Oven-baked Buffalo Cauliflower is a simple appetizer or a tasty side dish recipe.
Who doesn’t love all things buffalo-style? From buffalo chicken dip to buffalo hot wings and this buffalo cauliflower recipe too! This easy recipe is a family favorite snack (with a side of Blue Cheese Dressing)!
Why We Love This Snack
Fun fact: Of the thousands of recipes on my site, this is one of my Mom’s favorite recipes I’ve posted! She makes it all of the time.
- Restaurant fried buffalo cauliflower bites are always a favorite but baking them at home is so much healthier.
- We love the flavor of these wings (if you don’t like spice, try a mild buffalo sauce).
- I love buffalo chicken wings and but I love my veggies too! This is the best of both worlds.
- These can be oven baked or you can air fry them.
Ingredients for Buffalo Cauliflower
Cauliflower – We like fresh cauliflower for this recipe but frozen can be used. Ensure the cauliflower is washed and dried really well, additional moisture will keep the batter from crisping. Prewashed cauliflower florets to make it easy.
Batter – This recipe starts with a light coating of wet batter which is then gently tossed in bread crumbs. It’s made with simple ingredients milk, flour & seasonings.
Bread Crumbs – A sprinkle of bread crumbs gives these a little crunch.
How to Make Buffalo Cauliflower
- Prepare cauliflower: Prep the cauliflower by cutting it into bite-sized pieces. Ensure it is dry.
- Make batter: Stir the wet batter in a bowl or freezer bag. Toss the cauliflower to coat. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
- Bake until crispy: Bake the buffalo cauliflower wings until browned and crisp. Toss with buffalo sauce and bake a few minutes more.
Holly’s Tips
- Ensure the cauliflower is very dry after washing. You can use a salad spinner or shake it dry. I try to wash it the day before if I can.
- Toss the cauliflower in the wet batter and let most of the excess drip off, you want just a light coating.
- Add additional seasonings to your liking including paprika, lemon pepper, smoked paprika.
- Line the pan with foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Gently add some of the buffalo sauce to the cauliflower, you don’t want them saturated with sauce or they will get soggy.
- If some of your friends/family don’t like spice, leave a few aside when adding buffalo sauce and season with salt and black pepper instead. Serve them with your favorite dips.
Serving Suggestions
These make a great snack on game day but can also be served in place of roasted cauliflower too.
Buffalo cauliflower bites call for sides of celery and carrots, but, why stop there? Serve with some avocado ranch dressing, or your favorite yogurt or sour cream based dip.
You sure can! Be sure the frozen cauliflower is thawed, drained, and dabbed dry or the batter will not crisp. Frozen cauliflower will be softer than fresh.
Yes. Place a single layer in the air fryer basket and air fryer at 350°F for 5 minutes and 400°F for an additional 5-7 minutes.
More Buffalo Snacks You Need
Oven Baked Buffalo Cauliflower
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower washed and dried
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- pepper to taste
- ⅔ cup Panko bread crumbs
- ⅔ cup buffalo sauce (see note below)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Cut cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and discard the core.
- Combine milk, flour, oil, garlic powder, and pepper in a large bowl. Place batter and cauliflower in a large zippered bag and gently toss until cauliflower is coated.
- Pour cauliflower into a large strainer, letting any excess batter drip off. You want just a light coating of batter. Sprinkle with Panko breadcrumbs and gently toss.
- Place on a foil-lined pan and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently toss with buffalo sauce. You want the cauliflower coated but not soaked.
- Place cauliflower back on the pan and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until cauliflower is tender-crisp.
- Serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing.
Notes
- Note: You can purchase store-bought buffalo sauce or mix ⅓ cup melted butter with ⅔ cup hot sauce (such as Frank’s Red Hot). Whisk until combined.
- Ensure the cauliflower is very dry after washing. You can use a salad spinner or shake it dry. I try to wash it the day before if I can.
- Toss the cauliflower in the wet batter and let most of the excess drip off, you want just a light coating.
- Gently add some of the buffalo sauce to the cauliflower, you don’t want them saturated with sauce or they will get soggy.
- If some of your friends/family don’t like spice, leave a few aside when adding buffalo sauce and season with salt and black pepper instead. Serve them with your favorite dips.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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Easy. DELICIOUS! What more could I ask for. ❤
Made this tonight. Didn’t have any problem getting the batter to stick. Maybe there cauliflower was wet? It was a big hit at our house.
These buffalo cauliflower “wings” were sooo good! I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of the panko part where I dredged it on to get a nice dry layer on instead of sprinkling and mixing it. I even used the foil as suggested for baking. Turned out so crispy and really hit the spot for a healthier alternative to real buffalo wings! Not really sure why there are some not so stellar reviews because mine turned out perfect l. I highly recommend this recipe. Other recipes I’ve tried didn’t include the panko which makes a huge diff to give that crunch factor. Thank you for sharing!!
SO GOOD! I ate them all myself. I’ve tried 3 different buffalo Cauliflower bite recipes. This one is, by far, my favorite. They are all so similar, but for some reason this recipe taste better and it has a better texture. The other recipes I tried ended up soggy or soft compared to this recipe. I have actually made these 5 or 6 times now and they have turned out perfect every time! I use half and half because I don’t usually have milk in my fridge and I add a little of the frank’s buffalo sauce and cayenne pepper to the batter, but they taste great if you follow the recipe too. I’ve also tried using regular Bread Crumbs instead of Panko and thought they still turned out good with a little crunch. I also don’t think the zip lock bag is necessary. I just dump the cauliflower in the bowl I mixed the batter in. I did not have any problem with the batter sticking to the cauliflower.
