Gluten Free Buffalo Cauliflower
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- Gluten Free Buffalo Cauliflower are a great vegan alternative to traditional chicken buffalo wings.
- The perfect recipe for Super Bowl Sunday, or just any BBQ or party.
- These wings are crispy, spicy and savory.
- This recipe is vegan, plant based, gluten free and grain free.
- Can be baked in the oven or fried in the air fryer.
- A recipe that both vegan and non vegan’s will love.
- Check out these buffalo chickpea bites for another great recipe!
Featured Recipe Review
Made this the other day for a girls night and my only regret was not doubling the recipe. The best recipe I’ve found to date!!
Virginia
Ingredients and Substitutions
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for Gluten Free Buffalo Cauliflower. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this page for a full list of ingredients and instructions.
You can use a whole cauliflower and chop them into cauliflower florets, or buy cauliflower florets from a bag.
I personally love using the buffalo sauce from Primal Kitchen Foods, but you can use any buffalo sauce such as Franks Red Hot.
Paprika gives these cauliflower bites a smokey flavor, similar to what wings typically taste like.
Garlic and onion powder give these buffalo bites a savory added flavor.
Salt and pepper helps balance out the flavors.
Almond flour is the flour that I use to make these buffalo wings grain free. I have not tested this recipe with any other flours.
Kitchen tools needed to make Air Fried Wings
I used my air fryer to make this recipe. But I know not everyone has an air fryer, and that’s okay. You can still make this recipe in the oven and they will turn out just the same!
- air fryer (or oven)
- mixing bowls
- measuring spoons
How to make
Making these cauliflower wings is so simple! From start to finish they will be ready in less than 30 minutes. Let’s get into it.
ONE: Chop and then wash the head of cauliflower. I like to use a fruit scrub to make sure I get rid of any pesticides or bugs that are lingering.
TWO: Dry the cauliflower florets and place them into a large mixing bowl. Pour the buffalo sauce over the cauliflower wings and coat them really well. Like REALLY well. Ideally, you don’t want to see any white from the cauliflower. Set aside.
THREE: In a separate medium bowl, combine almond flour and spices. Then, add in buffalo cauliflower and toss until each piece is well coated.
FOUR: Place the wings into the air fryer in a single layer. Do not over crowd the wings as this will result in a soggy wing. Air fry at 350F for 20 minutes. Remove from the fryer and serve with ranch or blue cheese. ENJOY!
Tips and Tricks
Don’t over crowd your air fryer, allow there to be some room in between each piece. Over crowding the air fryer will result in a soggy wing.
Make sure each cauliflower floret is well coated with buffalo sauce and seasonings.
How to serve and store
Serve these Gluten Free Buffalo Cauliflower wings with ranch or blue cheese.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or the air fryer for best results.
Taste and Texture
These Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Wings are crispy, crunchy, spicy and savory.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make these in the oven instead of the air fryer?
Yes, bake at 425F for 20-25 minutes or until crispy. You may need to toss them half way through.
Other recipes you may like:
- buffalo chickpea caesar wrap
- chickpea bites with buffalo
- air fried buffalo chickpea caesar salad
- brussels sprouts air fried
- carrot fries
If you make these Gluten Free Buffalo Cauliflower, I would really appreciate a comment and rating down below, under the recipe card. Don’t forget to take a picture and tag me over on Instagram, Tiktok or Pinterest!
Gluten Free Buffalo Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup almond flour
Instructions
- To start, chop and then wash the head of cauliflower. I like to use a fruit scrub to make sure I get rid of any pesticides or bugs that are lingering.
- Then, dry the cauliflower and place into a large mixing bowl. Pour buffalo sauce over the cauliflower wings and coat them really well. Like REALLY well. Ideally, you don’t want to see any white from the cauliflower. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, combine almond flour and spices. Mix really well, then add in the buffalo cauliflower and toss until each piece is well coated with the flour mixture.
- Place the wings into the air fryer in a single layer. Do not over crowd the wings as this will result in a soggy wing.
- Fry at 350F for 20 minutes. Remove from the fryer and serve with ranch or blue cheese.
- ENJOY! Best served immediately with dipping sauce of choice.
Notes
- Don’t over crowd your air fryer, allow there to be some room in between each piece. Over crowding the air fryer will result in a soggy wing.
- Make sure each cauliflower floret is well coated with buffalo sauce and seasonings.
Made these for the super bowl and they came out perfect!! Super crispy when you leave them in long enough and lots of flavor!! Perfect for vegetarians or pescatarians:)
Hands down the best Buffalo cauliflower recipe I’ve followed. I’ve tried several different recipes in the past but this one definitely has the best flavor and was a crowd pleaser ! Do yourself a favor, just go ahead and double the recipe.
Just made these! I ran out of almond flour so I used whole wheat breadcrumbs instead. Still came out tasty but def want to try to almond flour next time! Thanks for this recipe!!
Hello! Is there a substitute for the almond flour ? Flour/ corn starch ?
Also what are the oven settings ? The same ?
Thanks!
Hi Cynthia! You can use regular flour, oat flour, or whole wheat flour. The oven temp would be the same 350F, and I would bake them for 17-25 minutes.
hey!
i’m fairly new to experimenting with air fryers, and i’m a vegetarian so loved the idea of this.
i tried this recipe and i burned the outside of the cauliflower :/ coating was pretty thick on the outside when i put them in, put them in at 350 degrees and didn’t look super appealing when i pulled them out. turned out real crispy on the outside and really brown, overly brown…
i used regular flower versus almond flour (non bleached if that matters)
and would love to know what i did wrong to try to fix it and nail it next time!
again, first time trying cauliflower wings at all, and would love to know what could be the verdict, as i think it had something to do on my end being new to it (definitely don’t think it was the recipe). ?
