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
It didn’t really work great for me. It was kind of soggy. I think the reason why is that I doubled the recipe and when it says to dip the cauliflower into the hot sauce/butter mixture, I did so with a slotted spoon. By the time I got through 1/2, I had used up most of the sauce. How does everyone dip or toss the sauce on the cauliflower half way through and make sure it doesn’t get so soaked in and also not toss it so it loses it’s bread crumb crunch?
I made these last night. I used an entire head of romanesco cauliflower. I cut the pieces slightly
smaller than an average boneless wing so they could crisp more in the oven. I spent extra time coating the cauli in olive oil. I used a 2:1 almond meal : all-purpose flour mix with garlic powder and celery salt. Coated the cauli in that mix. Then I used the chickpea bread crumbs with @ 3 tablespoons of coconut milk (its thicker and stickier than nut milk). I baked them on a parchment lined Aluminum! baking sheet. After 25 mins I had my mix of vegan butter/coconut oil/buffalo mix that I dipped and rolled in. Than baked them 15 more mins. They turned out perfect with the daiya blue cheese.
Great recipe if you are looking to satisfy a health alternative craving of buffalo wings, my pick granny loves them.
So easy and delicious! My husband does not like cauliflower and ate 3 helpings! I put all ingredients in a big bowl, tossed thoroughly to coat, and baked for 30 minutes. Perfection! I did make my own buffalo sauce which only took a few extra minutes or prep time.
AHHHH these were SO GOOD! They taste like boneless chicken bites. I’m amazed at the versatility of cauliflower and happy that it’s seeing it’s hay day after long being regarded as a boring vegetable. Ive frozen a batch to see if they will work when my husband needs a quick satisfying snack and can pop these into the toaster oven – fingers crossed!
I made these last night. I used an entire head of romanesco cauliflower. I cut the pieces slightly
smaller than an average boneless wing so they could crisp more in the oven. I spent extra time coating the cauli in olive oil. I used a 2:1 almond meal : all-purpose flour mix with garlic powder and celery salt. Coated the cauli in that mix. Then I used the chickpea bread crumbs with @ 3 tablespoons of coconut milk (its thicker and stickier than nut milk). I baked them on a parchment lined Aluminum! baking sheet. After 25 mins I had my mix of vegan butter/coconut oil/buffalo mix that I dipped and rolled in. Than baked them 15 more mins. They turned out perfect with the daiya blue cheese.
Hello, I am planning on making these for a work function this week. Do you think it would still work out if I did the initial baking the night before, and the next day at work (there is an oven there) I dipped them in the buffalo sauce and butter and finished them there? I really want them hot and crispy when served
I haven’t tried it that way but don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Be sure to report back for the rest of us if you do it!
Jason
Today was my first attempt and they were pretty good. They didn’t get as crispy as I’ve had in restaurants. I think I’ll do like someone suggested and mix the dry and wet ingredients together to coat the cauliflower. I didn’t add breadcrumbs because I didn’t want to risk having them taste like they were breaded. I attempted to broil them but they got a little burnt. I will definitely try to make them again though. Thanks for posting your recipe!
Thanks for the recipe. Simple and too the point. I added a little bit of salt to the flour, opted for bread crumbs, and left them on the larger side (didn’t finely course). For the milk I used Oatly (oat milk) and for the hot sauce I used Cholula (red). Served with celery, carrots, and Daiya ranch dressing (vegan friendly) as well as some waffle fries (not from scratch). The entire dish was a huge success and was the perfect dinner to eat while watching the Super Bowl. I will be coming back to this one regularly and trying different variations on sauce and spices. I really want to find a way to crisp them up more, which might have just called for more bake time.
Thanks again!
One more thing: I did this recipe with two cauliflower heads and so just 4x’ed all of the amounts and it worked out very well. I also individually coated instead of coating all in a large bag all at once. I don’t think that mattered, but I just thought I should be thorough with my steps!
Give your guests the royal treatment.
THESE ARE WONDERFUL! I used sweet baby rays buffalo wing sauce because I wanted a tang sauce (I don’t like sweet bbq). I can’t believe how delicious this dish was!