teaspoon Chinese five spice
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Pan Fried Cauliflower
  • ½ cup canola oil or vegetable oil
  • 1 cup rice flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 egg yolk whisked
  • ½ cup cold water
  • 3-4 cups cauliflower florets
For serving - optional
  • red chili peppers diced
  • ¼ cup green onions diced
  • 2 cups cooked rice brown or white

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large bowl, whisk all of the ingredients for together for the General Tso’s sauce. Set aside.
  2. Add ½ cup canola oil to a large skillet on the stove over medium high heat.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the rice flour, salt, pepper and whisked egg yolk.
  4. Add the cold water and whisk until a smooth batter forms.
  5. Dip the cauliflower florets into the batter until completely coated, allowing any excess batter to drip off, then add the battered cauliflower to the hot oil in the skillet.
  6. Fry for 3-4 minutes per side, or until all sides of the cauliflower are golden brown and crispy.
  7. Remove the cauliflower from the oil and transfer to a paper towel lined plate, or wire cooling rack, to allow any excess oil to drip off.
  8. Once all of the cauliflower is fried, add it to the bowl of General Tso’s sauce and toss gently to coat the cauliflower in the sauce.
  9. Serve the cauliflower immediately after it's tossed in the sauce, or it will get soggy.
  10. You can serve the cauliflower with white or brown rice and diced chili peppers and green onions, if you'd like.

Notes

  • I recommend using the recipe linked here to prepare brown rice in an Instant Pot, rice cooker or stovetop, for serving with the cauliflower.
  • If you’re planning to serve the cauliflower with rice or vegetables, make sure they’re prepared before you begin frying the cauliflower.
  • If you’re not planning to eat all of the cauliflower immediately, do not toss all of the cauliflower with the sauce. As soon as the cauliflower is sauced, it should be eaten immediately or the texture will become soggy.
  • I do not recommend using an air fryer to cook the battered cauliflower, or baking it in the oven. Refer to the blog post above for how to make cauliflower for this recipe in an air fryer or the oven.
  • This recipe is gluten free using the ingredients listed above.
  • To make this recipe vegan, swap out the honey in the sauce for maple syrup or agave nectar to make a vegan General Tso’s sauce. For the cauliflower batter, instead of an egg yolk, mix 2 teaspoons of oil, 2 teaspoons of water, and ½ teaspoon of baking powder together. Add this mixture to the batter with the rice flour, salt and pepper, before adding the cold water.
  • If you can’t find rice flour, you can use cornstarch or tapioca starch instead. The recipe will remain gluten free using either of these ingredients. I do not recommend using traditional flour, as the texture is different and the batter will not behave the same way.
  • You can make the sauce up to 5 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator until serving. This will save you 5-10 minutes when making the recipe.

Nutrition Information

Calories 612kcal (31%) Carbohydrates 70g (23%) Protein 9g (18%) Fat 34g (52%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 21g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 49mg (16%) Sodium 1224mg (51%) Potassium 376mg (11%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 11g (22%) Vitamin A 283mg (6%) Vitamin C 41mg (46%) Calcium 53mg (5%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 612

% Daily Value*

Calories 612kcal 31%
Carbohydrates 70g 23%
Protein 9g 18%
Fat 34g 52%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 21g 105%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 49mg 16%
Sodium 1224mg 51%
Potassium 376mg 8%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 11g 22%
Vitamin A 283mg 6%
Vitamin C 41mg 46%
Calcium 53mg 5%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.