Crispy Hot Honey Cauliflower Nuggets

If chicken nuggets with honey mustard were your childhood fave, prepare to meet your new obsession. Coated with toasty bread crumbs and drizzled in a ridiculously craveable hot honey sauce, these crispy cauliflower nuggets are reinventing that childhood snack into a sweet and spicy sensation. Oh—and did I mention they’re also plant-based?
Salting the cauliflower:
Salting the cauliflower and letting it sit for 15 minutes before breading is key to ensuring nuggets that are seasoned from the inside out. It will feel like you’re using a lot of salt for the amount of cauliflower, but don’t worry: Not all the salt will stick to the cauliflower, and even if it did, you still probably wouldn’t be overseasoning. The cauliflower can take it.
As it sits with the salt, the cauliflower will release some moisture. This is totally normal. You can pat the cauliflower dry before breading if you want, but you don’t have to; the batter will coat the cauliflower just fine regardless.
Breading the cauliflower:
These nuggets are breaded using a simple two-stage (wet/dry) method. While many recipes use whisked eggs as their wet component, I found in testing that I actually preferred to use a mix of flour and soy milk (or whole milk, if you prefer) to coat the nuggets. In addition to being dairy-and-egg-free, this batter coats the cauliflower more completely than egg will and provides a great neutral base that you can add more seasonings to. The bread crumbs also stick to it better as well.
If you’re measuring your flour by volume instead of weighing, make sure to use the fluff and spoon-in method to measure, or you might end up with a batter that’s far too thick. It should be the consistency of pancake batter. If it seems too thick, just add soy milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it’s the correct consistency. Since these nuggets are baked instead of fried, pre-toasting the panko in the oven is key to guaranteeing that gorgeous golden color. Be sure to spread the panko as evenly as possible on the sheet pan and stir it every few minutes to redistribute (the bread crumbs around the edges will definitely want to brown more quickly). Don’t be afraid to take these bread crumbs to a highly GBD (golden-brown-delicious) place. Once they’re on the cauliflower, they will not brown anymore.
The sauce:
This hot honey sauce is as simple as throwing everything in a pot and stirring until everything is incorporated. If you’re vegan (and okay with eating honey), you can use vegan butter in place of the dairy butter called for. If you’re vegan and not okay with eating honey, you can still enjoy the nuggets as they are: Even without the sauce, they’re still pretty irresistible.
Storage:
These nuggets are best fresh. They can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheated on a baking sheet in a 350° oven, but their crispy coating will soften overnight and won't ever fully return. They’ll still taste delicious—especially with tons of the sauce drizzled over—but they’ll lose that amazing crunchy texture.
Did you try making these? Let us know how it went in the comments!
Ingredients
Cauliflower Nuggets
- 1
(1 1/2-lb.) head cauliflower, cut into 2" florets
- 2 tsp.
kosher salt, divided
- 2 cups
panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup
neutral oil
- 1 cup
(120 g.) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup
soy milk
- 1 tsp.
garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp.
paprika
- 1/4 tsp.
freshly ground black pepper
Hot Honey Sauce & Assembly
- 1/2 cup
honey
- 4 Tbsp.
unsalted butter or plant-based butter
- 1 tsp.
cayenne
- 1/2 tsp.
garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp.
paprika
Kosher salt
Flaky sea salt
Directions
Cauliflower Nuggets
- Step 1Place a rack in center of oven; preheat to 400°. In a large bowl, toss cauliflower with 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt. Let sit 15 minutes.
- Step 2In another large bowl, toss panko with oil. Spread on an unlined metal baking sheet. Bake, checking frequently and stirring after 3 minutes, until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Return to bowl and let cool slightly.
- Step 3In a medium bowl, whisk flour, soy milk, paprika, garlic powder, pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Working 1 or 2 at a time, dip cauliflower into flour mixture, shaking off excess. Roll in panko, pressing to adhere. Transfer cauliflower to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Step 4Bake nuggets until tender in the center, 25 to 35 minutes.
Hot Honey Sauce & Assembly
- Step 1Meanwhile, in a small pot over medium heat, combine honey, butter, cayenne, garlic powder, and paprika; season with a pinch of kosher salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until butter is melted and sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Let cool slightly. (Sauce will be runny when hot but will thicken as it cools.)
- Step 2Transfer cauliflower to a platter. Drizzle with hot honey; season with sea salt.