Cauliflower Hot BBQ Wings (and Vegan Ranch)

These Cauliflower Hot BBQ Wings with vegan ranch dipping sauce, are flavor-packed and game-day approved. Give it a try, you’ll be surprised by how “meaty” cauliflower really is.

Dairy-free | Gluten-free | Soy-free |

Let’s talk cauliflower, easily one of the most hated vegetables out there. I don’t necessarily hate it, but it’s just so bland that I’ve done my best to avoid it. I’ve tried making it steamed, sauteed and into pasta sauces, with no luck. But recently I discovered the wonders of cauliflower rice, so I decided to give cauliflower another chance. If low-carb recipes are your thing, this is for you: cauliflower is the most versatile low-carb veggie ever!

Let’s go back a bit, shall we? When I first heard of cauliflower wings, 2 years ago I was super skeptical, yet I still decided to give it try. The recipe that I followed was a total fail and I gave up after the fourth time. Recently, I decided to give it another go, but this time with my own recipe. Needless to say, it was a hit! I ate an entire platter of the Cauliflower Hot BBQ Wings along with some air-fried onion rings.

Now, I know what you are thinking, “cauliflower doesn’t have wings”. Trust me, just go with it. Cauliflower works best for vegan wing because of: 1. its shape when cut, 2. its consistency, and 3. as I mentioned before, it tends to be so bland that it can actually work in your favor. Various versions of these Cauliflower Hot BBQ Wings have been floating around Pinterest for the past few years…

There are seriously so many; some are battered, some are made without flour, some with a lot of oil, and some with various sauces. The options are endless, but some work better than others. Yet, I’m not interested in making another “healthy” version of the wings. Seriously, the fact that they don’t have any meat, and that they’re seasoned with herbs & spices instead of preservatives, should be enough.

How to: Cauliflower Hot BBQ Wings

The idea is simple: cauliflower, flour, plant-based milk, garlic & onion powder, cumin, paprika, salt & pepper. For the wing sauce, some recipes call for an entire cup of hot sauce, but I find it to be way too hot for me. I used a combination of sriracha as hot sauce, organic BBQ Sauce, and non-dairy butter, to make the perfect hot wing sauce combo. And the non-dairy ranch! It’s seriously such a good combo that you’ll end up eating the entire thing!!!

Tips & Notes:

• Parchment paper! Not aluminum foil, not wax paper, not greased pans. Parchment paper is essential in preventing the batter from coming off while baking! Greasing the baking sheets will only make the florets stick. You need parchment paper!
• If you’re intolerant to hot sauces or just don’t like it, you can substitute that ¼ cup of hot sauce for more BBQ sauce (making 1 cup) and just have BBQ wings. Other sauces that you can try:
  • Salt & Vinegar
  • Teriyaki
  • Sweet & Sour
  • Orange
  • Butter & Garlic
• To make sure these are completely gluten-free, use gluten-free all-purpose flour. If you’re using any other type of flour, you may need to add a little more or a little less liquid to get the right batter consistency.
• Be sure to cut the florets in bigger chunks. If they are too small, they will be mushy.

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Cauliflower Hot BBQ Wings

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Serves: 2-4 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 45 minutes 45 minutes Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

For Wings:

• 1 head of cauliflower (approx. 4-5 cups of florets)
• ½ cup unsweetened plant-based milk
• ½ cup water
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp of paprika
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp non-dairy butter
• ¾ cup BBQ Sauce of choice
• ¼ cup Hot Sauce of choice (I used Sriracha)

For Ranch:

• ¾ cup cashews, softened
• ¼ cup plant-based milk
• ¼ cup water (plus more water if needed to thin)
• 1 clove of garlic (or 1 tbsp garlic powder)
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tsp parsley flakes

Procedure

• Preheat oven to 450F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Chop the cauliflower into florets, “wings” or bite-sized chunks. Rinse them well.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika and, salt & pepper.
• Add in the water and milk. Whisk until the batter is completely clump-free. It shouldn't be so thick that it doesn't drip, but also not so thin that it doesn't stick to the cauliflower. Taste the batter and decide if you feel like it needs more of one of the spices (ex. More garlic powder, more salt or pepper, etc.).
• Then gently toss each florets piece in the batter and coat each piece evenly. Tap off the excess a couple of times on the side of the bowl.
• Place the coated florets in an even layer on the parchment lined baking sheet without overcrowding.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and crispy.
• While the wings are baking, make the wing sauce & ranch.
• For wing sauce: In a large bowl, combine the hot sauce, BBQ sauce, and melted butter.
• For ranch: Add all of the ingredients, except parsley flakes, to a high-speed blender or bullet. Add more water if you feel like it needs to be thinned. Hand-mix in the parsley flakes. When done, refrigerate before serving.
• When the wings are ready, add florets to the wing sauce and gently toss to evenly coat. Return cauliflower to a baking sheet and continue cooking for an additional 20 minutes, or until pieces to turn crispy. Remove from oven.
• Serve warm with the cool ranch & enjoy!

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