Buffalo cauliflower is a delicious and healthier substitute for traditional buffalo wings. The cauliflower florets are coated with a seasoned yogurt batter before they are baked and then brushed with buffalo sauce. They are so flavorful you won’t miss the chicken!
I’ve seen quite a few buffalo cauliflower recipes but I didn’t really understand the fuss. Then I tried them myself and I’m in love. These are so tasty and I’m definitely adding this to my game day snacks. I never thought I would love vegetarian buffalo “wings”.
More and more I am loving all the ways you can use cauliflower. I’ve experimented with lots of cauliflower recipes and it’s one of my favorite way to lighten up dishes that might otherwise be unhealthy. This buffalo cauliflower recipe is a new favorite.
Unlike other recipes I’ve seen, these aren’t just florets brushed with buffalo sauce. Instead, they are first coated in a yogurt flour slurry, which makes the cauliflower very tender and creates a light layer of creaminess over the cauliflower. The creamy, tangy coating really elevates these beyond just a roasted vegetable and makes them super addicting.
I was inspired to make this after I was given the recipe for buffalo cauliflower bites served at Freshology, created by Chef Raffi. I adapted the recipe – mine is less healthy but still healthier than wings – and I love how it turned out.
Ingredients
- Cauliflower florets
- Greek yogurt
- Fat-free milk
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- All-purpose
- Buffalo sauce
First, you make the slurry by combining the yogurt, milk, garlic powder, onion powder and flour. The mixture will be thick, but it should be so thick that you can’t dip the florets in it. If needed, you can thin it with another tablespoon of milk.
Coat each floret in the batter. The easiest way to coat them evenly is to use your fingers or pastry brush to spread the batter across the surface of the cauliflower. Place each coated floret on a baking sheet.
Bake the cauliflower for 20 to 25 minutes at 375°F or until the coating turns a light golden brown. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and turn the heat up to 400°F. Brush the cauliflower florets with buffalo sauce and place them bake in the oven for five minutes. Once they start to char take them out of the oven.
Serve the buffalo cauliflower bites with ranch dressing on the side.
More Cauliflower Appetizers
Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower cut into bite sized florets
- 11 oz Greek yogurt
- 7 tbsp fat free milk
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. onion powder
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 8 tbsp buffalo sauce
- ranch dressing for dipping
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together yogurt, milk, garlic powder, onion powder, and flour. The batter will be a thick slurry, but not a paste. If it is too thick, you can add 1 more tbsp of milk.
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Dip cauliflower into slurry, and use a pastry brush or your fingers to help spread it across the surface of the floret because the slurry will be too thick to drip off and spread by itself. Place onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake 20-25 minutes until cauliflower coating starts to turn a light brown. Remove cauliflower from oven and then brush with buffalo sauce. Turn oven up to 400ºF and place cauliflower back in the oven, baking another 5 minutes until the coating begins to char. Carefully remove cauliflower from baking sheet and serve with ranch dressing.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Do you think you could fry it instead of baking it?
Hmm, I think if you want to fry it, you may need a different coating. I haven’t tried it, but it might work better with an egg and panko bread crumb coating instead, and then brushing them with buffalo sauce after they are cooked
I made these yesterday and they look just like the picture. They were very good but I could taste the flour. Maybe too much flour or too much batter? I think some other spices would have made them better.
Hmm, yes you want the coating to be light. Because the batter is thick, you may have to shake or remove off some of the coating. Feel free to add other spices. I thought it was pretty flavorful with the onion and garlic powder
I love the idea of this. I saw a similar recipe where they slathered yogurt and some sort of spiced mixture over a whole head of cauliflower and baked it. This kind of reminded me of that. Roasting cauliflower makes it taste so much better.
I agree. Roasting cauliflower makes it taste so much better. I like the idea of roasting a whole head.
Oooh, these look GOOD! I have one question though – which after asking I will immediately go and hide under a rock because I know this is almost sacrilegious – but could I substitute BBQ sauce for the buffalo sauce? Thanks
You could definitely try. I’m not sure if it would come off the same. The yogurt tang goes really well with the spicy buffalo sauce and I’m not sure how well it would work with a bbq sauce.
What an awesome idea!!! I want to make these as a healthier chicken alternative for my boys.
These are seriously tasty! I’d rather serve these at a game day party than wings. It’s not often when I don’t miss the meat, but I totally didn’t miss it with all these flavors.
Yummm! These remind me of the “General Tso’s Chicken” I had at an Indian restaurant recently that was actually made from cauliflower – soooo good, totally could not tell it wasn’t meat!
ooh that sounds good.