It’s fall! Which means football season has started and you know you will be searching for game day snacks. Try out these cauliflower buffalo wings! Instead of just roasting the cauliflower and pouring a hot wing sauce over top, this recipe calls for making a batter and baking them in the oven for a nice and crispy, healthier version of wings.
Here’s a tip: the oven must be very hot in order for the batter to really stick to the cauliflower, so you may want to keep your oven preheating a little longer than you normally would.
Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower (approx. 4-5 cups of florets)
1/2 C unsweetened non-dairy milk (almond or soy work best) or regular milk
1/2 C water
3/4 C all-purpose flour (can sub gluten-free rice flour)
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp of paprika
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 tbsp butter (or Earth Balance vegan butter, if making this recipe non-dairy)
1 C frank’s red hot sauce
Optional: celery and carrot sticks, ranch sauce (for dipping)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 450℉.
- Wash cauliflower thoroughly and cut into florets.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk all ingredients together except for the butter and hot sauce, to make the batter.
- Take a floret and dip in the batter, making sure to cover the entire floret. Tap any excess on the side of the bowl and place on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat with each floret. Make sure you tap off any excess batter so it’s not spilling everywhere, and you will also get evenly coated cauliflower florets.
- Put the baking sheet with the battered florets in the oven for 25 minutes, flipping them over about halfway through. Some ovens may vary, so watch that these don’t burn. NOTE: if you take these out halfway through and the batter sticks to the parchment paper so much that the florets lose the batter, leave them in the oven until the batter sticks to the florets and then flip them.
- While the florets are baking in the oven, begin making the hot sauce by combining the hot sauce and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, take the sauce off the heat and set aside.
- Take the florets out of the oven. In a large bowl, dump the florets in the bowl and pour the hot sauce mixture over the top. Mix them around to ensure the florets are evenly coated.
- Place the florets back on the parchment lined baking sheet.
- Put the hot sauce covered florets back in the oven for 25 minutes, flipping them over halfway through.
- Serve with celery and carrot matchsticks and ranch sauce for dipping.
Bon Appetit!
What’s your favorite game day recipe? Have you ever tried cauliflower buffalo wings? Let us know in the comments!
Recipe adapted from hotforfood.com