You will find many variations for this dish but none that are as good as mine! This recipe works with both broccoli and cauliflower and can be used as an appetizer or a main dish (served with cauliflower rice) because it is quite filling. Feel free to make it as spicy as you want.
FYI – I had these leftovers in the fridge for two days and broiled them for about 3 minutes and they were crisp and flavorful!
My recipe uses coconut milk instead of almond milk. I like almond milk – but not for cooking. It tends to change the flavor of the recipe and leaves a very distinct almond/vanilla taste whereas coconut milk does not.
This recipe consists of a) making the bang bang sauce aka dipping sauce for the cooked broccoli and b) making the vegan “buttermilk’ which gets combined with dry ingredients to form c) the batter.
Baked Vegan Bang Bang Broccoli
Bang Bang Sauce:
1/4 vegan mayo
2 Tbsps. Chili sauce (this is the best and you can find it most anywhere I am just showing it at Amazon for reference) You can also use Thai Garlic Chili sauce. Just as awesome
1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Batter:
1 cup full fat coconut milk (stir thoroughly before measuring)
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tsp. salt
2 tsps. Sriracha or more for extra spice
AND you will need:
2 cups panko bread crumbs (can use gluten free!)
1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
Chopped green onions for garnishing
Cooking spray
Baked Vegan Bang Bang Broccoli
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
First, you are going to make vegan “buttermilk” with the coconut milk and vinegar. Add the apple cider vinegar to the coconut milk, stir and set aside for at least 5 minutes. It will thicken up a bit and this is your vegan buttermilk!
Next, whisk together the mayo, chili sauce, garlic powder and maple syrup in a bowl. You can add more chili sauce if you like it spicy (and we do!). Set aside. This is your dipping sauce or “bang bang” sauce.
Add the Panko to a bowl and set aside.
Add a Silpat to a large baking sheet, spray with cooking spray.
Take your freshly-made vegan buttermilk and pour it in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk in the flour, corn starch, salt and hot sauce. Dip each floret into the thick sauce, then into the bowl of panko bread crumbs. Place on your baking sheet, floret side up. The easiest way to do this is to hold the broccoli floret by the stem and only dip the floret part, then dip in the breadcrumbs. I have tried submerging the entire floret in the batter and it is VERY messy and does not change the taste of the dish. Repeat for all of the florets. Spray the top of the broccoli with cooking spray.
Cook for 20-25 minutes. If the broccoli is not browning (this varies from oven to oven), broil them for no more than 2-3 minutes and that will crisp them up nicely.
Sprinkle with chopped green onions, and serve with your Vegan Bang Bang sauce!
Enjoy!

Baked Vegan Bang Bang Broccoli
Ingredients
Bang Bang Sauce:
- 1/4 vegan mayo
- 2 Tbsps. Chili sauce
- 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Batter:
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk stir thoroughly before measuring
- 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tsps. Sriracha or hot sauce
AND you will need:
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs can used gluten free!
- 1 head of broccoli cut into small florets
- Chopped green onions for garnishing
- Cooking spray
Instructions
Instructions:
-
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
-
First, you are going to make vegan “buttermilk” with the coconut milk and vinegar. Add the apple cider vinegar to the coconut milk, stir and set aside for at least 5 minutes. It will thicken up a bit and this is your vegan buttermilk!
-
Next, whisk together the mayo, chili sauce and maple syrup in a bowl. You can add more chili sauce if you like it spicy (and we do!). Set aside. This is your dipping sauce or “bang bang” sauce.
-
Add the Panko to a bowl and set aside.
-
Add a Silpat to a large baking sheet, spray with cooking spray.
-
Take your freshly-made vegan buttermilk and place in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk in the flour, corn starch, salt and hot sauce. Dip each floret into the thick sauce, then into the bowl of panko bread crumbs. Place on your baking sheet, floret side up. The easiest way to do this is to hold the broccoli floret by the stem and only dip the floret part, then dip in the breadcrumbs. I have tried submerging the entire floret in the batter and it is VERY messy and does not change the taste of the dish. Repeat for all of the florets. Spray the top of the broccoli with cooking spray.
-
Cook for 20-25 minutes. If the broccoli is not browning (this varies from oven to oven), broil them for no more than 2-3 minutes and that will crisp and brown them up nicely.
Recipe Notes
Sprinkle with chopped green onions, and serve with your VEGAN Bang Bang sauce!
No Comments