General Tso Cauliflower

4.82 from 16 votes

Craving Chinese food? Making General Tso Cauliflower at home is easy and healthy! This simple recipe is gluten-free and oil-free and paired with broccoli and oil-free fried rice.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Entrees

Cuisine: Asian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 218kcal

Author: Kathy Carmichael

Ingredients

Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower core removed, cut into florets
1 cup whole wheat or gluten-free flour
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder

General Tso Sauce

¼ cup + 2 teaspoons soy sauce or Tamari
4 Tablespoons maple syrup
4 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon Chili Paste
2 teaspoons arrow root powder
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes to add extra heat; skip if you don't like it hot

Rice and Broccoli (optional)

1 recipe No Oil-Fried Rice see Link, white, or jasmine rice (optional)
1 head broccoli core removed, cut into florets

Garnish (optional)

1 bunch green onions sliced thin on an angle
Black sesame seeds

Instructions

Cauliflower

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Remove the core from cauliflower and cut it into equal bite-sized florets.
In a large bowl, add flour and the remaining ingredients.
Whisk together.
The batter should be similar to the pancake batter.
Add more water if too thick (varies depending on the type of flour chosen)
Line a baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
Dip each cauliflower floret individually, spacing them centimeters apart on the baking sheet.
Cook for 20 minutes.
While cauliflower bakes, prepare the sauce.
Remove cauliflower from the oven.
Place breaded and baked cauliflower florets into a bowl.
Pour sauce onto the florets and toss gently.
Place saucy florets back on the pan, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

Air Fry cooking option

Preheat the air-fryer to 375
Follow the same directions above.
Place a single layer of battered cauliflower in the base of the air fryer.
Air fry for 12 minutes
Remove the pieces from the air fryer
Toss in the sauce and place the pieces back in the air-fryer
Cook for another 3 minutes.
I suggest cooking all the cauliflower in batches before tossing it into the sauce to cook again for a few minutes.

General Tso Sauce

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.
Whisk all ingredients together.
Heat on medium-low.
The sauce will thicken as it heats.
Now prepare the rice.

Rice (Optional)

Prepare 1 recipe of oil-free fried rice.
Broccoli
Place broccoli florets on a baking pan or Crisper Pan.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake in the same oven with cauliflower for 10 minutes.

SERVING

Place ½ cup rice in the middle of each bowl.
Add General Tso Cauliflower and broccoli.
Garnish with sliced scallions and black sesame seeds.

Notes

Air-fry the cauliflower instead of baking it for a quicker version.
I used chickpea flour, but any flour works. You may need to add additional water if using regular flour.
Pre-heating the air-fryer helps to cook the cauliflower more evenly.
Remember, when air-frying, if batch cooking, the first batch takes longer than the subsequent batches.
As a shortcut, use your favorite General Tso bottled sauce.
I like using a silicone baking mat as opposed to parchment paper, but wither works for oil-free cooking.
Substitute corn starch if you don't have arrowroot powder.
When making the sauce, the arrowroot powder thickens the sauce as it heats in the pan.

Nutrition