Baked BBQ Cauliflower Wings
These baked BBQ cauliflower wings are so good because they deliver a smoky, tangy flavor with a satisfying crispy texture, making them the perfect vegan appetizer for game day or any gathering. They’re a crowd-pleasing, plant-based alternative that’s both delicious and guilt-free.
These baked cauliflower wings are lip-smacking and delicious! Every year, my husband and his friends make their annual request for these weeks in advance of the Super Bowl. That’s saying a lot! They are so good! Even my sister, who normally does not eat cauliflower, likes them. That’s saying a lot! I usually serve them with my vegan ranch sauce as a dipping sauce.
If you love cauliflower wings, be sure to try our honey mustard cauliflower wings too. We have a whole list of healthy vegan Super Bowl recipes you should check out.
Reasons you will love this recipe
- Smoky and Delicious Flavor: These BBQ baked cauliflower wings are packed with a rich, smoky flavor that’s perfectly balanced with a hint of sweetness, making them a tasty alternative to traditional wings.
- Healthy and Plant-Based: Made from nutrient-dense cauliflower and baked instead of fried, these wings offer a low-calorie, vegan-friendly option that’s both healthy and satisfying.
- Ideal for Entertaining: Perfect for game day, parties, or casual gatherings, these cauliflower wings are easy to make and guaranteed to be a crowd-pleasing appetizer for any occasion.
Ingredients you will need
- Cauliflower florets- When coated and baked, cauliflower becomes crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, making it an excellent plant-based alternative that absorbs sauces and seasonings beautifully.
- Flour- Whole wheat flour adds a hearty, nutty flavor and a slightly denser texture that complements the crispiness of the wings.
- Plant milk- I use almond milk to make the batter for these wings, but other plant milk options would be soy, cashew, and oat milk.
- Bread crumbs- They create a crispy, golden-brown coating that mimics the texture of traditional fried wings. The crumbs adhere well to the cauliflower, adding an extra layer of crunch that enhances the overall eating experience. Additionally, using bread crumbs helps to lock in moisture, ensuring that the wings stay tender on the inside while achieving a satisfying crispiness on the outside.
- Barbecue sauce- If you are looking for a premade barbecue sauce, we love this oil-free Bone Suckin’ Sauce.
How to make cauliflower buffalo wings
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
STEP #1: Preheat oven to 450°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper. This makes cleanup much easier because clean-up is a breeze.
Cut the cauliflower florets into small bite-size pieces. I like to make mine a little chunky, but you can cut them as small or large as you like.
STEP #2: Combine flour, non-dairy milk, and spices in a bowl, and whisk together. I like to use almond milk but soy and other plant milk options work just as well.
Coat each cauliflower bite in the batter. I simply put a handful of them in the bowl at one time and roll them around until coated.
STEP #3: Pour the dry bread crumbs into a large bowl or even in a gallon-sized storage bag. As you batter each cauliflower bite in the bowl of batter, then toss them into the bread crumbs and roll (or shake if using a bag) to coat evenly. I do this in batches.
STEP #4: These vegan wings are going to need to go into the oven twice to get the texture and crunch desired.
Place battered and breaded cauliflower bites on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 20 minutes until brown and crispy. You’ll be surprised how crunchy these get.
STEP #5: While the cauliflower wings are baking, place some BBQ sauce in a medium-sized bowl. We have a great healthy homemade BBQ sauce recipe if you would like to give it a try.
Remove cauliflower bites from the oven, and dip each piece into the sauce. I use a fork to roll the chunks around.
STEP #6: Once they are coated well in the sauce and placed back on the baking sheet, it’s time to rebake them for another 15-20 minutes.
When they are done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool. Serve warm or even at room temperature.
Rest assured, these cauliflower bites are phenomenal! I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Originally published January 22, 2015.
The recipe is adapted from Potato Strong. Will is a genius!
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the recipe you use. Some cauliflower wing recipes call for egg in the batter which would make them vegetarian but not vegan. However, the recipe above IS vegan because there are no eggs or other animal products used.
This recipe isn’t gluten-free but could easily be made by using gluten-free flour in the batter and choosing GF bread crumbs as well.
Though I haven’t tried it yet, I think an air fryer is a great idea. I would suggest 400°F for about 10 minutes each cycle. If they don’t crisp up enough, just add a little more time in increments.
This 8-ingredient Healthy BBQ Sauce Recipe is a great homemade option!
If you are looking for a premade barbecue sauce, we love this oil-free Bone Suckin’ Sauce.
These are best when eaten fresh out of the oven, but they do keep well in an airtight container for up to a week. You’ll just want to reheat them in the oven rather than a microwave to help crisp them back up.
Heck yes! This Creamy Ranch Dip is a great addition to vegan barbecue cauliflower wings. The great thing is that there is absolutely no cooking required, so this dressing/dip can be ready in just a few minutes. Simply whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl. You can easily do this while the BBQ cauliflower wings are cooking.
For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!
If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!
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Baked BBQ Cauliflower Wings
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 cup whole grain flour.
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion power
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pinch of cayenne for slight kick
- bread crumbs I used Kellogg’s Bread Crumbs
- barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper. This makes clean up much easier because clean-up is a breeze.
- Cut the cauliflower florets into small bite-size pieces. I like to make mine a little chunky, but you can cut them as small or large as you like.
