Oct 8, 2017

Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
These crispy battered and fried cauliflower bites tossed in homemade buffalo sauce are a great vegetarian alternative to buffalo chicken wings.  
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These crispy battered and fried cauliflower bites tossed in homemade buffalo sauce are a great vegetarian alternative to buffalo chicken wings. I love just about anything tossed in buffalo sauce, and you don’t have to be vegetarian to love this recipe – the first time I made them I think I ate a whole head of cauliflower!

The cornstarch and rice flour batter in these cauliflower buffalo wings is gluten free without its being forced to compromise on the crunch and flavor. This combination lightly coats the cauliflower and once fried the cauliflower florets are perfectly crisp. Served alongside carrots, celery and ranch or blue cheese these cauliflower bites make for a perfect meatless game day appetizer or snack.

Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

What’s in buffalo sauce?

Buffalo sauce is extremely easy to make at home – all it takes is a hot sauce of your choice, a bit of melted butter, vinegar, Worcestershire and garlic whisked together. I typically use Frank’s® RedHot® hot sauce when making classic Buffalo sauce. If not using the buffalo sauce right away, store the sauce in an airtight container for up to a week – warming and whisking to combine and before using. This sauce can be swapped with your favorite store-bought brand in a pinch. Just be sure to warm before serving.

All you need is:

  • Butter (lot’s of it!)
  • Hot sauce
  • White vinegar
  • Worcestershire
  • Garlic
Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites on cutting board with blue cheese dressing carrots and celery

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

Butter

The rich flavor of Buffalo sauce comes from a base of melted butter. I use unsalted butter so the level of salt can easily be adjusted depending on preference.

Hot sauce

While you can use any hot sauce of your choice I recommend choosing a vinegar-based hot sauce. I use Frank’s® RedHot® hot sauce when making my buffalo cauliflower recipe.

White Vinegar

Vinegar adds the tangy, acidic quality to the buffalo sauce in this recipe.

Worcestershire

This fermented condiment adds a lot of concentrated flavor – a little goes a long way. The flavor of Worcestershire comes from a mix of vinegar, molasses, anchovies, garlic, tamarind extract and chili pepper.

Garlic

The garlic in this recipe is minced so it blends smoothly and evenly into the buffalo sauce.

Cauliflower

Cauliflower is a versatile vegetable – it can be used as a vegetarian fill-in for steak, finely diced and used as rice, or roasted as florets. As it fries it still holds together well making it a great vegetarian option for these chicken wing-alternatives. I buy a head and cut it into florets – it’s usually more cost effective than buying a pre-cut bag of florets!

Vegetable oil

Vegetable oil is a neutral oil meaning it doesn’t have it’s own flavor. It’s a great multi-purpose oil since it has a high smoke point (400ºF – 450ºF).

Cornstarch

Cornstarch works well as a coating when frying. The naturally gluten-free starchy powder helps absorb any moisture keeping the outside crunchy.

Rice flour

Rice flour crisps up really nicely when frying. I find the rice flour also stays crispy longer when the fried cauliflower is tossed in the buffalo sauce before serving. Many other fried cauliflower recipes can become soggy before they even hit the table. It’s also naturally gluten-free so mixed with cornstarch it makes a great gluten-free batter. Brown or white rice flour works fine.

Baking powder

Baking powder creates very tiny air bubbles on the surface of the battered cauliflower when fried, resulting in an even lighter batter.

Seasonings

Since the buffalo sauce adds so much flavor, the batter is simply seasoned with a blend of garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites on cutting board with blue cheese dressing vegetables for dipping

How to Make Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

homemade buffalo sauce in direct sunlight
Step 1: Make the buffalo sauce. 

In a small bowl whisk together the butter, hot sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire and garlic until completely combined.

Step 2: Heat the oil and make the batter.

Fill a large pot with enough oil to reach 2″ (5cm) up the side of the pan. Heat oil to 350°F (180ºC). In a large bowl whisk together the cornstarch, flour, baking powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Slowly add ¾ cup cold water, whisking until a thin batter forms. Add more water if needed.

dry ingredients for batter in mixing bowl
cauliflower floret dipped in batter
Step 4: Dip the cauliflower. 

Working in batches, dip the cauliflower in the batter, letting the excess batter drip off.

.Step 5: Fry cauliflower.

Add to the hot oil and deep-fry until the cauliflower is golden brown, about 4 minutes.

fried cauliflower florets
battered and fried cauliflower in oil tossed in buffalo sauce
Step 5: Serve. 

Remove to a large bowl and toss with ¼ cup of the buffalo sauce, adding more as needed. Serve immediately with carrots, celery sticks and ranch or blue cheese dressing.

vegetarian Crispy battered and fried cauliflower bites tossed in buffalo sauce

Tips and Tricks for This Recipe

How to Bake Buffalo Cauliflower

Because the batter is liquid I prefer frying these cauliflower for the best texture though they can also be baked. Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Arrange the coated cauliflower on a baking sheet greased with cooking spray. Make sure the cauliflower are about 1″ apart. Bake for 15 minutes then flip the cauliflower and continue baking until crispy, about an additional 15 minutes. Toss in the buffalo sauce mixture as directed.

Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites cooking with cocktail rings side view

Other recipes you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this crispy buffalo cauliflower bites recipe, give these a try:

Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Print Pin
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the buffalo sauce:

  • ¼ cup melted butter
  • ¼ cup hot sauce of choice, I use Frank’s Red Hot®
  • 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
  • 1 clove garlic, minced

For the cauliflower:

  • 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
  • Vegetable oil, as needed, for frying
  • ½ cup cornstarch
  • ¾ cup rice flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For serving:

  • Carrots, for serving
  • Celery, for serving
  • Ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing, for serving

Instructions:

For the buffalo sauce:

  • In a small bowl whisk together the butter, hot sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire and garlic until completely combined.
  • Set aside until ready to use. If not using right away, store the sauce in an airtight container for up to a week – whisking to combine before using.

For the cauliflower:

  • Fill a large pot with enough oil to reach 2" (5cm) up the side of the pan. Heat oil to 350°F (180ºC).
  • In a large bowl whisk together the cornstarch, flour, baking powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  • Slowly add ¾ cup cold water, whisking until a thin batter forms (about the consistency of pancake batter). If needed, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
  • Working in batches, dip the cauliflower in the batter, letting the excess batter drip off. Add to the hot oil and deep-fry until the cauliflower is golden brown, about 4 minutes.

For serving:

  • Remove to a large bowl and toss with ¼ cup of the buffalo sauce. Serve immediately with carrots, celery and ranch or blue cheese dressing.

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