Air Fryer Appetizers Recipes Side Dishes Vegetarian

air fryer buffalo cauliflower wings

Last updated on June 18th, 2021 at 11:23 pm

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Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Wings

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Wings have the crispiest crust made with a spicy, tangy, buttery, and addicting sauce! Delicious with blue cheese dip plus sliced vegetable spears for a savory snack or side everyone will go crazy over.

We’ve got even more buffalo sauce inspired dishes for you! Serve your guests something new on game day with our Buffalo Shrimp Dip, Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Casserole, and Buffalo Crack Chicken Dip!

Buffalo Cauliflower Wings Recipe

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Wings is our healthy, veggie version of the ever-popular Buffalo Wings. At first, some of our guests weren’t sold on the idea. We get it— when you think “wings,” you immediately think “chicken.”

But once they tried it, we quickly ran out of these spicy, crispy bites! The crunchy coating itself is already flavorful due to the spices, but add the homemade buffalo dressing, and they become unbelievably delicious. 

Do I precook the cauliflower?

No need! We’re cooking them straight from raw. They’ll become tender and perfectly done after roasting in the hot air-fryer basket.

Ingredients for Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Wings:

  • Cauliflower florets: You’ll need about 4-5 cups, which equaled one head for us.
  • Homemade buffalo coating: Frank’s Red Hot, Worcestershire for tanginess, butter, plus a little olive oil.
  • Crunchy, spiced breading: Almond flour, parsley (dried), and spices like paprika. We’ll also add some cayenne pepper for more kick!

How do you make homemade Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Wings?

  1. Toss in the buffalo dressing. First, mix up the Frank’s Red Hot with the rest of the ingredients for the buffalo dressing. Then pour that over the vegetables, and shake to coat well.
  2. Sprinkle with spiced breading. Combine the dried parsley, spices, and almond flour. Sprinkle a handful at a time over the sauced florets, until everything is well-coated.
  3. Cook. Take half, and air-fry for about 15 mins. During that time, don’t forget to shake the basket once or twice so everything is cooked evenly. Once crispy and browned, do the same for the rest of the cauliflower.
  4. Serve. Enjoy hot with a creamy dip and vegetable spears!

Recipe variations and substitutions:

  • Non-keto version: If you’re not doing low carb, it’s fine to use regular flour or even panko.
  • Vegan: Use plant-based butter.
  • Mild version: Replace the Frank’s Red Hot with BBQ sauce, ketchup, or some homemade honey mustard.
  • Baked: Pop in a 400F oven for about 25 minutes.
  • Fried: For a crunchier crust, you can fry these! Toss in breading, fry in your preferred all, then mix with the sauce.

What to eat with homemade buffalo cauliflower wings?

They’re delicious with the same sides you enjoy the chicken version with! 

Arrange them on a platter with veggies like cherry tomatoes and thin spears of celery, cucumber, and carrots. Serve them your favorite creamy dips. Aside from blue cheese sauce, they’re also fantastic with ranch and horseradish. Chipotle sauce and tzatziki work too!

As part of an appetizer spread, these are awesome with Fried Cheese Sticks, Taco Dip, Crispy Onion Rings, and Bacon Ranch Cheeseball!

More air fryer recipes to try:

How do you store leftovers?

These are ideally eaten ASAP, but you can also keep any leftovers in a well-sealed container for up to 2 days. Try to finish them earlier since they’re at their crispiest when freshly air fried. To reheat, bake or air-fry at 400F. do note that some of the breading may fall off during the process.

Recipe tips:

  • Dry the veggies as much as possible! You can wash them a few hours before you plan to cook the dish and arrange them on a rack so the excess moisture drips away.
  • If you’re using frozen florets, cook straight from frozen. Do note that they may not crisp up as well as the fresh ones due to the moisture.
  • Don’t cook everything up all at once. There should be a little space between each floret, so the circulating air crisps them up evenly.
  • Feel free to enjoy these with your favorite jarred buffalo sauce in place of homemade.
  • To make these ahead, prep the individual components separately (buffalo dressing, florets, and breading), then just assemble the dish before air-frying.

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Wings

  • Prep Time15 MIN
  • Cook Time15 MIN
  • Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 head cauliflower cut into florets - about 4 to 5 cups
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 3 tablespoons dried parsley
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Place cauliflower florets in a large mixing bowl.
  • In another bowl, combine melted butter with, olive oil, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.
  • Pour the hot sauce mixture over the cauliflower and mix until well coated.
  • In a separate bowl whisk together almond flour, dried parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt.
  • Sprinkle the mixture over the cauliflower and gently mix until everything is well coated.
  • Arrange the florets in the air fryer basket, about 1/2 an inch apart.
  • Air fry at 350˚F for 15 minutes, shaking the basket a couple of times during the cooking process.
  • Cauliflower is done when the florets are a bit browned, and not mushy.
  • Remove cauliflower from the Air Fryer and repeat the process with the remaining cauliflower florets.
  • Serve with celery sticks and favorite dipping sauce.

Nutrition Facts

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Comments

(10)
Monica Simpson

Monica Simpson

I love cauliflower! I need to try this. It reminds me of one of my favorite appetizers.

Mae

Mae

I love these! They look so yummy, and I can trick my son to eating cauliflower! Trying this recipe over the weekend! Yay!

Ryan Escat

Ryan Escat

This looks great. Yum. I can imagine how crunchy this would be. And I like it warm.

Celebrate Woman Today

Celebrate Woman Today

The sauces looks amazing. I'd like to add this recipe to my collections.

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