Buffalo cauliflower wings, baked, delicious, and gluten-free. They're so easy to prepare and to make them you only need natural and inexpensive ingredients.
I am obsessed with these Buffalo cauliflower wings! They are so delicious, healthy (as they are baked and not fried!), and easy to make, as well as gluten-free. It truly was love at first taste for me, and now I just can't stop eating them!
Store-bought Buffalo wing sauce usually contains lots of preservatives and additives, so I decided to make the sauce myself to make sure it only contains the ingredients I want it to.
Besides, if you try to make this recipe at home, you can customize it with your favorite ingredients and serve it however you'd like: it's great as an appetizer or snack for parties with friends or family.
Buffalo cauliflower wings, one of my go-to recipes when I have to prepare a good dish for a party or an event, as they are SO tasty, simple, and easy to prepare. I'm sure everyone will love them!
How to make Buffalo cauliflower wings - Step by step
- Preheat the oven to 450ºF or 230ºC.
- Wash and cut the cauliflower head into bite-sized pieces or florets (photo 1).
- Mix the batter ingredients in a bowl until well combined (photo 2).
- Dip each floret into the batter and coat evenly (photo 3). Shake off the excess and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet (photo 4).
- Bake for 20 minutes, flipping over the florets halfway through (photo 5).
- To make the Buffalo wings sauce you can mix all the ingredients in a bowl or add them to a blender and blend until smooth (photo 6).
- After that, pour the sauce into a mixing bowl (photo 7).
- Toss the baked florets in the sauce (photo 8), 1 or 2 pieces at a time. Shake off the excess and place them back on the baking sheet (photo 9).
- Bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown, flipping over the florets halfway through (photo 10).
- Serve immediately.
Pro tips
- Feel free to use store-bought Buffalo wings sauce or even mix hot sauce with some tahini.
- Use any type of vinegar.
- You can substitute the tamari or soy sauce for salt (although in that case, you should add 2 tablespoon of water as well).
- Feel free to replace the tahini with extra virgin olive oil or any other kind of oil (you may need to add less water though).
- Add, change, or replace the spices you'd like.
- The sauce is pretty spicy, so I suggest you add about ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne powder first, then taste it and add more of it if needed.
What are Buffalo cauliflower wings?
Buffalo cauliflower wings are a vegan version of the traditional Buffalo wings. They are made of cauliflower instead of chicken and I made an even healthier version because I baked them instead of frying them. They are completely cholesterol-free and as tasty and good as the original ones!
How long will these Buffalo cauliflower wings keep?
Remember to keep them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat them in the oven until they are warm enough, just be careful not to burn them!
How to serve these Buffalo cauliflower wings
You can serve them with lots of different vegan sauces. I LOVE how they go with this vegan ranch dressing, but they would also taste amazing with some vegan sour cream, healthy ketchup, or healthy barbecue sauce. Go ahead and get creative!
Looking for more cauliflower recipes?
Did you make this Buffalo cauliflower wings recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
Ingredients
For the cauliflower wings:
- 1 cauliflower head
For the batter:
- 1 cup plant milk, I used soy milk
- ¾ cup flour, use gluten-free if needed
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Buffalo wings sauce:
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon tahini
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450ºF or 230ºC.
- Wash and cut the cauliflower head into bite-sized pieces or florets.
- Mix the batter ingredients in a bowl until well combined.
- Dip each floret into the batter and coat evenly. Shake off the excess and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes, flipping over the florets halfway through.
- To make the Buffalo wings sauce you can mix all the ingredients in a bowl or add them to a blender and blend until smooth.
- After that, pour the sauce into a mixing bowl.
- Toss the baked florets in the sauce, 1 or 2 pieces at a time. Shake off the excess and place them back on the baking sheet.
- Bake them for another 20 minutes or until golden brown, flipping over the florets halfway through.
- Serve with vegan ranch dressing, vegan sour cream, healthy ketchup, or healthy barbecue sauce. Go ahead and serve them with your favorite sauces or ingredients!
- Keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Feel free to use store-bought Buffalo wings sauce or even mix hot sauce with some tahini.
- Use any type of vinegar.
- You can substitute the tamari or soy sauce for salt (although in that case, you should add 2 tablespoon of water as well).
- Feel free to replace the tahini with extra virgin olive oil or any other kind of oil (you may need to add less water though).
- Add, change, or replace the spices you'd like.
- The sauce is pretty spicy, so I suggest you add about ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne powder first, then taste it and add more of it if needed.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in September of 2017, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions and tips in September of 2020.
Carrie says
The taste was great but the sauce (the batter and the buffalo sauce) really didn't stick. The photo posted shows these coated well with a crispy looking coating. Mine weren't like that at all. Plus the cauliflower was pretty soft (no it wasn't wet). I've had these at restaurants and they are more like the photo shown. What could be the cause for the two issues I mention? I'd like to make these again and improve them. Taste was great!
