This Spicy Buffalo Fried Cauliflower starts with fresh cauliflower florets that are buttermilk marinated then fried to golden brown perfection and finally tossed in a spicy buffalo sauce.
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Y’ALL! I am BEYOND excited to share this recipe with you! I’m officially a cauliflower fan. Apparently I just hadn’t had it cooked right in the past. If you’re skeptical of cauliflower, or you’re looking for a fun #MeatlessMonday dish, try this recipe. You won’t be disappointed!
Perks and Highlights of the Best Buffalo Fried Cauliflower
Get ready for a dish that’s about to revolutionize your taste buds! Our Buffalo Fried Cauliflower isn’t just any old side dish; it’s the vegan-friendly, flavor-packed star of the show that’s about to turn you into the ultimate food trendsetter among your pals. Let’s dive into what makes this dish your new go-to!
Cuisine Inspiration: American with a Vegan Twist
- We’re taking a classic American favorite, giving it a cruelty-free spin, and proving once and for all that plant-based can mean full-flavored!
Primary Cooking Method: Frying
- Achieve that irresistibly crispy, golden exterior with a soft, tender inside by deep-frying these cauliflower bites to perfection.
Dietary Info: Vegan
- No animal products here! Just wholesome plant goodness in a mouth-watering, spicy coating that even non-vegans will adore.
Key Flavor: Spicy Buffalo Sauce
- The star player here is the buffalo sauce: a tangy, spicy, and slightly vinegary concoction that’s going to make your taste buds do a happy dance.
Skill Level: Easy Peasy
- Don’t be intimidated! A simple batter, a quick fry, and an even quicker sauce toss are all that stand between you and this tasty treat.
Special Perks:
- Crowd-Pleaser: Seriously, it’s a veggie in a party dress. Even the most devout carnivores won’t miss the meat with this dish.
- Versatile Serving: Serve ’em up as an appetizer, snack, or side. Heck, they can even steal the show as a main dish!
- Diet-Friendly: Keeping it vegan or just trying to eat more plants? This is your jam.
- Simple Ingredients: No fancy, hard-to-find stuff here. Supermarket staples will have you covered.
Ingredients
For the Buttermilk Marinade:
- Unsweetened Almond Milk: A smooth, dairy-free game-changer that keeps everything cruelty-free.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Here for that tangy kick, making the “buttermilk” more authentic.
- Vegan Buffalo Sauce (like Frank’s): The fire-starter of this party. It’s all heat, tang, and terrific flavor!
- Medium Head of Cauliflower: The star of the show, broken down into bite-sized florets ready for a flavor bath.
For the Flour Mixture:
- Cornstarch: The secret weapon for ultra-crispiness.
- All-Purpose Flour: The base of our batter, ready to cling to those florets.
- Organic Brown Sugar: A touch of sweetness to balance the heat.
- Cayenne Pepper: Bringing the heat because we like it hot!
- Black Pepper, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder: The flavor squad, here to ensure every bite is packed with taste.
- Sea Salt: Just a hint, to enhance and balance all those bold flavors.
For Dredge Batter and Frying:
- Unsweetened Almond Milk: Keeps the batter smooth and vegan.
- All-Purpose Flour: Helps everything stick and stay put for that perfect fry.
- Oil for Frying: Enough to create a sizzling hot tub for our florets to get golden and crispy.
For Buffalo Sauce:
- Vegan Buffalo Sauce (yup, Frank’s again!): Because you can’t have too much of a good thing; bring on the flavor!
- Melted Vegan Butter: Adds silkiness and rich depth to our sauce.
- Chopped Green Onion: Optional but recommended for a pop of color and fresh zing!
How to Make Buffalo Fried Cauliflower
Making this Spicy Buffalo Chicken Fried Cauliflower was super easy! First, you’ll want to chop up your cauliflower into florets. I prefer “smedium” (small/medium-ish) sized pieces for a good cauli-crunch ratio.
Once that’s done, round up your ingredients for the buttermilk marinade. This will help to give the cauliflower a little flavor so you don’t bite into bland cauliflower. Toss them around in the cauliflower so that all pieces have been covered and appear pinkish/redish like the mixture. Set them aside and let them marinate for 20 minutes or so.
While the cauliflower is marinating, you can go ahead and start putting together the flour mixture in a large bowl. Next, whisk everything together then set aside until you need it. Once the flour mixture is combined, you can whisk together the buffalo sauce and vegan butter. Now would be a good time to heat your oil on the stove. Once the cauliflower is done marinating, spoon each piece out and transfer them to a clean bowl. There will still be some marinade leftover which is exactly what we want.
We’ll now use this mixture to create the liquid batter by adding additional almond milk and whisking in the all-purpose flour. At this point you should have three bowls: one with the cauliflower florets, another with the flour mixture, and the liquid batter. Oh, and your buffalo sauce mixture set off to the side. Now you’re ready to start cookin’!
How to Dredge Cauliflower
Take each piece of cauliflower and dip it in the liquid batter, then in the flour, back again in the liquid, in the flour once more and finally into the hot oil. When coating, it’s important to really be generous with the flour and liquid batters.
