Crunchy buffalo cauliflower is healthy and oil-free. These vegan buffalo cauliflower bites are a game-day treat! Dip it in vegan blue cheese or ranch, or without any sauce!
Cauliflower, by far, is one of my favorite veggies! I love transforming it into my favorite vegan buffalo cauliflower bites recipe. Serve vegan buffalo cauliflower bites for the perfect appetizer, entree, or side dish.
Jump to:
- Cauliflower Nutritional Benefits
- Buffalo Cauliflower Bites Ingredients
- Buffalo Cauliflower Bites Ingredient Substitutions
- How to Make Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
- Preparing the Cauliflower for Dredging
- How to Make the Dredging Bowls
- Cooking Options
- Vegan Buffalo Sauce
- Vegan Cauliflower Bites Dipping Sauce
- Serving Suggestions
- Recipe FAQs
- Tips
- More Appetizers for the Best Vegan Party Bites
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Reviews
Instead of frying these vegan buffalo cauliflower bites, I bake or air fry without oil. And if you love cauliflower, try my Tahini Roasted Cauliflower, a copycat version of the True Food Kitchen cauliflower recipe. Or, General Tso Cauliflower substitutes our favorite Chinese takeout.
And here is a collection of fabulous vegan cauliflower recipes from several of my blogging friends.
Cauliflower Nutritional Benefits
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Nutrient Database, one cup of chopped raw cauliflower, cut into half-inch pieces, and weighing around 107 grams, contains:
- 27 calories
- 2 grams (g) of protein
- 0.3 grams of fat
- 5 g of carbohydrate, including 2.1 g of fiber and 2 g of sugar
- 24 milligrams (mg) of calcium
- 16 mg of magnesium
- 47 mg of phosphorus
- 320 mg of potassium
- 51.6 mg of vitamin C
- 16.6 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin K
- 0.197 mcg of vitamin B6
- 61 mcg of folate
One cup of raw cauliflower provides:
- 77 percent of daily vitamin C needs
- 20 percent of daily vitamin K needs
- 10 percent or more of daily needs for vitamin B 6 and folate
Buffalo Cauliflower Bites Ingredients
- Cauliflower: Choose a large, firm cauliflower without any brown spots or blemishes. I prefer using organic cauliflower.
- Unsweetened Unflavored Plant Milk: I like oat milk because it's naturally creamy.
- Chickpea Flour: Any flour works well, but I enjoy the texture of chickpea flour. It is very fine and thin.
- Paprika: Paprika flavors the flour mixture.
- Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast provides additional nutritional benefits and gives the bread crumb mixture texture and flavor.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: I used gluten-free bread crumbs. To make breadcrumbs, toast your favorite bread and crumble it in the food processor. Gluten-free bread works for this, too.
- Buffalo Sauce: Use your favorite bottled buffalo sauce, or try my homemade Buffalo sauce recipe.
Buffalo Cauliflower Bites Ingredient Substitutions
- Broccoli is an excellent substitute for cauliflower. It is similar in size and texture.
- If you don't like cauliflower, make Buffalo Tempeh!
- Any unsweetened plant milk, flour, and bread crumbs work well with this buffalo cauliflower bites recipe.
- Use smoked paprika for a smokier option.
How to Make Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
Preparing the Cauliflower for Dredging
- First, remove the core from the base of the cauliflower.
- Cut the cauliflower into florets.
- Make sure the florets are equal in size, so they cook evenly.
How to Make the Dredging Bowls
- Assemble three dipping bowls. This is the difference between crunchy buffalo cauliflower and soggy buffalo cauliflower. Because soggy is not the goal, let's discover how to make it crunchy and fabulous without using oil.
- Unsweetened Plant Milk (Bowl 1)
- Chickpea (garbanzo bean flour) mixed with paprika (Bowl 2)
- Nutritional Yeast mixed with Panko Bread Crumbs (Bowl 3)
- Then, it's all about dredging; dip a cauliflower floret in the almond milk, then the flour, back in the milk, and finished in the nutritional yeast.
Cooking Options
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Cook cauliflower for 30 minutes
- Remove from the oven, and using tongs, transfer the hot cauliflower to a large bowl.
Air Frying
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees.
- Air fry for 9 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking process.
- Remove from the air fryer and use a spatula to flip the florets carefully.
- Transfer the cooked cauliflower to a bowl.
Toss in Sauce and Cook a Second Time
- Once the cauliflower is baked or air-fried, it is time to toss it in buffalo sauce and bake or air-fry it a second time.
- Cooking the buffalo cauliflower with the sauce on it for a few more minutes makes the difference between good and great cauliflower.
Next, transfer the saucy cauliflower to the same baking pan and bake it again for a few more minutes.
Vegan Buffalo Sauce
Whether you use bottled or homemade sauce, you only need a cup or less, depending on your cauliflower's sizer.
Start with a half cup and add more if needed. As a result, the cauliflower should be coated in a light sauce covering, not swimming in it.