Iosune says
Hi Carrie! Did you use the same ingredients and follow all the steps? I don't know the cause, sorry!
Pina says
I made this for a work potluck lunch & it was a big hit even for the non vegans! The ranch dip was also delicious!!
Iosune says
Hi Pina! So glad you guys enjoyed it 🙂 Have a nice day!
Rachel sacharuk says
I’m transitioning to being a vegan, this recipe is delicious. Will definitely be making again. Thank you!
Iosune says
Hi Rachel! So glad you liked it 😀
Mandy says
Thanks so much! I am now super addicted to these, they're so delicious 😀
Iosune says
Hi Mandy! You're so welcome 🙂 So glad you liked it so much!
Stacy says
OMG soooo yummy! Thank you for this great recipe! I made it last night using a blend of gluten free Buckwheat flour and corn meal. It turned out super yummy. Next I'm making the vegan ranch dip and trying the batter with other veggies like broccoli florets and zucchini 😋
Iosune says
Hi Stacy! Thank YOU for your nice words 🙂 Hope you enjoy the dip as well!
daisy says
i got a question. does your ebook include the free recipes found in your blog?
Iosune says
Hi Daisy! No, you'll only find new recipes in our ebooks 🙂
daisy says
I made this cauliflower wings today including the batter and sauce. I love the result. I had tried to make this before from different recipes with no success. I put it in the air fryer. I made some mistake with the use of the air fryer so it could have been crispier; nevertheless, it was still good and very tasty. Thanks.
Iosune says
Hi Daisy! So glad you liked it and the recipe worked for your 🙂 Have a nice day!
Linda says
The spices you mentioned are not usually gluten free...
I was making this as an Easter appetizer...after gathering all the ingredients, I noticed they all said” may contain wheat”...my daughter has Celiac disease, and this would have made her very ill....
Perhaps you should include this warning in your recipes...
Celiac is a very serious disease...not to be taken lightly, by adding “gluten free” to your recipes...
Iosune says
Hi Linda! At least here in Spain you can find gluten-free products at some health stores, and I've also seen so many gluten-free buffalo cauliflower wings recipes on American blogs. I'm so sorry you didn't find them. Have a nice day!
Tillie Wagner says
The batter didn’t cook properly...it was completely mush
Iosune says
Hi Tillie! I'm so sorry the recipe didn't work for you, but it works 🙂 Have you followed all the steps and used the same ingredients? Maybe if you tell me more abot your batter, I could help you...
Rachel says
My cauliflower came out soft....not crispy at all. I have made other recipes similar to this and have had it happen then too. I followed the recipe exactly- is there a secret I’m missing to get that crispy/“fried” texture?
Iosune says
Hi Rachel! It's not fried, so the texture is not the same, but I think it's totally worth it as it's much healthier 🙂
Shannon says
Could I use fresh tomatoes instead of tomato paste? Thanks 🙂
Iosune says
Hi Shannon! I've never tried this recipe using fresh tomatoes, but I think it could work 🙂
Shannon says
Does this buffalo sauce taste just like buffalo sauce you would buy in a store such as "Franks Redhot Buffalo Wing Sauce"?
Iosune says
Hi Shannon! It's not exactly the same, but it tastes amazing and is much healthier 🙂
Alex says
Hello - do you think this would work with frozen cauliflower florets?
Iosune says
Hi Alex! I'm not sure, but I think you should defrost them first 🙂
Nicole says
Yum! Going to make these tonight for a special treat with dinner.
Thanks for the healthy recipe without all the pre-made sauces too!
Iosune says
Hi Nicole! You're so welcome 🙂 Hope you like it!
Annnette says
I just tried these for the first time... they are awesome! Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Definitely going into my repertoire! Great blog!
Iosune says
Hi Annette! You're so welcome and thank YOU for giving our recipe a try 😉
Liz says
Hi! Can I use almond flour instead?
Iosune says
Hi Liz! I've never used it myself, but I think it should work 🙂
Mitch says
Hi, would gram flour work instead of the rice flour?
Iosune says
Hi Mitch! I've never used it, but I think it should work...
Kathy says
Mitch, I made these with gram (besan, chickpea, garbanzo) flour and it does work! We did not use the buffalo sauce because we don’t care for it, but the cauliflower came out great. We dipped them in barbeque sauce.
Iosune says
Hi Kathy! Thanks a lot for your comment 🙂
Renae says
Hi there.These look delicious but would water work in place of the plant milk?
Iosune says
Hi Renae! I think it should work 🙂
VeganE42 says
Hi Renae,
I only had vanilla soy milk and vanilla almond milk in the house tonight so I substituted 1 cup of vegetable broth (made with better than- vegetable bouillon) and it was insanely good! So good, my husband just asked me to continue to swap out the buffalo chicken dip with this recipe for our super bowl parties in the future- vegan for the win!!!!
Iosune says
Hi! So glad your and your husband liked it 🙂 Have a nice day!