I love cauliflower and spicy food. Whoever thought to put buffalo sauce and cauliflower together, to cook it just like you cook chicken wings is brilliant! I wish I would have thought of it first. The first time I saw this combination, while perusing recipes on my phone, I knew we had to try it.
I am not a fryer. Frying food is my husband's forte. It took me a while to accept his love of frying, but it's hard to resist when he does it oh so well. He can stick to his frying and buffalo wings on occasion and I can make Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower for a change. It's so good, even our oldest son who loves spicy food has declared this is his favorite way to eat cauliflower now!
Buffalo Sauce Toss
The first couple times we made buffalo cauliflower we followed the instructions on a random recipe we found. We loved the flavor, but were a little disappointed because the buffalo sauce was tossed with the cauliflower before cooking. We thought this didn't make sense because when you make buffalo wings, you first crisp up the wings in the fryer and then toss the wings in the buffalo sauce last. So, for our version of the recipe we prepare it like you do buffalo wings. Season the cauliflower first with some minimal spices, along with corn starch to help them crisp up and lastly, toss it in the buffalo sauce, just as you would do with buffalo wings. We just feel it works better this way and makes less of a mess as well, which is a bonus.
Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Main Ingredients
- Cauliflower- I make florets out of about half a head of cauliflower. That's what fits best in our Gourmia Air Fryer (single basket air fryer) without being overcrowded. It also makes about 4-5 servings. You can easily double this and use a whole head if you have more air fryer space and need to make a lot more.
- Hot Sauce for "Buffalo Sauce"- We use Frank's Red Hot, but any hot sauce of your liking is fine. If you're wanting the classic buffalo sauce flavor then Frank's Red Hot is the way to go.
- Corn Starch- This is an addition that just helps the cauliflower crisp up more so that your buffalo cauliflower doesn't get too soggy too quick once you sauce it.
How to Serve Buffalo Cauliflower
I think buffalo cauliflower should be served in a similar fashion to buffalo chicken wings. Buffalo wings are usually served with celery and carrots and a side of blue cheese dressing or ranch. Why not treat the cauliflower the same. The spiciness of the buffalo sauce goes really well with the creamy coolness of ranch or blue cheese. To make it even simpler to serve, I suggest blue cheese crumbles on the cauliflower for a great contrast, taste and aesthetic appeal.
What to Serve with Buffalo Cauliflower
I like to serve air fryer buffalo cauliflower with grilled chicken or crispy chicken tenders. If you're looking for a healthier option, you could serve it with a simple green salad or you can add a lean meat like grilled skirt steak. I personally love cauliflower, so if I don't have others I need to feed, I could just eat a bowl of this cauliflower on it's own.
Give this Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower a try, snap a shot of yours and tag us on Instagram, @WholeMadeLiving. Be sure to also leave us a review below.
Happy Cooking!
PrintAir Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
This air fryer buffalo cauliflower is a great vegetarian side dish with a kick for a delicious change.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 12
- Total Time: 22
- Yield: 5 1x
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
1 lb cauliflower florets (About ½ head cauliflower)
Cooking oil spray (I use avocado oil)
½ tsp granulated garlic
¼ tsp paprika (I usually used smoked)
¼ tsp fine ground sea salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp corn starch
3 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper Hot Sauce (like Frank's Red Hot)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted (You can use a dairy-free alternative if need-be)
Instructions
- Mix your cauliflower coating in a small ramekin: salt, pepper, garlic and paprika together with the cornstarch.
- Add cauliflower florets to a medium sized mixing bowl and toss with your spice and cornstarch mixture, coating all the florets.
- If your air fryer does not have a pre-heat feature, preheat your air fryer for about 3 mins at 375 degrees now.
- Make your "Buffalo Sauce" now by combining the melted butter and hot sauce in a small bowl.
- Spray air fryer basket or crisping plate with cooking oil spray (I use spray avocado oil)
- Add cauliflower to air fryer once pre-heated, give it a generous spray of cooking oil spray as well and air fry for 12 minutes total, tossing once halfway through.
- Once Air fryer cook is complete return cauliflower to the mixing bowl you used earlier and toss with the "Buffalo Sauce."
- Serve immediately.
Notes
You can serve this cauliflower as is or add some crumbled blue cheese and chopped chives or green onion on top. Another option is to serve it with a side of blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing to dip the cauliflower in.
Leave a Reply