Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower
Here’s a little secret… I really didn’t like cauliflower for a long time.
But, if you want to be successfully vegan and ketogenic at the same time, you’ve got to learn to love the cauliflower. I’ve discovered that it is actually an incredibly versatile vegetable that goes well with pretty much everything, and the big bonus: It’s low-carb!
So more recently, it’s one of my favorites. It goes surprisingly well with everything and especially anything buffalo!
You will be super happy to say hello to these easy to make, healthy, baked buffalo cauliflower bites… and you can call them buffalo cauliflower wings if you want to!
There are a bunch of different methods for how to make buffalo cauliflower bites. You can enjoy them “breaded” or leave them plain without any coating.
You can bake them in an oven, fry them on the stove. I’ve tried both methods, and I’ve found baking them in the oven always works out best and it’s sooo easy!
These baked cauliflower bites taste fantastic simply baking in the oven with the buffalo sauce. But… to make them a little bit crispy… there’s no getting around it – these buffalo cauliflower bites taste amazing when they’re breaded!
So to keep these vegan cauliflower bites ketogenic (low-carb) it’s very simple - Just sse Almond Flour!
It doesn’t matter if you have almond flour, almond meal, or whole almonds. The end result will be similar. So to make it simple use whatever you’ve got, even grinding almonds can work, just don’t grind them too much or you’ll have almond butter!
The process for making the low-carb vegan buffalo cauliflower bites is similar to “shake-and-bake.”
Dip cauliflower florets in the “flax egg” then shake them in a bag with the garlic-almond-flour mixture.
Roast in the oven until browned and tender.
Ingredients
1 head Cauliflower (cut into florets)
1.5 cup almond flour
2 tsp garlic powder
4 cloves minced fresh garlic (optional)
1 tsp sea salt
4 flax eggs (1 flax egg is 1 TBSP ground flax seed mixed with 3 TBSP of warm water)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (or other Buffalo Hot Sauce)
INSTRUCTIONS
Make your FLAX EGG - Vegan Egg Substitute
Combine 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons warm water
Let it sit for 15-30 minutes for the flax seeds to absorb the water and thicken.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Place the almond flour, garlic powder, and sea salt into a bag that will be large enough to hold and coat the cauliflower, or a large bowl with a lid. Set aside.
4. Add freshly minced garlic (if using) to the flax egg mixture, if the flax egg has thickened too much, add a little extra water to get an “egg-like” consistency, then add the cauliflower to the flax egg mixture and stir the cauliflower to coat.
5. Immediately add the cauliflower to the bag or bowl that has the almond flour mixture. Seal or fold over the bag (or cover the bowl) and shake to coat the cauliflower as consistently as possible. (Similar to "shake and bake").
6. Arrange the cauliflower in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes, flip them after approx. 20 minutes, and continue cooking until browned and tender.
7. Near the end of the cooking time, heat together the olive oil and Frank’s Red Hot sauce over medium-low heat. Whisk to combine.
8. When the cauliflower is done, transfer it to a serving bowl. Evenly pour the buffalo sauce mixture over it, and gently toss to coat.
9. Place back on the baking sheet and broil on high for 2-3 minutes
Garnish with some green onion and a side of Vegenaise. Your whole family will love this recipe!
If you’re not so concerned about keeping your diet gluten-free or low-carb, then bread the cauliflower using breadcrumbs or Panko. And if you’re not so concerned about keeping your diet vegan, then use an egg or two for coating the cauliflower before breading.
You could also use a BBQ Sauce or teriyaki sauce for a different kind of flavor! ENJOY!
