The Best Buffalo Cauliflower | Crispy + Spicy + Air Fried!

This breading method creates the crispiest coating and crunchiest crunch!

The breading here has been tweaked from this one used on these cauliflower steaks and this one I used to bread tofu. You’re going to get that ripply, KFC-ish coating that clingy sauces love to seep into. Not into buffalo sauce? Toss it into some bang bang sauce, dip it into this chipotle-lime sauce, drizzle with gochujang glaze, or reduce this marinade and burn your face off.

I tossed this cauliflower into a salad, but it can be piled onto a burger, tossed into some noodles, tacos, served with fries or used in a stir-fry.

Hi there, reader! If you make this recipe and love it, would you mind leaving a 5-star review? You can do this in one-click via the “leave a reply” section at the bottom of this post. It’s a really simple action that helps me out tremendously. Thank you as always for your support and happy cooking! xo

The Best Buffalo Cauliflower: Crispy, Spicy, Air Fried!

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Author: erin wysocarski
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 2-4 servings

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Description

The best buffalo cauliflower: toss into a salad, pack into a taco, or pile onto a burger.

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Ingredients

for the cauliflower

• one head of cauliflower, cut into evenly sized florets

for the dry ingredients

• 2 cups AP flour
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 TB garlic powder
• 1 TB onion powder
• 1 TB paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cayenne (optional)

for the wet ingredients

• 1 cup soymilk, with 2 tsp apple cider vinegar whisked in
• 2 TB Follow Your Heart VeganEgg powder, blended with 1/2 cup ice cold water
• 2 TB bourbon
• 1 TB hot sauce

for frying and coating

• Spray oil
• at least one cup of prepared buffalo sauce. (You can also make your own by mixing a 1:1 ratio of melted vegan butter with a vinegar-based hot sauce)

to serve

• arugula
• cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1–2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 avocado, sliced
• cilantro
• 1–2 TB chopped red onion
• vegan bleu cheese dressing (I used Daiya)

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Instructions

to prep the cauliflower

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place the cauliflower florets into the pot, let the boil return, wait about a minute, then transfer the florets to a cookie sheet with a wire rack over it to cool. Leave out until cooled, or throw into your refrigerator.

to make the breading

1. Combine all of the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Combine all of the wet ingredients into a separate medium-sized bowl.
3. Working one piece at a time, coat the florets evenly in the dry mixture, tapping off any extra and placing them back onto the wire rack.
4. Working one piece at a time, dunk the florets into the wet mixture, then coat evenly with the flour mixture.
5. Return the battered cauliflower back onto the wire rack and place into the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.

to air fry the cauliflower

1. Spray the cauliflower florets evenly with cooking spray. Place into the air fryer in a single layer (you will need to work in batches based on the size of your cauliflower and air fryer) at 400 degrees and cook for 8 minutes. Respray, flip and spray again over any areas that look dry and cook for an additional 4 minutes to achieve a deeply golden color and crinkly texture all over.
2. Place the buffalo sauce into a bowl, add the florets to gently toss, then place back into the air fryer for 2 minutes. Toss again in the buffalo sauce right before serving, if desired.
3. Serve immediately in a salad, burger or taco.

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes

Gratitude + Podcast Faves from this week

With winter arriving here in Boston, learning to knit is super helpful! Glued to my couch, index fingers bandaged and padded (they actually split and started bleeding from the needles), I’ve loved the solitary and repetitive process despite the little injury, and made this comfy scarf. Grateful for being able to do this, and giving my super anxious mind a calming task to focus on. Moving on to an actual pattern next!

Instead of listening to music while knitting, I’ve been binging on true crime podcasts. These are my two recent favorite discoveries, which feature great chemistry between podcasters and effectively showcase their passion for this genre.

RedHanded | Hosted by Bristish-based duo Suruthi and Hannah, this podcast is well researched, with an array of cases infused with their unique insight and perspective.

Killer Queens | Hosted by Tennessee-based sisters Tori and Tyrella, I love their southern accents, and when they drop a ya’ll, my southern roots go ahhh.