If you love the flavor of buffalo wings, you will adore this Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower recipe. Air frying is one of the easiest cooking methods for crispy vegetables because it is quick and efficient, and clean-up is a breeze. This recipe is ready for your next party or gathering in just minutes and pairs well with any appetizer spread!
The fresh cauliflower florets are tossed with a mixture of melted butter and buffalo-style wing sauce and then coated in a flour mixture that perfectly crisps when roasted by the hot circulating air from the air fryer. I love serving this recipe with ranch or blue cheese dressing and some fresh celery sticks to give all the classic flavors of restaurant-style buffalo chicken wings. For more air fryer recipes, try my air fryer egg rolls, air fryer onion rings, or air fryer potato wedges.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Buffalo Sauce – use your favorite buffalo-style wing sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, for the perfect air fryer buffalo cauliflower wings. Choose a mild or spicy sauce that you love because it will be the primary flavor of the cauliflower. Use additional sauce to toss the cooked cauliflower, if desired.
Cauliflower – the sauce will cover one large head of cauliflower or about 1.5 pounds. Rinse and pat dry the cauliflower and then cut it into florets. Aim to cut the head into similar-sized pieces so it fries evenly.
Cornstarch – cornstarch is a key ingredient in this recipe because it combines with the flour and spices to give each piece of cauliflower a crispy exterior when air fried.
Garlic Powder – this ingredient adds great garlic flavor to the flour mixture without requiring any peeling or mincing.
How to Make Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
1. Whisk together ½ cup buffalo sauce and melted butter in a large bowl.
2. Add the cauliflower florets and toss until well coated in the sauce.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch, flour, garlic powder, and salt.
4. Sprinkle over the cauliflower and toss until well and evenly coated.
5. If required, preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Working in batches, arrange the florets in the air fryer basket in a single layer, leaving a little space between each one. Air fry for 10 to 12 minutes or until crisp, flipping each piece after 5 minutes.
6. Remove from the air fryer and toss with additional hot sauce, if desired. Serve with ranch or blue cheese for dipping.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Rinse and dry the cauliflower. Many fresh produce items have traces of dirt or sand on them from harvesting. Before using the cauliflower, rinse it and remove any debris with your fingers. Pat dry with a tea towel and cut into florets.
- Prevent sticking by spraying the air fryer basket with cooking spray. Use olive oil or other non-stick cooking spray with a high smoke point to lightly coat the surface of the air fryer basket before adding the cauliflower. You can also use a pastry brush to coat the basket with canola oil or avocado oil. This will help prevent sticking as the veggies cook.
- Air fry right after coating the cauliflower in the flour mixture. The flour and cornstarch mixture adds so much to this recipe and delivers a crispy exterior. Make sure to start air frying the cauliflower in batches right after tossing in the flour to ensure optimum crispiness.
- Prep ingredients ahead to save time. Wash and cut the cauliflower, measure the hot sauce, and make the flour mixture ahead. Store the three components separately until you are ready to air fry.
- Work in batches if needed. Since the capacities of air fryers vary, make this recipe in batches if your particular model has a smaller basket. You’ll want each piece to have a little room around it so that the cauliflower crisps evenly, so arrange the florets in a single layer.
- Flip cauliflower after 5 minutes. For the best air fryer cauliflower, flip each floret after 5 minutes of cooking time and continue air frying.
- Cook until cauliflower reaches your desired color. I recommend cooking air fryer buffalo cauliflower bites for 10-12 minutes but take a peek inside the air fryer after 9-10 minutes to make sure none of the pieces are burning. Continue cooking until the cauliflower is golden brown or the perfect color and crispiness for you.
- Toss with additional sauce before serving if desired. If you like a saucy appetizer, toss the air-fried cauliflower with additional buffalo sauce just before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is best served hot out of the air fryer, but if you do have leftovers, refrigerate them in an airtight container. Air fry at 400°F for a few minutes to re-crisp and heat them back up. They likely won’t get as crispy as they were initially, but they’ll still be super tasty!
This is the perfect appetizer to serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing and celery sticks on the side. You can also coat the hot cauliflower in additional buffalo-style hot sauce, another variety of wing sauce, honey mustard, or honey. Serve as a side dish or with other finger foods like buffalo chicken dip, air fryer chicken wings, or ham and cheese sliders, perfect for the big game or movie nights!
For crispy, never soggy, cauliflower, air fry at a hot temperature, 400°F, and be sure to preheat the air fryer if your model recommends preheating. Another secret to crispy cauliflower is in the breading ingredients. This recipe uses both cornstarch and flour for an outer coating that is flavorful and crisps when cooked.
While a conventional oven doesn’t circulate the air like an air fryer does, a convection oven will get very close. If possible, bake the coated cauliflower in a convection oven, but you can also use a conventional oven if needed. Prepare the cauliflower and spread it in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes in a preheated oven at 425°F. Flip the cauliflower halfway through the cooking time.
If you’ve tried this recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- ½ cup buffalo-style wing sauce (like Frank’s RedHot) (120ml)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 head cauliflower cut into florets (about 1.5lbs/675g)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Whisk together ½ cup buffalo sauce and melted butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the cauliflower florets and toss until well coated in the sauce.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch, flour, garlic powder, and salt. Sprinkle over the cauliflower and toss until well and evenly coated.
- Preheat the air fryer (if required) to 400°F. Working in batches, arrange the florets in the air fryer basket, leaving a little space between each one.
- Air fry for 10 to 12 minutes or until crisp, flipping each piece after 5 minutes.
- Remove from the air fryer and toss with additional hot sauce, if desired. Serve with ranch or blue cheese for dipping.
Notes
- Rinse and dry the cauliflower. Many fresh produce items have traces of dirt or sand on them from harvesting. Before using the cauliflower, rinse it and remove any debris with your fingers. Pat dry with a tea towel and cut into florets.
- Prevent sticking by spraying the air fryer basket with cooking spray. Use olive oil or other non-stick cooking spray with a high smoke point to lightly coat the surface of the air fryer basket before adding the cauliflower. You can also use a pastry brush to coat the basket with canola oil or avocado oil. This will help prevent sticking as the veggies cook.
- Air fry right after coating the cauliflower in the flour mixture. The flour and cornstarch mixture adds so much to this recipe and delivers a crispy exterior. Make sure to start air frying the cauliflower in batches right after tossing in the flour to ensure optimum crispiness.
- Prep ingredients ahead to save time. Wash and cut the cauliflower, measure the hot sauce, and make the flour mixture ahead. Store the three components separately until you are ready to air fry.
- Work in batches if needed. Since the capacities of air fryers vary, make this recipe in batches if your particular model has a smaller basket. You’ll want each piece to have a little room around it so that the cauliflower crisps evenly, so arrange the florets in a single layer.
- Flip cauliflower after 5 minutes. For the best air fryer cauliflower, flip each floret after 5 minutes of cooking time and continue air frying.
- Cook until cauliflower reaches your desired color. I recommend cooking air fryer buffalo cauliflower bites for 10-12 minutes but take a peek inside the air fryer after 9-10 minutes to make sure none of the pieces are burning. Continue cooking until the cauliflower is golden brown or the perfect color and crispiness for you.
- Toss with additional sauce before serving if desired. If you like a saucy appetizer, toss the air-fried cauliflower with additional buffalo sauce just before serving.
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