Today’s Air fryer Buffalo Cauliflower bites recipe is one of my all-time favorites! If you know me, then you know that buffalo cauliflower is one of my all time favorite foods. Buffalo wings was something I never ate before going vegan, because chicken wings always grossed me out. Therefore my first real experience was vegan buffalo cauliflower wings!
It’s one of my favorite things to order at vegan restaurants, however it’s usually not too healthy. Therefore it was time for a this whole foods plant based recipe to finally make an appearance on the blog!
What makes these Air fryer Buffalo Cauliflower wings healthy?
As much as I love buffalo cauliflower, it is unfortunately not very healthy. Traditional buffalo cauliflower wings are loaded with vegan butter and high processed oils and flours. Not to mention they are usually deep fried. These are red flags that I avoid when cooking at home.
The good news is you can still enjoy buffalo cauliflower without any of these unhealthy ingredients! These healthy Air-Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower bites are made with simple whole foods plant based ingredients. They do not contain any butter/vegan butter, they’re oil-free, and made with high fiber gluten-free flours.
This is great, because you can enjoy all the nutrients from cauliflower without ruining it with unhealthy ingredients. These wings are the perfect easy and healthy vegan appetizer, or healthy snack!
Ingredients For Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower:
for the buffalo cauliflower:
- Cauliflower – If you’re in a time crunch, you can use frozen cauliflower! Just heat it up as you would normally and throw it in the mixture. It will work pretty much the exact same. It may be a tad mushier, however it should crisp up in the air fryer.
- Almond Flour – Adds the perfect crunch and nutty flavor.
- Oat Flour – Is perfect for breading buffalo cauliflower. It holds onto the steamed cauliflower and crisps up perfectly in the air-fryer.
- Smoked Paprika – Make sure you’re using smoked paprika, and not regular paprika. Smoked paprika has much more flavor, and is perfect for savory recipes like this one.
- Garlic Powder – Adding garlic powder to the batter is the perfect way to increase the flavor of the cauliflower throughout the entire bite.
For The oil-free buffalo sauce:
- Plant Based Hot Sauce – It’s important to use a high quality plant based hot sauce for this air fryer cauliflower bites recipe that is made with real ingredients, not artificial flavors! My favorite brand of healthy hot sauce is Siete, or Red Clay because all of the ingredients they use are whole foods plant based!
- Raw Cashew Butter – The raw cashew butter takes the place of butter in the plant based buffalo sauce. It’s important to use raw cashew butter for two main reasons, First and foremost, it is much more nutrient rich than roasted cashew butter, and contains only one simple ingredient. Second, it has a dramatically different taste. I always get my cashew butter from Wilderness Poets, simply because it is affordable, organic, and supports a small business! As always my code: “VEGAN10” gets $10 off your purchase!
- Miso Paste (OPTIONAL) – If you’re using a salty hot sauce, I would recommend leaving out the miso paste. This vegan buffalo sauce can easily become too salty depending on the hot sauce you use. I recommend starting off without the miso paste, and then adding it if you don’t think the sauce is salty enough.
- Nutritional Yeast – Helps to bring down the heat of the sauce a bit as well as add a buttery taste to it.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Helps make the sauce smoother, and adds a slight kick.
How To Make Air-Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower:
This Air-Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower recipe may just be one of the easiest recipes on my website. Not only is it easy, but it uses simple ingredients that you can pick up anywhere!
Begin by cooking the cauliflower. You can do this either by boiling, or steaming. I personally boil the cauliflower, because it takes much less time. If you had a pressure cooker such as a Ninja Foodi (that doubles as an air-fryer), you can steam the cauliflower very quickly.
While the cauliflower is cooking, make the batter. To do this, simply combine all ingredients in a large tubber ware container, or in a gallon sized zip lock bag. Shake to combine mixture.
Strain the cauliflower and add to the batter. Quickly shake around to combine. Place battered cauliflower in the air-fryer. Cook at 390 about 15 minutes (you will need to check it, most air fryers cook at different speeds.)
While the cauliflower is cooking, add all the sauce ingredients together in a blender and blend until smooth.
