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Roasted Cauliflower Lettuce Wraps with Sweet Chili Sauce

5 from 2 reader reviews
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 2 -4
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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

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!

Recipe Notes

  • The cornstarch roasting method is inspired by Milk Street.
  • 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.
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!