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!

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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.
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Ingredients Needed

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  • 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. 

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First, dip the cauliflower into the batter, in batches.

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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.

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After the cauliflower is fully coated, place it on a greased sheet pan.

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After the cauliflower has cooked for 20 minutes, remove it from the oven.

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Then, drizzle buffalo sauce on your baked cauliflower wings and return them to the oven.

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Last, bake the cauliflower wings for another 20 minutes or until they are crispy. 

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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?

4.28 from 132 votes

Baked Buffalo Cauliflower wings

By: Layla
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!
Prep10 minutes
Cook30 minutes
Total40 minutes
Servings 4

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

Serving: 1serving (1/4th the recipe), Calories: 172kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 739mg, Potassium: 522mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 137IU, Vitamin C: 69mg, Calcium: 74mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baked cauliflower wings
like this recipe? Rate & Comment below!
BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER WINGS
caulfilower buffalo wings (12 of 17)


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229 Comments

  1. i made these today just as a tester to see if i actually could make them. the recipe is perfect. the only thing i did differently that i will change next time is to coat the pan with oil instead of parchment paper so they turn our crunchier. Otherwise, they taste (and looked) great. My boyfriend recently started eating a more vegetarian diet and i’m sure he’s going to love this buffalo wing alternative.

  2. I wonder how people are making these like biscuits? I had the opposite effect, it was to liquid for me. Looking at the photos thats how it is suppose to look but the mixture WOULDnt fully coat so I added 2 tablespoon extra of flourwhich seemed to work. I also put bbq sauce on them instead of the hot sauce mixture. Next time I might try ranch and park on re second bake!

  3. In europe You cannot buy frank’s hot sauce. What can I use instead?
    Thanx 😊

    1. We have FranK’s in finland but I prefer Texas Pete hot sauCe.
      Don’t put too many wings on your pan or thEy will Not get CRispy.

  4. I think the people screwing this up are probably thinking its tablespoons of spice and not teaspoons like the recipe clearly states, these were amazing and turned out great, i COULDN’T say i’m veg or anything but this rocks my socks!

  5. I wonder how these people are getting this wrong, im pretty bad at cookIng and thankfully i have yet to get this wrong. I absolutely love this recipE. Works well every time.

  6. Unfortunately, this recipe was a no-go for me. mine turned out nothing like the “pictures”, becoming baked cauliflower biscuits that somehow managed to make us sick?

  7. Was amazing. I used fair life fat free milk. Regular flour. So good. I even used more caulifLower than asked!

  8. Followed the recipes exactly. There was not enough Liquid it was like making a biscuit. The proportions of the batter are not the same as the ones shown in picture. The caUli is baking and its gummy, almost breadlike.

  9. These were so delicious! I wouldn’t change a thing about this recipe ^^

  10. I just made these 10/10

    This tastes better then your girls chicken my guy

  11. A half a cup of water and a half a cup of milk added to a cup of flour and spices creates a paste not a dipping solution. Did anybody else have this problem?

  12. When i added the vegan butter to frank’s red hot, it curled, not sure whY?

  13. Use this recipe but do another step of goating in planko! It made it nice and crispy.

  14. tO THOSE WHOM HAD SOGGINESS PROBLEMS. TRY CUTTING YOUR CAULIFLOWER INTO SMALLER PIECES, ALSO TRY DRAINING THE BATTERED CAULIFLOWER ON A RACK BEFORE PUTTING IT ON THE BAKING SHEET. AND LASTLY TRY BROILING IT AFTER IT IS COOKED THOROUGHLY AND THE BATTER IS SET.

    i DIDN’T BAKE MINE AFTER THE BUFFALO SAUCE WAS ADDED AND IT WAS PERFECT. nEXT TIME i’M GOING TO TRY DRIZZLING IT WITH A BIT OF OIL AFTER THE BATTER IS SET; HOPEFULLY i WON’T HAVE TO FLIP IT 1/2 WAY THROUGH THE COOKING TIME, OR MAYBE i WILL TRY ADDING A BIT OF OIL TO THE BATTER.

  15. Wow so amazing!! Cant believe vegan wing substitute can be so delicious! Thank you so much! Turned out pretty crispy. Followed the directions exactly. Cheers!

  16. A lot of the comments say the recipe wasn’t crunchy enough. I poured the remaining batter over the pan allowing some to pool on the bottom. While the cauliflower was soft, the batter browned to a crisp making each bite the perfect amount of crunchy and chewy. Loved it!

  17. I’ve been following a vegan diet for (8) mos now. My biggest challenge is coming up with recipes that appeal to my taste buds and are totally plant based. Using breaded cauliflower as a sub for chicken wings is genius! However, the recipe calls for too much water and/or milk OR too little flour as the batter is watery and does not cling to the cauliflower. AS with most recipes, you need to adjust and improvise. On my next go round, I will just use the suggested ingredients and my own sense of how much of each one to use. My next feat will be to find a vegan burger recipe that I can use as a sub for
    beef burgers and/or meatloaf. Thanks for this recipe! It is truly genius!

    1. Check out Beyond Meat burgers. They’re INCREDIBLE.

  18. Genius! Worked perfectly. Just as good as the wings at Vegenation!!!!! Can’t thank you enough for this awesome recipe! Even my omni hubbie can’t get enough! xo

  19. The pictures do not match the instructions!

    Instructions: make batter until it is thick and able to coat without dripping.
    The picture: the batter is ‘runny’.
    Then the instructions say to toss the baked cauliflower in a bowl with the wing sauce –
    But the pictures show the wing sauce drizzled on.

    Anyways, I made these.
    Batter should have been thicker – in looking at other recipes there should be 2 to 1 ratio of flour to liquid.
    I ended up having to broil to get them to be less ‘soggy’.

  20. These were amazing! We followed the recipe exactly and had no issues. : )

  21. Not sure what went wrong. Cooked them longer and still were soggy. Still cooking them to attempt to crisp them up

    1. Same here. The batter pooled on the baking sheet, and the cauliflower wasn’t crispy at all.

      1. I don’t know how old this comment is, but wanted to share what i did. they turned our great, even a bit crunchy. 1 i added 2 tbsp of oil to the batter. 2 cut the florets bigger than pictured (that helped keeping them still crunchy on the inside) 3 drizzled the wing sauce over them, 4 use the broil option for the last part (10 minutes after the wing sauce is added)
        it was such a hit at my house. my husband is reluctant to trying new foods, especially if it’s healthy food.and he ended up having them for lunch and dinner
        lastly i don’t know why I’m typing in all caps, the setting on my keyboard is not on caps lock :S

  22. These are amazing! I wasn’t sure how they would turn out, if they would get the crisp or if the cauliflower would be soggy……..I will be cooking these time and again! Thank you

    1. I’m so happy to hear you liked the “wings”!

    2. Were they crispy, soggy or in between?

  23. Love these. Great healthy substitute for chicken wings.

  24. These are delicious! Only problem is i had a hard time making them crunchy, mine turned out too soft. Any suggesstions?

    1. Same! Mine are are not crunchy. 🙁 I even tried leaving them in the oven for longer and no luck.

  25. This looks delicious! Step 4 isn’t listed in the instructions? Was it just a typo with the numbering or does step 4 need to be included? Thank you!