Loaded with Creole-spiced crispy cauliflower & a creamy remoulade sauce, this veggie po' boy sandwich is an irresistible party dish!
Happy (almost) Labor Day weekend! If you’re still looking for a really fun, delicious, and healthy(-ish!) main dish for your cookouts this weekend, this Cauliflower Po’ Boy Sandwich is just the thing for you!
What is a po boy?
A traditional sandwich from New Orleans, a po’ boy is typically served on French bread and stuffed with roast beef or fried seafood, oftentimes shrimp. A slather of creamy remoulade sauce ties the whole thing together.
While I may not be making a roast beef po’ boy anytime soon, this crispy cauliflower po’ boy has been on repeat around here for the last few weeks. The crisp-tender cauliflower reminds me of the texture of fried shrimp, and I toss it in a lemony, Creole-spiced panko coating for a boost of flavor. Finished with juicy tomatoes, crisp lettuce, and a creamy/tangy/smoky sauce, it’s a delectable way to celebrate the end of summer!
My Po’ Boy Recipe Ingredients
I’ve experimented with veggie po’ boys before, but this time I streamlined the recipe. I skip the cornmeal in the crispy coating, using a mix of panko, Creole seasoning, and lemon zest to coat the cauliflower. A lightly beaten egg binds it to the veggies.
Then, I make an easy homemade remoulade sauce with 5 simple ingredients:
- Mayo is the creamy base.
- Garlic adds depth of flavor.
- Hot sauce spices it up.
- Paprika gives it a smoky kick.
- And Dijon mustard adds a tangy finish.
Just grab tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, and soft baguette or French rolls to complete the sandwiches, and you’re good to go!
How to Make a Po’ Boy Sandwich
Once your ingredients are prepped, these sandwiches are easy to put together. Here’s what you need to do:
- Mix together the panko, Creole seasoning, and lemon zest. Dip each cauliflower floret in the egg wash, and then toss it in the panko mixture until it’s fully coated.
- Spread the breaded cauliflower florets on a parchment-lined baking sheet, drizzle them with olive oil, and roast them in a 400-degree oven until they’re crispy and golden, about 20 minutes. (If you have one, an air-fryer works here too!)
- While the cauliflower cooks, stir together the remoulade sauce.
- Finally, load up the sandwiches with the breaded & baked cauliflower, the sauce, and all the fixings! Enjoy!
Po’ Boy Sandwich Serving Suggestions
I like to serve my po’ boys with a big squeeze of lemon and extra sauce on the side. If you need ideas for what to pair them with, try any classic picnic fare. As you can see in the photos, we like them with potato chips, but sweet potato fries with chipotle sauce or any of these summer salads would be great choices too:
- Easy Pasta Salad
- Best Broccoli Salad
- Creamy Potato Salad
- Cherry Tomato Couscous Salad
- Rainbow Orzo Salad
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Or any of these 33 favorite summer salad recipes!
Happy picnicking!
If you love this po’ boy sandwich…
Try my BBQ jackfruit sandwiches, tempeh club, vegan banh mi, or avocado sandwich next!
Crispy Cauliflower Po Boy Sandwich
Ingredients
- ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 tablespoon Creole Seasoning
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- heaping 2 cups small cauliflower florets, 1-inch pieces
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 4 soft baguette pieces, lightly toasted
- Lettuce, tomatoes & pickles
- Chives
- Lemon wedges
Remoulade:
- ½ cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a rimmed tray, mix together the panko, seasoning, and lemon zest. Place the egg in a small bowl nearby. Dip each cauliflower floret into the egg, coat with the panko mixture, then place onto the baking sheet Repeat with remaining cauliflower. Drizzle the coated cauliflower with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.
- In a small bowl, mix together the mayo, mustard, garlic, paprika, and hot sauce.
- Assemble the sandwiches with a generous slather of the remoulade, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and cauliflower. Squeeze lemon over the cauliflower, top with chives, and serve with remaining remoulade sauce on the side.
Notes
This was amazing!
I’ve been vegetarian for 5 years and I remember all of the food that I used to love and shrimp po boys is definitely on that list.
Cauliflower cooked right has the give and bite of shrimp like very few other foods do.
The flavours were delicious and the chef, my wife, said that it was very easy to make.
Don’t tell anyone but we had it 2 nights in a row!
Love all of your recipes 🙂 But how can I make this vegan ?
Hi Jessica, so glad you love the recipes! To make this vegan, you could use vegan mayo in the sauce. When you’re breading the cauliflower, replace the egg with 1/4 cup almond milk mixed with 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed.
Thank you for this delicious recipe, I just made the cauliflower tonight and some green salad as a side dish and we are so overwhelmed with this recipe. A brand new way to make cauliflower, this will become part of our regular rotation. The outside is crispy, the inside moist an tender. And there are so many possibilities to play around with the seasoning. Great recipe! Dankeschön from Germany
Hi Julia, I’m so glad it was a hit!
This is in my regular rotation now. The whole family loves it. It’s easy and ssoooooo good. Thanks for another hit!
One small point as a New Orleans native.
Remoulade is only ever used with fish.
Your description of a po boy makes it sound like this would go on a roast beef po boy as well.
Typically most po boys are dressed with mayo, tomato and lettuce. Maybe pickles.
A fancy place might put remoulade on an oyster poboy or shrimp poboy.
Also poboys are made with crunchy sweet french bread. Not soft bread, not sour dough. It’s a little hard to source decent french bread for us Louisianans outside of the delta. But I have found Vietnamese bakeries are the closest thing.
Thanks for your insight!
Made this last night and my husband said,- cauliflower has no right tasting this good! ? as always, delicious. I also wanted to note, we are egg free and used Aquafaba as a sub and it worked perfectly!
Hi Candy, ha ha, I love hearing this. I’m so glad you both enjoyed!
I’ll admit, I had low expectations – I figured the breading wouldn’t stick. I was so wrong! This was so easy and turned out great. The whole family loved it.
I’m so glad you loved them!
Loved this! I also breaded broccoli and it was a big hit!
This was sooooo good! My son, who usually does not like anything vaguely vegetablish at all, said it was great. High praise indeed!
Ha, I’m so glad he loved it!
Made this last night for dinner and it was delicious! The remoulade was awesome, with just the right amount of heat. Will def make this again.
This was phenomenal!!
I think I will use 2 eggs next time, or maybe 2 flax eggs, as the first cup of cauliflower stuck well to the breading but not so much after that. Other than that little issue these were amazing! I made them for Canada day since it was pouring rain and we didn’t want to BBQ. It was also a nice excuse to have potato chips with dinner. Love how fresh and veggie packed all your recipes are 🙂
I’m glad you loved the sandwiches!
For hot sauce would sriracha work or is there a particular one you like best here?
Hi Hayley, yep, it would!
Made this for dinner tonight, so good! Next time I might mix the creole seasoning in with the eggs for better distribution. The remoulade was so good too!
If you mix the seasoning with the egg instead, start with half! It was a little intense.
Just made it tonight. Delicious!! Will make again
haven’t ever seen a cauliflower sandwich, let alone a po boy one, very very creative, thank you and sweet potatoes, as fries or whole, are one of my favorites, so doubly appreciated!
Oh my goodness, this looks sooo delicious! Can’t wait to try it x
Shannon | https://shannonmichelle1.blogspot.com
Look delicious. Can the cauliflower be cooked in an air fryer?