Hot ultra creamy buffalo cauliflower dip that is going to blow your mind! No dairy used and no animals harmed, but still full of protein and super healthy!
I’m just going to go ahead and jump in here with THIS DIP IS CRACK. Sorry, I’m yelling. But it is yell worthy. I may be a bit buffalo sauce obsessed, and a bit creamy sauce obsessed, so this buffalo cauliflower dip is kinda my idea of heaven. I challenge you to make it for your next party and see if anyone has any idea there is no dairy. This dip will stand up next to all it’s cream cheese based counterparts!
Cauliflower has no flavor
Part of the goodness in this buffalo cauliflower dip comes from the twice baked cauliflower. Baking the cauliflower before you bake it in the dip, not only helps remove some of the moisture so that the dip isn’t watery, but it also gives an amazing flavor to the cauliflower itself.
Let’s be real, on its own this veggie isn’t exactly what one would call…tasty. It relies on how you prepare it and when you bake it in straight up buffalo sauce, it is insanely delicious. Then add in more buffalo flavor infused in creamy goodness and the end result is a dip that makes you lose all self-control.
There is a chance I had my face inside the bowl licking every last crevice. It wasn’t my proudest moment, especially when the one year old asked what I was doing.
How to get your cream level in vegan buffalo cauliflower dip to reach ultimate depths
The creamy base that makes this appetizer (or snack/dinner/breakfast/anything really) go from amazing to holy moly mind blowing incredible, is achieved from a combination of ingredients. Each one contributes equally and all are necessary to reach ultimate buffalo dip heaven.
- Potato- gives us this gooey creamy base that all dips need for ultimate texture.
- Cashews- the star of most vegan cream sauces for a reason. These amazing nuts give a dairy tasting base like no other.
- White beans- these protein packed powerhouses help contribute to the creamy nature of this dip with also cutting a lot of the fat that extra nuts would give.
- Silk cashew milk- my go to non dairy milk of choice for the amazing creamy texture and flavor it contributes to everything it is in.
There is no compromise when it comes to food
The best part about this buffalo cauliflower dip is that it can stand up to any dairy based equivalent. My love for creating non dairy alternatives for popular dairy based dishes is strong! Showing that they can taste just as good, and even better, is always my goal. Which is why I love Silk brand products so much and why I continue to be a Silk brand ambassador.
Their goal of helping people choose their products wisely, but yet choose what’s delicious, is exactly what I do. You don’t need to compromise on flavor and this dip shows you just that! It sure #TastesLikeBetter to me! If you want to get more info about this great brand, make sure to sign up for their newsletter.
More Delicious Vegan Appetizers You Might Like;
- Mexican Chili Cheese Dip
- Crispy Baked Mac And Cheese Balls
- 7 Layer Taco Dip
- Whipped Hummus
- Lasagna Wontons
- 1 head cauliflower , medium sized
- ½ cup buffalo cayenne pepper hot sauce (I like Franks)
- 1 cup cooked potato , about 1 medium potato
- 1 cup raw cashews (see note)
- ½ cup cooked white beans , drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup cashew milk (I use Silk brand, almond would work too)
- ¼ cup veggie broth , low sodium if needed
- ¼ cup buffalo cayenne pepper hot sauce (I like Franks)
- ¼ of a medium onion
- 2 cloves garlic
Preheat oven to 450°F/230°C.
Chop cauliflower and mix with ½ cup hot sauce until fully coated.
Spread out on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes until slightly crisp. After baking it should be about 3 cups cauliflower (easier to measure after baking as it is softer and fits into a measuring cup easier).
Lower oven temp to 350°F/180°C.
Make sauce: Cook potato and onion by boiling until soft.
Place all sauce ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth and pour into a large bowl. You can also pulse baked cauliflower here if you prefer smaller pieces.
Put baked cauliflower into the bowl and mix well to incorporate the sauce.
Pour into a square baking dish (I used an 8 x 8 inch).
Bake at 350°F/180°C for 15-20 minutes. Check at 15 minutes and see if it has formed a nice firm layer on the top. Everything is cooked already so no need to worry about the cauliflower cooking, but you want it nice and heated all the way through. Keep in mind it will cook a little more as it is cooling.
- Enjoy nice and warm with your favorite tortilla chips, celery or crackers!
- I prefer to use a veggie broth without tomato in the base.
- If you are not using a high speed blender you can either soak the cashews overnight or grind them into a fine powder using a coffee grinder.
- Tips to prep ahead: Make sauce. Soak cashews if not using a high speed blender.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.
