These cauliflower buffalo wings with vegan ranch dip are the perfect comfort food! They’re super easy to make and they’re soooo delicious! We simply can’t get enough of them!
I absolutely LOVE cauliflower wings! I’ve made them sooo many times and perfected my cauliflower wings recipe over time. Adding panko breadcrumbs really did the trick. It makes them so incredibly crispy!
What Are Cauliflower Wings?
For those of you who have never heard of cauliflower wings: No, cauliflower didn’t grow wings overnight! Haha! Cauliflower wings are kind of like chicken wings but they’re made out of cauliflower florets instead.
The recipe is divided into three simple steps:
- Dip the cauliflower wings into a batter made out of flour and spices and roll them in panko bread crumbs. Then bake them.
- Coat the baked cauliflower wings with your favorite sauce like BBQ sauce or hot sauce and bake them again until they’re crispy.
- Serve with a delicious dipping sauce like vegan ranch dip. Enjoy!!
Cauliflower wings make an amazing appetizer or snack. Or even a great side with a nice green salad!
Cauliflower wings are:
- vegan
- baked and not fried
- the perfect comfort food!
- very easy to make gluten-free
- super easy to make
What You Need For These Cauliflower Buffalo Wings with Vegan Ranch Dip:
You will find all of the ingredients for the vegan cauliflower wings in any regular grocery store. Except from the cauliflower you don’t need any fresh ingredients.
You’ll need:
- 1 head of cauliflower
- regular all-purpose flour or chickpea flour
- unsweetened plant-based milk (almond or soy)
- garlic powder
- paprika powder
- panko breadcrumbs (omit for a gluten-free version)
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wings sauce
- vegan mayonnaise
- dried dill and parsley
As always, you can find the full ingredient list and the recipe instructions in a separate, printable recipe box at the end of this post.
How To Make Cauliflower Buffalo Wings
1. Carefully cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets.
2. In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, the plant-based milk, the water, the garlic power, the paprika powder, the salt, and the black pepper. Stir until well combined.
3. Dip the florets into the batter, so they’re completely coated.
4. Roll them in the panko breadcrumbs. Omit this step for a gluten-free version. However, they’re way crispier with the panko breadcrumb coating.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the cauliflower florets on the baking sheet. Don’t put them on top of each other. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 °F.
6. Combine Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wings sauce with a tablespoon of olive oil and pour it over the baked cauliflower wings. Evenly coat them from all sides by stirring them a few times.
7. Put the coated buffalo wings back on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake again for 20 minutes at 350 °F.
8. For the vegan ranch dip, combine the vegan mayonnaise with dried dill and parsley and stir until well combined. Serve the freshly baked vegan cauliflower wings with the vegan ranch and enjoy! Also sprinkle some chopped green onions and freshly chopped parsley on top if you want.
Buffalo Cauliflower Bites – Recipe Tips
- It’s very important to use unsweetened plant-based milk. The recipe doesn’t work with sweetened milk even if it’s only lightly sweetened. You can still taste it!
- Add panko breadcrumbs to make the buffalo cauliflower bites extra crispy. They really do the trick! The cauliflower wings don’t get as crispy with regular breadcrumbs.
- Pay attention not to put the cauliflower wings on top of each other on the baking sheet. If you’re doubling the recipe, use two baking sheets.
- Each oven is a bit different so make sure to check the wings frequently towards the end of the baking time and adjust the time if needed. It’s okay if they have some brown patches, but you don’t want them to get burned!
- If you don’t like spicy food, this recipe is not for you! But you might want to try my cauliflower hot wings with BBQ sauce instead. They’re a lot less spicy!
Cauliflower Buffalo Wings with Panko
When I first made cauliflower wings, I only used a batter of flour, unsweetened almond milk, and spices to coat my cauliflower wings. However, over time I perfected my recipe and the buffalo wings are so much better when you coat them with panko breadcrumbs. They’re so much crispier this way!
I also tried coating them with regular breadcrumbs, but the results were nowhere as good as with panko breadcrumbs! Learn more about the difference between panko breadcrumbs and regular breadcrumbs.
So I highly recommend using panko for cauliflower wings if you want them to be really cripsy!
Cauliflower Buffalo Wings without Flour
You can also make gluten-free cauliflower wings. I’ve done this a couple of times already and it’s super easy to make them gluten-free.
Instead of all-purpose flour I like to use chickpea flour for gluten-free cauliflower buffalo wings. This works really well! Besides, you have to omit the panko breadcrumbs and use gluten-free breadcrumbs instead or just leave them out all together.
I must admit that I like the version with panko breadcrumbs much better, but the cauliflower wings without flour are still extremely delicious! And this way you can also make them low carb.
It’s just very important that you use a good sauce because it gives the wings their flavor!
Are cauliflower wings healthy?
I’ve heard this question so many times! YES, cauliflower wings are waaaaay healthier than for example chicken buffalo wings!
I mean they’re made out of CAULIFLOWER!
Besides, they’re mostly baked and not fried, which makes them a lot healthier as well. They’re not greasy like traditional chicken wings while being packed with flavor. I added a tablespoon of olive oil to my recipe to make the wings crispier, but if you’re looking for an oil-free version, just omit it.
So if you like traditional wings but you’re looking for a healthier version, cauliflower wings are perfect for you!
How do cauliflower wings taste and do cauliflower wings taste like chicken?
It’s pretty impossible for cauliflower to taste exactly like chicken I’d say. BUT cauliflower wings really do taste like traditional wings!
They taste a lot like the sauce you use for the coating. They have a tangy, spicy, and very hearty taste depending on the sauce you use.
