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Home » Blog » Recipes » Baked Buffalo Cauliflower (Air Fryer Option!)

Baked Buffalo Cauliflower (Air Fryer Option!)

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An overhead shot of baked buffalo cauliflower on a gray rectangular plate with 3 chives on top. The red banner at the bottom says paleo, Whole30, and gluten-free. There is a gold star that says includes Air Fryer Instructions.

Looking for a healthy and delicious twist on buffalo wings? Make my crunchy and spicy baked buffalo cauliflower in the oven or air fryer! No one at your Super Bowl party will guess that these tasty bites are paleo, Whole30, vegetarian, and gluten-free!

An overhead shot of baked buffalo cauliflower on a gray rectangular plate with 3 chives on top. The red banner at the bottom says paleo, Whole30, and gluten-free. There is a gold star that says includes Air Fryer Instructions.

I’m not gonna lie—I love game day food way more than watching the big game itself. Although I love chicken wings, I always add some tasty vegetable finger foods to the spread for some balance. These addictive baked buffalo cauliflower are popular with my pals—regardless of whether they’re omnivores or vegetarians.

I’m a huge fan of buffalo wings, so I created these wonderfully spicy-tangy bites made with battered and baked cauliflower for our second cookbook, Ready or Not! (flip to page 100). If you want a kickass Whole30 Buffalo Wings recipe, I’ve got one in there as well—it’s the recipe on the following page.

Whole30-compliant Super Bowl food

Even if you’re doing a Whole30 during the Super Bowl, you can enjoy these buffalo cauliflower “things” because they’re naturally gluten-free and grain-free and sweetened only with apple juice.

Want more Whole30 recipes to add to your game day spread? Here you go!

  • Sticky Asian Chicken Wings
  • Chinese Chicken Wings
  • Chili Lime Chicken Wings
  • Magic Wings
  • Lazy Devils
  • Fried Green Plantains and Mango Avocado Salsa
  • Sweet Potato and Cashew Dip with crudités

My tips for crispy baked buffalo cauliflower

In order to get the best results for these nomtastic buffalo cauliflower, keep these suggestions in mind:

  • Make sure you cut the florets into a uniform size—this way, the cauliflower pieces will all cook at the same time.
  • Whip the egg whites until they’re nice and frothy before adding the flour and seasoning.
  • Toss the cauliflower in the batter right before you bake them and make sure you shake off any excess coating.
  • Do NOT skip placing the florets on a greased stainless steel wire rack! This simple setup elevates the florets and allows the hot air to circulate around them completely. Also, don’t forget to flip the florets while you’re baking them!
  • Toss with buffalo sauce right before you serve them and eat while hot!

Overhead shot of baked buffalo cauliflower in a white round platter.

Can you make buffalo cauliflower in the air fryer?

Yes! An air fryer is essentially a countertop convection oven so you can definitely cook these buffalo cauliflower in there—but you might not save time overall. Although you can air-fry the florets in a shorter amount of time, most air fryers have a smaller capacity than a wall oven, so you’ll have to cook in two or more batches. (Air fryer instructions are below and in the printable recipe card!)

What do you serve with buffalo cauliflower?

To balance the spicy and tangy flavors of buffalo cauliflower, you can dip the florets in a creamy and cooling ranch dressing and/or serve them with crunchy carrot and celery sticks. I have a fantastic paleo ranch recipe in my first two cookbooks and you can buy Whole30-compatible ranch dressing online and at the grocery store these days.

Let’s make Baked Buffalo Cauliflower!

Makes 4 servings 

Ingredients:

  • 2 large egg whites
  • ½ cup arrowroot powder or tapioca flour
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¾ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1 large cauliflower head (about 2½ pounds), cut into uniform-sized florets
  • ¼ cup ghee or coconut oil
  • ½ cup cayenne pepper sauce
  • 1½ tablespoons apple juice
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Equipment:

All my favorite kitchen tools are listed here.

Method:

Heat the oven to 400°F on convection mode, with the rack in the middle. No convection mode? Heat to 425°F and rotate the tray of cauliflower more frequently during the cooking process.

A finger pressing the convection roast button on an oven display.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy.

A whisk is whipping egg whites until frothy and bubbly in a clear glass bowl.

Add the arrowroot powder, garlic powder, and salt. Continue whisking until a smooth, sticky batter forms.

An overhead shot of someone whisking the batter for Nom Nom Paleo's Baked Buffalo Cauliflower

Dump the cauliflower into the batter, toss with your hands to coat well.

