Buffalo Cauliflower Wings Blue Cheese (Printable)
Spicy buffalo-coated cauliflower florets served with a creamy blue cheese dip and crisp veggie sticks.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Cauliflower Wings
01 - 1 large head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
02 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
03 - 1 cup milk (dairy or unsweetened plant-based)
04 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
05 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
06 - ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
07 - ½ teaspoon salt
08 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper
09 - 2 tablespoons olive oil (for baking tray)
→ Buffalo Sauce
10 - ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
11 - ½ cup hot sauce (preferably Franks RedHot or similar)
12 - 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
→ Blue Cheese Dip
13 - 3.5 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
14 - ½ cup sour cream
15 - ¼ cup mayonnaise
16 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
17 - 1 tablespoon milk
18 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives (optional)
19 - Salt and pepper, to taste
→ To Serve
20 - Celery sticks
21 - Carrot sticks
# How-to Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with olive oil.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, milk, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper until smooth.
03 - Add cauliflower florets to the batter and toss until each piece is well coated. Shake off excess batter and arrange florets in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
04 - Bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until just golden.
05 - Meanwhile, make the buffalo sauce: In a bowl, whisk together melted butter, hot sauce, and honey until smooth.
06 - Remove cauliflower from the oven. Using tongs, dip each floret into the buffalo sauce, ensuring even coverage. Return to baking sheet.
07 - Bake for an additional 10 minutes, until crispy and lightly browned.
08 - For the blue cheese dip: In a small bowl, combine blue cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, milk, and chives. Mix until creamy, leaving some blue cheese chunks. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
09 - Serve buffalo cauliflower wings immediately with blue cheese dip, celery, and carrot sticks.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- They deliver that perfect spicy, tangy, creamy punch without any meat involved
- The satisfaction of biting into something so incredibly crispy yet tender is legitimately addictive
02 -
- Crowding the baking sheet is the enemy of crispy cauliflower, so use two sheets if needed and give each floret breathing room
- Letting the batter sit for about 10 minutes before coating the cauliflower actually improves the adhesion and texture
03 -
- Pat the cauliflower florets dry with paper towels before battering to remove excess moisture
- A quick 2 to 3 minute broil at the very end creates that irresistible caramelized finish