As far as store-bought vegan brands, I like these:
- Noble Made by New Primal Mild Buffalo Sauce
- Noble Made by New Primal Medium Buffalo Sauce
- Noble Made by New Primal Hot Buffalo Sauce
Or make homemade buffalo sauce, which is as simple as blending a few ingredients.
- Next, transfer the saucy cauliflower to the same baking pan, and bake it again for a few more minutes.
As a side note, remember buffalo is hot! Several mild versions of buffalo sauce exist.
Vegan Cauliflower Bites Dipping Sauce
According to the men in my house, my Vegan Blue Cheese Dressing is the real deal and a requirement for buffalo cauliflower bites. My boys, who formerly enjoyed Buffalo Wild Wings (gross), love this vegan blue cheese! So, I assume the former carnivores know their stuff.
However, I love carrots and celery and prefer Vegan Ranch Dressing for dipping. And for a nut-free dressing, try Avocado Ranch Dressing!
Serving Suggestions
Although I typically serve buffalo cauliflower bites for a perfect game-day appetizer, I enjoy adding buffalo cauliflower to a salad, a wrap sandwich, a baked potato, or a Buffalo cauliflower bowl.
Recipe FAQs
As a cruciferous vegetable, cauliflower is an excellent source of fiber. Most Americans consume less than half the recommended daily amount of fiber. Fiber helps maintain healthy digestion, reducing your risk of digestive disorders. It also promotes the growth of good bacteria in your gut
Cauliflower is a superfood. Superfoods are foods with an exceptionally high nutrient content and are very beneficial to the body. Cauliflower is rich in vitamin C, B6, vitamin K, folate, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, fiber, etc.
Tips
- Cut the cauliflower florets into equal sized pieces to ensure even cooking.
- Save the cauliflower core and shred to add to salads and soups.
- Make breadcrumbs by toasting bread and pulsing in the food processor. This is especially good for using stale bread or the ends of bread instead of throwing them out.
- When removing the cooked, breaded cauliflower from the oven or air fryer, be gentle so as not to remove any of the breading before adding the sauce.
- If using the vegan blue cheese dipping sauce, make it ahead of time so it thickens appropriately in the refrigerator. For a thinner sauce, blend in the blender.
For a unique appetizer, try this vegan buffalo cauliflower bites recipe for a game or any day!
More Appetizers for the Best Vegan Party Bites
If you love this vegan buffalo cauliflower recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Buffalo Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower. core removed and cut into bite sized florets
- 2 cups unsweetened unflavored plant milk (I used Almond Milk)
- 2 cups chickpea flour or any flour of choice
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 cup nutritional yeast
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs I used gluten-free
- 1 cup buffalo sauce of choice
Instructions
Preparing the Cauliflower
- Remove the core from the base of the cauliflower.
- Cut the cauliflower into florets.
- Make sure to cut the florets into equal-sized pieces.
Prepare the Dredging Bowls
- Prepare three different bowls: 1 with plant milk, 1 with the flour and paprika mixed, and 1 bowl with nutritional yeast and Panko bread crumbs mixed.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Now, take each cauliflower floret, dip in the plant milk, then the flour mixture, then back in the plant milk, ending in the nutritional yeast/bread crumb bowl.
- Set each floret on the lined baking sheet.
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Cook cauliflower for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, and transfer the hot cauliflower to a large bowl using tongs.
- Then, add 1 cup of chosen buffalo sauce and gently toss until all the cauliflower is coated with a thin layer of sauce.
- Now, transfer the buffalo cauliflower back on the lined baking sheet, and cook for an additional 10 minutes with the sauce on it.
Air Frying
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees.
- Air fry for 9 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking process.
- Remove from the air fryer and use a spatula to flip the florets carefully.
- Transfer the cooked cauliflower to a bowl.
- Gently toss in buffalo sauce.
- Return sauce-coated cauliflower to the air fryer.
- Cook for another 5-7 minutes until crispy.
SERVING
- Serve with carrots, celery, and vegan blue cheese or ranch dressing.
- Serve with extra buffalo sauce for those who like it saucy.
Notes
- Cut the cauliflower florets into equal-sized pieces to ensure even cooking.
- Save the cauliflower core and shred to add to salads and soups.
- Make breadcrumbs by toasting bread and pulsing in the food processor. This is especially good for using stale bread or the ends of bread instead of throwing them out.
- When removing the cooked, breaded cauliflower from the oven or air fryer, be gentle so as not to remove any of the bread before adding the sauce.
- If using the vegan blue cheese dipping sauce, make it ahead of time so it thickens appropriately in the refrigerator. For a thinner sauce, blend in the blender.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Keri Mager
made these over the weekend, we aren't cauliflower fans, and we were shocked at how much we liked these!
Kathy Carmichael
Hey Keri, we love buffalo everything! I'm so glad it was a hit at your house too. I'm working on a new cauliflower recipe. Keep an eye out for it 🙂