Two hands are tossing cauliflower florets in the gluten-free, paleo, and Whole30 batter for baked buffalo cauliflower.

Shake off the excess batter. Place the florets in a well-greased wire rack placed on a rimmed baking sheet.

Someone in a gray apron is placing battered cauliflower on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes. Flip the florets over, and rotate the tray. Continue cooking for 15 to 20 minutes more or until golden brown and crispy.

A gloved hand is removing a tray of golden brown Baked Buffalo Cauliflower from the oven.

Cooking in an air fryer?

Spray the basket with cooking spray. Add half the battered cauliflower to the basket, spray the florets with cooking spray, and air fry at 400°F…

An overhead shot of Buffalo Cauliflower florets in an air fryer basket about to be cooked.

…and cook for 18 to 20 minutes, tossing the florets every 8 minutes, until the florets are crispy and brown. Repeat with the second batch.

An overhead view of Buffalo Cauliflower in an air fryer basket. The florets are golden brown and ready to be sauced.

Time to make the sauce!

While the florets are baking or air frying, melt the ghee or coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the hot sauce, apple juice, and lemon juice. Remove the pan from the heat.

A hand is pouring cayenne pepper sauce from a liquid measuring cup into a small saucepan to make the buffalo cauliflower sauce

When the florets are finished cooking, toss with the sauce.

Tossing crispy cauliflower florets with buffalo sauce in a clear glass bowl.

Serve with celery and carrot sticks and a dairy-free ranch if desired!

An overhead shot of baked buffalo cauliflower on a rectangular gray plate. There are three chives on top.


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).


PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

An overhead shot of baked buffalo cauliflower on a rectangular gray plate. There are three chives on top.
Print Recipe
4.83 from 23 votes

Baked Buffalo Cauliflower (Air Fryer Option)

Looking for a healthy and delicious twist on buffalo wings? Make my crunchy and spicy baked buffalo cauliflower in the oven or air fryer! No one at your Super Bowl party will guess that these tasty bites are paleo, Whole30, vegetarian, and gluten-free!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time45 mins
Total Time1 hr
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Air Fryer, game day food, gluten-free, low carb, nom nom paleo, nomnompaleo, paleo, Whole30
Servings: 4
Calories: 240kcal
Author: Michelle Tam

Ingredients

  • 2 large egg whites
  • ½ cup arrowroot powder or tapioca starch
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¾ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt 
  • 1 large cauliflower (about 2½ pounds), cut into uniform-sized florets
  • ¼ cup ghee or coconut oil
  • ½ cup cayenne pepper sauce
  • 1½ tablespoons apple juice
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
US Customary - Metric

Instructions 

  • Heat the oven to 400°F on convection mode, with the rack in the middle. No convection mode? Heat to 425°F and rotate the tray of cauliflower more frequently during the cooking process.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy.
  • Add the arrowroot powder, garlic powder, and salt. Continue whisking until a smooth, sticky batter forms.
  • Dump the cauliflower into the batter, toss with your hands to coat well.
  • Shake off the excess batter. Place the florets in a well-greased wire rack placed on a rimmed baking sheet.
  • Bake for 20 minutes. Flip the florets over, and rotate the tray. Continue cooking for 15 to 20 minutes more or until golden brown and crispy.
  • Cooking in an air fryer? Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray. Add half the battered cauliflower to the basket, spray the florets with cooking spray, and air fry at 400°F for 18 to 20 minutes, tossing the florets every 8 minutes, until the florets are crispy and brown. Repeat with the second batch.
  • Time to make the buffalo sauce! While the florets are baking or air frying, melt the ghee or coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the hot sauce, apple juice, and lemon juice. Remove the pan from the heat.
  • When the florets are finished cooking, toss with the sauce.
  • Serve with celery and carrot sticks and a dairy-free ranch if desired!

Video

Tried this recipe?Mention @nomnompaleo or tag #nomnompaleo!

Nutrition

Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 12g | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Malena says

    February 2, 2021 at 7:18 pm

    That looks amazing! On the GAPS diet to heal my gut, I am not allowed arrowroot. Do you think coconut flour might work in its place?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      February 3, 2021 at 10:03 pm

      I haven’t tried it, but I don’t think it would work well.

