Vegan Cauliflower Buffalo Wings (Gluten Free)

These crispy vegan cauliflower buffalo wings are the perfect appetiser or snack! 

They are baked in the oven making them healthier too! Being dairy free and gluten free they are also allergy friendly.

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Trust me, these vegan cauliflower buffalo wings are unbelievable!! The crispiness of the batter on the outside is heavenly and the kids won’t realise you are feeding them veg…. I promise!!!

I have adapted this recipe to be gluten and dairy free so its perfect if you have food allergies, there are also some variations further down if you are not a big fan of spice!

These make the perfect healthy snack or appetiser, even if you aren’t vegan, they are a fab substitute for chicken buffalo wings and I’m sure you will love them as much as I do!

Why you will love these vegan cauliflower buffalo wings 

• Crispy and crunchy on the outside
• Super soft in the middle
• Vegan
• Gluten and dairy free
• Healthier than chicken wings - baked not fried!

Do vegan cauliflower buffalo wings taste like chicken wings?

Now, I’m not going to pretend to you that these taste exactly the same as the original buffalo “hot” wings made with chicken! HOWEVER, the cauliflower does take on a meaty texture and even if you don’t like cauliflower (which believe me, is a pretty boring vegetable on its own!) I challenge you to try them.

The wings are super crunchy on the inside and deliciously soft on the inside, the sauce brings it all together to another level.

Top tip ….. make loads as they are exceptionally moreish!

How to make Vegan cauliflower buffalo wings 

• Pre heat the oven to 200 C / 390 F / gas mark 

• Chop the cauliflower, into small florets - its best to use a really fresh cauliflower this recipe

• Make the batter - mix the flour with the spices, then add the milk slowly, stirring as you go. You need to make the batter as smooth as possible - no lumps! It will not look pretty at this stage, but trust me, they will taste delicious!

•       This recipe is gluten free so I have used Doves Farm gluten free flour, however if you don’t need to avoid gluten you can use a regular plain flour.

I have also used a dairy free milk (plain unsweetened soya), you can use any other plant based milk or cows milk if you do not need to avoid dairy.

•  Put the cauliflower in the batter mix and coat well. Shake off the excess batter from the cauliflower and place on a lined baking tray.

It's really important to make sure you shake off the excess batter, this will help to keep the wings nice and crispy, if you leave too much batter on the cauliflower they may become soggy and not crisp up in the oven!

• Bake for 20 minutes in the oven, turning carefully half way through.

• Meanwhile make up your buffalo sauce - melt the dairy free butter (I have used Pure Olive Oil Spread) and mix with the Franks Buffalo Sauce in a small bowl.

• Remove the cauliflower from the oven, dip each piece into the buffalo sauce and put back on the baking tray. 

Top Tip! Before you put the cauliflower back on the baking tray, shake off the excess sauce to avoid them going soggy!

•  Put back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes until golden and crisp.

What to serve with cauliflower buffalo wings

Traditionally buffalo wings are served with crudités of carrot and celery alongside a blue cheese dip or ranch dressing.

Both of these dips contain dairy, so I went in search of some ready made dairy free options that I could keep in the fridge, ready for when I needed them.

The closest equivalent, taste wise that I could find for a Ranch dressing is this Follow Your Heart vegan ranch dressing, it’s deliciously creamy and thick. In fact I rate a lot of Follow Your Heart Products, everything I have tried so far has been a really great substitute! Follow Your Heart also do a vegan bleu cheese dressing too.

This Heinz vegan aioli is a good find too!

Variations

I love spice!! The hotter the better!

 I actually love the feeling of burning in my mouth, weird I know!

If you prefer something a little milder or your children are not a fan of spice you can swap up the coating for the batter.

BBQ

Substitute the buffalo sauce and butter for a BBQ sauce  - after the wings have been in the oven for 20 minutes, use pastry brush to paint the wings with the BBQ sauce, then pop back in for another 10-15 minutes … they taste. (Remember to check packaging)

A-MAZ-ing!!

Honey

Halve the amount of buffalo sauce and substitute it with honey (40ml of buffalo sauce and 40ml honey) this will sweeten the sauce and keep the major spice sensations at bay!

*Please double check all packaging for allergens*

How to Store

These vegan cauliflower buffalo wings taste SO much better eaten fresh from the oven (and they are so moreish I would be surprised if you have any left!)

Fridge 

They will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I wouldn’t recommend re-heating in the microwave as the wings will go soggy.

Freeze

Freeze the wings in a single layer on a baking tray for 2 hours until frozen. Remove from the freezer, place in a freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

Freezing the bites on the baking tray first stops them sticking together.

Re-heat:

From fridge - place the wings on a baking tray and bake in the oven at 180c for 10 minutes.

From frozen - increase cooking time to 15 minutes.

If you loved these, why not check out some of my other vegan recipes!

Vegan Banana Pancakes

Vegan Creamy Mushroom & Broccoli Pasta

Vegan Coleslaw

FREE FROM

• Gluten (If using gluten free flour)
• Crustaceans
• Eggs
• Fish
• Celery
• Lupin
• Milk (If using a dairy free milk and butter)
• Molluscs 
• Mustard
• Tree nuts (If using a nut free milk)
• Peanuts
• Sesame seeds
• Sulphur dioxide and sulphites

CONTAINS

• Soya (if using soya milk)

PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK ALL PACKAGING FOR ALLERGENS