Cauliflower Wings

These vegan baked cauliflower wings feature cauliflower florets with a buffalo-flavored coating baked to perfection. They make a delicious and healthy snack or party food when served with vegan ranch dip.

A serving dish with vegan baked buffalo cauliflower wings with sliced celery sticks and ranch dressing.

I feel like every day I’m learning new ways to use vegetables in place of meat. For example, there’s my Jackfruit Pulled Pork. It’s like if vegetables could sing a show tune, they’d choose “anything you can do, I can do better!”

What Makes This Recipe Shine?

  • Dipping cauliflower florets in batter and baking them creates an outer coating, giving the buffalo sauce something to adhere to
  • Using buffalo sauce gives these cauliflower bites lots of flavor
  • Serving the wings with vegan ranch gives contrasting flavors and textures that makes every bite irresistible

Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

  • Plant-based milk — I recommend using plain milk (not vanilla-flavored), like soy milk or almond milk.
  • Flour — I recommend all-purpose flour, but you can substitute gluten-free baking flour.
  • Garlic powder
  • Paprika
  • Cauliflower florets — You can buy packages of florets or buy a whole head and cut cauliflower into florets yourself
  • Wing Sauce — I recommend vegan buffalo sauce. You can use storebought but some of them contain dairy so be sure to read the labels.
  • Coconut oil — I recommend using refined coconut oil because it has a more neutral flavor. You can substitute olive oil.
  • Ranch Dip — It’s fun to serve your buffalo cauliflower bites with celery and some vegan ranch dip on the side.

Marly’s Tips

For really spicy cauliflower wings, add some sriracha to the sauce.

A head of cauliflower with green leaves intact sits on a white counter.

What Cauliflower is best for Cauliflower Wings?

I use a whole cauliflower head when making wings. Choose one that is heavy, firm, and relatively compact. Of course, finding a head without any brown spots is optimal; however, small brown spots and blemishes are easy to remove by scraping them off with a paring knife.

How to Make Cauliflower Wings

  1. Make a dipping batter made from milk, water, flour, and spices.
  2. Dip the cauliflower florets in the batter and place them on baking sheets.
  3. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping them in the middle of the bake.
  4. Stir together the buffalo sauce and oil.
  5. Dip the baked cauliflower in the sauce.
  6. Bake the hot sauce-coated florets for 15 to 20 minutes.
  7. Serve with vegan ranch dip.

Here are more detailed step-by-step instructions.

Step One: Make the Batter

To make the batter, mix the ingredients together in a bowl and stir to combine.

Assess the batter. It should be thick, but not too thick. If it’s too runny, add a tablespoon more flour. If it’s too thick, add a tablespoon more flour. 

Step Two: Dip Cauliflower Florets

  1. Cut cauliflower into florets.
  2. Dip the cauliflower florets into the batter and let excess batter drip off into the bowl.
    A hand holds a cauliflower floret dipping it in batter. There are other florets waiting to be dipped by the bowl. Some florets have already been dipped and are on a baking sheet.
  3. Place on prepared baking sheets.
  4. Repeat until all the cauliflower is coated and in a single layer on the baking sheets.

Step Three: First Bake

  1. Bake for 10 minutes.
  2. Remove the pan from the oven, and use tongs to flip each piece.
    Cauliflower florets have been dipped in batter and baked until crispy. They're laid out in rows on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  3. Bake for another 10 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.

Step Four: Second Bake

  1. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the hot sauce with coconut oil. Microwave for 10 to 30 seconds until the coconut oil begins to melt. Stir together.
  2. Once the cauliflower is done, remove it from the oven and set aside until the pieces are cool enough to handle.
  3. Dip the cauliflower pieces in the prepared hot sauce.
  4. Return the hot sauce-coated florets to the original baking sheet and return to the oven. Bake for another 20 minutes.
    Cauliflower wings are lined up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. They're golden brown in spots.

Change it up by making BBQ Cauliflower Wings — replace the buffalo sauce with this Vegan BBQ Sauce. It’s delicious!

Serving Suggestions

You can serve these crispy cauliflower wings with any of the following:

Keto Cauliflower Wings

Cauliflower is a favorite ingredient for the keto community because it’s naturally low in carbohydrates. These vegan hot wings are made from cauliflower and, as a result, have only 9g of net carbs per serving.

You can reduce carbs even further by using almond flour or cassava flour in place of all-purpose flour in this recipe. This has the added benefit of making them gluten-free as well.