      Reply
  2. Cheri Peden says

    February 2, 2021 at 9:06 pm

    Recipe sound awesome – I love all things buffalo!! I’m still researching the air fryer and whether to get one or not. I see one benefit being the shorter cooking time. Is there a difference in the end product? Are they just as crispy, does the batter hold up better in the air fryer etc? In general with other foods you want crispy is the air fryer just better?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      February 3, 2021 at 10:03 pm

      The air fryer does cook quicker than an oven and I think the air circulates better in the smaller air fryer than in a convection oven so some stuff comes out crispier. The cons of the air fryer are that the capacity is pretty small and most are lined with non-stick surfaces.

      Reply
  3. Ramya says

    February 3, 2021 at 2:21 am

    will be making this soon love cauliflower soooooooooo much this is perfect for my after office snacks Thanks Ramya

    Reply
  4. Heidi says

    February 3, 2021 at 11:33 am

    I can’t do eggs. Do you have any suggestions for a substitute?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      February 3, 2021 at 10:00 pm

      I’m not sure!

      Reply
      • Leigh says

        February 6, 2021 at 12:16 pm

        try the liquid in a can of chick peas. It whips up like egg whites.

        Reply
        • Katie says

          March 30, 2021 at 2:51 am

          I tried that, and it was much less effective than egg whites. But this recipe is so phenomenal that we still enjoyed it.

          Reply
  5. Amber Connolly says

    February 3, 2021 at 1:29 pm

    I love buffalo cauliflower, so I’m so excited to try this recipe! Thank you so much for posting this!

    Reply
  6. Sue says

    February 4, 2021 at 3:41 pm

    Very Good! I will definitely make these again. They were surprisingly easy to make as well.

    Reply
  7. STEVE says

    February 5, 2021 at 12:33 am

    4 stars
    Very tasty, but I do not recommend air frying anything with batter on it. The pieces stuck to the greased bottom of the air fryer, and it took a long time to clean out the mess in the pan and underneath the pan. Next time I’ll try the oven for this one. I also used Tessemae Buffalo sauce which worked really well as the sauce.

    Reply
    • Becca says

      December 31, 2022 at 11:08 pm

      I know this comment is old, nut they do seem parchment type sheets specifically made for the air fryer. They worked great for containing the batter

      Reply
    • Ree says

      February 10, 2023 at 9:42 pm

      Just get parchment paper liners & the problem is solved! That’s what I do. Doesn’t matter what recipe, it works every time !

      Reply
  8. Erin says

    February 6, 2021 at 9:38 pm

    Can cassava flourbe subbed in for the arrowroot starch?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      February 8, 2021 at 10:20 pm

      I haven’t tried it! I think tapioca starch would be a better sub because it is just the starch part.

      Reply
  9. Sara E McCarty says

    February 7, 2021 at 12:43 am

    what is cayenne pepper hot sauce? Do you have a recipe for that or is it a store brand?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      February 8, 2021 at 10:20 pm

      I use Frank’s Red Hot sauce.

      Reply
  10. Gretchen says

    February 8, 2021 at 12:37 am

    5 stars
    Super bowl snack we just had. Yum! Even my 10 yr old went back for seconds and she normally runs at the sight of cauliflower. Hahaha. Thanks for another great recipe. I loved how easy it was to just toss all the cauliflower in the coating at once versus dipping individual pieces in eggs and then a breading.

    Reply
  11. Angela says

    February 8, 2021 at 2:48 pm

    What brand hot sauce do you use?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      February 8, 2021 at 10:21 pm

      Frank’s Red Hot.

      Reply
  12. Emily says

    February 12, 2021 at 3:14 am

    5 stars
    My husband and I love these things! I prefer them to traditional buffalo wings. Great blog, Michelle!

    Reply
  13. OCHC says

    February 12, 2021 at 2:45 pm

    This looks delicious! Will definitely try this recipe! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  14. Melissa says

    August 12, 2021 at 2:24 am

    5 stars
    I can’t even express how amazing these are. So I’ll just say this. My 11-year-old son who is very anti-vegetable was popping them in his mouth, going, “Oh my gosh, these are so good – it doesn’t even taste like cauliflower!!” The batter makes them so crunchy – such good texture – and the sauce turned out perfectly. I can’t handle anything too spicy and this was perfect.

    Reply
  15. Amy says

    January 16, 2022 at 3:17 am

    5 stars
    This was so good! Definitely will be making it again!!

    Reply
  16. Elaine McDonald says

    October 17, 2022 at 9:38 am

    I would love to see a cookbook with WFPB (Whole Food Plant Based) recipes. I have always loved your cookbooks. I own all of your cookbook except the last one. I have recently switched to WFPB and it has helped my health considerably. Honestly, you do have the best recipes!

    Reply

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