- Combine flour, non-dairy milk, and spices in a bowl, and whisk together.
- Coat each cauliflower bite in the batter. I simply put a handful of them in the bowl at one time and roll them around until coated.
- Pour the dry bread crumbs in a large bowl or even in a gallon-sized storage bag. As you batter each cauliflower bite in the bowl of batter, then toss them into the bread crumbs and roll (or shake if using bag) to coat evenly. I do this in batches.
- These vegan wings are going to need to go into the oven twice to get the texture and crunch desired.
- Place battered and breaded cauliflower bites on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 20 minutes, until brown and crispy. You’ll be surprised how crunchy these get.
- While the cauliflower wings are baking, place some barbecue sauce in a medium-size bowl. Remove cauliflower bites from the oven, and dip each piece into barbecue sauce. I used a fork to roll the chunks around in the sauce.
- Once they are coated well in bbq sauce and placed back on the baking sheet, it’s time to rebake them for another 15-20 minutes.
- When they are done, remove from the oven and allow them to cool. Serve warm or even at room temperature.
Video
Notes
- Storage- These are best when eaten fresh out of the oven, but they do keep well in an airtight container for up to a week. You’ll just want to reheat them in the oven rather than a microwave to help crisp them back up.
- Air Fryer Cooking- Though I haven’t tried it yet, I think an air fryer is a great idea. I would suggest 400°F for about 10 minutes each cycle. If they don’t crisp up enough, just add a little more time in increments.
- BBQ Sauce Options- This 8-ingredient healthy BBQ Sauce Recipe is a great homemade option! If you are looking for a premade barbecue sauce, we love this oil-free Bone Suckin’ Sauce.
- Dipping Suggestion- This Creamy Ranch Dip is a great addition to these wings.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
We love them. Such a great way to eat game day!! Link for 8 ingredient bbq sauce doesn’t seem to work
Hi Laura- I am so glad you love the recipe! I’ll be making some for the Super Bowl this year for the guys. Thank you for letting me know about the link. I’ve fixed it now.
These were delicious. I have made them twice. The first time my batter was too thick, but the second time I thinned it out a bit more. I also made a Buffalo version. Yummy!!!! Thank you so much!
I used whole wheat pastry flour and macadamia nut milk. For the breadcrumbs, I used some of my home-made herbed croutons, crushed, with some panko mixed in. So crispy after the first bake, and creamy inside, just as promised! And quite tasty, even without sauce.
I am giving these as a gift so I’m going to try freezing them after the first bake, then thawing/crisping, then dipping and going for the second bake. That said, I’m wondering: Has anyone tried these with regular wing sauce, only without the second bake? They seem crispy and definitely done after the first time; maybe just serve with the sauce for dipping rather than coating them and baking again?
Anyway, this is a winner.
PS: My batter was thick, but it didn’t seem to matter.
PPS: Have you tried macadamia nut milk? Way more sustainable than almond milk. Almonds require beaucoup water and are grown mostly in California ….which has a water crisis 🙁 Just sayin’!
I have to say I’m not a fan so far but I will make it again, definitely crispy and barbecuing everything was good with the exception of a funny taste which I am thinking is coming from the almond milk. Almost Perfect with the exception of the funny taste, which I’m assuming is the almond milk.
Made these with whole wheat flour and first time out of the oven, they were brown and crispy. After the bbq sauce (which was quite thick) they came out soggy. Taste was great, but what went wrong. I’d really like to try again…I was impressed, even as they were.
It sounds like they needed to cook a little longer on the second round. They won’t be as crispy as without the bbq sauce, but they shouldn’t be soggy either.
I rarely leave comments about recipes. I cannot agree more with all the positive reviews of this recipe. These are simply delicious and addictive! I would definitely recommend thinning out the batter with more milk. I am going to try the next batch with panko to see how those are.
Great BBQ sauce recipe as well!!
Hi Dennis- Thanks so much for the great feedback!
I followed the directions exactly and when I added the bbq the cauliflower got really soggy even after 30 minutes of being in the oven. What do you think I did wrong?
What type of barbecue sauce? Was it fairly thick? Perhaps baking a little longer would help give your sauce a little more time to crisp up.
OMG enough said
Just made these for dinner and they were fabulous!! crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Perfection!! I did not have bread crumbs so I used equal parts of quinoa flakes and panko, So Yummy thank you for sharing recipe!!
That’s wonderful to hear! We will be making these soon too. They are always a big hit at my house as well. Thank you for sharing your experience making them!
Watching NASCAR. Made these. 1/2 BBQ sauce. 1/2 wing sauce. Seriously! Really! Absolutely delicious! What took me so long to try these? Outstanding crunch from the corn flakes by the way. Thank you!??
OK, Terri, I gotta tell ya, I made these today and OH. MY. GOD!!!!!!!! Ridiculous. SOOOO good! I used whole wheat flour, and I thought with a 1:1 mix of cashew milk to flour the batter was too thick, so I thinned it out with more cashew milk. But oh my, what a recipe! This will be a staple for us. Thanks!
Oh and for a dip we used Silk plain yogurt with Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch seasoning mix. This dip is really good with celery and carrots too.
Greg, I made 3 batches of them for the Super Bowl too. So glad that you loved them!
Do you know if this would work with frozen cauliflower?
Hi Laura! I haven’t tried it with frozen cauliflower, but I would give it a try!