Bold statement, I know.
But, hear me out: I’ve tried alllll the buffalo cauliflower recipes out there, and none of them were quite right. Most are either too soggy, too bread-y, super greasy, or require tedious steps like flipping every.single.piece. to brown both sides.
Aint nobody got time for that.
So, when I found myself with three leftover heads of cauliflower in the fridge last week (don’t even ask…), I knew it was time to develop my own version of the internet-famous buffalo cauliflower wings.
Only this time, we’re ditching all the redundant steps, amping up the flavor of the batter, and making it with a flour that gets crispier than all-purpose when baked…chickpea flour!
Using chickpea flour in the batter also bumps up the protein content of this plant-based snack, making them extra filling and satisfying.
What I learned in the process:
smaller is better. big chunks of cauliflower don’t always cook through, and tend to hold a lot more batter that just ends up puddling around them on the pan. instead, we’re cutting the cauliflower into 1-inch pieces so they cook quickly and don’t get weighed down with batter.
ditch the all-purpose flour. most cauliflower wings have all-purpose flour in the batter, which I’ve found to yield a gummy, dough-y, overly bread-y tasting wing. Instead, we’re using chickpea flour (<–affiliate link), which I know isn’t an ingredient everyone keeps in their pantry, but is so worth the special trip to the store because it is naturally grain and gluten free, higher in protein, and creates the perfect thin, crispy coating on the cauliflower.
bake + broil. the cauliflower needs to bake in order to soften up (duh) and for the batter to cook through (also duh). but JUST baking them never yields a very crispy coating, particularly once they’re coated in buffalo sauce. so, rather than the usual 30-45 minutes of bake time called for in typical buffalo cauliflower recipes, this one only needs to bake for 15 minutes and broil for another 5.
season the batter. we’re using every opportunity to infuse these wings with flavor. salt, garlic powder, and onion powder all join the chickpea flour + water used in the batter to make the cauliflower itself more flavorful, even before the buffalo sauce joins the party.
there really is no limit to the amount of buffalo sauce one person can consume in a day. I may have eaten an entire pan of cauliflower wings, two days in a row. I have no regrets. Neither does my stomach.
So, let’s do this thing! All you’ll need to make the very best buffalo cauliflower wings is 8 basic ingredients, 30 minutes, and an undying love of buffalo sauce.
If you make this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below or take a picture of your Very Best Buffalo Cauliflower Wings and share it with me on Instagram so I can see!
Very Best Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2-4 as a snack
Ingredients:
- 1 large head of cauliflower (you’ll only need half for this recipe)
- 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon chickpea flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 cup frank’s red hot sauce
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Cut cauliflower in half and remove the core. Reserve one half for another use. Then, cut into 1-inch pieces (don’t make them too big!), stopping when you have 3 cups of cauliflower.
- Whisk together the chickpea flour, water, salt, garlic, and onion powder in a medium-sized bowl. Drop the cauliflower into the batter about 1 cup at a time, using a fork to lift each piece out, letting excess batter drip back into the bowl before placing on the sheet pan. Repeat until all cauliflower is coated.
- Bake for 15 minutes on a center rack in the oven. While cauliflower bakes, whisk the hot sauce and olive oil in the bottom of a large bowl.
- Transfer baked cauliflower to the bowl with the hot sauce and toss gently to coat. Pour back onto sheet pan (leave any excess hot sauce in the bottom of the bowl- don’t pour it over the cauliflower on the pan).
- Adjust oven setting to BROIL, and move a rack to the topmost rung of the oven. Once broiler is preheated, place the cauliflower back in the oven for 4-6 minutes, or until sizzling, deeply golden, and starting to blacken on the tips.
- Serve immediately with your favorite buffalo wing dip.
NOTES: this recipe can be doubled to feed a crowd, but I recommend baking in two batches to ensure everything bakes/broils evenly.