Perfect Game Day Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
I don’t know about you, but when I think of game day appetizers- you know, the kinds of food you find at a sports bar or a Super Bowl party- one of the first things that comes to mind is… wings. Now, I’ve never been a huge fan of chicken wings. But buffalo cauliflower? That’s something I can on board with.
Scour the internet and you will find an endless supply of recipes for buffalo cauliflower wings, some of them vegan and some using butter and milk. I tried a few of those recipes and the truth is that they do not all work well.
Part of it is in the preparation. You can’t just roast some cauliflower and then brush on hot sauce- the wings will be too spicy for most people to eat. Instead, the cauliflower needs to be battered, baked and then sauced up with a mixture of hot sauce, oil, and sweetener.
Some other challenges with this recipe involve the process of roasting the cauliflower. Cut the florets in irregular sizes and they won’t bake evenly. Cut the florets too small, and they’ll get soggy in the oven. Same if you roast too many on a single baking sheet. You know those videos online where a bowl full of veggies tossed in oil or batter is then plopped onto a baking sheet and swished around? It may work well in the land of internet, but in real life it’s going to produce bad results.
Below I’m giving you my tried and true recipe for Perfect Game Day Buffalo Cauliflower Wings, complete with detailed instructions so your wings will be the talk of the party. This is plant-based, low-oil, and it’s even gluten-free- a sure crowd pleaser!
*Note that I DO recommend using gluten-free flour- in tends to crisp up a little better than wheat flour in this recipe.
Perfect Game Day Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
Recipe makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients
¾ cup gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¾ cup plant milk (try coconut or almond)
1 small head of cauliflower, broken up into roughly equal sized florets (about 1 ½ inch wide, the size of a chicken wing)
¼ cup hot sauce (like Frank’s Red Hot)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Celery sticks & Plant-Based Ranch Dip (for serving)
Directions
Prepare your ingredients
Measure out your ingredients and make sure everything is ready to go. When cutting your cauliflower, you want them to all be roughly the same size- about an inch and a half wide, or about the size of a chicken wing. Next, line a baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silpat- you’ll probably need to bake these in two batches so if you have a second baking sheet, prep that one too.. Then, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Get your ingredients prepared so you’re ready to cook.
Your florets should all be about the same size, and about the size of a chicken wing. The ones on the left and right in this photo are a little too big and too small.
Batter up the wings
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: the flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Next, add the plant milk and whisk together until everything is combined and there are no lumps. Add the cauliflower florets to the bowl and turn to coat evenly. I like to use either a mixing spoon or a rubber spatula for this. When all the florets are evenly coated, transfer them, one by one, to the baking sheet. Try to keep a distance of a couple inches between each floret, to allow them to bake properly. You may have to bake the cauliflower in batches. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway.
Make sure each cauliflower ‘wing’ is completely coated with the batter.
When all the florets are evenly coated, transfer them, one by one, to the baking sheet. Try to keep a distance of a couple inches between each floret, to allow them to bake properly. You may have to bake the cauliflower in a couple batches. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway.
You want some space between your florets so they can bake properly.
Make the buffalo Sauce
While your ‘wings’ are baking, combine the buffalo sauce, coconut oil and maple syrup in a small bowl. Unless your kitchen is very warm, you will likely need to heat up the mixture in order to fully combine everything. Try placing in the microwave for 10 seconds, stir, and then another 10 seconds if necessary, repeating until the sauce evenly mixed. When the cauliflower have baked 20 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and brush each floret evenly with the buffalo sauce. Bake another 10 minutes, then flip, brush on a little more sauce and bake another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven. Brush with any remaining buffalo sauce. Serve immediately.
Tips
*Baking cauliflower can be tricky- bake too long and these wings can get too soft or even burn. Depending on the type of pan you use, and the way heat distributes in your oven, you might need to adjust the cooking time a little.
*This dish is best enjoyed right after baking. If you want to bring this to a party, cook them until only the final 5 minutes are left, and finish them off in the oven wherever you’re going.
*I suggest serving these with celery and carrot sticks and your favorite plant-based ranch dip.
