This low carb sweet and sour cauliflower recipe is sugar-free and contains a fraction of the carbohydrates compared to the regular Chinese dish!
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Making your own sweet and sour sauce does require a couple of special ingredients - and you may already have them in your kitchen! The first is low carb ketchup - I love the G Hughes and Heinz No Sugar Added brands - but you could also make your own.
The second is a liquid sweetener - I frequently have some of my low carb simple syrup made up because it is SO useful for cocktails. But you could also use Da Vinci sweetening syrup.
I should mention that although this sauce tastes fantastic, it isn't anywhere near as thick and gloopy as a traditional sweet and sour sauce. But the high-carb version contains 13g carbs per two tablespoons - so it's completely out of the question for anyone following a low carb diet.
How to Make Low Carb Sweet and Sour Cauliflower
Make the sauce first - in fact it can be made in advance on the same day if needed. Whisk together water, apple cider vinegar, low carb ketchup, and low carb simple syrup together in a jug or high-sided bowl. Taste for flavor and add more syrup, ketchup, and/or vinegar if desired.
Sprinkle some xanthan gum over the top, and use an immersion blender (stick blender) to thoroughly combine. If you haven't used xanthan gum before, it's a zero carb thickener with no flavor - but a little goes a long way! Set aside.
Next, cook the cauliflower until only just tender. You could use steam-in-the-bag microwave bags, or boil the cauliflower in a pan. Either way, drain thoroughly, then add the cauliflower florets to a large dry skillet. Place over a medium heat and season with salt and pepper. Steam the cauliflower in the skillet for 5-10 minutes to remove any excess liquid, stirring occasionally.
Add the prepared sweet and sour sauce to the skillet, and stir well to combine. Continue to cook for another five minutes.
Transfer the cauliflower to a serving bowl and garnish with chopped green onions.
You could serve this dish as a vegetarian meal or as a side dish at your next Chinese feast!
Check out all my low carb Chinese recipes!
📖 Recipe
Low Carb Sweet & Sour Cauliflower
Ingredients
Equipment
Step-by-Step Instructions
- To make the sauce, whisk together the water, vinegar, ketchup, and simple syrup together in a jug or high-sided bowl. Taste for flavor and add more syrup, ketchup, and/or vinegar if desired.
- Sprinkle the xanthan gum over the top, and use an immersion blender (stick blender) to thoroughly combine. Set aside.
- Next, cook the cauliflower until only just tender. You could use steam-in-the-bag microwave bags, or boil the cauliflower in a pan. Either way, drain thoroughly, then add the cauliflower florets to a large dry skillet.
- Place over a medium heat and season with salt and pepper. Steam the cauliflower in the skillet for 5-10 minutes to remove any excess liquid, stirring occasionally.
- Add the prepared sweet and sour sauce to the skillet, and stir well to combine. Continue to cook for another five minutes.
- Transfer the cauliflower to a serving bowl and garnish with the green onions.
Nutrition
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is my best approximation. Net carbs are calculated as the total grams carbs minus the total grams of fiber.
Michelle says
Terrific sauce! Thank you. I bought the low carb ketchup you recommended, thanks for the recommendation. I doubled the sauce, and cooked the cauliflower in my Ninja air fryer. Served it over riced cauliflower. So delicious 😋 We will make this again and again.