Who DOESN’T love chicken wings? When I ate meat, chicken wings were like my guilty pleasure. They were delicious in all the best ways – they were greasy, saucy, messy, and finger lickin’ good. My friends and I would frequent wing places which had like a thousand different styles of chicken wings, we’d get a pound of one flavour each and share. It was glorious and delicious – but still, for me somehow nothing compared to the good old buffalo wing.
Since becoming vegan people have asked me if there is anything I miss in the meat department – anything I crave. And my honest answer is no. I tell people all the time, it’s not the meat I crave, its usually the sauce that goes on the meat that I crave. So it’s not like i’m partial to my buffalo sauce being on a chickens wing, I just want the delicious taste of the buffalo sauce in and around my mouth. Know what I mean?
So when I discovered cauliflower buffalo wings my life was complete, and I could finally indulge in my guilty pleasure, without as much guilt. The guilt of it being at the cost of an animal of course, but also the guilt of it being – realistically – a not so healthy meal.
I have experimented with this recipe in a few different ways, but to be honest this is my favourite, simplest version that I have created yet. It is completely vegan, gluten free and it literally takes 5 ingredients. Yup, that’s right. 5.
I’m going to be honest with you – and don’t go calling the vegan police on me here – but throughout this pregnancy I have been cooking with ghee from time to time. If you’re not familiar with ghee, it is clarified butter, which basically means it is butter that has been clarified and the dairy constituents have been removed. This was a personal decision that I made, and if you are interested in finding out more about ghee Meghan Telpner has an awesome article all about it’s nutritional benefits.
So why I am rambling on about ghee? Well, most vegan cauliflower buffalo bite recipes call for vegan butter, aka a franken-food concoction of vegetable oils that has absolutely no nutritional benefit. Now as you may know, I’ve got your back when it comes to delicious food, with a boat load of nutrition, so I would never offer you a recipe with any sort of franken-ingredient. So originally I made these wings with ghee – and if you aren’t vegan you can totally use the same ratio’s to make your buffalo sauce, but if you are strictly vegan, just use coconut oil as directed. Preferably refined coconut oil as it has a more neutral taste!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 40 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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- 3/4 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup water Plus 2-3 tbsp (until pancake batter consistency)
- 1 head cauliflower chopped into peices
- 1/2 cup franks red hot sauce or hot sauce of your choice (add a little extra if you like it hot)!
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
Ingredients
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- Preheat the oven to 375 F
- Mix water and brown rice flour together - whisk until pancake batter consistency. Add more water or flour as needed to achieve desired consistency
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Dip cauliflower pieces into the batter, gently shaking off excess coating. Make sure the entire piece is covered.
- Once all pieces are covered, place cauliflower bites onto the baking sheet, and place in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Place 1/4 cup hot sauce and 1/4 cup coconut oil into a small pan and heat on low/medium to ensure they blend together.
- After 20 minutes take out the cauliflower bites. Using a basting brush, coat the cauliflower wings with the sauce, and place back in the oven for another 20 minutes. Save some extra sauce for the end if you'd like, and enjoy them with celery and your favourite dip!
Depending on your head of cauliflower, you may require additional batter and or sauce. If that is the case, simply use the ratios I have provided, or you can wing it (see what I did there) and add a little bit of water and flour until the desired consistency is achieved. My personal preference is to wing it. Just sayin'.
looks fab…. I rarely ate wings when I was a meat eater, but I did work for a bar-b-que catering business while in high school… (long story). I have a half a head of cauliflower left from last night, so maybe I should make a half batch! Although…cauliflower is actually my favorite veg to eat raw! My husband thinks I am odd…. what is your favorite raw vegetable? Carrots are 2nd. I even like to sneak a slice of raw potato now and then! Oh, snap peas or red pappers! So many to choose from….
Ohh you should totally try a half batch – they’re super easy (and you could use any sauce you’d like really)! I never used to like raw cauliflower until lately… but it has such a good crunch. And with dipping sauce or hummus, it’s so good! I’m DEFINITELY a big fan of snap peas, red bell peppers (really all the colours but green… I don’t know what it is I just don’t like them raw?!), carrots, and cucumbers. I really dislike raw broccoli though… the little things get stuck in my teeth! Oh, and another I have a new found love for is radish! Specifically cut up with some salt and pepper which makes it feel gourmet.