Cauliflower Hot Wings with Vegan Aioli

These vegan cauliflower hot wings are the perfect comfort food. They're so tangy, spicy, and incredibly delicious! It's almost a bit creepy how close they are to the real thing!

Course Entrée, Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Servings people

Calories 245kcal

Author Sina

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or chickpea flour for a gluten-free version)
3/4 cup unsweetened almond or soy milk
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika powder
salt
black pepper
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (omit for a gluten-free version)
1 cup spicy BBQ sauce
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce (optional)
2 green onions, cut into rings

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350 °F.
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. For a gluten-free version substitute the all-purpose flour with chickpea flour (also omit the water if using chickpea flour).
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.
Transfer the cooked cauliflower wings to a bowl. 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.
Put the coated hot wings back on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake again for 20 minutes at 350 °F.
Serve immediately and sprinkle with the green onions and serve with vegan aioli or vegan ranch sauce. Enjoy!

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.

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