by Holly
Oven baked Buffalo Cauliflower is a simple appetizer that is great for parties. We love making this buffalo cauliflower recipe (with a side of Blue Cheese Dressing) and serving it alongside Jalapeno Poppers and other delicious appetizer recipes when we are entertaining!
Who doesn’t love all things buffalo-style? From buffalo chicken dip to buffalo hot wings, roasted buffalo cauliflower is the next big thing and this recipe tastes absolutely delicious!
Buffalo Sauce vs Hot Sauce
Buffalo Sauce is not the same as just plain ol’ hot sauce out of the bottle. When you order buffalo wings in a restaurant, the sauce is generally 2 parts hot sauce to 1 part melted butter (that’s why they taste so darn good)!
Of course you can use a store bought Buffalo Sauce (I love Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Sauce best). It has great flavor (and it doesn’t contain as much fat as a homemade sauce)!
Spicy vs. Mild
You can buy buffalo sauce in a bottle at the supermarket, or make delicious homemade buffalo sauce. If you’re going the store bought route, there are lots of different brands that have their own heat index and flavor profile.
If you have anyone in your group who can’t handle the spice, leave a few aside and season with salt and pepper and dip in a garlic aioli for another yummy variation!
How to Make Buffalo Cauliflower
This recipe is so easy because you only need one bowl and a plastic bag! To make baked buffalo cauliflower:
- Prep the cauliflower by cutting it into bite sized pieces and removing any leaves.
- Mix the coating ingredients together and toss the cauliflower in a plastic bag to coat the pieces.
- Bake the cauliflower bites for 15 minutes. Take them out, toss with buffalo sauce, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Fried buffalo cauliflower bites are always a favorite when we go out to eat, but baking them at home is SO much healthier. Any dressing will do, but the best buffalo cauliflower dip is some tangy blue cheese dressing or ranch, because, who doesn’t love dipping, right?
Can You Use Frozen Cauliflower to Make Buffalo Cauliflower? You sure can! Even easier than fresh cauliflower because it will be pre-cut and perfectly portioned! Be sure the frozen cauliflower is thawed all the way before the batter process so that it heats evenly through and drain well, dab any liquid with paper towels.
What to Eat with Buffalo Cauliflower?
What can’t you eat with buffalo cauliflower bites? Just like chicken wings, buffalo cauliflower bites call for sides of celery and carrots. But, why stop there? Why not make an amazing buffalo cauliflower salad with ranch dressing?
It’s also great as a buffalo cauliflower wrap or a juicy sandwich on a hoagie roll with lettuce and some dressing? Dip your buffalo cauliflower bits into some dressing and keep your fingers clean at the same time!
More Buffalo Snacks You Need
- The BEST Buffalo Chicken Dip (video) – Party favorite! Everyone devours this!
- Buffalo Chicken Meatball Sub – great for a crowd
- Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad– Easy potluck favorite!
- Crispy Buffalo Fried Tortellini – Bite sized snacks!
- Baked Buffalo Wings – Crispy perfection, baked not fried!
Oven Baked Buffalo Cauliflower
Prep Time 20 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 head of cauliflower
- ⅔ cup Panko bread crumbs
- ⅔ cup buffalo sauce (see note below)
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Cut cauliflower into bite sized pieces discarding the core.
- Combine milk, flour, garlic powder, pepper and olive oil in a large bowl. Place batter and cauliflower in a large Ziploc bag and toss until cauliflower is coated.
- Pour cauliflower into a large strainer letting any excess batter drip off. Sprinkle with Panko breadcrumbs and gently toss.
- Place on a foil lined pan and bake 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently toss with buffalo sauce. You want the cauliflower coated but not soaked.
- Place back on the pan and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until cauliflower is tender crisp.
- Serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
I have tried a few other recipes, and this is by far the best. Crispy coating, soft cauliflower, easy to make! I like to use Buffalo Wild Wings Asian zing sauce, then toss some sesame seeds and green onions on top
Mine didn’t look anything like this !
After I batter the cauliflower, can I store them in the fridge for 3-4 hrs before baking ?
Hi Bruce, we haven’t tried that but it should work. My only concern would be the cauliflower losing their crunch sitting in the uncooked batter for that long.
These are great! I made a test batch just for me and had leftovers. I cooled them and then refrigerated. Today I reheated at 425 for about 10 minutes on a tray with non-stick foil and they were perfect. Good to know you can make the day before for a party.
How do I get them to not stick to the foil? I didn’t use the Buffalo sauce and just baked them with the batter and lost one side on almost all of them because they stuck to the foil.
Thanks!
I’m not too sure why they would stick. Make sure that they are coated and the panko is sticking well (so they are not too wet). You may want to try putting a bit of vegetable spray or olive oil on the foil paper or pan if sticking seems to be an issue.
Try using the non stick foil, it works wonder, nothing sticks
This was easy to make and fabulous. I only used one third a cup of Frank’s and it was perfect. Thank you.
You’re welcome, perfect Lori!
I Would Like to Know If There is a Recipe for Regular Breaded BAKED Cauliflower, No Buffalo’s Please,Just kinda Regular Tasty Batter Thank You, Bobby
I’d suggest making this recipe, and just leaving out the buffalo sauce! Here are a few more baked cauliflower recipes you may enjoy:
Excellent recipe! I made it for my lunch today and loved it so much that I’m making it again for dinner so my husband can try it! Very easy yummy
My Family loved this dish!
Just made this tonight for football game and was awesome! Used Sweet Baby Rays wing sauce to coat. Delicious!! Sharing with all of my Buffalo Bills fans!!
Amazing! Best battered and baked cauliflower recipe I’ve tried. I made it with general tso’s and served it over rice. Kids loved it too!
Made these last night and they were amazing! My husbands comment was “why would I ever eat chicken wings again”. So easy and delicious. I prepared them ahead of time and put them in the fridge for about 3 hours before cooking. This is our new go to pub food, awesome.
I’m not a huge cauliflower fan but this was delicious. My son ate THREE servings, commented that it’s better than buffalo chicken, and asked me to make it weekly. He normally doesn’t even like cauliflower. I served it with a little extra buffalo sauce and homemade blue cheese dressing on the side (1/2 c plain Greek yogurt, 1/2 c Mayo, squeeze of lemon juice and blue cheese crumbles). When you add the Panko crumbs, don’t over handle it or they won’t stick as well. Thanks for the great recipe!
Perfect! Next time I will add some honey, it was a little hot for this girl! I sliced the cauliflower into thick steaks before removing the stems. This allowed them to crisp up and not roll around the pan. I followed the recipe to a T, but I mixed the flour and milk in the Ziploc and squished to together. I added the Cauli and squished it again. It was Delish !