Note: Net carbs is total carbs minus fiber.

A hand holds a cauliflower wing after dipping it in vegan buffalo sauce. There are celery sticks and more cauliflower wings in the background.

Is Cauliflower Healthy?

Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable making it one of the healthiest vegetables to include in your diet. Cauliflower is a low calorie, high nutrient vegetable making it a nutritiously dense powerhouse to include in your everyday diet.

Why are my cauliflower wings soggy?

There are a couple of things that can lead to soggy cauliflower wings. First, check your oven temperature. Second, adding too much sauce can create soggy wings. Be sure to tap your florets on the side of the bowl after dipping them to remove any excess batter.

How do you reheat cauliflower wings?

You can reheat baked cauliflower bites in the microwave but they won’t regain that just-baked crispy crust. To make them crispy, heat your oven to 400°F/200°C and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes until heated through.

More Cauliflower Recipes

Can’t get enough cauliflower? Here are even more recipes to try:

A hand dips Vegan Baked Cauliflower Wings into a bowl of ranch dressing.
A serving dish with vegan baked buffalo cauliflower wings with sliced celery sticks and ranch dressing.

Vegan Baked Cauliflower Wings

These baked cauliflower buffalo wings, are a delicious, satisfying snack for game day and every day that everyone is sure to love! Gluten-free option provided.
4.80 from 5 votes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 81kcal

Ingredients

Dipping Batter

  • ½ cup plant-based milk plain, not vanilla
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour (substitute gluten-free flour)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika

Preparing Cauliflower Florets

  • 4 cups cauliflower florets
  • 1 cup vegan buffalo sauce
  • 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil (see note)
  • Ranch Yogurt Dip

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

For the Dipping Batter

  • Mix the plant-based milk, water, flour, garlic powder, and paprika in a bowl. Stir to combine. Assess the batter. It should be thick, but not too thick. If it's too runny, add a tablespoon more flour. If it's too thick, add a tablespoon more flour.

For Preparing the Cauliflower Florets

  • Dip the cauliflower florets into the batter, let excess drip off over the bowl, and then place on prepared baking sheets. Repeat until all the cauliflower is coated and in a single layer on the baking sheets.
  • Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and use tongs to flip each piece. Bake for another 10 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
  • In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the hot sauce with the coconut oil. Microwave for 10 to 30 seconds until the coconut oil begins to melt. Stir together.
  • Once the cauliflower is done, remove it from the oven and set aside until the pieces are cool enough to handle. Or use tongs to dip the cauliflower pieces in the prepared hot sauce.
  • Return the hot sauce-coated florets to the original baking sheet and return to the oven. Bake for another 20 minutes.
  • Serve with Ranch Yogurt Dip and celery sticks.

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Notes

If you don’t have coconut oil, you can substitute vegan butter.
Calories: 81kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1257mg | Potassium: 237mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 205IU | Vitamin C: 32.1mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 0.8mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post was originally published in 2017 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2020.

9 Responses to Cauliflower Wings

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for Marlypaula carilli Reply

    5 stars
    love it

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Thanks, Paula! So glad you like this recipe!

  2. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMaria powell Reply

    4 stars
    I usually don’t like wings. But wow these were soooo good!

  3. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyBev Reply

    Hi Marly,
    I am making the cauliflower wings again (hopefully we won’t eat them all before hand) for a work pot luck. Would they still taste as good cold? I won’t have time to make them the day of so wondering how well they keep in the fridge overnight. Any tips? Thanks!

  4. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyBev Reply

    Just tried these “wings” today. Oh yum! My hubby and I are “3-month old vegetarians” and are learning new ways to enjoy food and this recipe hit the mark! We will definitely make again and I can t wait to try some of your other recipes. Thank you for sharing!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Thanks, Bev! So glad you liked them. I swear, I could eat the whole batch myself so I’m in awe that you shared them.

  5. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyLeo Sigh Reply

    Weirdly, I was just thinking about finding a recipe for cauliflower wings last week, as I love them, and then stumbled across this 🙂

    Love the sound of your ranch yoghurt dip too. Will definitely be trying this. I’ll just use regular flour, as I’m not gluten-free.

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyC-lynn

      I don’t have coconut so can I use vegan butter with the hot sauce?

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Hi there, yes vegan butter is a great substitute. I’ll add that as a note to the recipe too. Thanks!

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