Crispy Oven Baked Buffalo Cauliflower
A Football Weekend (Updated) Classic
I’m a sucker for a buffalo wing, especially if a football game is on in the background. I love the little bit of spicy with the hearty chicken wings and, obviously, loads of ranch dressing. These oven baked cauliflower wings are a homemade version of the classic, which allows me and you to make them taste even better. Rather than frying the crispy cauliflower bites, I’ve opted to oven-bake them. Way less mess, less oil, and less babysitting required! Plus baking the cauliflower fresh at home leaves the breading extra crisp when you serve it up, rather than sitting in the sauce and getting soggy en route from the restaurant to your house.
And speaking of the “cauliflower” of it all, these are of course a vegetarian option (just make sure your parmesan cheese is vegetarian safe). Even if you or your guests aren’t explicitly vegetarian, these taste extra fresh with the crispy baked cauliflower bites and are a nice alternative to the classic chicken version.
I’m beyond excited to make these throughout the entire football season and share them with friends and family. They’re a real treat!
Tips For Making These Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
If you plan on making these crispy baked cauliflower with buffalo sauce, here are a few tips to make them extra delicious:
- Number one tip when making the cauliflower is to have patience while you’re building the layers of coating. It will take a few minutes to get all of the small pieces coated, but the extra few minutes are worth it. Be sure to not rush this part, and be diligent with shaking off the excess of each layer before moving onto the next.
- Only make these right before serving, otherwise the crispy topping will get a bit soggy.
- I recommend cutting the head of cauliflower yourself, instead of the pre-cut ones you can find at the grocery store. The cauliflower will taste a bit fresher and you have full control of how large of pieces you’ll get.
- If you’re looking for a classic buffalo sauce flavor, I prefer the brand Frank’s RedHot sauce original flavor. It’s just spicy enough and the flavor is great!
- If making these oven baked cauliflower wings for a vegetarian guest, or if you’re vegetarian yourself, substitute the cheese for a vegan parmesan cheese alternative, or ensure the parmesan you purchase is vegetarian safe. Unless noted, parmesan cheese is made with animal rennet making it not vegetarian.
Recipe Details
There are two parts to this buffalo cauliflower wing recipe - the oven baked crispy cauliflower and the buffalo sauce. To make the crispy cauliflower, you’ll do a technique called a “dredge” to create a crust on the vegetables. To dredge, you’ll first coat the cauliflower in seasoned flour to make an initial crispy layer. Onto that layer, you’ll dip the cauliflower in raw, scrambled eggs. These eggs will allow the outside layer to stick to it and the fat in the eggs adds extra flavor. The final outside layer when dredging the cauliflower is a mixture of panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. This mixture becomes so crispy when baked in the oven. They’ll bake for 35 minutes, until the coating has browned and turned crisp.
While the cauliflower is baking, you’ll prepare the buffalo sauce on the stovetop. You’ll mix hot sauce, butter, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt into a small saucepan. Warm the saucepan over low heat on the stove until the butter has melted and the ingredients have melded together and warmed. Keep warm until ready to use.
Once the crispy cauliflower bites are out of the oven, transfer to a large bowl and pour the buffalo sauce over the top. Toss to coat in the sauce and serve right away. Add ranch or bleu cheese dressing on the side with carrots and celery, just like you’d get buffalo wings at the restaurant.
If you like the sound of this recipe, you should also check out these buffalo sauce appetizers:
Be sure to tag @laura.loves.to.cook on Instagram, Tik Tok, or Facebook to let me know how your recipes turn out. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Extra crispy oven baked cauliflower with buffalo wing-style sauce. A delicious vegetarian option for your next party appetizer, these cauliflower bites are extra crisp, super saucy, and sure to be a hit.
- 1 small to medium head of cauliflower. Cut into 1-1½ inch pieces
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup hot sauce (I prefer Frank’s RedHot Original hot sauce)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Preheat your oven to 425°F and set out a large baking tray. Set out 3 large, shallow bowls or trays.
In 1 of the shallow bowls, add the all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine.
In the second bowl, crack in the eggs and use a fork to scramble, until the yolks and white are incorporated.
In the third bowl, add the panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine.
Coat the pieces of cauliflower into the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. Then add the cauliflower into the eggs, using a spoon to toss the cauliflower in the mixture. Remove from the bowl and shake off any excess egg.
Add the cauliflower to the panko mixture, using your hands to press the panko bread crumbs into the pieces of cauliflower. Place the cauliflower onto the baking tray.
Bake for 35 minutes, until the cauliflower is cooked through and the breading is crisp and brown.
While the cauliflower is in the oven, add the hot sauce, unsalted butter, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt to a small saucepan over low heat. Stir to mix the ingredients together.
Stir occasionally until the butter has melted and the sauce has warmed through.
Keep warm until ready to pour onto the cauliflower.
Once the cauliflower is out of the oven, let cool for about 5 minutes. Transfer the cauliflower into a large glass or aluminum bowl.
Pour the buffalo sauce over the cauliflower in the bowl. Toss in the bowl by hand or with a large spoon until each piece of cauliflower is coated in the sauce.
Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately with ranch or bleu cheese dressing, carrots, and celery. Enjoy!