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If you want the layered, crispy coating from the photos, a light dip between the two bowls just won’t do! Your fingers might get a little doughy, but it’s okay! As you’re coating the cauliflower the second time around, you should notice that the flour and liquid batter mix is lightly “caked on.” This will create the layered, crispy crunch you’re looking for!
You’ll complete this dipping process for each piece of cauliflower until all of them have been fried for about 3 minutes on each side. Be sure to flip them over to ensure both sides are cooked. If you’re not sure if the underside has been cooked, grasp the piece with a pair of tongs, leaving them in the oil.
Just by gripping them with the tongs you’ll be able to feel if the breading has hardened. If it has, continue to flip it over. If not, continue to let it cook a bit longer. Whatever you do, don’t leave the kitchen! It’s important to keep an eye on these while they cook to avoid any accidents.
Storage
To keep your Buffalo Fried Cauliflower tasting fresh and fabulous, pop any leftovers in an airtight container and slide them into the fridge for up to 3 days. Ready for round two? Just reheat them in the oven to keep that delightful crunch!
How to Reheat Fried Foods
The best way that I’ve found to reheat fried foods is to use an air fryer! Seems like a no-brainer, but I only recently started doing this. Simply place your leftover cauliflower in the air fryer at 400° for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through. The best part is, you don’t even have to spray them with additional oil! Just toss them in for 15 minutes and BOOM! As a result, they’re ready to eat. There’s nothing more satisfying than turning some sad, soggy, fried cauliflower into crispy goodness!
If you’re not planning to enjoy all of them the same day, you might find it best to avoid drizzling them all with the buffalo sauce, this way they can be reheated better. As you can imagine, the added liquid will only make the fried cauliflower pieces softer, making it more challenging to revive the crispiness. The less liquid, the better. Simply store your extra buffalo sauce in an air-tight container in the fridge and drizzle a fresh coating on when you’re ready to consume your reheated leftovers.
I know you’ll love this recipe! Give it a try and let us know what you think in the comments below!
Favorite Fried Foods
If you love this recipe, you will love this Fried Oyster Mushrooms Recipe, Vegan Fried Chicken, Fried Pickles, Fried Okra and Fried Green Tomatoes!
Thank you to Desiree of I Can You Can Vegan for Guest Posting this awesome recipe!
Fried Buffalo Cauliflower
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Ingredients
For the Buttermilk Marinade
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup vegan buffalo sauce I used Frank's
- 1 medium head of cauliflower cut into medium sized florets
For the Flour Mixture
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp organic brown sugar
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
For Dredge Batter and Frying
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- enough oil for frying about ½-1 inch in desired pan
For Buffalo Sauce
- 1/2 cup vegan buffalo sauce I used Frank's
- 2 tbsp melted vegan butter
- 2 tbsp chopped green onion optional for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the ingredients for the buttermilk marinade.
- Transfer the cauliflower florets to the marinade and let sit for 20 minutes, stir to cover all pieces.
- While the cauliflower is marinating begin combining all ingredients for the flour mixture in a separate large bowl. In addition, combine the buffalo sauce and melted vegan butter in a separate small bowl to make the buffalo sauce mixture. Set aside.
- Begin heating the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Once the cauliflower is done marinating, transfer the florets to a separate medium sized bowl, reserving the leftover liquid.
- In the same bowl that now has the leftover marinade liquid, add in 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk and ¾ cups of all-purpose flour. Whisk to combine (will not be totally smooth, but mostly).
- By now, your oil should be hot enough to begin frying. To test, flick a tiny bit of water in the pan. If it sizzles and pops, it's ready. If not, wait a few more minutes before beginning. It's important that the oil is hot enough before beginning to fry.
- Arrange your three bowls in the following order: cauliflower florets (furthest from the stove), liquid batter, flour mixture (closest to the stove).
- Use a spoon, tongs or your hands to dip the cauliflower pieces into the liquid batter, then into the flour mixture, back into the liquid batter, and into the flour mixture again, then into the hot oil in the frying pan.
- Repeat this process for each piece of cauliflower, for as many as you can comfortably fit in the pan at once without over-crowding. Rotate the pieces as necessary, browning on each side. Once the fried pieces feel hardened after touching with tongs, it's okay to flip.
- Transfer the fried cauliflower from the pan to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
- Let cool for about 5 minutes. Only drizzle or toss the ones you are going to eat with the Buffalo Sauce mixture to taste and garnish with chopped green onion. Enjoy!
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I love this recipe! Can I oven fry them instead?
Hi! Could I use regular buttermilk and cows milk in the recipe and have it turn out well?
Yes you can definitely do that.
Wow, very easy on the eyes. Oh, and the cauliflower looks good also!
buttermilk takes everything to the next level and I love that you used it! This looks fabulous
Oh wow – this looks amazing, and how wonderful that it’s even vegan! And as if I wasn’t already drooling, I saw your suggestion for also trying your Fried Pickles, Fried Okra and Fried Green Tomatoes! YESSSSS to them all! You are speaking my veggie-goodness language here, for sure!
This spicy buffalo sauce is EVERYTHING!
These would be so good for meatless Monday! Can’t wait to try out the recipe 🙂