How to Make Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Wing Bowls
Crispy Buffalo cauliflower wing bowls: oven-baked cauliflower wings, brown rice, shredded carrots, sharp cheddar cheese, crisp lettuce, green onions, and a drizzle of ranch. Meatless Monday will never be the same.
Want to learn how to make crispy buffalo cauliflower wings in your oven? Throughout the course of many meatless Mondays, I have tested dozens of different crispy cauliflower wings recipes with various success. This is my perfected cauliflower wings recipe that produces the BEST crispy cauliflower wings every time.
How to Make Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Wing Bowls
Cauliflower wings are baked cauliflower bites that are flavored like chicken wings. They are the perfect addition to a veggie and grain bowl.
- Prep the Rice (or grain) of Your Choice
- Brown rice, white rice, or quinoa will all work great in this bowl! Use whatever you prefer. I tend to like white rice in my bowl.
- Make the Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
- Crispy, crunchy cauliflower bites absolutely coated in buffalo sauce–YES, please! Follow the tips in the other sections of this blog post to ensure the crunchiest final bite!
- Prep the Veggies
- Chop veggies like carrots, green onions, and tomatoes for your crispy buffalo cauliflower wing bowls. Keep all the veggies in their raw form for added crunch. If you want to add even more veggies, then try adding in some sliced avocado! If you choose to opt for non-dairy alternatives and make this dish vegan, avocado will add the perfect creamy layer.
- Pick your Cheese of Choice
- Bleu cheese or sharp cheddar cheese both do wonders in enhancing the flavors of this buffalo bowl. Although bleu cheese is a more traditional wing topping, sharp cheddar cheese is a little more versatile and much cheaper to keep in your fridge. Both kinds of cheese are great in this bowl. And since each type of cheese has an intense flavor, you can use less cheese per serving and still have a very cheesy taste.
- Drizzle Ranch Over the Top
- Nothing says wings quite like a creamy dressing. I suggest ranch dressing, but bleu cheese dressing is also a great option.
Tips for Making Crispy Cauliflower Wings in the Oven
These oven-baked cauliflower wings have given me the best crispy cauliflower wings results! Plus, you can bake them right on a sheet pan with little mess. My kind of dinner. Here are a few tips to make the best cauliflower wings in the oven.
Pre-Steam the Cauliflower
Steaming the cauliflower beforehand might sound odd, but it is SUPER important. I think the main difference between fried cauliflower wings and baked cauliflower is the cauliflower itself. Fried cauliflower is a bit “juicier” inside than baked cauliflower (which tends to be a bit drier). To counteract the dryness, lightly steam the cauliflower slightly before breading.
Flip your cauliflower wings halfway through the bake
This is also a recommendation to avoid soggy cauliflower wings. For best results, flip your cauliflower halfway through the bake (10 minutes) to avoid a soggy bottom.
Cut the Cauliflower into Bite-sized pieces
Make sure that your cauliflower isn’t too large or too small, otherwise, the pieces will be uneven when they are cooked. Stick to bite-size pieces about 2 inches long, like you might see on a veggie tray.
How to Avoid Soggy Cauliflower Wings
Soggy cauliflower wings are the WORST. I have encountered countless recipes where the cauliflower wings sadly become mushy. Nobody should have to endure a soggy piece of cauliflower. I have compiled a list of my best tips to achieve the perfect crispy cauliflower wing every time. No soggy wings will be in your crispy buffalo cauliflower wing bowls.
Soggy Breading = Soggy Cauliflower Wings
If your breading gets soggy, so will your cauliflower wings. Make sure to shake off your dredged cauliflower to avoid excess moisture. Keep your breadcrumbs nice and crunchy by pouring breadcrumbs little by little over the dredged cauliflower. If you instead put your breadcrumbs in the bowl all at once, the breadcrumbs and wings will become soggy, even after it bakes.
Add the Sauce on Top Of the Cauliflower Right Before You Eat Them
This isn’t the best meal prep recipe as the cauliflower gets less crisp the longer that the sauce sits on it. While the cauliflower will still taste delicious the next day the texture may be softer. I suggest tossing the wings in a large bowl with the buffalo sauce right before serving for the best results and texture.
ALWAYS Flip Halfway through the Bake.
Flip your cauliflower wings halfway through the bake. It’s worth it, believe me. Both sides will stay crispy with a little flip. Otherwise, the wings can become lopsided. One side will be perfectly crisp and the other side of the cauliflower wing will be a bit soggy.
What to Eat with Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Wings?
I never knew what to eat with crispy buffalo cauliflower wings until we started making them into bowls. Before that point, cauliflower wings didn’t seem to fill us up for dinner.
SO… I bulked it up with some whole-grain brown rice (white rice will work too). Added in some veggies: shredded raw carrots, crunchy romaine lettuce, and tomatoes. Then I sprinkled on some sharp cheddar cheese and green onions and drizzled it all with ranch.
Delicious. And filling!
We love eating meatless options, but I always want to find a way to make it filling. The extra bulk of the crispy buffalo cauliflower wing bowls did the trick and ended up being even more delicious! My husband went back for 2nds (and wanted it for lunch the next day)! That’s a touchdown in my book!
Can I Make Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Wing Bowls Vegan?
Absolutely!
This recipe can be easily made into a delicious vegan dinner. Here’s what you’ll want to do: swap out the ranch for the vegan ranch. and either omit the cheese or swap it out for plant-based cheese. Swap the butter in the buffalo sauce for plant-based butter. If you plan on removing the cheese altogether, I suggest adding sliced avocados to get that creaminess back in the bowl.
Best Vegetarian Budget Dinners
Are you looking for more inexpensive vegetarian dinners? Choosing to eat vegetarian meals a even few days a week is SO helpful when it comes to cutting down your grocery budget (and it can come with a lot of other benefits)! At Fancy Frugal Fixes, we have a lot of meatless options that will fill you up. Check out my other vegetarian recipes that are perfect for saving some cabbage AND eating it too š
How to Make Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Wing Bowls
Ingredients
Crispy Cauliflower Wings
- 1 cauliflower chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 3/4 cup flour
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce
- 1 cup panko
Buffalo Sauce
- 1/4 cup hot sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
Veggie Bowls
- 2 cups cooked rice white or brown rice
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 large carrots cut into matchsticks or shredded
- 2 green onions diced
- drizzle of ranch dressing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ā and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Steam chopped cauliflower in the microwave for 2 minutes or just until it is very slightly cooked. Dab moisture off with a paper towel.
- In the meantime, create the dredging batter. Add flour, water, pepper, salt, garlic powder, and hot sauce to a medium bowl and mix the ingredients together. Set a second medium next to the dredging bowl.
- In small batches, dip your cauliflower pieces in the dredging bowl. Shake off the excess of the dredging batter and place the dredged cauliflower in the empty bowl. Continuing the batches, pour some of the panko on top of each batch of cauliflower to cover the cauliflower. (Avoid dumping all of your panko in the bowl at once, as panko will be soggy between batches). Toss until the cauliflower is coated. Then place the coated cauliflower on the baking sheet.
- After all the cauliflower has been coated, bake the cauliflower wings for 20 minutes at 400ā. Turn the cauliflower over halfway about 10 minutes in to keep both sides crispy.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, create the buffalo sauce by heating a small saucepan on the stovetop. Add the butter and hot sauce to the saucepan, and cook it, stirring occasionally, until the butter and hot sauce combine (about 5 minutes).
- Toss the cauliflower and the buffalo sauce right before you plan on serving it and add the crispy buffalo cauliflower wings to your rice bowls. Top with chopped veggies, cheese, and a drizzle of ranch dressing.
