Buffalo wings are a classic game day snack but if you’re trying to eat less meat or appeal to vegetarians at your gathering, consider serving this vegan-friendly version instead. With plenty to offer in both texture and taste, these baked cauliflower bites slathered in buffalo sauce are a delicious alternative for game day parties. If you can’t handle the spice—or want some more variety on the plate—simply swap in BBQ sauce instead. Just don’t forget the carrot and celery sticks and blue cheese!
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Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
Description
If you can’t handle the spice, swap in mild BBQ sauce instead! And don’t forget the classic wing sides like blue cheese and ranch dressings for dipping carrot and celery sticks.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets (reserve interior stalk for another use like a stir-fry)
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil, like canola or grapeseed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or plant-based milk of choice)
- 1 cup chickpea crumbs (or bread crumb of choice)
- Cooking spray
- 1 cup buffalo sauce (or other sauce of choice, like BBQ)
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, toss cauliflower florets in cooking oil.
- In a small, separate bowl, combine garlic powder, black pepper, paprika, and flour. Sprinkle over the oil-coated florets and toss until distributed.
- Prepare a small bowl of almond milk and a separate bowl with bread crumbs. Dunk the coated florets into the almond milk, then into the crumbs. Transfer florets to the baking sheet. Repeat until all florets are covered.
- Lightly coat the pieces with cooking spray and bake for 25-30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare a bowl of buffalo sauce (or sauce of choice) mixed with the melted vegan butter.
- Remove the tray from the oven, then carefully take the cauliflower and dunk into the buffalo sauce mixture. Repeat until every piece is coated. Return tray to oven to bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.
- Increase heat to broil and carefully watch for 5 minutes to ensure florets do not burn.
- When ready, transfer to serving tray along with additional dip(s), carrot, and celery sticks. Serve, share, and enjoy!
Comments (9)
Hey- how do you make the vegan ranch or is it store bought?
Hi Aarti. Great question! Both store bought and homemade can work here. You can follow your favorite ranch dressing recipe, which is full of dried spices like dill, onion powder, and paprika, and use vegan mayonnaise and a non-dairy milk like unsweetened soy milk. Here’s an easy recipe we found: https://www.karissasvegankitchen.com/easy-vegan-ranch-dressing/
Let us know how it goes!
Thank you!
Are the chickpea crumbs… processed canned chickpeas? Or chickpea flour? This recipe sounds amazing
Great question! While you can buy pre-made chickpea crumbs, you can also make your own by using canned chickpeas. Here’s a great recipe that explains how: https://passtheplants.com/chickpea-crumbs/
Good luck and enjoy!
Can I use real butter instead of vegan butter? And is olive oil a suitable cooking oil for this recipe? I’m looking to use a healthier oil without leaving too much of its flavor on the final product. Thanks!
Hi Ash! Both real butter and olive oil are suitable for this recipe. Enjoy!
Made these this weekend ! They were wonderful ❤️ I used coconut flour , olive oil and I used baked chickpeas for my crunchy. Just threw a couple of hands full the the food processor worked great!!!
★★★★★
Made these last weekend and they were AMAZING! I used gluten free breadcrumbs and skipped the butter. My husband and I gobbled down all of it in no time.
★★★★★