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All About Cauliflower
Recipe
45 min

Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

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Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
Author: Nicole Konstantinakos

Recipe By Nicole Konstantinakos

Published on September 3, 2024

Deemed “better than wings” by our tasters, these crunchy, tangy, spicy, and just plain addictive cauliflower bites will be the new star of your game day table.

Time

45 min

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Why This Recipe Works

The key was to come up with a flavorful, crunchy coating that would hold up under the Buffalo sauce. A mixture of cornstarch and cornmeal gave us the ultracrisp exterior we wanted. But because cauliflower is not naturally moist (like chicken), the mixture didn't adhere; we dunked the florets in canned coconut milk first, which had the right viscosity. We got decent results when we baked our bites, but we absolutely flipped over the crackly crust and tender interior we achieved through frying. We served our bites with an herby ranch dressing, a cooling foil to the kick of the bites.

Ingredients

Vegan Ranch

½ cup vegan mayonnaise
2 tablespoons unsweetened plain coconut milk yogurt
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh chives
1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh dill
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon table salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper

Buffalo Sauce

¼ cup coconut oil
½ cup hot sauce
1 tablespoon packed organic dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Cauliflower

1 - 2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil
¾ cup cornstarch
¼ cup cornmeal
Salt and pepper
⅔ cup canned coconut milk
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 pound cauliflower florets, cut into 1½-inch pieces

Equipment

Dutch Oven

Instructions

Cook along with these step-by-step instructions

step 1 imagestep 2 imagestep 3 imagestep 4 image

    Vegan Ranch Dressing

  1. Whisk all ingredients in bowl until smooth. (Dressing can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.)

    2. Buffalo Sauce

  2. Melt coconut oil in small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in hot sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar until combined. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm; set aside.
    Recipe Tip
    We used Frank's Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce but other hot sauces can be used.

    3. Cauliflower

  3. Line platter with triple layer of paper towels. Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about 1½ inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 400 degrees. While oil heats, combine cornstarch, cornmeal, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Whisk coconut milk and hot sauce together in large bowl. Add cauliflower; toss to coat well. Sprinkle cornstarch mixture over cauliflower; fold with rubber spatula until thoroughly coated.
    Recipe Tip
    Use a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more for this recipe.
  4. Fry half of cauliflower, adding 1 or 2 pieces to oil at a time, until golden and crisp, gently stirring as needed to prevent pieces from sticking together, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer fried cauliflower to prepared platter.
  5. Return oil to 400 degrees and repeat with remaining cauliflower. Transfer ½ cup sauce to clean large bowl, add fried cauliflower and gently toss to coat. Serve immediately with Vegan Ranch Dressing and remaining sauce.

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Other Ideas for Cauliflower
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Other Ideas for Cauliflower

Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Recipe By Nicole Konstantinakos

Published on September 3, 2024

Time

45 min

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Ingredients

Vegan Ranch

½ cup vegan mayonnaise2 tablespoons unsweetened plain coconut milk yogurt1 teaspoon white wine vinegar1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh chives1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh dill¼ teaspoon garlic powder⅛ teaspoon table salt⅛ teaspoon pepper

Buffalo Sauce

¼ cup coconut oil½ cup hot sauce1 tablespoon packed organic dark brown sugar2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Cauliflower

1 - 2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil¾ cup cornstarch¼ cup cornmealSalt and pepper⅔ cup canned coconut milk1 tablespoon hot sauce1 pound cauliflower florets, cut into 1½-inch pieces

Instructions

    Vegan Ranch Dressing

  1. Whisk all ingredients in bowl until smooth. (Dressing can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.)

    2. Buffalo Sauce

  2. Melt coconut oil in small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in hot sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar until combined. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm; set aside.
    Recipe Tip
    We used Frank's Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce but other hot sauces can be used.

    3. Cauliflower

  3. Line platter with triple layer of paper towels. Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about 1½ inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 400 degrees. While oil heats, combine cornstarch, cornmeal, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Whisk coconut milk and hot sauce together in large bowl. Add cauliflower; toss to coat well. Sprinkle cornstarch mixture over cauliflower; fold with rubber spatula until thoroughly coated.
    Recipe Tip
    Use a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more for this recipe.
  4. Fry half of cauliflower, adding 1 or 2 pieces to oil at a time, until golden and crisp, gently stirring as needed to prevent pieces from sticking together, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer fried cauliflower to prepared platter.
  5. Return oil to 400 degrees and repeat with remaining cauliflower. Transfer ½ cup sauce to clean large bowl, add fried cauliflower and gently toss to coat. Serve immediately with Vegan Ranch Dressing and remaining sauce.
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