Buffalo Cauliflower Bites With Vegan Cucumber Ranch
Crispy, chewy, and breaded with tartness and spiciness. Pair that with a creamy cool vegan cucumber ranch and I guarantee you won’t be able to stop until the entire plate is gone.
Servings 12 pieces
Calories 94kcal
Ingredients
- 1/2 cauliflower , large
- 1 cup non-dairy milk , such as soy milk or cashew milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour , for gluten-free: use white rice flour
- 2 teasp garlic powder
- 1.5 cups breadcrumbs , for gluten-free, use gluten-free breadcrumbs
- Vegan Cucumber Ranch
For the Sauce:
- 2 tbsp vegan butter , such as Earth Balance or Miyoko vegan butter
- 1/2 cup cholula , or other hot sauce such as Frank's Hot Sauce (see notes below)
- 1/4 teasp sriracha
- 1/2 teasp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp vinegar , I used regular distilled vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the cauliflower into medium sized florets. Wash and set aside to drain out the water.
- In a large bowl, combine non-dairy milk (soy milk), flour, and 2 teasp garlic powder, and some freshly ground pepper. Whisk and set aside.
- Take all the cauliflower florets and add them to the large bowl with the milk/flour mixture. Toss with a large spoon or hands until they're all coated.
- In another smaller bowl, add a small amount of the breadcrumbs to start, replenishing as needed. This way, the breadcrumbs stay as dry as possible instead of clumping as you coat the cauliflower.
- One at a time, take each individual cauliflower floret coated in the milk/flour mixture (allow any excess liquid to drip off in the large bowl), and place in the breadcrumb bowl. Roll the cauliflower in the breadcrumbs until completely coated on all sides. Place on the parchment lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining cauliflower florets. Replenish the breadcrumb bowl as needed to minimize clumping of the dry breadcrumbs.
- Once all the cauliflower florets are breaded, place in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes until crispy and slightly golden brown on the outside.
- In the meantime, make the sauce. Heat a sauce pan on low-medium heat. Whisk all the sauce ingredients above just until the butter is completely melted and the ingredients are combined. Turn the heat off and set aside.
- Once the cauliflower is crispy and slightly golden, remove from the heat and toss a few at a time to completely coat in the sauce and place it back onto the same parchment paper.
- If there is extra sauce remaining, drizzle it over the cauliflower with a spoon.
- Place the cauliflower back in the oven for about 5-8 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve with Vegan Cucumber Ranch! Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and re-heat at 375 degrees the following day!
Notes
Sauce - I used and highly recommend using Cholula hot sauce when making the buffalo sauce because of its flavor profile. I have tested this recipe using Cholula. But if you use a different hot sauce, be sure it's one that's smooth and bold in flavor. You may need to adjust the flavor a little but should work fine with most (note: if you use a hot sauce like Tapatio, this sauce will not taste good).
Kid-Friendly Version - Use your favorite marinara instead of buffalo sauce. Dip the crispy breaded cauliflower in your favorite marinara instead of buffalo sauce to avoid spice for the kids.
For the gluten-free option, I used white rice flour.
Non-Dairy Milk - I typically use soy milk for this recipe, which makes for a very thick coating. If you prefer a thinner coating or find the thick coating difficult to work with, either add a tiny bit more soy milk into the coating mixture or use another thinner non-dairy milk such as cashew milk.
Nutrition
Calories: 94kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 376mg | Potassium: 62mg | Vitamin A: 105IU | Vitamin C: 9.7mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg