These crispy baked buffalo cauliflower wings are a game day hit with both vegans and meat eaters. Everyone loves the party friendly recipe!
Table of Contents
- Easy buffalo cauliflower wings
- Cauliflower buffalo wing recipe video
- Reasons to make buffalo cauliflower wings
- The best healthy baked buffalo cauliflower bites
- How to make healthy buffalo wings
- Vegan buffalo cauliflower wings
- Low carb keto wings
- Cauliflower wings vs. chicken wings
- Buffalo Cauliflower Wings Recipe
Easy buffalo cauliflower wings
The crispy, savory, spicy, and secretly healthy snack is impossible to resist!
With just six ingredients, these surprisingly delicious buffalo wings are perfect for football games, summer barbecue parties, potlucks, or family weeknight dinners.
Quickly make up a batch whenever you find yourself craving some serious comfort food that will not leave you feeling weighed down.
They are especially tasty dipped in ranch dressing!
Here are 25 easy Cauliflower Recipes
Cauliflower buffalo wing recipe video
Watch the step by step video, above
Reasons to make buffalo cauliflower wings
1. You will be surprised by how good they taste.
Buffalo cauliflower wings are popular for a reason. You would never expect the meatless wings to taste anywhere near as good as they do!
I’ve had so many meat eaters ask for the vegetarian recipe after trying the wings. One hardcore carnivore friend said he actually liked the homemade cauliflower wings better than chicken wings.
His logic is that they are less greasy, you can eat way more of them, and the cauliflower buffalo bites don’t weigh you down the same way chicken wings might.
2. The serving size is so much bigger.
The entire tray of wings is under 300 calories. And the cauliflower bites are also lower than buffalo chicken wings in fat, higher in fiber, and cholesterol free, with just two Weight Watchers points per serving.
I know parties are supposed to be all about comfort food indulgences and not having to worry about clean eating. But when I recently served these wings, people kept commenting that they really appreciated having a healthy option amidst all of the pizzas, cookies, potato chips, and beer.
3. It is a recipe that everyone can enjoy.
Vegan, gluten free, keto, paleo, Whole 30, low carb, Weight Watchers…
Chances are, you have at least one friend or family member on one of these diets, and these oven roasted healthy wings are a great appetizer you can bring to a party for everyone to enjoy.
Plus, there are no bones to worry about in this healthy snack, which is especially good if you have any four legged pets around.
Also try this 5 ingredient Keto Cheesecake
The best healthy baked buffalo cauliflower bites
The first time I tried these buffalo cauliflower bites was at a football watching party.
I set down the tray to test them out and gauge everyone’s reactions.
Here is what happened:
Some people thought the idea was too crazy to even try, and one person who did try them said he did not like them because they were not meat. However, everyone else at the party gobbled up the cauliflower wings recipe at lightning speed.
And no one in the group was even a vegetarian!
A large batch of the buffalo cauliflower bites was completely gone by the end of the night, with multiple requests for the recipe.
Leftover cauliflower? Make Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
How to make healthy buffalo wings
Gather the ingredients: raw cauliflower, garlic powder, hot sauce or buffalo sauce, milk of choice, flour or almond flour, and oil or butter spread.
You can also add some panko breadcrumbs for an extra crunch if desired.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a large baking dish or cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Either toss the cauliflower florets with a little coconut or vegetable oil or spray them with oil spray for a low fat option.
Place the florets in a very large bowl or Ziploc bag, then toss with the flour and garlic powder until the cauliflower is evenly coated.
If using the breadcrumbs for an added crunchy texture, finely crush them. Add the milk of choice to the cauliflower, followed by the breadcrumbs. Toss to coat.
Arrange the florets in a single layer in the baking pan. For best results, do not overcrowd them. Bake on the oven’s center rack for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the buffalo sauce and oil or melted butter in a dish. The fat will help the sauce adhere to the vegetables.
Dip each cauliflower floret in buffalo sauce. Place back in the baking pan, and bake an additional 15 minutes.
To achieve the crispiest texture, I recommend broiling for three to five minutes at this time, watching so the recipe does not burn.
Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing and optional celery and carrot sticks.
The recipe was inspired by my Shake & Bake Cauliflower. You shake the ingredients together in a bag then bake in the oven until hot and crispy!
Vegan buffalo cauliflower wings
The recipe is naturally plant based and vegan as long as you use your favorite nondairy milk, such as almond milk, and either oil or a dairy free butter.
For gluten free buffalo wings, use almond flour or gluten free all purpose flour.
Low carb keto wings
To make keto buffalo wings, use the almond meal option in the recipe in place of flour.
The cauliflower bites are already sugar free, so they are a great paleo and keto appetizer that people who are not big on calorie free sweeteners can also appreciate.
Cauliflower wings vs. chicken wings
To be clear, these cauliflower buffalo wings do not taste ohmigosh just like real buffalo wings. If you find any food blog or cookbook recipe that claims cauliflower is going to taste just like meat, run far away.
Cauliflower is not meat, cauliflower will never be meat, and buffalo cauliflower wings are never going to fool anyone into thinking they are chicken wings. End of story.
That being said, these baked cauliflower wings are delicious in their own right. There’s no need to treat them as a substitute for the real thing, because they are the real thing.
The completely vegan buffalo wings make a great healthy game day snack, and they are especially good dipped in vegan ranch dressing.
Or you can use them to make buffalo Cauliflower Tacos.
I have not tried frying them in an air fryer or cooking in an instant pot or on the grill, but some readers have reported success with these methods. Be sure to report back for others if you experiment.
These plant based wings are definitely worth a shot, even if for no other reason than to be able to say you have tried them. And it might really amaze you how good they are!
Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
Ingredients
- 1/2 large head cauliflower cut into florets
- oil spray or oil
- 1/4 cup flour or almond meal
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 3 tbsp milk of choice
- optional 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce or hot sauce
- 1 – 4 tsp butter or oil
Instructions
- To make buffalo cauliflower wings, first preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a large baking dish with parchment paper. Spray florets with oil spray or toss with a little oil. Place in either a very large bowl or a large Ziploc bag. Toss with the flour and garlic powder until evenly coated. If using the breadcrumbs for added crunch, finely crush them. Add the milk of choice and then the breadcrumbs to the cauliflower, and toss to coat. Arrange in one layer in the baking pan. Bake on the center rack 25 minutes. Combine the oil or melted butter spread with the buffalo sauce. The fat helps the sauce adhere to the cauliflower. Dip cauliflower in sauce. Bake another 15 minutes. After this time, I like to broil for up to 5 minutes, watching so it does not burn. Serve with ranch dressing. If you make the recipe, don't forget to rate it below!View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
More Healthy Cauliflower Recipes
I’m so glad you said those things about it doesn’t taste like chicken and it doesn’t have to! I always think people really like the added flavors more than the meat anyway; who eats plain boiled meat? ew
We are crazy about these cauliflower recipes. I made your crispy lemon cauliflower and it was totally incredible. Wow. Maybe it helps I pick my lemons right off the tree! I love the sesame sauce too– I add peanuts and call it Kung Pao!
Can’t wait to make the buffalo. Thanks.
Just tried it. I would recommend adding the flour to the liquids and then coating the cauliflower. It’ll bake much better.
Made this 3 times the past 2 weeks and it was soooo delicious!! I would absolutely recommend to everyone, even my brother that HATES all kinds of veggies, LOVED these treats. ❤️
Yes I agree.
I made these and loved them and so did my husband. Really tasty and good texture. I made these once using another recipe and it did turn out good. So I am thrilled to have recipe!
We swapped buffalo sauce for Buffalo Wild Wings sauce and it was pretty comparable to the wings there! I added an egg to the flour as well and the breading stuck perfectly. Still not crunchy enough though
Did you try Panko ? That might work to get more of a crunch
I wonder if this works well with broccoli in place of cauliflower?
Hmm don’t see why not! Be sure to update if you try!
Just did it because I didn’t feel like going all the way to Walmart haha. Worked as well as I figure it would with the cauliflower
I have always wanted to try this! Totally making it next week!
Paige
After having these at a vegan restaurant years ago, I have always wanted to make them myself! I’ve tried before with not as much success, but these look spot on! Will have to give it a try.
xo,
Em
I made your enchilada recipe today for lunch. So delicious. Now I have half a head of cauliflower lying around… clearly this recipe is calling my name!
Happy Super Bowl! These cauliflower buffalo wings look so so much tastier than any real buffalo wings (ick!)! Definitely would be putting this on top of a salad as well. They’d taste so delicious with fresh butter lettuce!
Do these get crispy or do they stay on the soft side? Every recipe I’ve tried for buffalo cauliflower has had soggy results, even after broiling (well, the undercooked parts are crunchy and the burned parts are crispy!).
I’ve had the same results and the coating also falls off. Anyone have any pointers for getting them crispy?
I cooked them in the air fryer and it turned out nice and crispy! If you don’t have an air fryer, I’ve also had success cooking food on a wire rack over the baking sheet so air circulates under as well.
Hi,
How did you do it in the air fryer? I’m dying to try these on Sunday!
thank you!
Has anyone tried this using frozen cauliflower??
Another commenter said she did them in the air fryer at 400 degrees F for 17 minutes and they came out perfect that way.
How long and what temp?! Would love to try air fryer
How long and what temp in the Air Fryer?
When I first saw the recipe, I wondered about the air fryer. It crisps so much more evenly than an oven or toaster oven, with just a few shakes. I inly have frozen cauliflower, but I have fresh broccoli, so I’ll try that after reading reviews of those that did already.
Hi! I just made these and they turned out great. For extra crispiness, I would definitely do the optional breadcrumbs (I used Panko) as well as follow her directions to broil them after. In my case I didn’t have a broiler, so I simply baked them for extra time. They came out much crispier than expected.
I will have to try your recommendation and appreciate your insight!
I had some larger pieces and smaller pieces and the smaller did crisp up. I broiled them for about 5 minutes. I did not add the breadcrumbs, but I did use all purpose flour and some almond milk. I put it all in a bag to shake them up with the mixture and it turned out well.
I love substituting roasted cauliflower for chicken in recipes. This, however, was a bit spicy for me. If I made it again, I’d replace half the buffalo sauce with maple syrup.
Some things that I did differently:
– I used just under 1/2 a cup of buffalo sauce, and I added maple syrup till it was at the half-cup mark.
– I also completely skipped the breadcrumbs step, to keep it healthier, and it still turned out delicious.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. The sesame cauliflower recipe remains my favorite, though.
Hey Katie! I tried this last night and it was delicious. I served it with spicy sweet potato chips (though I’m British and we say chips instead of fries, so fries not chips as in crisps), celery, (you can add me to the list) and Alpro yogurt. I’m having trouble sticking the breadcrumbs to the celery- do you have any ideas? (I followed the recipe exactly, using the almond meal option for the flour and soy milk.)
Hi, do you mean the cauliflower, not celery?
Did I put celery instead of cauliflower? This is what happens before you have your chocolate for the day! Yes I did mean the cauliflower (even I’m not such a bad cook that I would breadcrumb celery;-))
Wow, looks tasty. Thank you. I always bake a lot like cookies and cakes with my baking companion Non-Stick Baking Mat that I bought on Amazon every time I do baking, and it helps me a lot.