Baked Cauliflower Wings
Baked Cauliflower Wings with homemade buffalo sauce are simple, mildly spicy, and totally delicious! These are bite-size cauliflower florets baked until crunchy, then tossed with a homemade buffalo sauce and broiled until the sauce caramelizes. These are So GOOD, no one will miss the “chicken” with this recipe.
These Baked Cauliflower Wings…
Recently, my daughter and I went to lunch downtown Charleston, and these cauliflower wings were on their menu. More and more restaurants are adapting their menus adding a few vegan dishes to them.
So, when I saw these cauliflower wings on the menu I was curious to make them as an appetizer.
And since my kids love to order their favorite bar food, buffalo chicken wings, why not try to make them something that is better and even healthier?
Serve alone or with your favorite dipping sauce and you will have a fun appetizer for your guests on game night! 😉
Baked Cauliflower Wings are made with a simple homemade buffalo sauce that tastes amazing!
- These spicy cauliflower wings are so much healthier to eat!
- Homemade buffalo sauce is so much better tasting and made with only 4 ingredients, you really can’t go wrong!
- You can make homemade buffalo sauce at home in 5 minutes!
- Cauliflower is a great alternative because it is loaded with nutrients and is high in fiber.
HOW TO MAKE BAKED CAULIFLOWER WINGS?
1. First, open 1 head of cauliflower and break apart or cut off its florets. Place them into a non-stick medium-size pan.
2. Bake the cauliflower at 425 degrees F (220C) for about 10 to 15 minutes, until they are slightly charred. Remove and set them aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat 1/4 cup of hot sauce, with 4 tablespoons of butter, some honey, and garlic powder. Simmer on low heat for about 2 minutes, stirring until the sauce bubbles around the edges and reduces a little.
4. Then taste the buffalo sauce and judge yourself if it has too much heat. I didn’t think so, but everyone’s taste is different. This is where you can adjust the heat to the sauce, adding more honey, if desired.
QUICK NOTE: You can replace real butter with “vegan butter” and please all the vegans in the house!
5. Next, transfer the cauliflower into a medium-sized mixing bowl and pour the buffalo sauce into the bowl. Toss the cauliflower until the sauce coats all the florets.
6. Transfer back to the same baking or roasting pan.
7. Change the setting on your oven to “Broil.” And broil the cauliflower for a few minutes until the buffalo sauce caramelizes, about 5 minutes or so. Keep an eye on them while they are in the oven because all ovens vary with temperatures.
8. Remove and serve with a ranch dressing, or try our favorite Tzatziki yogurt sauce for a healthier dipping sauce.
QUICK Serving TIP: Best to serve them on a warm “oven-safe” platter, to keep them warm longer when served. Just pop your serving platter into the oven for a few minutes to knock out the chill, and keep your “wings” warmer when serving.
COOK’S NOTES and TIPS…
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Cauliflower tends to “shrink” to bite-size while baking, making these better for finger-licking!
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If you prefer more charred and crunchier cauliflower wings, then you can “Broil” them in the oven for about 2 to 3 minutes before serving. But keep an eye on them when “broiling,” as they can quickly burn.
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They may even lose some of their crunchiness due to the sauce on top.
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But nevertheless, they are still spicy hot delicious, and satisfying!
These cauliflower wings turned out to be delicious tasting and easy to make.
Vegans will love them as well, just switch out the butter for vegan butter!
Just serve these cauliflower wings with some cold beer nearby and enjoy!
Best when served warm.
Cheers!!
MORE Tasty Appetizers for Game Nights!
- Easy Fried Ravioli
- Spinach and Kale Bites
- Roasted Spicy Maple Chicken Wings
- Sausage Bites with Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce
- 12 Favorite Super Bowl Recipes
- Mozzarella in Carrozza
- Potato Skin Bites
- Oven-Baked Parsnip Fries
- Easy Baked Shishito Peppers
- 32 Healthy Super Bowl Recipes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cauliflower 'Wings' with Buffalo Sauce
Cauliflower Wings with homemade buffalo sauce are simple, spicy hot, and delicious! These are bite-size cauliflower florets roasted until crunchy, then tossed with a homemade buffalo sauce and broiled for a few minutes longer until the sauce caramelizes. Spicy cauliflower wings are so much healthier to eat! Perfect game grub!
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Total Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower head, cut into medium florets.
- 1/4 cup hot sauce ( I used Cholula's original hot sauce)
- 4 Tbsp. butter
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- dried snipped chives, as garnish
- ranch dressing, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220C).
- Toss the cauliflower onto a baking pan.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until slightly charred. Remove and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, on low heat, add hot sauce, butter, honey, and garlic powder. Stir until the sauce bubbles around the edges and continue to simmer for another minute or two until it slightly reduces and thickens.
- Transfer the cauliflower to a mixing bowl. Pour the buffalo sauce over the cauliflower and toss to coat the cauliflower evenly. Transfer the cauliflower back to the same baking pan.
- Change the setting on the oven to Broil.
- Place the cauliflower on the center rack. And broil the cauliflower for a few minutes until the sauce caramelizes about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle any remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with dried snipped chives on top, as garnish.
- Serve with ranch dressing or your favorite dipping sauce, and some carrot and celery sticks, if desired.
Notes
The cauliflower will shrink down while baking, and even lose some of their crunchiness due to the sauce on top. But they will still satisfy!
Recipe for buffalo sauce is adapted from Delish.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6 servingsServing Size:
1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 102Total Fat: 7.8gCarbohydrates: 8.3gFiber: 1.2gSugar: 7gProtein: 1g
Hmm, breakfast wings sound really interesting! My kids would propbaby love that more than me, for sure. I’m so glad to hear you love cauliflower and willing to try these as ‘wings.’ My family LOVED this version including the one person who never eats fatty chicken wings – ME! Lol…. Thanks Jeff for leaving a comment!
I love cauliflower and this looks like such a nice way to have it. I also love wings. My inlaws live in Buffalo, and when I go there, I often try to see if I can manage to eat nothing but wings. If you go out for lunch or dinner, there are always going to be wings. I have yet to find breakfast wings. A little cauliflower would be a nice change-up to all that fatty chicken.
What a delicious idea! My husband also loves cauliflower (for which I am grateful) and would love to try these delicious bites!!
Thanks Susan! Let us know how they turn out for you! Have a great weekend! 🙂
So happy to hear you love this recipe, thanks so much Roz!
Both (which is rare) my husband and I love, love, LOVE cauliflower, especially raw. And I (not he) am in need of more recipes to use this delicious favorite. Since I love buffalo flavors (and he doesn’t . . . see a pattern here?), this recipe is perfect for little old ME! Thanks Liz and Anna!