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My Air Fryer Cauliflower Wings Recipe is the most delicious alternative to buffalo wings! Packed with flavor, these easy air fried cauliflower wings are ready in under 30 minutes using low-cost, simple ingredients. My family loves them, and I bet yours will, too!
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Air Fried Cauliflower Wings
One of my favorite appetizers of all time has to be buffalo wings. What could be better than crispy wings slathered in tangy buffalo sauce and dipped in my delicious homemade blue cheese dressing?
I have always wondered how I could enjoy that same buffalo wings experience using a different main ingredient from chicken and found my answer in cauliflower. My cauliflower buffalo wings recipe is everything you love about buffalo wings made into crispy cauliflower wings!
This recipe is amazing. It is totally our new favorite wing recipe!
Kari
Air Fryer Cauliflower Wings Ingredients
- Cauliflower: You can use a whole head of cauliflower or pre-cut cauliflower florets.
- Flour: Use gluten-free flour or all-purpose flour.
- Milk: I like to use whole milk for this recipe.
- Panko breadcrumbs: I recommend using panko rather than regular breadcrumbs.
- Garlic powder
- Smoked paprika
- Salt and black pepper
- BBQ sauce: I love to use my sweet BBQ sauce recipe and homemade buffalo sauce (below).
- Buffalo sauce of choice: My honey buffalo sauce is the best for this recipe. It is so easy to make and incredibly delicious.
- Spring onion (for garnish)
Cauliflower Wings Recipe Air Fryer Instructions
- Cut the head of the cauliflower into bite-size pieces.
- Combine the flour, milk, and seasonings in a large bowl and stir well until combined. Keep the breadcrumbs in a separate bowl.
- Dip each piece of cauliflower to coat them in batter, then into the breadcrumbs. Cover them completely.
- Transfer cauliflower pieces to your air fryer basket. Make sure not to overcrowd and fry in batches if need be. I fry half of my cauliflower wings at a time.
- Air fry at 350°F for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. A couple of times during the cooking process, stop and give the basket a good shake so all parts are browned. Flip the wings halfway through if you have an air fryer with a tray, not a basket.
- While cooking the cauliflower wings, mix BBQ sauce with buffalo sauce in a separate bowl. Taste and adjust as you prefer.
- When the buffalo cauliflower wings are cooked, toss them to coat each piece thoroughly with the buffalo-BBQ sauce mixture.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with spring onions (optional) with carrots and celery.
This is the perfect appetizer for any game day ever!
Oven Baked Cauliflower Wings
You can also make cauliflower wings in the oven. To do so, prepare wings as instructed, then place them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 390°F for 15-20 minutes until crispy and golden brown, then toss in the buffalo-BBQ sauce mixture and serve. Gently stir halfway through the cooking process.
Expert Tips
- Try my favorite 10-Quart Air Fryer for this recipe.
- Do not crowd the air fryer. If you do, the cauliflower bites will turn out soggy. Please cook them in batches.
- You don't need to preheat the air fryer for this recipe. You can, but if you do, keep in mind the cauliflower may take less time to cook.
Isabel's Air Fryer
It's amazing what you can cook with an air fryer! I love mine and highly recommend it. It even has a steaming function to re-hydrate stale bread!
photo courtesy of Our Place
What are Cauliflower Wings?
Buffalo cauliflower wings are bite-sized pieces of cauliflower cooked to resemble buffalo chicken wings. They consist of chopped cauliflower mixed with flour and milk (in the case of this recipe, gluten-free flour, and soy milk), as well as seasonings and breadcrumbs. They are then fried and tossed in buffalo sauce.
FAQ
Reheat leftover cauliflower wings by heating them for 4 minutes in the air fryer at 350°F, or straight from frozen by air frying them at 400°F for 10-15 minutes.
Buffalo cauliflower wings are amazing, especially if you enjoy the tangy and spicy taste of buffalo sauce. The cauliflower absorbs the flavors well, offering a similar experience to traditional buffalo wings.
How to Store Air Fryer Cauliflower Wings
- Refrigerator: Store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To prevent them from becoming soggy, do not stack them on top of each other.
- I don't recommend freezing cauliflower wings as it will change the consistency. Instead, I use leftovers to make one of my favorite side dishes, Cauliflower Rice Salad. Want to try? Follow my guide on How to Make Cauliflower Rice.
Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast
- Air Fryer Broccoli
- Air Fryer Asparagus Fries
- Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Nuggets
- Do you have a convection oven? Try our guide on How to Use a Convection Oven!
Cauliflower is the perfect vessel for buffalo sauce, which crisps up nicely in the air fryer or oven. Every bite of these air fryer cauliflower wings is buttery and delicious, filled with buffalo sauce flavor that is ideal for dipping in your favorite creamy sauce!
Air Fryer Cauliflower Wings
Equipment
- optional Baking sheet with rack (if not using air fryer)
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- ¾ cup flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened soy milk
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
- ½ cup buffalo sauce
- 2 small spring onions - for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cut cauliflower into bite-size pieces. In a large bowl, combine your flour, milk, and seasonings. Stir well until combined. Keep your breadcrumbs in a separate bowl.¾ cup flour,¾ cup unsweetened soy milk,1 teaspoon garlic powder,1 teaspoon smoked paprika,1 teaspoon salt,1 teaspoon black pepper,1 head cauliflower
- Dip each piece of cauliflower to coat them in batter, then into the breadcrumbs. cover them completely.¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- Transfer cauliflower pieces to your air fryer. Make sure not to overcrowd and fry in batches if need be. I fry half of my cauliflower wings at a time.
- Air fry at 350°F for 8-10 minutes, until golden-brown and crisp. A couple of times during the cooking process, stop and give the basket a good shake so all parts are browned. If you have an air fryer with a tray and not a basket, flip the wings halfway through.
- While the cauliflower wings are cooking, mix BBQ sauce with buffalo sauce in a separate bowl. Taste and adjust as you prefer.½ cup buffalo sauce,½ cup BBQ sauce
- When the buffalo cauliflower wings are done cooking, toss them to coat each piece completely with the buffalo-BBQ sauce mixture. Serve immediately, sprinkled with spring onions (optional).2 small spring onions
Notes
- Make sure not to crowd the air fryer. If you do, the cauliflower bites will turn out soggy. It is vital you cook them in batches.
- All vegan and gluten-free options can be swapped out as you prefer. Regular milk and flour can be used.
- I make a homemade buffalo sauce for wings that is just out-of-this-world delicious! You can easily make it vegan by using vegan butter rather than regular butter. Find my recipe here: How to Make Buffalo Sauce
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