Buffalo Cauliflower Bites taste so much like traditional chicken wings, but are a healthier low carb vegetarian version.
Tender cauliflower baked to perfection in hot sauce is perfect for game day too!
Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are surprisingly addictive. I’ll admit, cauliflower has not been one of my favorite foods, but much like beets, broccoli, and squash, I have grown to like it throughout my adult years. After I made this recipe, I would actually dare to say that I loved it. Many traditional favorites like mac n cheese, bread sticks, “rice“, and mashed “potatoes” have been made with cauliflower.
Much like with these cauliflower buffalo bites, this tender white vegetable tends to take on the flavor of whatever it’s cooked with. So, if you’re like me and are not crazy about the taste of cauliflower, you have absolutely nothing to worry about when you make this buffalo cauliflower.
I really wasn’t sure how this recipe for cauliflower buffalo wings was going to taste. After all, there are no chicken wings. And how good could anything be when you swap something as wonderful as a chicken wing with a vegetable like cauliflower? But, I found myself having to hold back because I just wanted to keep eating more!
Tips for making and serving them:
- I have made my buffalo cauliflower a couple times. Be sure to make sure the florets are on the larger side. If they are too small, they will be mushy. The larger chunks allow the buffalo cauliflower bites to brown nicely while still maintaining some texture.
- Serve the buffalo cauliflower warm. They are still good at room temperature, but serving them warm will make your mouth water.
- I paired my spicy and flavorful buffalo cauliflower bites with a rich and creamy blue cheese dressing as well as some cool, crisp celery sticks that helped mellow the heat from the hot sauce. Overall, it made for a healthy-ish low carb snack. I’m not going to lie – I love a good chicken wing. But, when you think about all that delicious skin that makes the chicken wing so wonderful, replacing it with something like cauliflower is often a good choice.
- This snack would be a huge hit at any game day celebration. You might want to have a second batch on standby ready to put in the oven.
- The cauliflower buffalo “wings” are easy to stab with little wooden toothpicks. Otherwise, no utensils needed!
Kitchen tools used:
Glass nesting bowls: Every good recipe requires a good set of stackable nesting bowls. This is the set I bought and I love them! Well made, great price, sturdy – perfect!
Baking Sheet: I’ve been using this one for years. I love that it’s made in the USA, the sides are high enough to keep anything from spilling over, and it’s warp resistant.
Flexible Measuring Cups – My sister and I first found these at a cooking class and we thought they were just the best invention. Any time you are measuring and/or pouring liquid, these are simply the best to have on hand. They make a great gift for your favorite cook, too!
Recipe video below:
Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
RECIPE VIDEO
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 T garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup hot sauce (I prefer Frank's Red Hot)
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Heavily grease baking sheet with butter. Divide cauliflower into bite sized chunks.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, water, olive oil, garlic powder and salt until well combined. Add cauliflower and gently toss to coat each piece evenly. Transfer coated cauliflower to prepared baking and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking time. Remove from oven.
- In large bowl, combine hot sauce and melted butter. Add partially cooked cauliflower and gently toss to evenly coat. Return cauliflower to baking sheet and continue cooking for an additional 20-25 minutes, turning once, until pieces start to turn golden brown.
- Remove from oven and serve warm with blue cheese dressing and fresh celery sticks.
Followed recipe TO THE LETTER. (I’m annoyed by people who “modify” recipes and then complain about them in the reviews.) However… results were NOT AT ALL like the photos above. The whole thing was a soggy mess, not the perky crispy bites I expected. And we’re a family that LIKES cauliflower already, so it was a big disappointment. *sigh*
Shoot. I’m so sorry to hear that! Not sure if difference in oven temp or quality/quantity/moisture of cauliflower played a part? Krissy
Okay… we served this almost exact recipie at the restaurant I work at last year; we had some trouble with it. Like some others said they can have a tendency too come out soggy. It’s wierd because sometimes they came out amazing and others soggy with all the same steps taken. We ran it on the menu for 7 months with variable success before finally deciding too fry them to order after par-baking them. If your not concerned about the “healthy” factor ; frying will guarantee you crispy bites every time.
I think the “soggy” problem might be related too individual moisture content or maybe the size of the flourettes but we never could identify the exact problem.
For a non vegan option consider adding an egg for a firmer batter, I recommend smaller flourettes and parchment paper instead of pan grease for consistancy..
These are also amazing with curry instead of buffalo by the way. Good luck all.
Oh no! I recently made the recipe- followed everything exactly as stated as well- and had great results! I’m a vegetarian in a home of carnivores and THEY LOVED THEM! I agree with Krissy that maybe it was another varying factor she mentioned above?
This is fabulous. I melted the butter on my air fryer, then tossed in remaining ingredients. Air fyied in high for 15 min. YUM
I made these tonight. They were yummy! I was worried about the above comment however, mine turned out really good. I put them on broil for the last minute. Absolutely delicious.
