BAKED BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER WINGS

Soft and tender on the inside and crispy on the outside these cauliflower buffalo “wings” are so close to the real deal it’s hard to believe!

This recipe is a great substitution for buffalo wings and can be made gluten-free, vegan, or vegetarian. Dip in ranch or blue cheese for even more added flavor.

They are baked to make them a little healthier and easier on the waist-line.

Now the key to make these wings crispy on the outside is by dipping them in a flour/water batter.

This batter can be easily made vegan by using water or almond or soy milk instead.Whisk the flour, spices, milk, and water until little to no lumps appear. Dip the cauliflower into the batter, in batches.
After the cauliflower is fully coated, place it on a greased sheet pan. Be sure to drain as much batter as possible off the cauliflower before placing on the pan. I poured my entire batch in at once and all the extra batter stuck together while baking.

After the cauliflower has cooked for 20 minutes, remove it and drizzle buffalo sauce on it and return to bake for another 20 minutes or until it’s crispy. 

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower approx. 4 cups of florets
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk for vegan: use water or almond or soy milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour can sub gluten-free rice flour
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp of paprika
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1 cup Frank’s red hot sauce
• 1 tbsp butter for vegan: use earth balance buttery spread

Instructions

• Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or grease very well with oil. Preheat your oven to 400-425 F depending on your oven.
• Wash and cut cauliflower head into bite-sized pieces/florets.
• Mix the milk/water/flour and spices in a medium mixing bowl (set aside the hot sauce and butter for later). Mix until the batter is thick and is able to coat the cauliflower without dripping.
• Dip the cauliflower in the batter. You can do this one by one or in batches. shake off excess batter before placing cauliflower on the baking sheet. Lay the cauliflower single layer on the baking sheet.
• Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown, flipping the florets over halfway through to get all sides golden brown and crispy.
• While the cauliflower is baking, get your buffalo wing sauce ready. In a small saucepan low heat, melt butter and mix in hot sauce. Remove from the heat just as it starts to melt. Stir together and set aside.
• Once the cauliflower is done its first bake in the batter, remove them from the oven and put all the baked florets into a mixing bowl with the wing sauce and toss to coat evenly. Return cauliflower to the baking sheet and bake in the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until reached desired crispness. Serve with ranch, blue cheese, or your favorite dipping sauce. Enjoy!