With crunchy edges and a tangy-spicy sauce, these sweet chili cauliflower lettuce wraps are an absolute flavor and texture party. The sauce only has 8 ingredients and just simmers on the stove for a few minutes. Once the cauliflower is roasted in the oven with cornstarch, oil, and spices, you just have to assemble with lettuce leaf wraps and enjoy! The slightly crunchy texture combined with the spicy sauce is similar to these well-loved coconut tofu lettuce wraps. Whether you’re serving them as a light vegan main or a side dish, these wraps are so satisfying.
I am a big a fan of the sweet chili flavor profile. A homemade version of the sauce is simple to whip up in a saucepan. It’s also the perfect flavor foil to slightly crunchy, deeply caramelized roasted cauliflower in these cauliflower lettuce wraps.
I saw an Instagram post from Milk Street that demonstrated how to add extra crispiness to roasted non-starchy vegetables. Turns out you just need a good amount of cornstarch and a very hot oven. I think their description of “oven fried” on the website is a bit of a stretch honestly! The edges do get deeply browned and have a nice toothsome bite when done though.
It’s fun to assemble these little cauliflower lettuce wraps with generous drizzles of the sauce. Leaf lettuce or Boston/butter leaves work best for this application.
I did attempt this recipe with arrowroot starch and while the sauce thickened and was fine, the cauliflower wasn’t the same. There’s just nothing like cornstarch for that crunch factor! Apologies to my folks with corn sensitivities. I want to try the cauliflower alone with potato starch in another kitchen test round. I’ll follow up here if I have success!
Hope you love this simple and mega high flavor recipe 🙂
Roasted Cauliflower Lettuce Wraps with Sweet Chili Sauce
Sweet, spicy, and a bit crunchy. These roasted cauliflower lettuce wraps with homemade sweet chili sauce are a total flavor and texture explosion. Cornstarch is the secret to getting the crunch on the cauliflower edges!
Servings 2 -4
Ingredients
Sweet Chili Sauce
- ⅓ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon water, divided
- 1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek
- ½ teaspoon Tamari soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon paprika (purely for color)
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced with a Microplane
- 2-inch piece ginger, finely minced with a Microplane
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Cauliflower & Assembly
- 2 lbs (908 grams) cauliflower florets (from roughly 1 large head)
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Leaves of Boston/Butter or leaf lettuce, for wrapping
Notes
- The cornstarch roasting method is inspired by Milk Street and I very lightly adapted the sauce from Daring Gourmet.
- I attempted this recipe with arrowroot starch in place of the cornstarch and while the sauce was fine, the cauliflower just wasn’t the same. It didn’t have that little crunchy edge unfortunately.
- The sauce will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- I know it seems like a ton of cauliflower, but it does shrink up quite a bit after its time in the oven.
- This cauliflower/sauce combo is excellent as part of a grain bowl.
Instructions
Prepare the sweet chili sauce
In a small saucepan, combine the rice vinegar, maple syrup, ⅓ cup water, Sambal Oelek, Tamari, paprika, garlic, and ginger. Bring to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining tablespoon of water and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch. Add this slurry to the sauce and continue to whisk until thickened.
Transfer the sauce to a jar or bowl and let it cool completely in the fridge where it will continue to thicken.
Prepare the cauliflower
Preheat the oven to 475°F and set out 2 baking sheets.
Place cauliflower florets in a large bowl and toss with the avocado oil. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Pour this mixture directly over the cauliflower. Use a spatula to toss the cauliflower in the starch and spice mixture. If it feels like the cornstarch isn’t sticking, just keep tossing and stirring!
When properly coated, dump the cauliflower out evenly onto the 2 baking sheets. Spread the cauliflower out and roast for 15 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, remove the cauliflower from the oven and give it a flip and toss with a spatula. Pop it back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes, or until deeply golden brown.
To serve, lay out your lettuce leaves on a platter. Transfer the cauliflower to the lettuce leaves and then generously top each portion with the sweet chili sauce. Enjoy immediately!
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I am a food blogger. I search for recipes and write to my blog. we have a small team of two people.
My Name is Shubham Patel And My partner name is Jenish Pateliya. we both work on this website.