(omg posting again bc i just realized i spelled “FLOUR” wrong and called it flower long day forgive me so embarrassed)
hey!
i’m fairly new to experimenting with air fryers, and i’m a vegetarian so loved the idea of this.
i tried this recipe and i burned the outside of the cauliflower :/ coating was pretty thick on the outside when i put them in, put them in at 350 degrees and didn’t look super appealing when i pulled them out. turned out real crispy on the outside and really brown, overly brown…
i used regular flour versus almond flour (non bleached if that matters)
and would love to know what i did wrong to try to fix it and nail it next time!
again, first time trying cauliflower wings at all, and would love to know what could be the verdict, as i think it had something to do on my end being new to it (definitely don’t think it was the recipe) <3
Hi there!! Oh no, let’s see there could be a few things that you may be able to adjust. First, don’t over-pack the air fryer. You want the cauliflower to be on a single layer and not stacked too high to the top. Secondly, the regular flour will definitely make a different because the gluten will crisp better than the almonds. So I would suggest baking at 350F but for 10-15 minutes. It’s always best to check on them about half way through and give them a little shake (depending on the air fryer) so that way they cook all the way around. The air fryer that I have is like a small oven so the air circulates and no shake is needed, but not all air fryers are created equal! Let me know if that helps, and I hope the next batch turns out better for you! Keep me posted 🙂
Can’t wait to try this – recipe looks delicious! You mention using a fruit scrub on the cauliflower to get rid of any lingering pesticides or bugs. Can you please tell me the name of it, and where can I buy it? Thanks.
Hi Stephanie!!
I can’t wait for you to try it! I used the fruit and veggie wash from trader joes! just add a small amount to a bowl of warm water and let your fruit/veggies soak for about 10 minutes!
Not sure where I went wrong, I did cook in the oven at 350 for 20 min, they were done but too much flour, had a mouthful of flour with each bite finally had to scrape it al off
Hey Clare, sorry to hear that it didn’t work out for you. What kind of flour did you use for this recipe, did you use the same ingredients as listed above?
Flavor was great but the were soggy. I used an air fryer for half and deep fried the remainder.
Hi Sandra! so glad you enjoyed them flavor. Try not to over crowd the air fryer, they need to be on a single layer to get nice and crispy!
I followed this recipe to the T, even single layered as suggested and it came out extremely salty. Maybe leave out the salt as the wing sauce carries enough sodium? The texture was soggy on the bottom sides of the calliflower so i suggest flipping them halfway through so all sides cook evenly.
Hi Chely! Thanks for your feedback, i’m sorry to hear they turned out too salty. Mine definitely didn’t taste that way. Do you mind telling me which brand of buffalo sauce you used?
Followed the recipe EXACTLY. These were SOOOOO salty. Really disappointed wasting this much food. It’s inedible. 🙁
Hi Kristen! Oh no, i’m really sorry to hear that. I’ve had many remakes over on pinterest and haven’t heard this. I’ll remake them soon and see if there is a mistype of some kind. I’m terribly sorry, I hate wasting not only food but my time as well. I appreciate the feedback regardless.
Love this recipe. I use primal kitchen buffalo sauce and still comes out great!
Hi Erica! YAY!! so happy to hear you love it 🙂
i tried this and it was actually AMAZING. this was beyond delicious and surprised me. i used all purpose flour but half of what u used, and it tasted delicious. i definitely will make this so much more! it was so good. thank u
AMAZING!! so glad you enjoyed 🙂
These were absolutely AMAZING!!! I was skeptical from previous recipes that I have tried… but these were a showstopper!!!!! 10/10
WE LOVE TO HEAR IT!
I used regular flour and these were great! Better than expected!!! Thank you!
that’s what we love to hear! xx
I had them they were great
i’m so glad!
These were SO good
glad you liked them! xx
Tastes better than meat!
Came out great!
happy to hear it! xx
This is delicious!
so glad you enjoyed!
these are so good!! used all purpose flour and went with 1/2 the amount like she said and a little goes a long way! soooo good!
amazing! so glad you enjoyed!!!
i am very impressed with these! i’m thinking next time to make a batter with the dry seasonings and line up some parchment paper in my air fryer so they have a more fried batter consistency!
Came out great! I used brown rice flour and it was delicious!
omgGGGGGGGB THATS SO YUMMMMMMMMNNN
OMGGGG THATS SO YUMMMMM
Made this the other day for a girls night and my only regret was not doubling the recipe. The best recipe I’ve found to date!!
I plan to cook these tonight. Question: the recipe has no added salt. Is this correct? I noticed that some earlier reviews said they were too salty, later ones said they were perfect. I will be using Primal Kitchen Original Buffalo Sauce, which contains some salt. Will this be enough salt to season the entire piece of cauliflower?
Hi there! Correct, I didn’t add in any additional salt but used Primal Kitchen Buffalo sauce which turned out perfect. Other reviewers might have used a different sauce that contained more salt. Let me know how they turn out for you!
Can you also make these in the oven? If so, at what degree and for how long? Thanks!
To make them in the oven, preheat it to 425°F. Spread the coated cauliflower wings in a single layer on a lined or lightly greased baking sheet, making sure they aren’t overcrowded. Bake for 30–35 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the edges are browned and the coating looks dry and crisp. For extra crunch, you can broil them for the last 2–3 minutes. The oven method is great for larger batches, though the texture will be slightly softer than the air fryer.