No frying is needed to make this boldly flavored buffalo cauliflower! Just roast, add sauce, broil, and pair with a creamy blue cheese dip.
I love how versatile cauliflower is. I enjoy recipes like cauliflower tots, cauliflower fritters, and cauliflower steak. This buffalo cauliflower is especially good. While it's not exactly like buffalo wings, combining cauliflower florets with a tangy buffalo sauce creates a delicious 30-minute appetizer my family enjoys and my guests rave about.
Ingredients and Variations
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on the ingredients.
For the blue cheese dressing: Sour cream, mayonnaise, salt, garlic powder, and crumbled blue cheese. For the best flavor and texture, please use full-fat sour cream.
For the buffalo sauce: Unsalted butter, hot sauce, and garlic powder. I typically use Frank's Red Hot. You can use your favorite hot sauce, including sriracha. Sometimes, I add ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika for a smoky flavor.
For the cauliflower: Fresh cauliflower florets, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and garlic powder. While you can use frozen cauliflower florets and roast them for longer, it's best to use fresh cauliflower.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Make the blue cheese dressing by mixing its ingredients in a small bowl. Make the buffalo sauce by mixing melted butter with hot sauce and garlic powder.
Toss the cauliflower with olive oil, salt, and garlic powder. Roast for 15 minutes at 450°F. Toss the roasted cauliflower with the buffalo sauce. Broil 6 inches below the heating element until browned, about 2 minutes.
Serve immediately with the blue cheese dressing.
These turned out great. Perfect amount of sauce and dip for my head of cauliflower. I was tired of making breaded buffalo cauliflower with so many fails and this tastes better without the fuss of flour breading. Let the cauliflower shine through.
Pamela
Read more comments
These turned out great. Perfect amount of sauce and dip for my head of cauliflower. I was tired of making breaded buffalo cauliflower with so many fails and this tastes better without the fuss of flour breading. Let the cauliflower shine through.Recipe Tips
- It's best to use large cauliflower florets and roast them for a short time at a high temperature. This helps the cauliflower retain some crispiness. Otherwise, it can turn mushy. Still delicious, but mushy.
- Having said that, we're not going for crispy here - we're going for delicious. Don't worry, even though the cauliflower is not crispy, it's incredibly good and in fact addictive - I meant to taste just one before photographing and had a hard time stopping!
- You roast the cauliflower in two stages. First, without the sauce, and then coated in the buffalo sauce. For the second phase, I prefer to use the broiler. It browns the cauliflower better than baking and helps prevent sogginess.
- While blue cheese dressing is a classic, you can serve the cauliflower with ranch dressing. It also pairs surprisingly well with tahini sauce.
Recipe FAQs
While this recipe is incredibly flavorful and makes a wonderful party snack (or a side dish), it's not the same as buffalo wings. Chicken wings are richer, meatier (obviously), and more flavorful. So, don't expect this dish to be a substitute for the classic chicken recipe. Rather, it's a wonderfully flavorful vegetable dish that resembles the original.
If you use a standard hot sauce (such as Frank's), the heat level should be OK for most (although admittedly, heat tolerance is very personal). If you use a specialty hot sauce (such as habanero pepper sauce), you might want to reduce the hot sauce to 3 tablespoons and maybe even add an extra tablespoon of butter.
Yes, but it won't be as good. The homemade blue cheese dressing we use here is incredibly rich and creamy and very easy to make. You can make the dressing a few hours in advance and chill it until ready to use.
While you can skip broiling and just toss the roasted cauliflower in the sauce and serve, I like the way broiling helps the sauce adhere to the cauliflower.
