Come around Meatless Monday and another great vegetarian recipe. These spicy Buffalo cauliflower bites are meant as a snack but somehow ended up being a whole lunch. Go figure! They are crispy and spicy and soft and everything you would want in an appetizer. Maybe you are having a movie night or a sports night and want something that goes perfectly with beer. Oh, remember beer? Whenever winter comes I seem to forget the fresh and cold touch of a nice ale. These would go perfectly with a crisp, light lager. But you may very well have them just on their own and never tell anyone you made them in the first place. Which is what I did.
What to make with cauliflower?
Cauliflower is this decades hero of a vegetable. People have found so many ways to use up this veg in tasty ways. When I was little, we used to have boiled and breaded cauliflower with butter on top. And I loved it. But I was a weird kid, I ate all the stuff other kids wouldn’t. So for me, the option to replicate famous fast food recipes that would usually involve different parts of chicken seems fun and useful. Especially when it’s the season for it here in Eastern Europe. Another reason to cook up more cauliflower, besides health reasons, it is budget-friendly. Do you want a frugal but delicious appetizer on your table? Go make spicy Buffalo cauliflower bites! What could be better than a crunchy snack that isn’t fried and heavy?
This is an easy batter with some added spices. It will add the cauliflower it’s crunchiness. I have a hack for mixing stuff with a batter that will relieve you from extra washing up and use less batter. I place the batter in a large food-grade Ziploc bag and add the thing that needs to be covered and close the bag and shake, massage and move everything around. You can help with your fingers and get the batter in every nook and cranny. Easy peasy!
How to make crispy, spicy Buffalo cauliflower bites?
These babies are oven-roasted and then brushed or mixed with Buffalo sauce and broiled for extra crispiness. I like to serve them with some ranch or sour cream to ease the spiciness. But that really depends on your sauce. You can adjust the seasoning to your liking. Making them your new favorite snack!
Spicy Buffalo cauliflower bites
Ingredients
- ½ cauliflower head
- 40 g all purpose flour
- 20 g cornstarch
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp powdered sugar or sugar syrup
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 120 g water
- 80-100 g buffalo sauce
- Ranch or sour cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220°C
- Cut your cauliflower into florets
- In a bowl mix the dry ingredients together
- Add the water and mix so there are no lumps
- Coat the cauliflower with the batter. You can do it in the bowl or in a large ziploc bag
- Spread cauliflower onto the prepared baking sheet
- Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes, flipping halfway
- Remove from the oven and toss with half of the buffalo sauce
- Bake for 15 more minutes until starting to brown
- Remove and while hot mix with more buffalo sauce before serving
