Are you looking for the perfect game day snack? You're in luck because we're about to share the easiest, most delicious buffalo cauliflower recipe! Healthy, quick, and tasty? Yup. Score!
Chicken wings and football go together like apple pie and ice cream, but there's a new appetizer in town! Move over buffalo chicken. Buffalo cauliflower is about to become your new gameday go-to.
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Whether you're vegetarian, looking to sneak more veggies into the diet, or you just like good food, we guarantee you're going to LOVE this easy buffalo cauliflower recipe. Find out how to make this tasty snack, what ingredients you can sub in and out in a pinch, how to use any leftovers (if you're lucky enough to have any), and what other foods you can buffalo. We're going to cover it all! Let's do this.
BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER RECIPE SUBSTITUTIONS
Time for a quick PSA! If you're new to our blog, what makes us unique is that we're ALL about helping you use the ingredients you already have to make delicious meals and snacks for your family. So, instead of running out to the store every time you're missing an ingredient, start shopping your pantry and fridge.
There are SO many ways to use up what you've got. Here's how you can shelf cook your way through this easy buffalo cauliflower recipe. Try these super simple ingredient swaps:
- Flour – Gluten-free? You can use a gluten-free flour like almond meal. Totally out of flour? Crush up some crackers or use breadcrumbs instead. If you're really desperate, you can crush pork rinds, too!
- Milk – Unsweetened almond or coconut milk can work in a pinch.
- Buffalo Sauce – No buffalo sauce on hand? Grab any hot sauce instead (Frank's Hot Sauce is a good one).
- Oil – All out of cooking oil? Coconut oil, avocado oil, or melted butter work just as well in equal amounts!
Get the idea? There's almost always another ingredient that works just as well! We love finding creative substitutes! Check out this post with ten clever ideas for replacing eggs in recipes.
Now, let's talk buffalo! Sauce, that is.
OTHER FOODS YOU CAN BUFFALO
If you're a big fan of zesty buffalo sauce, then you're going to love these buffalo food ideas! We've got something to suit every diet and palate. And ALL of these recipes are pretty dang delicious:
- Broccoli – Since broccoli and cauliflower are pretty much cousins, it makes sense that you buffalo broccoli, too. Use the same recipe as below, but swap in broccoli instead.
- Brussels Sprouts – If your kids won't eat their Brussels sprouts, we bet they'll eat these! Coat your sprouts in olive oil, salt, and pepper and bake in the oven for 20-minutes at 400°F. Mix 3 tablespoons of melted butter with your favorite buffalo sauce, then coat the cooked sprouts and enjoy!
- Deviled Eggs – Add some buffalo sauce to your mustard and mayo mixture, and that's it! You just buffaloed your deviled eggs. Make it even better with some shredded chicken and blue cheese crumbles on top.
- French Toast – Just toss some parmesan cheese in your batter, dip the bread, and cook as usual. Then drizzle with buffalo sauce when you're done. It's the perfect combo of sweet and savory and oh-so-easy-peasy!
- Shrimp – We sure do love a buffalo shrimp wrap! Fry or grill up a few shrimp, toss in your favorite sauce, and boom. Hello, 10-minute meal.
You can't go wrong with any of these buffalo chicken twists, but we know why you're really here! Let's talk cauliflower.
HOW TO MAKE BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER
You've likely heard all the hype about buffalo cauliflower, but maybe you're skeptical. We're here to tell ya this magical dish is worthy of ALL the hype. And it's so simple to throw together! Here are three ways to make buffalo cauliflower at home:
- Air Fryer – You can air fry up just about anything these days! The healthy, easy way to do it is in the good old air fryer. If you have one, we highly recommend using it to fry up your buffalo cauliflower bites. Our biggest piece of advice when air frying? Make your buffalo cauliflower in batches. Overlapping or overfilling the basket will prevent crisping.
- Oven – No air fryer? No problem! The recipe we're about to share uses an oven, and we think it's just as good!
- Stovetop Skillet – If you don't want heat up the kitchen and don't have an air fryer handy, you can whip up a quick batch of buffalo cauliflower in a skillet on your stovetop. Pan-fry over medium-high heat in a few tablespoons of olive oil for about 5-minutes, then toss with sauce once crisp.