Excellent, thanks for letting me know! Krissy
These look delicious and I will definitely give them a try. Thanks for mentioning what kind of hot sauce you use so that I don’t kill my husband while attempting to keep us healthy. Lol! One time I used slightly too much Tabasco….haaaaa! How was I to know? ?
I make these at least once a week yummy better than the ones served at CPKso happy satisfy my appetite and my craving for hot wing excellent vegan choice Ihave to stop thedressinandsaucakedithiondpfium😟
Why didnt you use chicken?
haha!
First I just want to say that these tasted pretty awesome.
However, I’m still extremely dissappointed. They turned out much soggier than what yours look like and I’m not sure if all of the pieces are edible because of this (some look like the batter didn’t even cook right). So, sadly, I will not be making theses again. Which is a shame because what I did Olean of them were really tasty.
I’m not sure where “olean” came from but that was meant to be eat.
We have made this recipe exactly the way it is 3 times and love it. Ours turns out crispy, but we live in colorado so the altitude and lack of humidity could play a large part in this soggy business. Even so its cauliflower and a little soggyness after being cooked was almost expected. Great dish and recipe, thanks!!
Shoot. Sorry to hear that! Not sure how to make them dryer other than to shake off any excess liquid before cooking and to allow ample air flow (ie don’t crowd them while cooking). Krissy
This a general comment and similar to others. Cailiflower has by nature a high water content. By adding a cup of water to the mix creates a problem. Also the only way to get those nice char marks on them is to roast them first in a wire rack. Start at 450 for 15 minutes, to remove moisture, then set the broiler on and watch them. Take them out, coat them with the sauce mix and return to the 450 temp oven for another 15 minutes.
Maybe dip in a non dairy egg wash then roll them in panco bread crumbs before baking. That always works for me.
Could you use frozen cauliflower?
I’ve only used fresh. I have no idea if frozen would work. If you try it, will you come back and let me know?
Hi!
Mine turned out awesome!!! Not soggy, and broiled for the last 2 minutes, as someone else suggested and used FRANKS buffalo wing sauce… YUMMY
Thank you 🙂
followed recipe exact…they are amazing!!! made them numerous times now 🙂
I used Quinoa flour instead of white flour. Also used 1/2 T of garlic and 1/2 T of poultry seasoning. Yummy!!
I’ve never tried quinoa flour. Sounds fantastic!
Tried your recipe but turn out soggy thus replaced the cauliflower with tempeh and omitted the flour. I also reduced the oven temperature.
Works out well.
Thanks for trying again. I love the substitution recommendations!
I just made these today for lunch … delicious! My florets may have been a bit too large, so next time I will cut them up smaller and maybe keep them in the oven for a few extra minutes after the sauce has been put on to make them crispier.
I love them! I also broiled them for a few minutes after and they were absolutely delicious. Even held up for next day snacking 🙂 I think you can only expect so much crispiness from the oven, but I would definitely make these again 😍
We made these today but just added the sauce and didn’t cook again afterwords. Absolutely delicious! Last time my friend made them she said they were mushy. I read above about how the size affects that and she said that was exactly it! We did keep them bigger but cooked a few minutes longer. I’m hooked!
Awesome feedback! Thank you for commenting. I’m glad the buffalo cauliflower bites turned out for you, Debbie!
I did these. Followed every step, added broiling at the end like the comments suggested:) turned out wonderful! Thanks for the recipe
Glad you liked them!
I just recently became a vegetarian and decided to try these out. Was not disappointed! Crunchy on the outside, slightly chewy on the inside. Mine did turn out looking a bit burnt but tasted all right so alls we’ll that ends well. It did set my fire alarm off though lol.
I used Trader Joe’s already cut up florets and microwaved them first. Dipped them in the batter and baked them accordingly. Then smothered them in franks red hot and vegan butter , baked them again for like 10 mins. They turned out amazing. Who cares if they’re a little bit soggy!! They’re cauliflower!!! They’re full of water! Tasted delicious to me! I will definitely be making them again!
I’ve made these several times. They are always delicious! A big hit for easy appetizers at parties! I wash my cauliflower and pat dry very well… never disappointed.
I found that if I used a larger cookie sheet and didn’t have the pan too crowded, they weren’t soggy at all. I used 1tsp garlic powder and added Franks directly to the batter mixture and left out the butter. They were delicious!
OMG…how can anyone give negative comments about this fabulous recipe find! The size of the cauliflower needs to be consistent. If you butter the pan too much it can get soggy. I also use Frank’s buffalo wing sauce and it is addicting! Make sure not to crowd the pan.i usually make 2 pans, mine has space and a low edge. My daughter likes them mushy so we use a casserole or 13 x 9 for her batch. Always a hit at parties and at work when I share! ❤
What means 2/3 cup 5ml jar of hot sauce? Why the 5ml? Not from the USA so I might be xonfuse over nothing
Stupid typo. I’m so sorry!!! I changed it to just read 2/3 cup.