Renee says
Sounds wonderful – can’t wait to try. I’m trying to watch my calories and it would be great if you could also include calories and nutrients. Thanks so much.
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Renee! Thanks so much! I don’t post nutrition info on my recipes for multiple reasons. One, this website is an extension/peek into my life here with my family and we don’t look at numbers as far as calories, fat, carbs, etc go. We simply eat a well balanced whole food plant based diet with treats from time to time. Also, I find that there is variance with nutrition info depending on what online tool you use and I am not comfortable with that. It takes quite a bit of extra time to create, photo and post all these recipes and to have to add even more time to research the nutrition info and which one is the most accurate is just time I don’t have. If I ever find a tool that auto imports my recipes and calculates it all for me I will definitely start posting that, but for now I am doing without. But you are welcome to check it out yourself, I have heard of myfitnesspal.com and caloriecount.com and they both do nutritional info, but as I said I don’t use them so am not sure what is best! I can tell you though that IF you were going to eat a creamy buffalo dip, this one is significantly less in calories than the original full of cream cheese and non vegan versions because I replaced much of that fat with white beans and potato. Thanks again for being here! And I have many recipes on the site that would be low in calories overall!
Laura says
Curious if you think this dip would work in a crockpot?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Laura! You could try doing it in a crockpot for sure. But the texture may come out a bit different, it wouldn’t get that nice baked exterior. I would still recommend roasting the cauliflower first though because in contributes to the flavor and also if you put it raw into the crockpot it would be more watery. Let me know if you try!
Alicia N. says
Hi! I made this tonight for an appetizer to share for a party we went too. Umm it was finished before the night was over and there were less then 10 people there lol. I highly recommend this dip!!! I did have to use dry roasted unsalted cashews because after two store stops neither had raw, I also didn’t soak them but used the coffee grinder method and it worked perfectly. I add an extra 1/2 C of buffalo sauce because I like to have the heat turned up a little. I also used almond milk because that’s what I keep on hand. People, if you’re questioning if you should make it the answer is YES! I’ll be making it again in the near future.
veggiesdontbite says
Yay! I’m so happy to hear you’re as addicted to me!! Thank you so much for letting me know!
Sue says
Sophia, I’ve been eyeing this recipe for a while now, I’d like to make it for Passover (no legumes). Think it would work with all potato and no white beans? Thanks.
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Sue!! Awesome!! It will definitely work without the white beans. I would add half extra potatoes and half extra cashews just so it doesn’t taste too potato like. So do 1 1/4 cups total for each. Let me know how it works!
Sue says
Thanks Sophia! I served it last night and your suggested sub for the beans was spot on! Keep up the good work; it is appreciated. 🙂
veggiesdontbite says
So happy to hear!! Happy Passover!
Kat says
Do you think any part of this/all of it can be done the night before? We have a party we would love to serve it on Thursday but people are coming over only an hour after we get home from work so any prep we can get out of the way will help!
veggiesdontbite says
Absolutely! I made the dip part days before, then roasted the cauliflower the night before. You can make the whole thing the night before for sure. Of course fresh is always best but reheating it works well too. I’d maybe make it a little runnier than it calls for because it will thicken a lot in the fridge so that when you reheat it the next day it won’t be too thick.
Lindsey says
Thanks you for this recipe! I made a few changes but it was absolutely delicious and a great appetizer to bring around non-vegans! The subs I made were more cashews (soaked) instead of white beans, soy milk instead of broth/almond milk, and I roasted the garlic (just put it on the edge of the cauliflower pan. Will definitely make again and I have printed a few of your other recipes too that I can’t wait to try! thanks!!
veggiesdontbite says
So glad you liked it Lindsey! I served it to non vegans this weekend and they almost licked the bowl. LOL! Let me know if you try anything else! Thanks for being a reader!
emily says
I barely got a bite in my meat eating family! They didn’t believe how I made it! One tip readers–use Franks Red Hot. I thought I could sub with my Cholula Chipotle and I was dead wrong!!!! Absolutely delicious! Making again for a BBQ on Friday!
veggiesdontbite says
AH!!!! So so happy to hear this! I totally agree on the Franks, that’s all I use! I didn’t want to confuse people by saying Franks but I think I’ll go add it in parenthesis now! Thanks so much for this great review!
Nicole says
I am allergic to tree nuts, do you have any other recommendations for what to use instead?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Nicole! The cashews here really are the base of the great creamy flavor. So whatever sub you make it will definitely change that. However, my recommendation if you want to try this, I would experiment with adding more white beans, potato or even roasting more cauliflower and blending that in before you add the roasted cauliflower and pulse like the recipe says. So essentially you’d be trying to get some creaminess back from pureed cauliflower, if that makes sense. I would maybe try and extra 1/2 to 3/4 cup cauliflower. Then maybe up the potato by another 1/4 cup? This is only a guess but the buffalo sauce flavor will still be great! Let me know what you do and what works out!