Thanks for sharing your tips, so glad you loved it!
I made these tonight just to see. Before we even put the sauce on and put them back in they were fantastic. Once complete with the sauce they were perfect. These totally can be made for game days.
All buffalo cauliflower recipes call for basically the same thing, your included. (I like all the great ideas on your page though!) So, the flour, or flour and water mixtures….it does not “stick” to the cauliflower. Even tried ever so slightly par cooking the cauliflower; still not so much, and then it’s not crunchy as I would expect would be the same if using frozen/thawed cauliflower. Any ideas on getting the flour to “stick” to the cauliflower?
This recipe produces a “batter” which allows everything to stick to the cauliflower.
This was amazing! With a medium large head of cauliflower, there was almost no excess batter, and I stirred the Panko breadcrumbs into the same bowl. Followed everything else to the recipe’s instructions, used parchment, was perfect – crispy, just hot enough with Frank’s red hot and some butter.
Loved this, but how exactly do you put the sauce on to get it to look like the photo? I just dotted some on and it was good but was wondering how you coat with the sauce. Love this recipe!!!!!
You can toss it as you drizzle on the pan or place in in a bowl/freezer bag and toss as you drizzle. Hope that helps.
Hi Holly! Do you think these can be made with frozen cauliflower? Thanks!
While I haven’t tried it, I think it would work. Frozen cauliflower will have a different (much softer) texture so you will likely want to reduce the cooking time. I would suggest defrosting it first to allow liquid to drain away. Let us know how it goes if you try it.
This recipe is so simple and SO good! Most buffalo cauliflower recipes are too complicated but this one is great.
This is one of the best oven been baked buffalo cauliflower recipes that I’ve made. The only change is that I mix the milk and flour in a bowl and add the cauliflower and dredge, then I transfer the cauliflower to a freezer bag with the Panko breadcrumbs and shake. I serve with blue cheese dressing and it is such an amazing recipe!!
I’ve made these twice now. I’ve tried 3 or 4 different Cauliflower Buffalo Bite recipes. This one is, by far, my favorite! They taste great and they actually have a bite to them! I tried it with both panko and regular bread crumbs. Both turned out crispy! For a little extra heat I added Cayenne pepper to the bread crumbs! As soon as they came out of the oven I let them cool on a wire rack, I think that helped them stay crispy. I use parchment paper and don’t have any problem with them sticking. I also just coat them in the bowl with the batter I don’t think there is a need for the zip lock bag.
I am in love with this recipe. Turned out perfect the first time I made it and the second time (the very next day). Best right out of the oven, but good cold also. Will experiment with different sauces in the future, although it’s hard to beat Frank’s hot sauce or wing sauce. Thank you for sharing this super awesome recipe.
I never ever EVER leave reviews on recipes, but this recipe has become a staple for me! I went vegetarian 2 years ago and had some SERIOUS buffalo-wing withdrawals. Buffalo wings were my favorite food. I tried this recipe a year ago and fell in love. I’ve made these wings at least 10 times since!! It’s foolproof! It works wonderfully every time and my whole family loves them (even the meat-eaters). Thank you so much for this amazing, hassle-free, delicious recipe!! I’m addicted!!!
That is great Callie! So happy to hear these satisfy that craving for you :)
These did not turn out as expected, definitely did not look like your photo. The batter did not get crispy, I turned on the broiler in the last 5 minutes in hopes of crisping them up although that didn’t work either. I would not make these again, I have had them in restaurants and assume they use a deep fryer.
I’m sorry these didn’t work out for you, I can’t say for sure went wrong as we’ve made them many times successfully.
For the hot sauce if you are worried about heat for others but enjoy the taste of a specific hot sauce, melt some butter and mix it in. The butter keeps the flavour of the sauce while neutralizing the heat, this is how we did out mild, medium, and hot sauce at a kitchen I used to work at ;)
Great tip, thank you for sharing Andrew!!
Very disappointing, was rather hard to toss them in the buffalo sauce when they all stuck to the foil, nothing like the picture
Oh no, sorry to hear that Karen. Most readers have great success with this recipe!
.Use parchments paper instead of foil…they won’t stick
Made the recipe without changing anything. Delicious. I am eating them cold now, still delicious.
>’1 head of cauliflower’
>goes to Sam’s Club
>$2 cauliflower, so not very expensive, think I’ll give this recipe a try
>cuts up cauliflower
>way too much cauliflower because their heads are apparently massive
>oh no
I also swapped the panko with normal breadcrumbs. Is there any difference between the two? Great recipe, went really well with blue cheese dressing.
Hi Joshua, panko tends to be lighter and gives a light crunchy coating when baked or fried. Breadcrumbs can be a little denser but still equally delicious! So happy you enjoyed this recipe though, and had lots to enjoy!
These are amazing! Seriously! I made these on Sunday for the game and my husband couldn’t get enough of them! I searched a few recipes for buffalo cauliflower before I decided on this one, and I’m so happy I did! I honestly am not a big fan of cauliflower and I thought they were delicious. I followed the recipe exactly. Thanks for sharing this!