Besides, they’re super crispy! I know a lot of people that are real meat lovers but absolutely LOVE cauliflower wings! They’re just THIS goood!!!
Are You Looking For Even More Cauliflower Wings Recipes?
My hubby and I are kind of obsessed with cauliflower wings and we make them all the time! Over time, I posted some delicious vegan cauliflower wing recipes on the blog. There are so many ways to use cauliflower wings!
Here are some of my favorite cauliflower wings recipes for you:
Cauliflower Hot Wings with BBQ Sauce and Vegan Aioli (They’re so tangy, lightly spicy, and incredibly comforting – a real crowd pleaser!!)
Vegan Cauliflower Tacos (Another cauliflower recipe that went viral on Pinterest – I got so much positive feedback from you guys for these delicious cauliflower tacos!)
General Tso’s Cauliflower – My favorite recipe for cauliflower wings sweet and sour!
BBQ Pizza with Crispy Cauliflower
I hope you like this recipe for cauliflower buffalo wings as much as we do! If you’re looking for even more ways to use cauliflower in your kitchen, check out my roundup of 20 game changing vegan cauliflower recipes.
Have an amazing week, everyone!
Sina – xx
Cauliflower Buffalo Wings
Ingredients
For the cauliflower buffalo wings:
- 1 small head of cauliflower
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (use chickpea flour for a gluten-free version)
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond or soy milk
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika powder
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wings sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the vegan ranch dip:
- 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Carefully cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets.
- In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, the plant-based milk, the water, the garlic power, the paprika powder, the salt, and the black pepper. Stir until well combined.
- Dip the florets into the batter, so they're completely coated.
- Roll them in the panko breadcrumbs. Omit this step for a gluten-free version. However, they're way crispier with the panko breadcrumb coating.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the cauliflower florets on the baking sheet. Don't put them on top of each other. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 °F.
- Combine Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wings sauce with a tablespoon of olive oil and pour it over the baked cauliflower wings. Evenly coat them from all sides by stirring them a few times.
- Put the coated buffalo wings back on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake again for 20 minutes at 350 °F.
- For the vegan ranch sauce, combine the vegan mayonnaise with dried dill and parsley and stir until well combined. Serve the freshly baked vegan cauliflower wings with the vegan ranch and enjoy! Also sprinkle some chopped green onions and freshly chopped parsley on top if you want.
Nutrition
I’ve tried this with a BBQ sauce instead of hot pepper sauce and OMG! It is brilliant!! I’m not vegan and not a huge fun of cauliflower BUT I can confirm this is beyond what I’ve imagined!
Wow, these are amazing!! I can’t wait to make them for a get-together (once it’s safe again)! Totally surpassed my expectations! My honey and I have been trying to cut out as much meat as we can and these are perfect! After the first cauliflower-wing recipe I tried last year I have been pretty hesitant, they were soggy and just not good. THESE cauliflower wings are crunchy and delicious!! Definitely give them a try, I will most certainly be making them again :)
Wow! These were even amazing cold, the NEXT day!! So trippy….makes you think you’re eating chicken.
I made these last night. They were delicious and easy!
I altered it by using fresh ground rice flour mixed with almond flour, crushed whole wheat crackers for breadcrumbs, almond milk.
For the ranch dressing I used plain Greek yogurt seasoned with italian seasoning ( was out of parsley)dill, onion and garlic powder.
Very happy with the results.
Easy to make and delicious. My husband loves his chicken wings so l thought he wouldn’t like these but he did! I used chickpea flour for the batter and gluten free Panko crumbs for the breading.
Made these…. but not the mayo. They were great! My husband asked for seconds and said “they were surprisingly great!” He doesn’t usually like the “new recipes” I make. We’re a great hit in our family.
Soooo good! Even my husband enjoyed it and he hates veggies, lol!!
Great recipe! We didn’t have any hot sauce but I used a little BBQ sauce instead and it worked out great! First time making cauliflower like this and everyone loved it!
Great taste! Easy to make. I combined sweet & spicy BBQ sauce with a little hot sauce and yummy!!
These were great and so crispy!! I’ve tried many other recipes and none of them were as good as this one. I put sliced GF bread in my food processor to sub the Panko bread crumbs. 10/10!
So good! Will definitely use your recipe again
Been making these for about a year now, and they’re always a hit! Dipping the cauliflower in the batter and then breadcrumbs can be a bit time-consuming, but it’s totally worth it. We usually do BBQ sauce rather than buffalo wings sauce, but both are good (just depends on spice tolerance). We also often have ranch dressing on hand, so we mix that with mayo, lemon, and extra dill for dipping sauce. And if you’re wondering if you could do broccoli, too – you definitely can! Thanks for an awesome recipe!
I bought a round bowl with a lid and just pour the batter over top. Then put the lid on and shake! It lets you skip the step of dipping them. I then wash the container while they are cooking and then do the same with the hot sauce. Saves a bit of time.
Excellent. I tried another cauliflower buffalo wing recipe and it was not crispy. The panko crumbs are an inspiration! I found the sauce a bit bland. Added some lemon juice and extra dill and it was good. I had left overs. Put them in the oven at 350 and they crisped up well. For a make ahead I did everything up to the first bake. The added the buffalo sauce and baked the second time before serving. Makes it quick and easy if making ahead.
I made this for my fiancé who loves wings… so good. I may not ever make chicken wings again 😱
these were absolutely amazing! recipe was so easy to follow and the wings came out crispy and delicious!! can’t wait to make these again.
These are delicious! So easy to make too. I used cholula hot sauce and it was very spicy as a glaze to these wings. I will try Franks next time. This was my first time making these and it seems like the perfect recipe as the “wings” came out so crispy and delicious! Definitely a keeper