If you need a new fun appetizer, side, or finger food.. all you need are these sweet & spicy cauliflower wings! They are pretty minimal effort and taste absolutely UNREAL. Vegan, gluten free, and healthy!
Crispy. Crunchy. Sweet. Spicy. These cauliflower wings are EVERYTHING you could want in a snack, side, appetizer, Sunday football snack, whatever! Honestly, my favorite way to cauliflower, I could probably eat an entire head in this form! The wings are baked, then tossed in a healthy “breadcrumb” coating, and coated in a refined sugar free sweet & spicy sauce! To die for!
I always joke that if you have a boyfriend that you need to get to eat more vegetables.. this is the recipe for you! And honestly, kids.. husbands.. friends.. non veg-heads and veg-heads alike, these are a crowd pleaser!
cauliflower wing Ingredients and substitutions
The ingredients are pretty simple and versatile, but here are some things you’ll need:
Arrowroot or tapioca flour: You can substitute cornstarch in the sauce part of the recipe.
Sambal Oelek: You can substitute gochujang or sriracha.
Liquid or coconut aminos: You can substitute soy sauce.
Sesame oil
Ketchup: I use a paleo, unsweetened ketchup from Primal Kitchens.
Almond flour: We will be using almond flour as the “Breadcrumbs” in the recipe, but store-bought breadcrumbs work as well!
How to make sweet & spicy cauliflower wings
It’s so simple!
- Cut the cauliflower into florets.
- Mix together the milk mixture in a bowl.
- Then, in another bowl, mix together the breadcrumb mixture.
- The cauliflower will be tossed in the milk mixture, then the breadcrumbs, making sure they’re all evenly coated.
- Bake the cauliflower for 20-25 minutes, until crispy. While they’re baking, you’ll mix together the sauce ingredients.
- Once they’re done baking, toss the cauliflower into the sauce and serve!
Do they reheat well? How to store leftovers
Cauliflower wings are best served right away so they’re fresh and crispy, but if you do save leftovers, they’re really good warmed back up or you can even pop them in an air fryer or back in the oven on a lower setting for a bit to crisp them up again! Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge (but there won’t be any leftovers ;).
More recipes to try
crispy garlic smashed potatoes with pesto aioli
Sweet & Spicy Cauliflower wings (Vegan, gluten free)
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower
- Olive oil or avocado oil spray
Milk Mixture
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup tapioca or arrowroot flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp hot sauce of choice
Breadcrumb mixture
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- pinch of sea salt & pepper
Sauce
- 2 tbsp sambel oelek, gochujang, or sriracha
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 1/2 cup water
Garnishes
- green onion, cilantro, sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F.
- Wash the cauliflower and cut into florets. Place in a large bowl.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the milk coating ingredients until smooth.
- In another bowl, mix together the breadcrumb ingredients.
- Pour the milk mixture over the florets and mix well. Then add 1/2 of the breadcrumb mixture, tossing, then adding in the remaining crumbs. Toss again, making sure they're all coated.
- Place the cauliflower on a lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
- While the cauliflower is baking, make the sauce by adding everything to a large pan. Whisk well, over medium heat, until the sauce starts to thicken to a glaze.
- When the cauliflower is done, add it to the pan and toss.
- Garnish with chopped green onion, cilantro, and sesame seeds and serve immediately!
