Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are the perfect game day appetizer! This secretly healthy recipe is so good, no one will miss chicken wings!
Football season is my jam! I love the game and I also love tailgating parties! But rarely do you see healthy options at a tailgating party. That’s where these healthy oven-roasted cauliflower buffalo wings come in!
I LOVE watching my Cowboys play, win or lose!
Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are a super tasty, crowd-pleasing appetizer that you can fill up on without worrying about calories. Looking for more crazy good cauliflower recipes? Try my Garlic Parmesan Oven Roasted Cauliflower.
Have you guys noticed that cauliflower is like a shapeshifter or is body snatcher a better description? I love that meme that says
“If cauliflower can somehow become a pizza then you, my friend, you can do anything!”
It’s true!!! Cauliflower is breadsticks, pizza and even the potatoes in a chowder!
BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER BITES
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I’m a sucker for anything doused in spicy buffalo sauce. I love buffalo chicken wings as much as the next person, but let’s face it – fried chicken wings weigh in at around 430 calories and 29 grams of fat per 1 cup serving.
At just 150 calories and 6 grams of fat per 1 cup serving, turning your favorite appetizer into Buffalo Cauliflower wings is a great alternative! Plus, they are fiber-filled and full of antioxidants. It’s a win-win!
Ingredients Needed for Buffalo Cauliflower
- One head of cauliflower
- Flour
- Water
- Garlic powder
- Salt & pepper
- Melted butter
- Buffalo sauce
Be sure to wash your cauliflower first, then cut it into bite-sized pieces to allow for even cooking. You can find buffalo style hot wing sauce in the condiment aisle at your local grocery store.
How to Make Buffalo Cauliflower
Making Cauliflower Buffalo wings is one of the easiest recipes. As long as you follow these simple steps you’ll have a total crowd-pleaser of an appetizer!
- First, spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.. Get a large bowl and add the flour, water, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the bowl. Whisk them together to make sure that they’re mixed well. Then, add the cauliflower pieces in the bowl and coat them evenly with the flour mixture. You want to make sure that they are well-coated, but that the coating isn’t too thick.
- Spread the coated cauliflower bites in an even layer on your baking sheet and bake them for about 15 minutes in your preheated oven. Flip the cauliflower bites with a spatula or set of tongs halfway through the cooking time to make sure that they’re cooking evenly. Take the cauliflower out of the oven and set it aside for a few minutes.
- Stir the melted butter and buffalo sauce together in a separate bowl. Add the baked cauliflower and toss it in the sauce to coat. Place your Buffalo Cauliflower Bites back on the baking sheet and bake it for another 25 to 30 minutes, flipping again halfway through. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s browned and crispy.
I like to serve these bites with celery sticks and ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing in a small bowl for dipping.
How to Serve Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
Buffalo chicken wings are traditionally served with celery sticks and a side of creamy blue cheese dressing. These cauliflower bites pair perfectly with those items as well. Think simple, cool, and crunchy. If you want to make things a little more exciting, consider serving Buffalo Cauliflower Bites alongside Classic Coleslaw or Rainbow Macaroni Salad.
What else to serve with Buffalo Cauliflower Bites?
There is so much you can serve with Buffalo Cauliflower Bites! When I’m watching football on the weekends I love to nibble on quick bites or delicious cheesy dips! I also love to have things that can be made ahead of time or kept warm in a slow cooker! Some of my favorites are 7 Layer Dip or Jalapeno Popper Dip!
Can I Make Buffalo Cauliflower Bites Vegan?
Yes! You can make these Buffalo Cauliflower wings vegan by using melted coconut oil or another plant-based oil alternative, like olive oil, in place of the melted butter.
Want more cauliflower recipes?
- Low Carb Cauliflower Breadsticks
- Loaded Cauliflower Casserole
- Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes
- BBQ Cauliflower Bites
- Cauliflower Rice
- Slow Cooker Cauliflower Cheese Soup
Need more Buffalo Sauce in your life?
Can’t get enough hot sauce in your life? Me either!
- Buffalo Mushroom Bites
- Buffalo Cauliflower Dip
- Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- More APPETIZER recipes…
Tools used to make this Buffalo Cauliflower Bites recipe
Baking Sheet: A nice big baking sheet is a must-have for any kitchen. This half pan sheet is large than a regular cookie and works great for anything you’re baking.
Mixing Bowl: These mixing bowls get used just about every day at my house. The grip handle makes them easy to hold and the pour spout makes them perfect for batters!
*This post originally posted on 09/04/2015.