Take the crispy cauliflower out of the air-fryer and add to a bowl. Pour the sauce over the wings and toss. Enjoy immediately!
Frequently Asked Questions:
What Is The Best Air-Fryer?
Something I have recently noticed is that legit every single air-fryer is different. I just bought a new air-fryer, and let me tell you, I was burning everything, because it cooks at a much quicker speed. Ultimately this is a good thing, but there was definitely a learning curve.
I decided to put together a couple different air-fryers that I believe are the best for different needs.
- Best Air-Fryer For Speed: This is the air-fryer I currently use. It’s amazing how fast it cooks! I really love it. If you’re like me and you don’t use a microwave, this is the perfect kitchen gadget to have!
- Best Multi-Use Air-Fryer: This is what I used for the longest time. It’s great if you don’t have a lot of space and you’re looking for an appliance that can do it all. It cooks slower than other air-fryers, but It does way more.
- Most Affordable Air-Fryer: If you’re looking for a budget friendly air-fryer that works well, this one is for you. It’s built well and will last!
Can I Put Frozen Cauliflower In The Air Fryer?
I previously mentioned that you can speed up the process of cooking this Air-Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower by using frozen cauliflower. Frozen cauliflower is just precooked cauliflower that has been frozen. I recommend using frozen cauliflower, however I do not recommend cooking it frozen.
You should reheat/defrost the cauliflower before adding it to the batter and cooking it in the air fryer. If you try to cook it frozen, the batter won’t stick, and it won’t crisp up properly in the Air-fryer. To avoid this simply reheat the cauliflower according to package instructions and then follow the recipe as you would normally.
Are Cauliflower Wings Good For Weight Loss?
If you’re talking about cauliflower wings that you would buy at a restaurant, I would say no. Typically cauliflower wings contain lots of unhealthy saturated fats, and have minimal nutrients. However this Air-Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower recipes is great for weight loss.
Although I wouldn’t classify these bites as a low calorie food, they are a super filling food. They are so filling and satiating, because they’re full of fiber and healthy fats. Therefore it’s the perfect filling snack or vegan appetizer to enjoy in moderation!
Related Buffalo Cauliflower Recipes:
- Buffalo Cauliflower Tofu Tacos
- Buffalo Cauliflower Wrap
- Buffalo Cauliflower Soup
- Buffalo Cauliflower Salad
Air-Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Buffalo Cauliflower:
- 1 head cauliflower
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1 cups oat flour
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
For the oil-free Buffalo Sauce:
- 3 tbsp cashew butter
- 1 bottle plant based hot sauce
- 1 tsp miso paste
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Begin by steaming the cauliflower. You want it to be soft, but not mushy.
- Combine remaining buffalo cauliflower ingredients together in a gallon sized zip lock bag, or large tubber ware container and shake. Add the steamed cauliflower and shake until evenly coated.
- Add to airfryer and fry for about 15-17 minutes.
Making the sauce:
- Combine all sauce ingredients together in a blender and blend until smooth.
- After the buffalo cauliflower wings have cooked, add to a bowl and coat evenly with sauce. Serve and enjoy!
This air fryer buffalo cauliflower was so delicious! Such an easy and fun recipe to make for the Superbowl!
these spicy bites are amazing!
Delicious! The cauliflower was perfectly crisp. I’m planning to serve this again with some vegan blue cheese dressing for dipping on Super Bowl Sunday!!
These air fryer buffalo cauliflower bites are the ultimate snack. Love how healthy it is!
these cauli bites are the absolute best! soooo good!
These turned out amazing!! So crispy and delicious!
Tasty and a hit with the family!
This what such a wonderful plant based meal yesterday. We served it with veggies and hummus.
This was a delicious and easy to make recipe. I will be making it again soon!
love the heaty and crispy cauliflower bites. They are so tasty that I don’t even miss not having chicken
Pingback: Buffalo Cauliflower Soup - The All Natural Vegan
I love that you created a healthy recipe for cauliflower buffalo bites! They look amazing!
This air fryer buffalo cauliflower is such a quick and easy meal. I love how you’ve created a healthy version with plant based ingredients which is just as delicious, with the perfect amount of heat and spice and crisp texture.