Crunchy Baked Hot Honey Cauliflower (Printable)

Crispy cauliflower bites glazed with sweet-hot honey sauce—an irresistible vegetarian appetizer ready in 50 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Cauliflower

01 - 1 large head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
02 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
03 - 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
04 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
05 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
06 - 1 teaspoon salt
07 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
08 - 2 large eggs
09 - 2 tablespoons water

→ For the Hot Honey Glaze

10 - ⅓ cup honey
11 - 2 tablespoons hot sauce
12 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
13 - ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
14 - Pinch of salt

# Method:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a wire rack.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper.
03 - In a second large mixing bowl, beat eggs with water until fully combined.
04 - Pour panko breadcrumbs into a third large mixing bowl.
05 - Working in batches, coat each cauliflower floret in the seasoned flour, dip into the egg mixture, then coat with panko breadcrumbs, pressing gently to adhere.
06 - Arrange coated florets in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
07 - Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping florets halfway through, until golden and crispy.
08 - While cauliflower bakes, combine honey, hot sauce, butter, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until butter melts and sauce is smooth. Remove from heat.
09 - Transfer baked cauliflower to a large bowl. Drizzle hot honey glaze over and toss gently to coat evenly.
10 - Serve immediately, garnished with extra red pepper flakes or fresh herbs if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The contrast between the shattering panko crust and tender cauliflower inside is genuinely addictive, and nobody suspects it's vegetarian.
  • You can have this on the table in less than an hour with ingredients you likely already have scattered around your kitchen.
  • It's the rare recipe that tastes like restaurant-quality food but comes together with zero stress or technique required.
02 -
  • If your cauliflower comes out of the oven and immediately goes soft once the glaze touches it, your coating wasn't quite crispy enough—make sure you're baking long enough and not crowding the sheet.
  • The glaze will thicken slightly as it cools, so if you make it too far ahead of serving, it gets hard to toss; make it while the cauliflower's in its final few minutes of baking.
03 -
  • Pat your cauliflower florets completely dry with paper towels before breading—moisture is the enemy of crispiness and will make your coating slide right off.
  • Don't bother putting these in the fridge before baking; cold batter doesn't adhere as well, and they bake more evenly if they start at room temperature.
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