Korean BBQ Cauliflower Wings

Double the sauce—you'll be glad you did.

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Note: this is inspired by my Korean BBQ Cauliflower Bites, which I published in 2020. I'm always looking to improve my content and my site, and I believe this newer recipe is the best it can be, but if you'd like to view the older one, you can find it at the link here.

I’d never turn down a chicken wing, but if I had to choose, these cauliflower wings would be my first pick any day of the week. Golden, crispy breaded cauliflower is drizzled and doused in an irresistible sticky sweet-and-spicy glaze for a great game-day snack that I’d also happily eat for any dinner any night, spooned over a giant pile of rice.

If you don’t have gochujang in your refrigerator, you need to buy some ASAP. This fermented red chili paste from Korea packs a substantial hit of spice with just enough underlying sweetness and funk to pull you back in for another bite . . . even when your mouth is on fire. Gochujang is (of course) used in many traditional Korean dishes, but the possibilities don’t stop there. It makes a brilliant base for marinades, soups, and dressings, and because of its thicker texture, it’s particularly great in glazes . . . like the glaze for these cauliflower wings. Once you have it, you’ll be surprised at everything you can use it for.

One of my go-to hacks for improving oven-fried anything is toasting the breadcrumbs in a little oil in advance. Once they’re on a cold protein (or in this case, a vegetable) that’s baking in the oven, they don’t really take on much color. Surprising, right? Toasting them in advance ensures they’re that perfect golden color and crispy texture before they’re ever used to bread, and this gives you the ultimate crunchy cauliflower wing. 

My pre-toasting process is simple: toss the breadcrumbs with oil (I typically do 1 tablespoon oil for every ½ cup breadcrumbs) and a little salt. Bake on a parchment-lined sheet pan at 400° F., stirring every three minutes, until the perfect golden color. Don’t be shy on this—like I said, they don’t really get any darker when they’re baking on the cauliflower.

Like any fried or “oven-fried” thing, these wings are best fresh. That said, if you’re not planning to eat all of them right away and you’d like to try to keep the leftovers as crisp and un-soggy as possible, I recommend leaving them untossed and saving some sauce separately. Both will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to enjoy, you can reheat the cauliflower wings in a 400° oven (or the air fryer!) and warm the sauce on the stove with a little extra water to loosen it up again. Then you can simply toss the two together.

Enjoy!

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Korean BBQ Cauliflower Wings

(Serves 4 for a main or 6-8 for an appetizer)

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

1 small cauliflower head (about 1 pound), cut into 2” florets

1 ½ tsp. kosher salt, divided (I used Diamond Crystal)

2 cups panko bread crumbs

¼ cup neutral oil, such as vegetable, canola, or grapeseed

1 cup (120 g.) all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened plain soy milk

1 tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. ground ginger

⅓ cup gochujang

⅓ cup honey

¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 scallion, thinly sliced, for serving

2 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds, for serving

Equipment: 1 sheet pan with parchment paper, 3 bowls, small pot, whisk

Instructions

1. Arrange a rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 400° F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, toss cauliflower florets with 1 teaspoon salt; set aside for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a second large bowl, combine panko and neutral oil. Spread panko onto prepared baking sheet, smoothing into a thin, even layer, and bake 3 minutes.

4. Remove panko from the oven and stir. Smooth out into a thin, even layer again and bake until deep golden, 2-3 minutes longer (watch it closely!) Use the parchment paper to transfer the panko back into the bowl and set aside. Reline baking sheet with fresh parchment paper.

5. In another bowl, whisk together flour, soy milk, garlic powder, ground ginger, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt until it’s the consistency of a thick pancake batter.

6. Working 2 or 3 at a time, dip each cauliflower floret into the batter. Carefully shake off the excess and transfer to the toasted panko. Roll in panko, pressing gently to encourage it to coat the floret all over, then transfer breaded floret to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining florets.

7. Bake cauliflower wings until tender in the center, 25-30 minutes.

8. Meanwhile, in a small pot, whisk together gochujang, honey, soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until slightly reduced to a medium glazing consistency, 2-3 minutes (the sauce will continue to thicken as it sits).

9. Drizzle cauliflower wings with sauce or transfer cauliflower wings to a large clean bowl and toss with sauce to coat. Top with scallions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Originally posted February 8, 2026.