Soft and tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, these Baked Cauliflower 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. I haven’t tried frying these yet, but when I do I will update this post.
Now the key to make these wings crispy on the outside is by dipping them in a flour/water batter. I’ve also added some spices to the batter to give the wings extra flavor!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Healthier Alternative: The cauliflower wings are baked instead of fried, making them a healthier option with a lower calorie count.
- Saucy Goodness: The buffalo sauce adds a spicy and tangy kick to the cauliflower wings. The drizzling of the sauce midway through the baking process and the final toss in the sauce ensures that each piece is evenly coated with the delicious buffalo flavor.
- Vegan-Friendly Option: The batter can be easily adapted to a vegan version by using water, almond milk, or soy milk, making it perfect to those who follow a plant-based diet.
- Simple Preparation: The recipe involves straightforward steps, from whisking the batter to coating the cauliflower and baking.
Ingredients Needed
- Cauliflower: Provides the main vegetable base for the “wings,” offering a hearty and versatile substitute for traditional wings.
- Water: Used in the batter and buffalo sauce, contributes to the consistency of the batter and helps create the buffalo sauce.
- Milk (or alternative like almond or soy milk): Forms part of the batter; for a vegan version, choose a plant-based milk.
- All-Purpose Flour (or gluten-free rice flour): Essential for the batter, creating a coating that crisps up during baking.
- Spice up the batter with Garlic Powder, Cumin, Paprika, Salt, and Ground Pepper.
- Frank’s Red Hot Sauce: The key ingredient for the buffalo sauce, providing the classic tangy and spicy flavor.
- Butter (or vegan substitute like Earth Balance Buttery Spread): Used in the buffalo sauce for richness and flavor; choose a vegan option for a plant-based recipe.
How to make Baked Cauliflower Wings
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.
First, dip the cauliflower into the batter, in batches.
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 is fully coated, place it on a greased sheet pan.
After the cauliflower has cooked for 20 minutes, remove it from the oven.
Then, drizzle buffalo sauce on your baked cauliflower wings and return them to the oven.
Last, bake the cauliflower wings for another 20 minutes or until they are crispy.
Expert Tips
- Shake off excess batter from the cauliflower for a balanced coating.
- Taste the buffalo sauce and adjust the spice level to your liking before tossing with the cauliflower.
- If going vegan, choose plant-based milk and butter substitutes for the batter and sauce.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper or grease well to prevent sticking and simplify cleanup.
Storage Tips
Refrigeration: Store any leftover baked cauliflower wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They can typically last for 2-3 days.
Reheating: To reheat, use an oven or toaster oven to help maintain the crispiness. Avoid using the microwave, as it may make the wings soggy.
Freezing: While cauliflower wings are best enjoyed fresh, you can freeze them for longer storage. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet until frozen, then transfer to a freezer bag.
Reheat from frozen in the oven, allowing a bit more time than the original baking.
Serving Suggestions
I love to serve these baked cauliflower wings as a gameday appetizer!
They are perfectly paired with cool ranch and blue cheese dressing.
Recipe FAQs
What are vegan cauliflower wings?
Vegan cauliflower wings are a plant-based alternative to traditional chicken wings. Instead of using chicken, cauliflower florets are coated in a vegan batter, baked or fried until crispy, and then tossed in a flavorful sauce, often inspired by classic buffalo wing sauce. The result is a dish that mimics the texture and flavor of traditional wings but is entirely plant-based.
Can I use frozen cauliflower for this recipe?
I do not recommend using frozen cauliflower for this recipe. Fresh cauliflower will ensure that the wings don’t get soggy and will give you more control over the size.
Can I make the batter ahead of time?
It’s best to make the batter just before coating the cauliflower to maintain its consistency. If prepared ahead, give it a quick stir before using.
Looking for more healthy appetizers?
- Skinny Mini Shrimp & Guacamole bites
- Crispy Baked Coconut Shrimp
- Healthy Avocado Hummus
- Broccoli Cheese Balls (Low Carb / Keto)
- 3 Ingredient Baked Cheddar Cauliflower Bites
Baked Buffalo Cauliflower wings
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 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!
Notes
- Serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat leftovers in an oven or toaster oven to help maintain crispiness.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious and I live in Buffalo! I followed the directions exactly – next time I will make half the batter as I had lot leftover.
These are wonderful cauliflower wings. Have baked them a few times and adjusted baking times due to my dodgy oven. Always turn out lovely. Even better the next day after being stored in the fridge.
I absolutely love these, they are a bit labor intensive, but well worth it for sure! I had struggled with the vegan obsession with cauliflower for a long time, because well it truly was my least favorite veggie..turns out I was just preparing it in an old fashioned (read boring 1950’s) way. This recipe really is a winner, and will change the way you see cauliflower forever.
“Disgusting tasting” – going to guess this was user error. Even people that commented that they didn’t follow the recipe didn’t complain about the taste. Hard to screw up there but congratulations I guess.
Fantastic – served these to a group of construction workers and they all LOVED them and wanted the recipe “I’ve had chicken wings like this – sh*t this is good”.
Followed the recipe almost exactly; however, I used only water (no milks), and added it incrementally to create both “thickly” and “thinly” battered cauliflower wings.
No problems with them sticking to the parchment paper. Great recipe – thank you!
Love these! I originally mamde them with chickpea flour and th second time with tapioca flour as it was all I had. Chickpea definitely wins, love the nuttiness I brings to the flavour party. Thanks so much
These were tasty but I had to amp up the spices because they just weren’t spicy enough for me. It would be helpful if you sprayed your parchment paper so the florettes won’t stick otherwise, everything will stick & all the battery will come off and you won’t have anything left on your florettes.. ( just sayin) I also put the florettes in a colander and shook up off is much of the batter as I possibly could, before I put them in the oven on and sprayed the parchment sheet. I’ll try them again but I definitely add Tabasco sauce to the batter again.
I used “Carbalouse flour” because I’m trying to do a low-carb diet for health reasons (I have high blood sugar)
There was far too much batter! next time I’ll just make half that amount and once I coded the cauliflower I put it in a colander and tried to shake as much off, as I could before I put them on a baking sheet w/paper on it. I also added Smoky paprika, onion powder and Tabasco chipotle sauce to the batter. I also mixed up some hidden valley ranch powder with low-fat no dairy “coconut yogurt” it worked! I cranked my oven up to 450 so they get a little color to them after I swirled them around in a pan with the plant butter hot sauce mix.
Waiting on the second cook right now and they smell fabulous!! 😋
These are surprisingly delicious! My only suggestions are:
1) don’t overcook or they get too soft
2) popped mine into the airfryer which helped crisp them up (however, my regular oven has been temperamental)
Delicious! I made a couple changes, I used smoked paprika and didn’t add cumin, I didn’t add all the water so it was pretty thick and I tossed a bunch of them in homemade whole grain bread crumbs before baking. I put them on a rack on the cookie sheet, the breadcrumb wings didn’t stick to the rack the other ones did.. We preferred the ones with the bread crumbs.
Definitely will make them again.
These turned out so good!
I used almond flour in place of regular flour and franks buffalo sauce instead of org franks.
Only thing I would do differently the next time is not use frozen cauliflower but instead use fresh. Using frozen makes the florets soggy which required me to cook it more; which is okay.
Thank you for the recipe. I will def be making these again!