Serving Suggestions
Buffalo cauliflower is the perfect party appetizer. But I often serve it as a side dish, and when I do, I like to serve it with main courses I can cook in the same 450°F oven, such as any of the following:
- Baked chicken breast
- Roasted turkey breast
- Roasted pork tenderloin
- Oven chicken kabobs
- Chicken nuggets
- Bacon-wrapped chicken breast
- Cajun chicken, as shown in the photo below:
Storing and Using the Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the cooled leftovers for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheat the leftovers uncovered in a 400°F oven for about 10 minutes or until heated through. Don't reheat them in the microwave, or they will be soggy. As shown in the photo below, this dish improves after oven reheating. It's not as saucy, as its texture becomes drier, but the sauce is further baked into the cauliflower, and its flavor becomes more pronounced.
Since, as mentioned above, I like to serve this dish with Cajun chicken, I often reheat and serve them together, as shown in the image below.
Another option is to skip the reheating and snack on the leftovers cold. See the photo below? This was a delicious and super-quick cold lunch of buffalo cauliflower and hard-boiled eggs served with celery sticks, blue cheese dip, and pickles.
Recipe Card
Baked Buffalo Cauliflower
Video
Ingredients
Blue Cheese Dressing:
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons blue cheese - crumbled
Buffalo Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Buffalo cauliflower:
- 1 pound cauliflower florets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil - extra-virgin
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed, broiler-safe baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup. You can also use broiler-safe parchment paper.
- Make the blue cheese dressing by mixing its ingredients (sour cream, mayonnaise, salt, garlic powder, and blue cheese crumbles) in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Make the buffalo sauce: In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Whisk in the hot sauce and garlic powder. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, toss the cauliflower florets with the olive oil, salt, and garlic powder. Spread on the baking sheet and roast until tender-crisp, about 15 minutes.
- Switch the oven to broil and set an oven rack 6 inches below the heating element (not directly below).
- Whisk the hot sauce mixture again. Add the roasted cauliflower florets and toss to coat. Return the cauliflower florets to the baking sheet and broil them until browned, keeping a close eye on them so they don't burn, 2-3 minutes.
- Serve immediately with the blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.
Notes
- It's best to use large cauliflower florets and roast them for a short time at a high temperature. This helps the cauliflower retain some crispiness. Otherwise, it can turn mushy. Still delicious, but mushy.
- Having said that, we're not going for crispy here - we're going for delicious. Don't worry, even though the cauliflower is not crispy, it's incredibly good and in fact addictive - I meant to taste just one before photographing and had a hard time stopping!
- You can keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the cooled leftovers for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before reheating. Reheat the leftovers uncovered in a 400°F oven for about 10 minutes or until heated through. Don't reheat them in the microwave, or they will be soggy. This dish improves after oven reheating. It's not as saucy, as its texture becomes drier, but the sauce is further baked into the cauliflower and its flavor becomes more pronounced.
Nutrition per Serving
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Disclaimers
Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Martha says
Delicious and very easy to prepare. Made this last night. Made as directed but added a bit more spices to both the cauliflower before roasting and to the sour cream mixture. Husband and I both loved it. Only issue I had was that the cauliflower did not get crisp. It did brown and it was yummy but it did not get crisp. I will be making this again and next time I will make more of the hot sauce mixture. Thanks for creating and sharing.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Martha,
I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed this recipe! Thank you very much for the review.
The cauliflower doesn't get very crispy, it's true. But as you said, it's delicious.
Beth says
This is an excellent recipe and I enjoy it as a side frequently. However, Saturday I have a party I must bring a side/appetizer for. Trick is, I will be an hour late. Husband will be on time. Do you think the best thing to do is pre-roast these and have my sister in law toss in my sauce to broil just prior to serving? Or should I cook all the way and just have them reheat? Do they turn soggy when reheated? I never have leftovers to find out, lol!
Thanks for the great low carb recipe!
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm glad you like this recipe, Beth!
I would toss in the sauce and broil just before serving.
Pamela says
These turned out great. Perfect amount of sauce and dip for my head of cauliflower. I was tired of making breaded buffalo cauliflower with so many fails and this tastes better without the fuss of flour breading. Let the cauliflower shine through.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Wonderful, Pamela! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, and I 100% agree!