These buffalo cauliflower wings are a seriously delicious alternative to baked and sauced chicken wings! If you like buffalo sauce and wings, your sure to dig this recipe!
Why Make Another Buffalo Sauce Recipe?
Ok, it's no secret here by now that I am not really the biggest buffalo sauce fan, so why would I be making recipes for vegan buffalo cauliflower wings? Because when it comes to liking buffalo sauce, I am in the minority ... you all seem to LOVE it! I do have a parmesan garlic cauliflower wing recipe up my sleeve though for those of you out there like me 🙂
To be fair, it's really not buffalo sauces fault that it is soooo vinegary. Or, maybe it is. I think that is why most of you like it to be honest! My boyfriend Corey is OBSESSED with it! He loves it and you best believe he is the inspiration behind all these buffalo recipes. It seems to go that way with this sauce, your obsessed or indifferent.
I'm indifferent and it's because of the vinegaryness of the buffalo sauce. I have had a few buffalo sauces like this Wing Time Buffalo Sauce that I do like, and it has come to my attention that all the buffalo sauces I really like have milk in them. Makes a ton of sense because the fat from the cream of the milk is helping to cut out some of that acidic vinegary mouthfeel that traditional buffalo sauce has.
Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Wings Are The Perfect Substitute for Chicken Wings
All the sauce jargon aside, these buffalo cauliflower wings are pretty darn good for being doused in buffalo sauce. If your a buffalo sauce person - your going to loveeee them! They make a great appetizer or meal. I love serving them with a creamy sauce like my creamy hemp seed dressing or just a classic ranch/ blue cheese dressing. OH! And celery, because celery, a creamy sauce, and buffalo just make sense.
I have been working on this recipe for a while because there are a lot of different ways to do it. I have tried to dip the cauliflower in egg and then dry bread them, but it is a lot of extra steps for a very similar end result. Plus, the way I've settled on is vegan so, a win for my plant based peeps out there.
The 3 key steps to crispy baked cauliflower wings are:
- A well seasoned batter - the first step to flavortown
- Parchment paper/ well greased pan - parchment paper or a baking mat really helps the breading crisp up, if you don't have it use a well greased pan.
- Baking after saucing to crisp them up - no soggy wings
Home Cook Hack
The downfall of baked cauliflower bites is you put all this effort into baking them so that they get a crispy exterior and soft interior. When you sauce them, the sauce absorbs into the breading because they are baked not fried, and the breading gets mushy.
So, when I make them I sauce them and then bake them for another 10ish minutes, so they re-crisp a little. Then you can either resauce them and serve (less crispy option) OR serve them with a side of dipping sauces (buffalo & ranch).
Home Cook Suggestions
- PREP: You can premake the batter and cut the cauliflower into florets. That way you can simply bread and bake on the spot! If you need to bring them somewhere cooked, but you can use the oven, wait to sauce them until your at your party. Then sauce and bake (@ 400 degrees F) for 8-10 minutes & serve (sauced or w/ sauce on the side)
Alternatively you can cook them, bring them sauced and simply reheat (it's not AS good) but it'll do.
- REHEATING: If you want to reheat them after they are made, stick them on a parchment lined baking sheet and toss in the oven at 400 degrees fahrenheit for about 5-10 minutes (check on them halfway through!) and they will reheat nicely, with the addition of some sauce when they are done!
Home Cook Substitutions
- Gluten Free: simply swap out regular flour for gluten free, I like Bob's Red Mill!
Buffalo Cauliflower Wings (v)
These vegan buffalo cauliflower wings are a wonderful appetizer or meal that is sure to satisfy your buffalo cravings! Gluten Free? No worries! Sub the flour out for gluten free flour and your good to go!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 50
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Category: Main Course, Appetizer
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower (cut into florets)
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp salt (I use kosher)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
- 1 cup water or milk (regular or unsweetened almond)
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp buffalo sauce (we used Franks)
- parchment paper (optional but gives crispy wings)
TO SERVE
- ranch, blue cheese, or my creamy hemp seed dressing
- buffalo sauce
- celery sticks
parsley (makes it pretty )
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a baking sheet (if you don't have either of these grease the pans well with olive or avocado oil).
- Wash cauliflower. Destem and cut into medium/small florets (the more evenly sized, the more evenly they will cook). Set florets onto towel to dry while you prepare the batter.
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour & spices whisking to combine.
- Then add water (or milk) and 2 tablespoons buffalo sauce, whisking until smooth and lump free. The batter should be similar to pancake batter - thick enough to stick to your finger and not drip off. If it is too thick or runny, see notes for troubleshooting.
- Grab a few cauliflower florets (4ish) and toss them in the batter. It works best if you individually coat each one, and then shake off any of the excess batter.
- Individually put each floret onto the lined baking sheet, and continue until all florets are breaded.
- Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes.
- Take them out, flip each cauliflower wing (use tongs/fork if you need), and bake again for 20 more minutes.
*If you were using both racks in the oven, put the wings cooking on the bottom rack on the top this time, it helps them cook more evenly. - Pull the wings out, and put ⅓ ish cup of buffalo sauce into a medium sized mixing bowl. Take ½ the cauliflower from one sheet pan and put them into the bowl. Using tongs or a spoon, toss them around in the sauce until they are evenly coated, then individually place them back onto the sheet pan. Repeat with the rest of the cauliflower from that pan (using more sauce if you need).
Repeat with the other sheet pan of cauliflower. Then bake again for 10 more minutes. - Pull the cauliflower wings out and you have two options.
For crispier wings: serve with buffalo and ranch on the side
For sauced wings: repeat the steps above - add buffalo sauce and a portion of the wings to a bowl and toss the wings until even coated with sauce. - Serve with ranch/blue cheese (or my creamy hemp seed dressing) and celery sticks!
Notes
Batter to thick: add a few tablespoons water or milk at a time until it is the consistency of pancake batter
Batter to runny: add a few tablespoons of flour and whisk until combined and the consistency of pancake batter
Keywords: vegan buffalo cauliflower wings, buffalo cauliflower, vegan, gameday, appetizers
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