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    Home » Recipes » All recipes

    Crispy buffalo cauliflower wings

    Published: Sep 30, 2020 · Modified: Mar 6, 2023 by Maria · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    Easy vegan buffalo cauliflower

    Crispy and delicious baked buffalo cauliflower wings. Perfect vegan Super Bowl appetizer for a party or get together. Can be made in an air fryer or oven. Tips on how to easily make this gluten free.

    Plate of buffalo cauliflower with vegan ranch dressing, carrot sticks and celery.

    This is another recipe that goes to show that anything you craved before going vegan, can easily be made vegan.

    You never have to miss out on your favorite foods!

    This recipe is

    • Healthy (1)
    • Delicious
    • Easy to make
    • Vegan
    • Can easily be made gluten free

    Ingredients

    These ingredients are easy to find and you probably have them all in your kitchen already.

    Cauliflower - I recommend using fresh cauliflower and not frozen. Frozen cauliflower has already been cooked, so it will be a bit softer.

    All purpose flour - I give tips on how to make this gluten free below.

    Unsweetened oat milk - I love using oat milk for savory dishes because it's one of the only plant based milks that don't leave an after taste. Cashew milk or coconut milk are also good. No, the coconut milk (like So delicious brand) don't leave a coconut flavor.

    My least favorite is soy milk, as it always leaves an after taste.

    Seasonings - Nobody loves bland food, so we're adding in some garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika

    Buffalo sauce - Read the ingredients because some buffalo sauce contains eggs. One of my favorites to use is Frank's red hot. It's accidentally vegan as long as it's not the honey flavored one.

    Vegan butter - You can also use margarine. One of my favorite vegan butters is Earth balance.

    Bread crumbs - Panko bread crumbs are my favorite. This is mandatory if you want crispy cauliflower wings. I also give tips on how to make this gluten free below.

    Maple syrup - This is optional, but I find a little bit of maple syrup in the wing sauce balances out the spiciness, while making it a little bit sticky.

    Recipe tips

    Crispy cauliflower wings on a plate with vegan ranch in the middle.
    • Make sure you don’t cut your florets into too small of pieces. The smaller the floret, the more mushy it will be.
    • An easy way to cut the cauliflower is to cut it in half and then cut away the stem from the florets, then, with your hands, just break apart each floret.
    • If you want to make a healthier version of this, just omit the vegan butter in the hot sauce, although it does add a nice flavor to these wings.

    How to serve

    • Serve these vegan wings with vegan cashew ranch dressing, lettuce and celery.
    • You can also turn them into buffalo cauliflower tacos
    • These vegan wings also taste great topped on a salad.

    How to store

    This crispy cauliflower tastes the best when eaten right away. The longer it sits or cools off, the soggier it will get. I reccomend eating them right away and not storing them, but if you need to, they will last about five days in the fridge.

    A few tips for having the best tasting wings is to only prepare as much as you will eat.

    If you're running low on time, you can always prep the batter and cauliflower before hand, and then assemble right when you're ready to eat.

    How to re-heat cauliflower wings

    The best way to re-heat this recipe is in the oven. Set your oven to 400 degrees and then pop them in for about 10-20 minutes or until they're warmed through.

    How to make this recipe gluten free

    All you need to do is replace the all purpose flour with a gluten free flour and gluten free bread crumbs. Bob's red mill makes a great gluten free flour.

    Some gluten free flours end up being a little bit thicker, so adjust the amount of liquid to get the consistency you need.

    How to make cauliflower wings in the air fryer

    This recipe is amazing in an air fryer. Make sure to not over crowd the air fryer, or else it won't come out as crispy. Cook this in batches if needed.

    To cook this in the air fryer just set the temperature to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Bake for 20 minutes, shaking halfway through.