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ⅔ cup Buffalo hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together flour, water, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add cauliflower florets and toss to coat.
- Spread cauliflower evenly onto your prepared baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping once. Remove from oven and leave the oven on.
- In a separate bowl stir together melted butter and buffalo sauce. Add baked cauliflower and toss to coat.
- Spread evenly onto the baking sheet. Place back in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until crispy, flipping once.
- Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature. Serve with your favorite dressing for dipping.
Nutrition
Jennifer says
Very easy and oh so good! Followed the recipe exactly and they turned out great. Those who said they wound up soggy, my thought is you didn’t give the cauliflower enough room. I spread mine out on a large baking sheet with space in between the florets.
Jenni C says
Mine went all soggy 🙁
I added a splash extra water to the flour mixture because I thought it was too thick (it was like a paste) so maybe that was my error. But I know that cauliflower holds a lot of water so could it have been something to do with that?
Any thoughts on where I went wrong?
Mary says
Wow, so good – the whole family loved them. Amazing texture! I served with plain yogurt to dip in. I’ll have to tone down the spice for some of them (sadly!) so I like the above idea of honey mustard. The only negative is that I used a sheet pan without sides and the sauce dripped to the bottom of my oven causing lots of smoke. I’ll just use a jelly roll pan next time! Thanks.
Carrie says
These buffalo cauliflower bites are like crack. My husband and I just ate the whole batch
Staciep says
Delicious! I did alter somewhat. I used Sweet baby rays chicken wing sauce instead of the butter and hot sauce. Hardly any calories, no fat or carbs. Being from buffalo these are a amazing substitute for wings!
Pat says
Wow, these are fantastic! I made a batch at work and they were scarfed down in no time flat.
Lesley says
I’d love to try this with chickpea flour instead of regular – any thoughts on it’s success or failure? 🙂
Sue says
Made these tonight with salad for dinner. It is amazing!! I think I may have cut my pieces alittle too small. Next time, because there will be a next time, I’ll cut them bigger just to make them more durable. Great easy fast recipe!
Alison says
Delish!!! I will take these to our next gathering – family or otherwise!
Aubrey Cota says
Always a great idea! Thank you Alison.
Ilma Adams says
Made this recipe as written and was just delish. Definitely a keeper and very easy!!
Leiza says
have you tried subbing a different flour? Like almond or coconut?
Trish says
I was wondering the same thing – trying to do keto diet so would like a different flour.
Aubrey Cota says
While we have not tried it with a different flour, I imagine it should work out just fine if you decided to try it. Keep in mind it could possibly change the flavor profile a bit, but all we’re using the flour for is to bind the sauce to the cauliflower. Give it a try and let everyone know how it turned out!
Monica says
I don’t remember how or when I found this recipe but it has become such a favorite, I no longer have to look at the recipe. I make this as an appetizer for family holidays and it is usually the first one finished. My niece recently went gluten free and this year, I made it with rice flour. It was just as good, if not better. Thank you for the fantastic recipe!
Aubrey Cota says
That’s so awesome! Thank you very much, Monica.
Dee says
So easy and delicious! I found them quite salty, so I won’t use salt next time, and switch to unsalted butter! 🙂
Noelle says
This is one of my favorite things to make now! I’ve had buffalo cauliflower pizza, salad, and wraps! Tomorrow I’m trying quesadillas!
Mogie says
This is great!
Thanks for the awes recipe.
These are going to be a regular at our house.
Kathy says
Very tasty but somewhat salty. Will make again but omit the 1/2 teaspoon of salt. There is probably enough salt in the sauce and butter for good flavor.
Angelia Mullins says
I made these for my buffalo wing loving children. They were so good! In five minutes they had cleaned the whole plate. I will definitely be making these again!!!
Julia says
Hi! Loved the Cauliflower Bites so much I had to include them in a recipe round up on my site =) Just wanted to let you know, they are great and so is your blog!
Haydee says
I would like to try this in an air fryer.
Thomas says
These are amazeballs!
I made mine with tapatio hot sauce and a bit of sweet BBQ. Hot and spicy but oh so scrumptious!
I do recommend a small alteration though, for the second cook in the oven, instead of reusing the same pan (or aluminum foil in my case) relube a new sheet(pan) and let the coated pieces cook for slightly longer to allow for maximum crisp with as little burn as possible.
last night they got a little too cooked on the pan because of the sauce. Then again, maybe it as the added sugar from the BBQ. In any case, I’m sure that a new cooking surface would be a good idea.
Carin says
Served there with a honey mustard dipping sauce. Absolutely delicious.