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A meatless version of your favorite buffalo wings. No breading station required for these Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Bites. The are so easy!!
These bites are so flavorful, tender on the inside, with a bit of crunch on the outside. These are meant for sharing, but I’m pretty sure you won’t want to. 😉
And because these are made with cauliflower instead of the traditional stuff buffalo bites are made with (chicken), they are healthier! So go ahead and chow down guilt free!
I’m sure you’ve seen various different recipes for these cauliflower bites floating around online. Most of them seem to have some sort of tedious breading involved. While I do love breaded things, it takes a long time and can make a big mess.
I wanted to find a way to make these without the need of a breading station. These Buffalo Cauliflower Bites still have a crunch from the Panko breadcrumbs, but the breadcrumbs are just loosely shaken on, which actually makes them a bit healthier because you can use less. It also makes them super easy! And so amazingly delicious. I can eat an entire head of cauliflower this way!
How to make the recipe
Please scroll down to the recipe card for exact ingredient measurements and instructions.
I find the easiest way to prepare cauliflower is to first cut it in half down the middle and then work with each half on it’s own. Tear or cut off the outer leaves, then cut off the stem. If there are any smaller leaves in between the florets, I take a small paring knife and carefully cut the stem from the cauliflower.
Once the leaves and stem are gone, you can gently pull apart the florets. You want them bite size for this Buffalo Cauliflower recipe. If you have any florets that are on the larger size, you can cut them in half.
Any smaller florets or crumbled pieces you can save for a different recipe – throw them in soups, toss them with pasta, or add them to rice dishes.
Toss the cauliflower florets with a drizzle of oil and the breadcrumbs. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, until tender.
Toss in the buffalo sauce and roast another 10 to 15 minutes until the cauliflower starts to get crispy on the outsides.
Toss with more Panko breadcrumbs and serve!
Love cauliflower? Don’t miss these other vegan cauliflower recipes.
- Crispy Baked Cauliflower Tacos
- Orange Cauliflower
- Roasted Cauliflower Salad
- Cauliflower Scampi
- Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup
- Vegan Cauliflower Bolognese
Dairy Free Ranch Dip
These tangy spicy cauliflower wing bites are the perfect appetizer, game day snack, or late night munchie. Serve ’em up with this Simple Vegan Ranch Dip and I dare you to try to stop eating them.
Many vegan ranch recipes call for cashews soaked for 3 to 4 hours. Those are delicious, but sometimes I want something I can whip up in just minutes.
I originally used vegan sour cream as the base, but I have also made it using vegan mayo as the base. Both are delicious, so use what’s in your fridge.
Southwest Vegan Ranch Dressing would be wonderfully delicious with these spicy bites, as well, and it is made with all whole food ingredients!
FAQs
Typical buffalo style sauce is made by combining hot sauce with butter and sometimes adding seasonings like garlic or Worcestershire sauce.
For this recipe, we are taking an even easier route and using store-bought bottled buffalo sauce! Tobasco Buffalo Sauce and Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce are both vegan and taste delicious. Don’t worry about the natural butter flavor in the Frank’s brand…it is indeed vegan.
If your mouth needs a break from the hot spicy bites, a little crunch of fresh celery with ranch should cool things down. Carrots could work, too.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.
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For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!
Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower (cut into bite size florets)
- 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (depending on the size of your head of cauliflower)
- ⅓ – ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Tabasco Buffalo Style Hot Sauce (Frank's also makes a vegan Buffalo style hot sauce)
Simple Vegan Ranch Dip
- ½ cup vegan sour cream (or vegan mayo)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened plain non-dairy milk (soy or almond would work) (*see note)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, drizzle the olive oil over the cauliflower florets and toss to coat well.
- Pour the breadcrumbs over and toss again to coat.
- Pour cauliflower onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread out into one layer.
- Roast for 20 minutes or until cauliflower starts to get tender.
- Take out of oven and pour back into the large bowl.
- Pour hot sauce over cauliflower and toss to coat.
- Place back on baking sheet and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes or so until cauliflower starts to get crispy on the edges.
- Meanwhile, make the Simple Vegan Ranch Dip. Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until combined.
- Take cauliflower out of oven. Toss with a little more Panko breadcrumbs. Serve with Simple Vegan Ranch Dip.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.
Zoe DeAngelis says
Hey this looks frrakon delish! Ive been wanting to make these for quite some time but wasn’t down with the breading thing so this is perfect!
Before I make it, I want to ask, can I use almond milk instead of soy milk in the vegan ranch?
So excited, cant wait to try it!
Jenn S. says
Hi, Zoe. Yes, almond work will certainly work as well. Enjoy!
Kara says
Aloha!
I made these last night, I followed all the instructions but when the cauliflower came out of the oven they were super soggy. What did I do wrong? Also, the breadcrumbs weren’t really sticking to the cauliflower and the cauliflower was pretty covered with the oil.
Thanks for your recipes. I will definitely be trying more of them and tweaking this buffalo cauliflower one.
Jenn S. says
Hi, Kara. I’m thinking it was too much oil for the size of your cauliflower. The cauliflower shouldn’t be totally coated in oil…just a small drizzle to help the breadcrumbs stick (even though some of them will still fall off). You should really be able to see the oil on the cauliflower – they should still look dry. Also, did you use Panko breadcrumbs, not regular ones? Panko are definitely crispier and hold up better.
Thanks for your comment. I hope it works out better next time.
Heather says
I made these for dinner tonight. I had a problem with the panko not sticking though. It just ended up a soggy pile of crumbs on the bottom of the sheet pan. Any suggestions? Also, that “ranch” dip is killer! 1/2 a cup of soy seemed like a lot to me so I just added a slash at a time until I had the consistency that I wanted. The addition of the lemon the dip was lovely. Thanks for the recipe.
Jenn S. says
Hi, Heather. Did you use the oil? The only thing I can think is if the oil wasn’t dispersed enough, so the cauliflower was too dry for the panko to stick. Also, I usually add more breadcrumbs after adding the hot sauce just to make sure they are coated well. Glad you liked the flavor and the ranch! Check out my Baked Cauliflower Tacos too – they are crispy and delicious! (And basically foolproof!).
Jordan says
Can coconut oil be used instead of olive oil? I’ve just run out of olive oil and won’t be able to go get someuntil the morning.
Jenn S. says
Yes, that would work! Enjoy!
Katie says
Hi! I was wondering how long these keep for? I want to make them and bring them over to a friend’s house and I’m wondering how long they stay good for. Maybe I should do the final cooking step at their house…?
Jenn S. says
Hi, Katie. They are best straight from the oven. They will lose that crispy outside once you store them. Definitely do the final step at their house! Enjoy!