    Delicious recipes to try next

    • Air fryer asparagus
    • Crispy buffalo tofu
    • Loaded jackfruit nachos
    • Easy BBQ tofu
    • Tempeh bacon
    • Easy tofu tacos
    • Vegan chicken
    • Nashville hot sandwich

    📖 Recipe

    Buffalo cauliflower on a plate with vegan ranch, celery and carrot sticks

    Buffalo cauliflower wings

    Crispy and delicious buffalo cauliflower wings. Perfect appetizer for your next party.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 310kcal
    Author: Maria
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    US Customary or Metric
    • 1 head of cauliflower (cut into bite-sized florets.)
    • 1 cup all purpose flour
    • 1 cup unsweetened oat milk (or coconut milk or cashew milk)
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup buffalo wing sauce
    • ¼ cup melted vegan butter (optional)
    • 1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
    • 2 cups panko bread crumbs

    Instructions

    • Cut cauliflower into bite-sized florets. Make sure they're small enough to fit on a taco, but not too small. The smaller the floret, the more soggy it will be when baked.
      1 head of cauliflower
    • In a large bowl, mix together flour, garlic powder and onion powder, salt and smoked paprika. Pour in unsweetened oat milk and stir until batter is smooth. Dump cauliflower florets into batter and mix until each piece is well coated
      1 cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 cup unsweetened oat milk
    • Take tongs and remove each piece of cauliflower from batter bowl, trying to knock off any excess batter. Place cauliflower in a bowl with 1-2 cups of panko bread crumbs. Cover each piece evenly
      2 cups panko bread crumbs

    Baking instructions

    • Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
    • Add cauliflower to a lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until florets start to turn slightly golden brown.
    • Mix buffalo wing sauce, vegan butter (optional) and maple syrup (optional) in a sauce pan. Simmer on low until butter is melted.
      1 cup buffalo wing sauce, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, ¼ cup melted vegan butter
    • Once cauliflower has baked, let it sit for five minutes to let it crisp up. This an important step to make sure cauliflower doesn't get soggy. Then dump it into the sauce pan, evenly coating each piece.
    • Place back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes to crisp cauliflower back up.
    • Serve with creamy vegan ranch dressing, celery and carrot sticks.

    Air fryer instructions

    • Lightly greese or line your air fryer basket. Place the cauliflower in the air fryer basket, giving each piece room. You may have to do this in multiple batches. Bake at 400 degrees in the air fryer for 12-15 minutes shaking halfway through.
    • Take out of the air fryer then add the cauliflower to the sauce pan on the stove. Coat well. Add back to the air fryer for 2 minutes at 400 degrees to crisp the cauliflower back up.

    Video

    Notes

    When cooking in the air fryer, make sure not to overcrowd the cauliflower, or else it won't get as crispy. Make it in batches if needed. 
    I prefer unsweetened oat milk because it doesn't leave an after taste like soy milk does. You can also use unsweetened cashew or boxed (not canned) coconut milk. No, the boxed coconut milk won't leave a coconut flavor.
    To make this gluten free, use gluten free flour and gluten free bread crumbs. 
    Make sure to read the ingredients of the buffalo sauce, some of them contain eggs. Frank's red hot sauce doesn't. 
    This tastes best eaten fresh, instead of as left overs. The longer it sits, the soggier it gets. But if you need to re-heat it up the next day, do it in an oven at 400 degrees, until it's warmed up - usually 10 minutes. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2379mg | Potassium: 527mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 663IU | Vitamin C: 69mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @DamnTastyVegan or tag #DamnTastyVegan!

    The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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    Buffalo cauliflower wings

    Crispy vegan cauliflower wings recipe

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    About Maria

    Maria is the creator of the blog and YouTube channel Damn Tasty Vegan. She has been a vegetarian since 2005 and vegan since 2015. She loves showing new vegans how easy and delicious living a vegan lifestyle can be. She is passionate about animal welfare and strives to help change the way animals are viewed and treated, by helping people transition to a vegan lifestyle.

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    Buffalo cauliflower wings

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