Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower

Crispy, sticky, spicy air fryer buffalo cauliflower is a healthy, vegetarian version of buffalo chicken wings. Perfect as a snack, treat or entree!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Top tips
• Serving suggestions
• Variations
• Leftovers
• Frequently asked questions
• You might also like these recipes
• Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read more about it in the privacy policy.

Buffalo cauliflower bites are essentially the vegetarian version of buffalo chicken wings. Cauliflower is breaded and air fried until crispy, then coated in delicious buffalo sauce. This recipe is great for vegetarians, but they taste so good that anyone would love them.

Since they are made from cauliflower, they are really healthy, and an excellent way to incorporate more veggies in your diet – in a fun way.

Ingredients

For this recipe you will need cauliflower, egg, cornstarch, flour, milk, seasoning and buffalo sauce. For seasoning, I use a combination of garlic powder, salt, pepper, onion powder, parsley and paprika, however you can change these if you prefer.

I use oat milk as that’s my preference, but feel free to use any milk that you like.

💡 TIP! Cauliflower wings are best made with raw cauliflower. Frozen cauliflower florets are not suitable for this recipe.

Instructions

1. Cut the cauliflower into bite sized florets.
2. Combine egg and milk in one bowl. Combine flour, cornstarch and the seasoning in another bowl.
3. Use your fingers or a fork to dip one cauliflower floret into the egg and milk mixture. Make sure that the mixture is distributed evenly in every crease and nook of the cauliflower. Shake off excess liquid.
4. Dip the wet cauliflower floret into the flour mixture, and turn to coat it evenly. Place the floret on a plate or chopping board, and repeat steps 3 and 4 with every piece of cauliflower.
5. Preheat your air fryer to 375 F 190 C. Spray the inside of your air fryer basket with olive oil or cooking spray, and gently place each cauliflower florets inside the basket. Be careful not to overcrowd the basket, the pieces should be placed in one layer with a little space between them. You might have to cook it in multiple batches.
6. Cook the cauliflower for about 15 minutes, or until crispy.
7. Transfer the air fried cauliflower into a bowl, and pour over the buffalo sauce. Stir to coat evenly.
8. Move the cauliflower back to the air fryer, and cook for another 5 minutes to re-crisp the surface.
9. Serve the buffalo cauliflower bites immediately.

Top tips

• Your air fryer might cook slightly different to mine, so make sure to check on the cauliflower during the last few minutes of cooking to ensure that it doesn’t burn.
• You don’t have to add any oil to the dish, but I recommend brushing or spraying the air fryer basket with a little oil to prevent the cauliflower from sticking to it.
• Use your favorite buffalo sauce. Mine is Frank’s RedHot Buffalo sauce.

Serving suggestions

There is never a wrong time for cauliflower wings! Serve these as a snack for game day, at a BBQ, as a part of a buffet, or as an entree for lunch or dinner. Here are some of my favorite dips and sides that I love to pair them with:

• Healthy Homemade Ranch Dip – I love serving my buffalo cauliflower with ranch dip, and this is my favorite recipe!
• Cottage Cheese Dip – This dip is also a phenomenal alternative.
• Broccoli and Cheese Balls – Create a veggie snack bowl with the cauliflower wings and these broccoli bites.
• Instant Pot Basmati Rice – Serve the cauliflower with a side of rice for a complete meal.

Variations

Egg free: The egg is essential to give the cauliflower a good coating. If you want to make an egg free version, you could try to use an egg replacement or a flax egg. I have not tried this, so if you do, please let me know how it goes!

Vegan: Use a vegan milk alternative, such as oat milk or soy milk, and see notes above for excluding the egg.

Gluten free: Substitute the flour with any gluten free flour.

Low carb: If you want to make low carb buffalo cauliflower bites, you can replace the flour with a low carb flour alternative, such as almond flour. The result will be similar.

Leftovers

As the cauliflower rests, it tends to become more soggy and less crispy. Leftovers therefore tend to be quite soft, but still taste great!

You can store leftover buffalo cauliflower in a sealed container in a refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat it in an oven or air fryer to crisp it up slightly before serving. The cauliflower can also be diced and repurposed in other dishes, such as wraps, quesadillas, salads and more.

Frequently asked questions

You might also like these recipes

• Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Air Fryer Cauliflower
• Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas
• Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Legs
• Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Zucchini
• Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake
• Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken
• Healthy Buffalo Chicken Tacos

If you make this recipe, make sure to post a photo to Instagram with #hintofhealthy! Follow Hint of Healthy on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest for more healthy recipes.

Recipe