MaryAlice says
If I don’t have white beans van I use more cashews as a sunstitute?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi! Yes, you absolutely can. You can also sub some more cooked potato. I’d do half potato half cashews!
Sheri says
Thank you so much for this recipe!! Made it tonight and it is delishious!! My only change was to cut the hot sauce with a locally made tomato base marinade. Just didn’t want it quite so Spivey. Really turned out great!!!
veggiesdontbite says
Oh yay! So happy you guys liked it! I love your addition to try and bring down the spice. It’s actually not really that spicy even with the buffalo sauce, my husband is a huge wimp and he loves it. But good to know it’s still great with the tomato marinade! Happy holidays!
Lizzy says
Great dip! I’m a cauliflower and garlic fan, so I used 5 cloves of finely diced garlic and added 4 sticks of celery for extra crunch. Amazing!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you so much Lizzy!! So happy you liked it. Yes on the extra garlic and love the idea of the celery for crunch!
Cait says
Sorry, I may be confused reading this recipe. Am I really boiling th Potato and onion together?
Also, am I putting the potato and beans into the blender too so the only chunky party in the dip is the cauliflower?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Cait! Yep. Just boil it (or you can microwave or whatever, it just needs to be cooked). For me, I throw them into a pot with water early in the day and let it cook while I do other things.
Cait says
Ok! Also, am I putting the potato and beans into the blender too so the only chunky party in the dip is the cauliflower?
veggiesdontbite says
Exactly!! Blend it all up creamy smooth, then pulse in the cauliflower to get some chunks!
Susan says
The instructions don’t mention pulsing in the cauliflower. Do you suggest we do that vs adding the cauliflower to the bowl and pouring the sauce over it per the instructions? Excited to try this recipe.
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Susan! I say to chop the cauliflower up top before baking so no need to pulse. Although I did add that you can if you want it to be in smaller pieces! Let me know how it goes!
Heather says
Hi! I’m making this for a super bowl party at work and was wondering about how much it makes. I’m trying to decide whether I should double the recipe or not. Can’t wait to try this!
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Heather! You put it into an 8 x 8 square baking dish. I would say that if you’re having more than 10 people you should double it. Really though, my family can eat this all hands down….so you may want to anyway. LOL!
Amanda says
Hi! I am super excited to make this recipe today for a super bowl party! What type of onion do you use for the recipe? White? Yellow? Does It matter?
veggiesdontbite says
Oh yay!!! I use a yellow or sweet onion. Hope you love it!!
Amanda says
This dip is amazing!!!! So happy to have found your recipe! I cannot eat dairy due to an allergy and have missed buffalo dip!
veggiesdontbite says
Oh yay!!! So happy you love it as much as we do!!
Kaiti says
Hello. Curious about the texture of the cauliflower in this recipe. Many buffalo cauliflower recipes I’ve tried have led to mushy cauliflower. Not my fav.
After roasting and baking in the dip, how’s the cauliflower stand up? Does it still have a good texture or do you think stirring it in halfway through the dip baking time would allow for less mush potential?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Kaiti! I totally get your issue with mushiness…so for my recipe, I roast the cauliflower BEFORE baking the dip which helps release the water that often leads to mushy cauliflower. I don’t think it would make a difference to store part way through. If you roast it like the recipe says, it should stay pretty good texture. I am not a fan of mushy things and I have never thought of this dip as a mushy dip. The thick creaminess of the dip is really the main texture profile you feel!
Sydney says
Just made this for the first time! I was honestly super skeptical about how it would turn out but it is TASTY! Will definitely be adding this to my recipe box. The only thing I think I’ll change next time is thinning it out with more veggie broth/cashew milk – it was pretty thick and the chips kept breaking when we tried to dip them. Overall I’m a big fan 🙂
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Sydney! Thank you so much for the great review! I’m thrilled you love it as much as we do. You can definitely add more liquid to get the texture you prefer. Ovens also vary so it could have to do with baking time, but adding more or less liquid definitely will give you the texture you want. Thanks for being a reader!
Alicia says
Hi, do you ever leave the skin on the potatoe in this recipe?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Alicia! I do but you may see little specks in the dip. I don’t mind it though! If you care then peel them.
Alicia says
Thank you! We love this dip. A new favorite!
veggiesdontbite says
So happy to hear Alicia!! Thank you so much for trying it!