This cauliflower stir fry is an easy weeknight dinner idea that’s healthy and quick to make!
Jump to:
Does cauliflower go well in stir fry?
Yes, cauliflower is delicious and healthy addition to stir fry!
It absorbs the stir fry sauce and becomes super flavorful.
Additionally, when cooked correctly, it adds a great crisp-tender texture.
You can add cauliflower as an additional ingredient in a mixed-vegetable stir fry, in combination with a protein such as in this tofu stir fry, or as the main ingredient.
When making a mixed vegetable stir fry, be sure separate the vegetables by the time that each will take to cook.
Cauliflower usually takes the longest (along with other dense vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, baby corn, water chestnuts, bok choy stems, etc.).
Can you stir fry cauliflower without boiling?
As cauliflower is a dense vegetable that takes a long time to stir fry, many recipes will recommend other cooking methods.
For example, some recipes call for roasting the cauliflower in the oven before adding it to the stir fry at the end.
Other recipes recommend boiling or blanching the cauliflower in a pot before adding it to the wok.
However, you can stir fry cauliflower without boiling it first and you will end up with much better texture and flavor.
The trick is to balance the heat and cooking time so that the cauliflower cooks through without burning on the outside.
A lot of recipes call for medium-high heat but I prefer to use a slightly lower temperature with a longer cooking time.
I also recommend slicing the florets a bit smaller than bite sized so that they cook more quickly.
Add the cauliflower in a single layer to a hot pan with oil. Leave it undisturbed for about 5 minutes to cook and char on the first side.
Then stir and flip the cauliflower to another side and continue to cook for another 5-ish minutes.
Continue until the cauliflower can be easily pierced with a fork.
If you see the cauliflower charring too much on the outside before it is tender, you can add a couple splashes of water and the lid of the pan to help it steam through.
Ingredients
The ingredients for this cauliflower stir fry are all super economical and available at any supermarket.
Cauliflower: One regular head of cauliflower is enough for four servings of cauliflower stir fry.
Stock: The base of the vegan stir fry sauce is vegetable broth. Use one that is low salt since we’re adding soy sauce.
Soy sauce: I use regular Chinese light soy sauce. You can probably substitute tamari for a gluten-free stir fry sauce.
Maple syrup: A little bit of sweetness is needed to balance the saltiness. I like to use maple syrup but agave or some sugar would work too. It does not taste like maple.
Vinegar: Rice vinegar is a mild and slightly less acidic vinegar that’s perfect for Asian recipes. If you substitute another type of vinegar, add less.
Sesame oil: Toasted sesame oil is super flavorful and adds that characteristic Asian flavors to your stir fry.
Chili crisp: I like a little bit of heat in my stir fry and the flavor of chili crisp is delicious. I have also made this stir fry sauce with other chili sauces such as sambal and sriracha. Use what you have or omit it if you don’t like spice.
Ginger/garlic: These aromatics add a ton of flavor. You can also add some sliced green onion.
Cornstarch: Cornstarch thickens the sauce so that it coats the cauliflower in a shiny, sticky sauce.
Oil: For stir frying, use a neutral oil such as sunflower, canola, vegetable, avocado, etc. Do not use olive oil.
How to make cauliflower stir fry
Cauliflower stir fry is super fast to make in less than 30 minutes, making it ideal for a quick weeknight dinner!
Prep: Start by prepping the cauliflower. If it’s dirty, wash it and dry it to remove excess water that will cause your oil to sputter.
Break or cut it into small florets. I like to make them on the smaller side so that they cook faster and don’t need to be pre-cooked.
Stir Fry: Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a large pan or wok over medium heat.
It’s important to stir fry cauliflower in a single layer. If the florets don’t all fit in a single layer, work in batches.
Add the cauliflower and leave to fry without stirring until golden brown on the first side - about 5 minutes.
Stir and flip to another side and allow to cook for another 4 - 5 minutes until browned.
Continue until the cauliflower can be easily pierced with a fork.
If you find the cauliflower becoming too charred or burning while still very hard in the middle, you can add a couple tablespoons of water to the pan and put the lid on to steam for a couple minutes to help cook it through.
Remove the lid and allow all the water to evaporate off before adding the sauce.
Sauce: While the cauliflower is frying, mince the garlic and ginger.
Combine all the ingredients for the vegan stir fry sauce in a small bowl and stir well to dissolve the cornstarch.
Combine: When the cauliflower is cooked to crisp-tender, pour in the stir fry sauce and stir continuously until the sauce thickens and coats the cauliflower - just a couple of minutes.
Variations and substitutions
Vegetables: You can add in or substitute half the cauliflower with your favorite vegetables. Red peppers, broccoli, carrots, snow peas, snap peas, boy choy, baby corn, mushrooms, green beans, water chestnuts, cabbage, bean sprouts, and zucchini are popular stir fry options.
Stir fry sauce: If you have the vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce, it makes a delicious vegan stir fry sauce. I have a recipe for that in my tofu stir fry recipe.
Spice: If you don’t like spice, you can leave out the chili crisp. Or you can substitute the chili crisp for sriracha, chili oil, red pepper flakes or sambal.
Garnishes: Garnish your stir fry with chopped scallions, sesame seeds, cilantro, additional chili crisp, etc.
FAQs
If your sauce isn’t thickening well, first give it time. It needs to simmer for a bit to an activate the cornstarch. If it is still too thin, mix another teaspoon with two teaspoons of water in a small bowl and add that to your stir fry. Simmer until thick.
It takes about 10 - 12 minutes to stir fry cauliflower to achieve a nice char on the outside and a crisp-tender texture.
How to serve cauliflower stir fry
Serve cauliflower stir fry with rice.
You can accompany it with your favorite veggie. Here I chose these stir fry snow peas. Bok choy is another good option.
You can garnish with sesame seeds, green onion, or more chili crisp. Here I used some finely chopped cilantro and it was delicious.
Cauliflower Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable stock
- ¼ cup (60 ml) soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons chili crisp
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Wash and dry the cauliflower. Break or cut it into small florets. I like them smaller than bite sized so that they cook through faster.
- It’s best to stir fry the cauliflower in a single layer so if it doesn’t all fit, work in batches.
- Heat the oil in a large pan or wok over medium heat. Add the cauliflower and leave to fry undisturbed until browned on the first side - about 5 minutes.
- Stir and flip the cauliflower to another side and allow to fry until browned. Continue until the cauliflower is tender in the middle.
- (If it is charring too quickly before it is cooked through the middle, add one or two tablespoons of water to the pan and the lid to steam through. Allow the water to simmer off before adding the stir fry sauce).
- While the cauliflower is frying, combine all the remaining ingredients for the sauce and stir well to dissolve the cornstarch.
- Add the sauce to the cauliflower and stir continuously until the sauce thickens and coats the cauliflower - about 2 minutes.
Leave a Reply