Loved it! I made 2 batch and the on on the parchment paper was a little more crispy!
I was confused about thw mention 2/3 cup 5ml for the hot sauce, but I figured it’s simply 2/3 cup.
Thanks!
That IS confusing! Sorry about that! I just updated the recipe to say 2/3 cup.
AMAZING! My family loved this recipe! Will definitely be making this again and sharing it with friends. Thank you 🙂
Awesome recipe!! It’s easy to follow and they turned out delicious. Even my 3 year old likes them lol
Just wondering if you’ve tried cooking these using an air fryer an option? Cooking them in an air fryer should bring out the crunchyness. What temperature would you cook them at. For how long?
Hi Donna, I don’t have an air fryer but I’m about to order one!
We made these in the air fryer and instead of making a batter, we tossed them in the seasoning with evoo then lightly dusted them a gluten free rice flour. We put in air fryer at 400 for 10 mins, turning half way through then tossed with buffalo sauce and then lowered to 350 for another 5 mins. They came out perfect. Not too soggy and not bready either.
I need to get an air fryer!
Just made these for game day. Was my first time and they were completely amaizing! I’m currently obsessed with buffalo cauliflower and creamy dill sauce. Dill and buffalo are my current favourite flavour combo.
Thanks for such an easy and awesome recipe
When I first saw these I immediately thought of my husband and wanted to make these for him since he literally puts hot sauce on everything he eats. I showed it to him and he definitely wanted to try them! (at least once) But unfortunately your recipe calls for olive oil, and he is allergic. 😞 So I was wondering can I substitute the olive oil for something else without messing up the recipe or having it taste completely different? Vegetable oil maybe? Or some other oil? What do you suggest? Because I would really like to make these for him and I both to try! They look absolutely delicious!
Hi Nina, You can absolutely use any other kind of oil. How sad that he’s allergic to olive oil. I love that stuff!
Its very rare if I’m actually able to cook with olive oil. So it’s a huge bummer for me, because I love it too! Haha. But Thank you!!!! These are definitely on the top of my list to make this weekend! My husband and I are both very excited to give these a try! Can’t wait!
This was awesome. The only problem I had was to not eat them all. I are half of the batch.
These were absolutely AMAZING! All the taste of wings without the guilt. Will definitely be making this recipe again!!!
I’m back on keto and I absolutely loved this recipe. Mine came out crispy not sure why others didnt. A great way to stay low carb and get ur veggies in!
I just made these tonight. Followed the recipe almost to the t. The only things I changef was using Texas Pete’s hotter hot sauce. I also, took somone else’s advice and broiled them for the last minute. Turned out soooooo god. Thank you!!!!
I liked this recipe. I did use almond flour instead of regular all purpose flour. It was super liquefied (understandably) so I used some Xantham gum to thicken it up and it worked a treat. These turned out fabulous! I ended up pairing them with roasted butternut squash & garlic asparagus. Yum! Thanks for the recipe!
These were awesome they turned out good thanks for the recipe
Absolutely love these ! Just follow the receipe ! I bought regular buffalo sauce which was Spicey enough for me and they turned out fabulous! Thank you crunching my cravings !! LOL I’m following a new meal plan and these fit in perfectly ❤️
We really liked this recipe! I used frozen cauliflower instead of fresh and they came out great. I added about 5 minutes to the initial cook time but other than that everything the same (used vegan butter). I also used Sweet Baby Ray’s buffalo sauce. Next time I’ll double (or triple!) the recipe, though. It’s a long time to make not a ton of food.
I make this recipe all the time. It’s easy and delicious. I have never had an issue with them being soggy. Sometimes I cook them a little longer if I put too much batter on them.
Came out PERFECT! WOW! Great recipe!!!!!!!
Hi Krissy!
I am wondering if this is something that can be made ahead of time and reheated? I’m having a big party and was thinking about making a giant batch the night before. Not sure if it would get gross or soggy tho? Thoughts?
Hi Mary, If it were me, I’d prepare all of the ingredients ahead of time but would wait to make it when I’m ready to serve. I just don’t think this particular recipe would do as well if made ahead. Hope that helps!
Made these in a pinch and not wanting to go to the grocery store with taco bell hot sauce and in my air freyer… They were excellent!!
The absolute BEST buffalo cauliflower and so easy to make. The cooking time is perfect; not too soft and not too hard. They turned out crispy and light. I tried them with a little bit of buttermilk ranch. But let’s be real, they are just as good all by themselves.
These are amazingly good! I love buffalo wings, I love cauliflower. Thought I’d give it a shot mixing the two. My husband knows that anything I touch has a good chance of not being great. Something always goes wrong. But, these came out so good! I will be making these for my next game night. So good!!
Deliciously Awesome! Will make again and again.
I only used 1 tsp garlic powder and added 1 heaping tsp minced garlic to dry ingredients and 1 heaping tsp to wet ingredients. Only cooked 20 minutes after coating with sauce then broiled 3-5 minutes.