As you can see, buffalo cauliflower is pretty versatile. No matter the tools at your disposal, whipping up a batch has never been easier!
OUR FAVORITE BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER DIPPING SAUCES
We all know how yummy ranch and blue cheese are alongside buffalo chicken. They're just as yummy with buffalo cauliflower, but they're not the only dips worth trying! Looking for something new? Whip up one of these tasty sauces:
- Avocado Ranch – Avocado makes everything better! Round up 1/4 cup of plain yogurt, a large avocado, a splash of lemon juice, vinegar, 1/2 cup of milk, some fresh minced garlic, and the seasonings of your choice. Add them to a food processor, blend, and enjoy!
- Buffalo Chicken – Yup. We just went there! For the ultimate flavor explosion, try dipping your buffalo cauliflower in buffalo chicken! It's so easy. Add two cups of canned chicken, 16 ounces cream cheese, 3/4 cup of buffalo sauce, 1/2 cup of sour cream, and 1 cup of shredded cheese to a crockpot. Cook on low for 3 hours, then sprinkle with an additional cup of cheese and enjoy!
- French Onion – This one wins the award for quick and easy. If you have a french onion soup packet, just add it to eight ounces of sour cream. That's it. Seriously!
- Vinaigrette – Trying to keep things healthy? You'll love this easy, healthy, homemade vinaigrette.
Gather up some carrot sticks and celery, too. They'll all work beautifully with these sauces!
WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR BUFFALO LEFTOVERS
Are you lucky enough to have leftover buffalo cauliflower bites? We're officially jealous. There are a few ways to use up those leftovers. You can refrigerate and reheat in the oven at 400°F, but your second option is even more fun! Turn that buffalo cauliflower into something brand new. Here are four ideas:
- Mac ‘n Cheese – Pass the mac and cheese, please! Add your leftover cauliflower to a food processor, blend, then mix into your mac and cheese. The spice is the perfect complement to all that cheesy goodness.
- Mashed Potatoes – Buffalo mashed potatoes? Why not?! Add some cheese, butter, plain yogurt, and seasonings to a bowl and blend with your cauliflower until you achieve a mashed potato consistency.
- Pizza – Dress up your homemade pizza! Chop your cauliflower bites into smaller pieces and add to your pizza in the last five minutes of baking.
- Rice – Pulse your cauliflower in a blender or food processor, and suddenly you'll have rice! Throw it in a skillet with some oil and pan-fry. Toss in an egg, some veggies, and protein to make yourself a buffalo chicken stir fry.
You can also freeze the leftovers from this buffalo cauliflower recipe. Just place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, pop them into the freezer, and then remove and place in a plastic bag once frozen. When you're ready to eat, heat them in the oven at 400°F for about 10 minutes.
THE EASIEST RECIPE, EVER
Are you ready for this ridiculously easy, finger-licking good recipe? Word of advice: we recommend doubling or tripling this recipe if you want some leftover. Heck, you may even want to quadruple it. Who are we to judge?!
Easy Buffalo Cauliflower Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose Flour
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 head cauliflower
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil
- ¼ cup buffalo sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450°F.
- Wash cauliflower head and remove stems.
- Chop cauliflower into bite-sized florets.
- Add dry ingredients and milk to a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Add the cauliflower to the bowl and coat thoroughly with the milk and seasonings mixture.
- Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, then arrange the cauliflower in a single layer and bake for 20 minutes.
- While the cauliflower cooks, combine the buffalo sauce and oil.
- Remove cauliflower from oven, flip, and coat with sauce. Return to oven for 20 more minutes, or until crispy.
- Serve and enjoy!
Pro Tip: For easy peasy cleanup, use a silicon baking sheet on your baking pan!
WHICH BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER RECIPE WILL YOU TRY FIRST?
And there you have it! Who's hungry now?! Comment below and let us know what your favorite game-day snack is.
Looking for even more yummy appetizers and snacks to try?
- This cheesy garlic bread is unbelievable! It's the perfect snack or side dish for pasta night.
- These Halloween snack ideas are spooky, fun, and tasty enough to eat all year!
- Here's a snack everyone will love. What could be better than a DIY Lunchable?
Do your thing, chicken wing!
Absolutely delicious I’ll copy asap!!!
This looks absolutely scrumptious! Definitely gonna try soon! Thanks for sharing this.