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Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are coated in crispy panko, oven-baked, and tossed with homemade buffalo sauce for an addictingly delicious, bite-sized appetizer (or dinner)!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 TBSP cornstarch
- 1 egg
- 1 TBSP water
- 1 cup panko
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup buffalo sauce (or to taste)
- Optional: blue cheese dressing, to dip
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Prepare a baking sheet by placing oven-safe cooling racks on top of it (if you don’t have these, line with parchment paper); very lightly grease the racks with cooking spray or olive oil.
- Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. I recommend trimming the stems so they are more “nugget” shaped and easier to pick up and dip. You want them to be relatively similar in size so they cook at the same rate.
- Toss the cauliflower florets with the corn starch until completely coated. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the egg and water until combined. Set aside.
- In another medium mixing bowl, stir together the panko, onion and garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Dip the corn starch coated cauliflower in the egg mixture, making sure all excess egg drips off of the cauliflower. Then, transfer to the panko mixture and toss until completely coated. Place on the cooling rack lined baking sheet and continue the dipping process until all cauliflower pieces are coated.
- Bake for 18-23 minutes until the cauliflower is fork-tender and the panko is golden brown. While the bites bake, make your homemade buffalo sauce.
- Once baked, transfer the cauliflower to a large bowl and toss or brush on the buffalo sauce, gently stirring to coat to keep the panko intact. To keep the bites extra crispy, skip tossing them and instead dip them in the buffalo sauce while eating.
- Serve immediately (especially if you tossed the bites) with blue cheese, ranch, and/or celery sticks as desired.
Notes
If you anticipate leftovers, do not coat all the cauliflower. Store the uncoated cauliflower in the fridge; when ready to reheat, preheat an air fryer to 390°F then bake for 3-5 minutes until crispy again. This can also be done in the oven (again, using the cooling racks is recommended).
Nutrition information provided is for the bites only, as the amount of sauce will likely vary.
Keywords: easy, game day, vegetarian, appetizer, healthy
