Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
Baked once, breaded three times, and deep-fried twice. The result: the most crispy and tender vegan Buffalo wings. However, we were never huge fans of chicken wings – way too greasy, hard to make, and this nasty bone, ugh! But every dish deserves a second chance, especially when veganizing it. So here we are!
There are different ways to veganize chicken wings; you could use jackfruit, tofu, or seitan. However, we opted for the cauliflower version. Cauliflower? You heard right! We will show you how to turn this massive vegetable into the most delicious wings.
But back to our calculation from the beginning: To make our cauliflower extra crispy, we not only baked it, but we also breaded it three times and deep-fried it twice! Of course, you don't have to do all these steps – you can also bread and deep-fry your cauliflower only once or even just bake it to save time, but the result will be less crispy.
These cauliflower wings are not only a great lunch or dinner but also make fantastic finger food at any party. Your guests will love them - we promise! You can find more vegan finger food recipes here.
Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 500 ml (2 cups) plant-based milk
- 175 ml (0.75 cup) chili sauce
- salt
- pepper
For the breading:
- 250 g (2 cups) wheat flour type 550 or spelt flour type 630
- 2 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp chili powder
- 1.5 tsp garlic powder
- 1.5 tsp onion powder
- 4 tsp paprika
- 1.5 tsp celery salt
- 1.5 tsp dried sage
- 1.5 tsp dried basil
- 1.5 tsp dried oregano
- 1.5 tsp dried marjoram
Also:
- 1 large cauliflower
- 1.5 l (6 cups) vegertable oil for frying
- 200 ml (1 cup) BBQ sauce for serving
Instructions
Wash cauliflower and separate the florets from the main stem, but leave them as long as possible so they look like tiny chicken wings.
Mix the plant-based milk and chili sauce in a small bowl for the marinade. Then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer the cauliflower florets to a large bowl and toss to coat with marinade.
Preheat oven to 180°C/355°F (top/bottom heat). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drain the cauliflower florets and arrange them evenly on the baking sheet. Set the remaining marinade aside. Bake the cauliflower for approx. 20 minutes until fork tender. Remove from the oven and let cool.
In the meantime, prepare the breading. To do this, combine flour, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, celery salt, dried sage, basil, oregano, and marjoram in a large bowl.
First, dredge cauliflower florets in the breading until they’re completely covered. Then dip the florets in the remaining marinade and bread once again. Repeat this step so each floret has been breaded three times and marinaded twice.
Add frying oil several inches high into a small pot and heat to 160°C/320°F. Hold a wooden skewer into the oil to check whether the oil is hot enough. The temperature is right, when little bubbles form around the skewer. Deep-fry the cauliflower wings in batches for about 3-4 minutes. It's best to only deep-fry four cauliflower florets at the same time. . Once browned and crispy, remove them from the pot and immediately drain on paper towels.
Once done, heat the oil to 180°C/350°F and deep-fry every cauliflower floret once again until they are slightly darker and, most importantly, even crispier.
Cover the cauliflower wings with BBQ sauce and serve right away.
