cauliflower buffalo wings

Step 1

Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 450°F.

Step 2

Wash and cut cauliflower head into bite sized pieces/florets.

Step 3

Mix all the ingredients (minus the vegan butter and hot sauce, this is added separately!) into a mixing bowl.

Step 4

The batter shouldn't be so thick that it doesn't drip, but also not so thin that it doesn't coat or stick to the cauliflower. If you're using rice flour, you may need to add a little more liquid to get the batter the right consistency. It tends to be slightly thicker.

Step 5

Dip each floret into the mixture and coat evenly. Tap off the excess a couple of times on the side of the bowl.

Step 6

Lay florets in an even layer on the parchment lined baking sheet without over crowding. The parchment paper or a silpat mat is essential in preventing the batter from coming off throughout baking! I've tried oiling the baking sheets and they tend to stick. You need parchment paper!

Step 7

Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown, flipping the florets over half way through to get all sides golden brown and crispy. If you go to flip the cauliflower and the batter is coming off, you need to bake longer on that side!

Step 8

While the cauliflower is baking, get your ranch dip and wing sauce ready. For the hot wing sauce, melt vegan butter in a small saucepan on low heat and mix in hot sauce. Remove from the heat just as it starts to melt. Stir together and set aside.

Step 9

If you're making salt and vinegar wings, melt the vegan butter and remove from the heat to stir in apple cider vinegar and water. You will sprinkle sea salt directly on the cauliflower wings after they've been coated with this sauce.

Step 10

Once the cauliflower is done its first bake in the batter, remove them from the oven and put all the baked florets into a mixing bowl with the wing sauce. Toss to coat evenly, or you can do this in smaller batches. Then spread all the florets coated in wing sauce out onto the same baking sheet. Bake in the oven for another 25 minutes, flipping the florets over half way through. Again, if you go to slip the pieces and the batter is coming off, bake for longer. Oven times and temperature vary from oven to oven! Also, gluten-free rice flour may vary bake time and everyone's oven is different. Watch the florets at both stages and adjust bake time accordingly!

Step 11

To make the ranch dip, whisk together all the ingredients until smooth and fold in the freshly chopped herbs. If you use a regular vegan mayonnaise without garlic in it already, then you might also want to add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder to the ranch dip.

Step 12

Alternatively (and this is how I prepare the ranch), you can blend together vegan mayonnaise, nondairy milk, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt and ground black pepper in a blender. Pour the dip into a jar or serving bowl and stir in the fresh herbs. Refrigerate before serving.