Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are crispy, spicy & amazingly delicious! Enjoy these healthy vegetarian buffalo wings with homemade homemade blue cheese dressing or ranch dip.
I’m of the firm belief that anything buffalo flavored makes a perfect party snack or game day treat. I’m also of the belief that I can eat buffalo sauce any day, everyday. That’s why I’m always on the hunt for healthier ways to incorporate buffalo wings into my diet. Like these Buffalo Tofu Bites or this Buffalo Chicken Chili.
I’d definitely consider myself a Buffalo wing purist (more on that here). And while these cauliflower wings would never (ahem) fly in Western NY, today cauliflower is the star of the show.
These buffalo cauliflower bites are crispy and delicious and they can be made in the oven or air fryer. Plus, you can make these buffalo “wings” mild, medium or hot depending on your personal preference. You can also make vegan buffalo cauliflower bites (see directions below).
How to Make Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
Step 1: Make the batter. Combine flour, milk, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, stir until combined. If you want your wings extra hot, feel free to add in a pinch of cayenne too.
Step 2: Coat the cauliflower. Add the cauliflower to the bowl of batter and toss them well to coat.
Step 3: Make the buffalo sauce. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Remove pan from the heat to prevent the sauce from breaking. Whisk in Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, Worcestershire and Tabasco until smooth and well combined.
Step 4: Drizzle with sauce. Drizzle cooked cauliflower with buffalo sauce and toss gently to coat.
Oven baked
- Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.
Air fried
- Cook for 20 minutes at 390 degrees, flipping halfway through.
How to them vegan
- To make these Buffalo Cauliflower Bites vegan, replace the butter with a vegan butter substitute and replace the Worcestershire sauce with a vegan Worcestershire sauce (Annie’s makes a good one). For the batter, replace the milk with a plant based milk or use water.
Recipe tips
- Cut the florets into large, similar sized pieces so that they cook at the same rate. If your pieces are too small, they may become mushy.
- DO NOT crowd the baking sheet or air fryer basket. If you crowd it, the cauliflower bites steam themselves instead of crisping up. They need room for the air to circulate around them.
- If the bites aren’t crispy enough, try placing them under the broiler for a couple minutes.
- These are best served straight out of the oven. The longer they sit, the more soggy they will become.
What do you serve with Buffalo Cauliflower Bites?
- I like to serve these healthy buffalo bites the same way I would serve wings – alongside some carrot & celery sticks and blue cheese or homemade ranch dressing, or healthy ranch dip.
- MORE —> 35+ BEST sides for buffalo wings.
Want them more or less spicy?
Mild Cauliflower Wings
- Use 4-ounces Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, 4 tablespoons butter, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco.
Medium Cauliflower Wings
- Use 6-ounces Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, 3 tablespoons butter, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco.
Hot Cauliflower Wings
- Use 7-ounces Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, 2 tablespoons butter, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco.
More buffalo sauce recipes
- Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings
- Baked Buffalo Tofu Bites
- Buffalo Wing Sauce {Mild, Medium or Hot}
- The BEST Buffalo Chicken Chili
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings with Buffalo Sauce
- Buffalo Smashed Potatoes
More cauliflower recipes
More air fryer recipes
- Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts
- Green Bean Fries
- Air Fryer Falafel
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings with Buffalo Sauce
- Air Fryer Zucchini Fries with Dipping Sauce
- MORE → 30+ Air Fryer Vegetarian Recipes
More game day snacks
- Pretzel Bites with Cheese
- Sausage Bites with Mustard Dip
- Steak Bites
- Pasta Chips
- Vietnamese Chicken Wings
- Spicy Beef & Beer Chili
Did you try these buffalo cauliflower bites?
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Buffalo Cauliflower Bites Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup flour
- ¾ cup milk (or water for vegan)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 large head cauliflower (cut into florets)
- 3 Tablespoons Butter (use dairy free butter for vegan)
- ¾ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
- Dash Worcestershire Sauce (optional – omit for vegan)
- Dash Tabasco Sauce (optional)
- Blue cheese dressing (for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, milk, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, stir until combined.
- Place the cauliflower pieces in the batter and toss well to coat. Place on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat (or microwave in a small bowl). Remove pan from heat to prevent sauce from separating. Whisk in Frank’s, Worcestershire and Tabasco until smooth and well combined.
- Remove cauliflower from oven and toss with buffalo sauce in a large bowl. Return to baking sheet and bake 5 minutes longer. Serve with blue cheese dressing or ranch.
Notes
Nutrition
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Yum! These are the perfect afternoon snack for me! Definitely healthier than a bag of chips, and filling enough to last me to dinner – and then I can have more for dinner too 🙂
These were perfect for an at home tailgate party! Made in the air fryer at 395 for 20 minutes, flipping at 10 minutes. I am sure they would have been good at 390, I just like my food very crispy. Thanks for the recipe.
Great post,thank you for sharing this to us.
You are welcome!
Wow, this recipe looks amazing!! I bet it tastes great too. I can’t believe that you can do the whole thing in the air fryer, wow, that is so easy! Cheers for sharing
You’re welcome – enjoy!
Good recipe taste wise, but this DOES NOT work in the air fryer. The batter makes it too thick and then it sticks to the airfryer instead of the cauliflower. It is better to do these how most recipes are which is dipping in breadcrumbs for the crunch.
This recipe is great and it worked for me in the air fryer. I’ve made it multiple times.
I’m so happy to hear that Katie!
The “vegan” option with water was terrible! It looked ok going into the oven, but the coating ended up on the parchment with very little remaining on the cauliflower. Fortunately, I was able to save it with my buffalo sauce and dressing.
Love this recipe. I use unsweetened plain almond milk instead of regular milk and they turn out great. I’ve only ever made these in the oven and find that I have to use aluminum foil and cooking spray to minimize the cauliflower sticking after the initial bake.