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Deep Fried Vegan Buffalo Wings

The best vegan wings are deep-fried and saucy, IMHO. These Vegan Buffalo Wings are both. Made with cauliflower, they are tender on the inside, covered in delicious vegan Buffalo sauce on the outside with crispy, crunchy fried batter in between. The batter is super simple with just 3 ingredients and happens to be gluten-free. Try it tonight!
Click here for the printable recipe.
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Easy Vegan Cauliflower Wings | Baked or Fried | Salt & Pepper or Buffalo

 

More cauliflower recipes:

Start by preparing your cauliflower. For tips on how to cut up cauliflower simply and with the least amount of waste, watch the video above. You’ll need 400g (about 14oz) cut up into bite-sized pieces; about 1/3 of a large head of cauliflower. You can keep the leftovers in the fridge for a few days for more cauliflower wings or for adding to stir-fries later in the week.

The cauliflower wing batter happens to be gluten-free. Mix water, ground flax seeds, and cornstarch together. It will be thin at first but will thicken as it sits. In the meantime, you can mix up vegan Buffalo sauce. Commenters have told me there are store-bought vegan Buffalo sauces on the market. I haven’t found any so I mix up melted vegan butter, some seasonings, and hot sauce.

When the batter has thickened, the texture will be goopy and similar to eggs. Add the cauliflower pieces and use clean hands to mix and ensure every piece of cauliflower is well coated. Then you can deep fry!

Afterwards, drain the fried vegan wings on a wire rack lined with paper towel to soak up excess oil. Then in batches, toss with the prepared Buffalo sauce. It’s best to do it in small batches so that you don’t accidentally drench the crispy wings in too much sauce. Too much sauce can quickly turn your wings from perfectly-coated and crunchy to a soggy drowned mess. Then you can plate the wings, add some chopped parsley for garnish and serve with a side of vegan ranch dressing. Enjoy right away!

Printable recipe for Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Wings

Deep Fried Vegan Buffalo Wings

Deep Fried Vegan Buffalo Wings

Turn a whole head of cauliflower into the crispiest Vegan Buffalo Wings! The batter is super simple with just 3 ingredients and happens to be gluten-free.

Click to watch the tutorial here. Or Pin this recipe.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 400g (14oz) cauliflower, bite-sized pieces, rinsed and dried
  • chopped parsley/cilantro for garnish

batter

  • 3/4 cup water
  • 4 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons ground flax seed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Buffalo sauce

  • 1/4 cup vegan butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup hot sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot)
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

  • Mix the batter ingredients in a large bowl: water, cornstarch, ground flax seed and salt. Let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the Buffalo sauce ingredients in a separate bowl.
  • When the batter is thick and resembles the texture of eggs, add the cauliflower. Mix with clean hands so that every piece of cauliflower is well coated. You can now deep-fry your vegan cauliflower wings.

Deep-frying Instructions

  • Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a pot or wok. Make sure the sides are high enough so there's no danger of overflowing when the oil starts to bubble. The oil is hot enough when you put a wooden spoon inside and bubbles form rapidly around it. See the video for a demonstration.
  • Add the coated cauliflower with care so the oil does not splash. Do not crowd the pieces otherwise they may clump together. Flip occasionally. Remove when they turn golden brown. Let the pieces drain on a wire rack lined with paper towel to soak up excess oil.

To serve

  • Place a handful of cauliflower wings in a large bowl. Spoon over some Buffalo sauce then toss the pieces so they get coated. Transfer the sauced wings to a serving plate. Repeat with the rest of the wings. Top with some chopped parsley to garnish and enjoy right away with some vegan ranch sauce on the side.

Did you make this recipe?

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Showing 7 comments
  • Marna
    Reply

    how would I bake these?

    • Mary
      Reply

      So sorry for the super late reply!
      After they are coated in batter, lay the pieces out on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 425°F in your preheated oven. After 20 minutes, carefully flip each piece over. It’s easiest to unstick the edge of each piece and then lift the whole piece; otherwise, the batter may come off. See the video for a demonstration. Spray or drizzle oil generously over each piece then bake again for 20 minutes or until they are golden brown.

      Then continue with the sauce. Enjoy!
      -Mary

  • Marna
    Reply

    Looks sooooo good, how would I go about baking them?

  • Yon
    Reply

    I like that this recipe is simple, with no crust needed. I had to sub in chia seeds for the flax so my wings do look a bit odd, with the chia seeds around it. I’d definitely make it again! Thanks 😄

    • Mary
      Reply

      hey as long as it tastes good, right? 🙂 Thanks for sharing, Yon!
      Cheers,
      Mary

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