Air Fryer Cauliflower Wings

Crispy cauliflower wings tossed in a spicy buffalo sauce– is there anything better? Especially for football Sundays or as a fun appetizer option.

My husband requests these almost weekly for Packer’s games, and they have become a favorite among friends as well.

I usually steer away from another gadget in my kitchen, but I love my Air Fryer and use it all the time.If you’ve got an air fryer, you must make these.

These cauliflower wings are just as crispy as the deep fried version, but made in the air fryer.

See below for more details and tips for success, or scroll down for the full recipe.

Why I Love These

It’s no secret that my husband loves buffalo wings. He asks for my sriracha buffalo wings at least a few times a month during Football season, and while I’m usually very happy to fulfill his food wishes, those things just take so much time to put together.

Baking the cauliflower, dredging, frying, and making the sauce is a lot of effort. Great as a special occasion side dish but not something that I’m eager to take on every Sunday afternoon.

Using my Air Fryer means that he can request cauliflower wings and in roughly 30 minutes, I’m presenting him with a giant basket of crispy air fryer cauliflower wings covered in whatever spicy sauce he’s into at the moment.

I’m partial to classic Buffalo sauce, but we’ve also been known to make a honey BBQ sauce, a smokin’ Habanero sauce, and a more mild Asian Chili sauce. All are fantastic on crispy, crunchy cauliflower wings!

Ingredients

• Cauliflower: Cut into wing-size pieces. I remove most of the stem, then chop the cauliflower into roughly 2-inch pieces. You want them big enough that you can dredge them, but not so big that you can’t eat them in one bite.
• Unsweetened non-dairy milk: Since there is no chicken here, I wanted to make sure that these cauliflower wings work for everyone so I’m using a non-dairy milk. Soy milk and oat milk are usually my go-to.
• Cornstarch: This is what makes the wings crispy. If you don’t want to use cornstarch, then you can substitute in arrowroot starch or potato starch instead.
• All-purpose flour: To keep these wings gluten-free then you can use a gluten-free flour blend instead.
• Buffalo Sauce: I prefer Frank’s for these wings, but you can use any buffalo sauce you’d like. I do prefer a creamier, tangier sauce so I add in a little melted butter (for dairy-free butter, I prefer Earth Balance or Miyoko’s butter) and white vinegar.

Substitutions

You can use any milk that you want here. I opt for soy milk to keep these vegan, but any will work. Arrowroot powder or potato starch can be used for the cornstarch in the same amount.

You can also use any sauce that you want. I’ve done BBQ sauce, Japanese BBQ sauce, a creamy sriracha, you name it and they also taste great. I do recommend adding a little melted butter to whatever sauce you use to help them cling to the wings, like I do in this version.

Equipment

This is an air fryer recipe, but if you don’t have an air fryer than you can bake them instead.

This air fryer cauliflower recipe is based on my Sriracha Cauliflower Buffalo Wings, though these are made in a 1/4 of the time and without the need for frying. Luckily, the Air Fryer does all of that for you!

If you do want to make these air fryer cauliflower wings without an air fryer, then I recommend using that recipe and substituting buffalo sauce for the sriracha one and then following the steps listed there.

How To Make These Air Fryer Cauliflower Wings

Prepare the Cauliflower

Chop the cauliflower into wing-shaped pieces. You want them big enough that you can dredge them easily but not too big that you can’t eat them in one bite. Ideally, you want them all roughly the same size so they cook evenly.

Make the Wet Mixture

First, start by making a thickened egg-like mixture by heating dairy-free milk and cornstarch together, then letting it cool slightly. This creates a nice thick batter to help the flour cling to the florets.

Make the dry

Whisk together the dry flour and spices in a large bowl. You’ll want to make sure that you use a large enough bowl that you can dip the cauliflower in. You may not need all of the dry, but you’ll want enough that you can easily batter all of the cauliflower in.

Dredge the Cauliflower

Dip the cauliflower wing into the dry mixture, then the wet, and then back to the dry. Shake off or tap off as much excess batter as possible. This is key! You don’t want your wings to be too thick with batter; I tap each floret at the edge of the bowl before placing them on my air fryer mat.

Continue with the rest of the cauliflower wings.

Fry and Cover in Sauce

Place the wings in the air fryer and cook for ~7-8 minutes, until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. I recommend removing one wing and testing it for doneness before removing all of the wings as depending on which air fryer you have, they may need more or less time. I find that 7-8 minutes is the sweet spot for my air fryer.

Add the hot wings to the bowl of sauce and toss until very well coated. Make sure all the nooks and crannies of your wings are covered. I usually toss the bowl with the wings for a full minute.

Serve Immediately

Serve immediately, with or without dipping sauce! These do not sit well, so you’ll want to make sure that you make them right when you plan on serving.

If you want to prep these beforehand, see below for tips.

Variations

You can make these wings in different flavors by using different sauces. Frank’s Red Hot sauce is the best buffalo sauce in my opinion but any hot sauce or prepared buffalo sauce will work. When I make a big batch of these air fryer buffalo cauliflower bites for my husband, I typically do a few different sauces – because who doesn’t like a variety of wings!?

Overall, traditional buffalo, BBQ, and sweet chili are our favorites. Once the wings come out of the air fryer, toss with warmed sauce of choice before enjoying.

What to Serve With

Blue cheese dressing is a traditional pairing for buffalo cauliflower wings, but I’m partial to my homemade ranch dressing. Made with vegan mayo, soy milk, fresh chopped parsley, dried dill, and garlic powder, it’s the perfect accompaniment for spicy, saucy cauliflower wings.

To serve, pile wings onto a platter along with celery sticks, carrots, and ranch dressing.

These air fryer cauliflower wings are also great as a taco with shredded slaw and tortillas of choice. Or, try them on top of your favorite salad!