Last Updated March 29th, 2022 at 12:19 pm by Lisa
Buffalo Cauliflower is a healthy appetizer that tastes like "Buffalo Chicken Wings" these are baked, full of flavor, and have absolutely NO guilt. Dip these Cauliflower Wings in blue cheese or ranch dressing...
Why This Recipe Works
- Well, they taste just like Buffalo Chicken Wings for starters
- Vegetarian Plant-Based Recipe
- Not FRIED
- Gluten-Free (swap out the flour for rice flour)
- Healthy ; )
- Lighter Party Food option for Game Days
- Simple inexpensive ingredient
Top Recipe Tips
- Cauliflower: Cut your cauliflower florets with some stem into small pieces about 1- ½ inches long, similar to a chicken wing size.
- Baking: Your oven needs to be HOT for this recipe, set the temp to 425 degrees to get your cauliflower wings to be crisp and have the right texture. If they are soggy, it might be due to the oven temp being too low!
- Batter: When you mix the batter, dip in a piece of cauliflower, it should hold onto it but the extra should drip off. Adjust your batter to thicken or thin if necessary.
- Buffalo sauce: Easy to make, just melted butter and Franks Hot Sauce-that's it.
- Serving: Bake and serve these hot right from the oven to your guests with a cool creamy dip like ranch or blue cheese.
How To Make Buffalo Cauliflower
Cauliflower Batter Coating
- Pre-heat oven to 425F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper (or spray the pan well with coconut oil non-stick spray).
- Next, mix the batter: milk (or almond/plant based milk), water, flour (or rice flour), salt, and pepper in a medium mixing bowl until the batter is thick and is able to coat the cauliflower. PRO TIP: It's important the batter is thick to cling on the cauliflower.
- Dip all the cauliflower pieces in the batter, shake off excess batter as you remove each piece of cauliflower and lay on a sheet pan in a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes at 425.
Buffalo Sauce Coating
- Next, while the cauliflower is baking, on low heat, make the buffalo sauce, simply melt butter in a small saucepan, and 1 cup Frank’s Hot Sauce. Just as it starts to melt, remove it from heat, stir together, and set aside.
- Once the cauliflower has baked, remove them from the oven and dip all the “wings” into a large mixing bowl with the buffalo sauce. Return cauliflower to the sheet pan and bake in the oven for another 15 minutes or until reached desired crispness.
- Once baked, arrange hot buffalo cauliflower “wings” on a platter, with a bowl of ranch dip, garnish with fresh herbs. Enjoy!
Cauliflower Wing Dips
- Extra Buffalo Sauce (like Frank's brand)
- Creamy Blue Cheese Dip
- Ranch Dressing
What Else Pairs Well
- Veggie Sticks: celery, carrots, cucumber, jicama, or bell pepper.
- Crudite: Design Crudites on a tray or board.
- Olive Tapenade: Delightfully fresh Meyer Lemon Tapenade is one of the fastest appetizer recipes, and has many other uses in your cooking! Serve with mini bell pepper scoops.
- Squash Chips: Easy low-calorie Parmesan Zucchini Chips scooped in a garden-fresh Lemon-Dill Yogurt Dip is a clean wholesome appetizer and dip, or snack anytime!
Yes! To make it gluten-free, substitute rice flour instead of all-purpose flour.
It is best to enjoy them while hot out of the oven, you can reheat them on a sheet pan in the oven for about 10 minutes at 375. Microwaving them will make them soggy.
One More Cauliflower Recipe
Another healthy cauliflower recipe people RAVE about is my Cauliflower Alfredo sauce, which goes so well on fettuccini or any pasta you love. And the alfredo is made from you, guessed it...cauliflower!
More Healthy Appetizers
An easy appetizer and party food, Shrimp Cocktail is made by oven roasting large shrimp, then dip them in fresh homemade Cocktail Sauce!
Delightfully fresh Meyer Lemon Tapenade (olive tapenade) is one of the fastest appetizer recipes, and has many other uses in your cooking!
Cucumber Soup is a cool and refreshing light soup. Serve as a light lunch or clean appetizer.
Rainbow Rice Paper Rolls with Sesame Ginger Dipping Sauce, are a clean option rather than traditional egg rolls as an appetizer and are a tasty option on hot summer days.
CRAVING MORE?
Get my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for more Delicious Table recipes!
Buffalo Cauliflower "Wings"
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower about 5 cups of 2-3” florets
Cauliflower Batter
- 1 cup milk or almond/plant based milk
- ½ cup water
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour or sub rice flour (gluten-free flour)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
Buffalo Sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup Frank's red hot sauce
Ranch Dip
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 cloves garlic (or 1 ½ teaspoons minced jar garlic)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley (or ¼ cup fresh parsley)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives (or 2 tablespoons dried chives)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 4 dashes hot sauce
Instructions
Make Ranch Dip
- Mix the ranch dip ingredients in a small bowl or in a blender to make it smooth. Chill in the refrigerator in a small sealed container.
Cauliflower Batter Coating
- Pre-heat oven to 425F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper (or spray the pan well with coconut oil non-stick spray).
- Next, mix the batter: milk (or almond/plant based milk), water, flour (or rice flour), salt, and pepper in a medium mixing bowl until the batter is thick and is able to coat the cauliflower. PRO TIP: It's important the batter is thick to cling on the cauliflower.
- Dip all the cauliflower pieces in the batter, shake off excess batter as you remove each piece of cauliflower and lay on a sheet pan in a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes at 425.
Buffalo Sauce Coating
- Next while the cauliflower is baking, on low heat, make the buffalo sauce, simply melt butter in a small saucepan and 1 cup Frank’s Hot Sauce. Just as it starts to melt, remove from heat, stir together and set aside.
- Once the cauliflower has baked, remove them from the oven and dip all the “wings” into a large mixing bowl with the buffalo sauce. Return cauliflower to the sheet pan and bake in the oven for another 15 minutes or until reached desired crispness.
- Once baked, arrange hot buffalo cauliflower “wings” on a platter, with a bowl of ranch dip, garnish with fresh herbs. Enjoy!
Notes
Top Recipe Tips:
- Cauliflower: Cut your cauliflower florets with some stem into small pieces about 1- ½ inches long, similar to a chicken wing size.
- Baking: Your oven needs to be HOT for this recipe, set the temp to 425 degrees to get your cauliflower wings to be crisp and have the right texture. If they are soggy, it might be due to the oven temp being too low!
- Batter: When you mix the batter, dip in a piece of cauliflower, it should hold onto it but the extra should drip off. Adjust your batter to thicken or thin if necessary.
- Buffalo sauce: Easy to make, just melted butter and Franks Hot Sauce-that's it.
- Serving: Bake and serve these hot right from the oven to your guests with a cool creamy dip like ranch or blue cheese.
These are so amazing and taste just like buffalo chicken - packed with so much flavor. I love that they are a healthier option!