Healthy Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Wings

Name: Healthy Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 head cauliflower ((medium-size)); 3/4 - 1 cup vegan buffalo sauce (, or any cayenne pepper hot sauce like Franks); 3/4 cup cornmeal; 3/4 cup bread crumbs ((gluten-free if needed)); 6 tbsp hemp seeds or almond flour (, grind the hemp seeds for best results (see notes)); 6 tsp dried parsley; 6 tsp garlic powder; 2 cups almond flour; 1 cup vegan buffalo sauce (, or any cayenne pepper hot sauce like Franks); 1 cup sparkling soda water; 2 tsp baking powder; drizzle oil (, optional (see notes)); vegan ranch dressing; celery; carrots

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Vegan buffalo cauliflower that's crispy, flavorful and incredibly healthy! These wings are baked in the oven with a secret ingredient for the perfect texture.

It's crazy how easily you can use wholesome ingredients to give that perfect crisp! You're going to want to double this up because they go fast.

Black bowl filled with crispy cauliflower covered in buffalo sauce

This post was originally published on November 6, 2017.

The addiction to these vegan cauliflower wings is legit. Once you start popping them in your mouth, you'll just keep on going. Except to stop and dip in my vegan ranch dressing. They go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Ingredients

Not sure if we should call these cauliflower wings, buffalo cauliflower, vegan "chicken" wings or what. But I do know that the flavor and crunch will hit the spot hard.

The ingredients you need to make vegan buffalo wings are:

Cauliflower
Vegan buffalo sauce
Cornmeal
Bread crumbs (gluten-free if needed)
Hemp seeds
Almond Flour
Soda Water
Baking Powder
Seasonings

Ingredients for making crispy buffalo cauliflower on a wooden surface and in colored bowls

How To Make Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower

It's a pretty simple process for making this crispy buffalo cauliflower, here are the steps:

Make the batter.
Mix the crispy coating.
Coat the cauliflower pieces in the batter then in the coating.
Put on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake, coat with sauce, and bake some more.
Dip and enjoy!

A whisk mixing a buffalo sauce mixture in a square white baking dish.

A square glass baking dish with a mixture of flour, cornmeal and spices in it and a spoon picking some up.

What to Serve With Cauliflower Wings

I love eating these vegan buffalo wings right from the pan with some Vegan Homemade Ranch Dressing, but when I take a moment to act like a grown adult, I put them together as a full meal with so many other things!

Pair them with any of the following appetizers or side dishes for a game day spread, party, or fun family dinner:

Recipes to Make With Healthy Buffalo Cauliflower

These wings are also perfect to use as a part in other recipes. These are some of my favorite ways to use them:

Over a salad - pair with crisp greens, carrots, celery, tomatoes, avocados, and Vegan Ranch Dressing.
Crispy buffalo cauliflower tacos - or simply fill soft tortillas with the cauliflower chicken wings and your favorite toppings.
In a wrap - stuff your favorite burrito size tortilla with these wings, greens, and lots of crisp veggies!
Buffalo Wing Sliders - I have a recipe for these in my Vegan Burgers and Burritos cookbook!

vegan buffalo wing slider with red onion, lettuce and ranch

Close up of three buffalo cauliflower tacos topped with cabbage and avocado

Tips for Cutting Cauliflower

So you have a head of cauliflower but no idea of how to cut it, never fear, I'm here!

Start by removing the big leaves along the bottom.
Wash the cauliflower, then shake out the excess water.
Make one large cut through the head down the center, from top to bottom.
Now you can cut the florets up into chunk size pieces.
- I prefer to keep my pieces a bit larger unless I'm making them for kids, in which case I'll cut them to nugget size.
To get the look of a real buffalo wing, you want to include some of the stem.

Preparation tips

Put the coating in a shallow baking dish, or a zip-top bag for a shake and bake option.
You can add a small drizzle of oil to the batter if you want. It is definitely not needed but can add an extra crispness to the final product.
The key to these crispy oven baked wings, is in the batter and coating. The soda water helps fluff up the batter, which helps keep on the crispy outer coating.
- Regular water can be used if you must avoid soda water, but the texture will change.
The combination of cornmeal, breadcrumbs and hemp seeds gives the perfect amount of fat for that fried feel, plus crispness.
- You can use almond flour if you don't want to break out the hemp seeds, but I love the whole food fat hemp seeds give.
Make sure the cauliflower wings are not touching on the baking sheet, the hot air needs to reach as much surface as possible.

Storage and Reheating Tips

These vegan buffalo wings are best served fresh. But, if you don't eat them all (like in case you lost all sense of taste for a hot minute), you can save them for later.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The best way to reheat these is to pop them back into the oven! You can heat them in the regular oven or even in your toaster oven.
An air fryer can also be used to reheat leftover buffalo cauliflower.
You don't want to microwave or they will get mushy and soft. And we allllll know how I feel about soft mushy things.

How to Prep Vegan Buffalo Wings Ahead of Time

Honestly, this isn't the best prep ahead food. You really want this nice and fresh, especially the batter since the fluffiness in the soda water goes away after some time.

However, there are a few things you can do to prepare in advance to make the process day of a bit shorter:

Make the outer coating and keep in an airtight container at room temperature.
Wash, dry, and cut the cauliflower. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Make the homemade vegan buffalo sauce (or buy store bought). The homemade recipe will keep in the refrigerator for up to one month!

Common Questions

What are vegan buffalo wings made of?

There are many ways people create a non wing wing. Some use seitan (not a fan), others use veggies, and some use tofu. For me, my top choice in both texture and flavor is... CAULIFLOWER.

Cauliflower really doesn't have much flavor as it is, so it's a great vehicle for loads of flavor. It really holds onto sauces and when dressed up in a crispy coating, it crisps up perfectly with a great texture.

What is buffalo sauce made of?

Traditionally, buffalo sauce is a combination of hot sauce and butter, along with some other spices and seasonings. It’s pretty easy to create a vegan version by simply using vegan butter.

But of course being me, that was too easy. So I created a homemade buffalo sauce without butter!

How do you prepare cauliflower?

First off you need to wash it. Then, cut away the leaves and stem. Then cut or break apart the florets into your desired size.

Why are my cauliflower wings soggy?

Not using the batter and crispy coating combo can result in baked cauliflower wings that are soggy. Also, make sure to bake on a parchment lined baking sheet at the recommended temperature.

How do you reheat Buffalo cauliflower?

The best ways to reheat cauliflower wings is in the oven, toaster oven, or air fryer.

More Vegan Cauliflower Recipes

As you can see with this cauliflower wings recipe, cauliflower is one of those great versatile ingredients that can be made into anything! There's no reason for it to be boring. Try out these other plant based cauliflower recipes to keep things interesting: