These vegan cauliflower hot wings with vegan aioli are the perfect comfort food! They’re so tangy, spicy, and incredibly comforting. And they’re also a lot healthier than chicken wings! We’ve made them so many times and they’re always a real crowd-pleaser!

If you haven’t tried cauliflower wings yet, you should really give them a try! It’s incredible what you can make with cauliflower. It’s such a versatile vegetable! 

I’ve wanted to try vegan cauliflower wings for sooo long. But somehow I never got around to actually making them.

 

There are just way too many vegan recipes to try. And some people say vegan food is boring and restrictive. Well, not really! These vegan cauliflower hot wings are the perfect proof!

Why These Cauliflower Hot Wings Work:

• They’re tender and soft on the inside, while being crispy on the outside. It’s almost a bit creepy how close they are to the real thing!
• Cauliflower is extremely versatile and can be used instead of chicken for these vegan “wings”.  Cauliflower doesn’t have a very strong taste by itself.
• The BBQ sauce gives these cauliflower wings a hearty and tangy taste.
• The sriracha sauce adds some nice spiciness.
• They can easily be made gluten-free by substituting the all-purpose flour with chickpea flour.
• They’re healthier than chicken wings and contain less calories.

Cauliflower Hot Wings – What You’ll Need:

You don’t need any fancy ingredients to make these vegan cauliflower wings. Just very basic ingredients you’ll likely find in any regular grocery store.

You’ll need:

• 1 head if cauliflower
• chickpea flour or regular all-purpose flour
• unsweetened plant-based milk (almond or soy)
• garlic powder
• paprika powder
• spicy BBQ sauce
• panko breadcrumbs (omit for a gluten-free version)
• salt and pepper
• sriracha sauce (optional)

As always, you can find the full ingredient list and detailed instructions in a separate recipe box at the end of this post. 

How To Make Cauliflower Hot Wings:

The preparation of these cauliflower hot wings takes some time, but the steps are very easy!

STEP 1: Carefully cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets.

STEP 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.

STEP 3: Dip the florets into the batter, so they’re completely coated.

STEP 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.

STEP 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.

STEP 6: Transfer the cooked cauliflower wings to a bowl.

STEP 7: Combine the BBQ  sauce with a teaspoon sriracha sauce and pour it over the baked cauliflower wings. Evenly coat them from all sides by stirring them a few times.

STEP 8: Put the coated hot wings back on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

STEP 9: Bake again for 20 minutes at 350 °F.

STEP 10: Serve immediately and sprinkle with the green onions and serve with vegan aioli or vegan ranch sauce. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

• I recommend rolling these cauliflower wings in panko breadcrumbs after dipping them into the flour batter. It makes them a lot crispier!
• For a gluten-free version, you can use chickpea flour instead of all-purpose flour. Also omit the panko breadcrumbs.
• Immediately serve these cauliflower wings. They’re super crispy when they come out of the oven, but unfortunately they will be a lot less crispy when they cool down.
• Don’t store them in air-tight containers. I’ve done this before and they became really mushy. The taste was still amazing, but the texture wasn’t as planned.
• You can, however, reheat them in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. But they will still be softer and not as crispy as when they’re freshly baked.
• I’ve also got a recipe for cauliflower buffalo wings on the blog, if you’re looking for a different flavor or style.

What goes with cauliflower wings?

Dips:

• We ate the vegan cauliflower hot wings with vegan aioli, which I absolutely love. We used a store-bought vegan aioli. But if you can’t get hold of it, you can also make it yourself by blending vegan mayonnaise with garlic.
• Or enjoy these vegan chicken wings with ranch sauce. I’ve got a recipe for a vegan ranch dip in another post.
• Vegan Blue Cheese Dip might also be a great idea.

Wraps, Pitas, and Tacos:

I also love eating them in wraps or pitas with lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado. Top it off with a vegan yogurt sauce made of unsweetened yogurt and herbs.

Or  serve them in tacos. Check out my recipe for vegan cauliflower tacos. It’s so yummy and super popular on Pinterest!

If you’re looking for a spicier version of cauliflower wings, check out my cauliflower buffalo wings with ranch dip. They’re made with Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wings sauce.

Looking for Gluten-Free Cauliflower Wings?

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.

More vegan cauliflower recipes:

• Cauliflower Buffalo Wings 
• Cauliflower Burger 
• Crispy Vegan Cauliflower Tacos 
• BBQ Pizza with Crispy Cauliflower 
• Cauliflower Bolognese Sauce
• 20 game-changing vegan cauliflower recipes 

I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS!

I hope you like this recipe for cauliflower hot wings as much as we do around here.

If you give these cauliflower wings a try, I’d love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!

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Sina – xx