Air fryer cauliflower bites are dipped in panko for a slightly crispy coating and tossed with a spicy wing sauce. These cauliflower bites are healthy, spicy, and delicious!
Cauliflower has become an increasingly popular substitute over the past few years. It is commonly used in place of meat, such as in this recipe, making it a perfect vegetarian option! Even if you are not vegetarian, these buffalo cauliflower wings are an easy and tasty way to get an additional serving of veggies!
These cauliflower bites are gluten-free and a great keto option! They taste best straight out of the air fryer, so don’t forget to serve immediately! They pair perfectly with this shredded BBQ crockpot chicken or this stuffed summer squash.
Here’s my version of buffalo chicken bites if you're looking for a version with meat! Or, if you're looking for more buffalo dishes (I have a slight obsession) check out this recipe for healthy buffalo chicken dip or these air fryer buffalo chicken tenders.
Ingredients Notes and Substitutes
- Cauliflower: select a cauliflower that is firm, white in color, and has no black spots or bruises.
- Butter: adds flavor to the hot sauce and helps everything stick together.
- Hot Sauce: I prefer to use Frank’s red hot sauce or Sweet Baby Ray’s wing sauce
- Garlic Powder & Onion Powder: give the dish an extra pop of flavor
- Almond Flour or Panko Bread Crumbs: you can use either one depending on your dietary preferences!
How to Make Buffalo Air Fryer Cauliflower Bites
Cut the cauliflower into small pieces, about 1 inch wide by 1 inch long. Try to make them all uniform, so they cook evenly. Place the cut cauliflower in a large mixing bowl.
Melt the butter and combine it with the wing sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder. Drizzle over the cauliflower.
Use two spoons to mix the cauliflower until the sauce covers all parts of the cauliflower. (You can also add everything to a large ziplock bag, seal shut, and mix from the outside using your hands).
Toss with almond flour and parmesan cheese.
Preheat the Air Fryer to 375F. Once preheated, spray the bottom with a nonstick release spray.
Place the cauliflower evenly in the bottom, so there is a small amount of space between each piece. Do not stack the cauliflower-this may take 2-3 batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
Cook for 15 minutes, tossing halfway through. Remove from the air fryer, cook the remaining cauliflower. Serve warm!
Leftovers/Storage
Refrigerator: store in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 3 days. Refrigerate within 1 hour of cooking so it has time to cool safely. More safe storage guidelines are here.
Freezer: I do not recommend freezing these as they become soggy when reheating.
Reheating: for best results reheat this in the air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 350F and cook in 2-minute intervals, until steaming hot. The cauliflower bites can also be reheated in the microwave in 1 minutes intervals until steaming hot. Reheat to 165F for food safety purposes.
Variations
Gluten Free: use a gluten-free breadcrumb or almond flour which is found in most major grocery stores. All other ingredients should be gluten-free, however always double-check the labels.
Dairy Free: leave out the parmesan cheese. All other ingredients should be dairy free, however double-check the labels, including buffalo sauce, to make sure there is no added dairy.
Low Carb/Keto: use almond flour in place of bread crumbs. The rest of the recipe is relatively low carb!
Dipping Sauces
These cauliflower bites taste good plain but are also delicious dipped in sauce. Here are a few of my favorite dipping sauces:
- Ranch (homemade or store bought)
- Blue Cheese Dressing
- More Hot Sauce
- French Onion Dip
Expert Tips
- Try to cut the cauliflower bites into similar sized pieces so they cook evenly. Chop large pieces into 2 using a knife.
- The cauliflower bites should be evenly spaced in the bottom of the air fryer. Do not try to overcrowd the air fryer or add all the cauliflower at once. This will not make them very crispy.
Frequently Asked Questions
This really depends on your spice tolerance. If you like spicy foods, you will like these. In my opinion, they definitely have a kick to them. To make them less spicy, dip them in ranch or blue cheese.
Nutrition Info
Cauliflower is loaded with many vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Fiber. It is considered a cruciferous vegetable. This type of vegetable group is known for being rich in fiber, minerals, and carotenoids. Studies show these types of vegetables have numerous health benefits.
Cauliflower is low in carbs and low in calories, yet is very filling. This makes it a popular vegetable to add to dishes or in place of meat or grains. Cauliflower has become increasingly popular as a pizza crust, rice replacement, or instead of mashed potatoes!
How to Serve the Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
This works great as an entrée or a side dish. If serving this as a side dish, I recommend pairing with a protein, such as chicken kabobs, oven-baked chicken or air fryer salmon. You may also add a grain, such as a side of brown rice or healthy risotto.
More Veggie Recipes
Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 medium cauliflower cut into small florets
- 2 tablespoon butter melted
- ½ cup Hot Sauce use frank’s red hot sauce or buffalo wing sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt optional
- 2 tablespoon parmesan cheese canned version
- ½ c bread crumbs sub almond flour for gluten free version or low carb version
Instructions
- Cut the cauliflower into small pieces, about 1 inch wide by 1 inch long. Try to make them all uniform, so they cook evenly. Place the cut cauliflower in a large mixing bowl.
- Melt the butter and combine with the wing sauce, garlic powder and onion powder.
- Drizzle over the cauliflower. Use two spoons to mix the cauliflower until the sauce covers all parts of the cauliflower. (You can also add everything to a large ziplock bag, seal shut and mix from the outside using your hands.
- Toss with almond flour and parmesan cheese.
- Preheat the Air Fryer to 375F. Once preheated, spray the bottom with a non stick release spray.
- Place the cauliflower evenly in the bottom, so there is a small amount of space between each piece. Do not stack the cauliflower-this may take 2-3 batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Cook for 7 minutes, toss the cauliflower by removing the air fryer basket and giving it a good shake. (make sure the cauliflower is not stacked on top of each other after doing this). Cook for another 8 minutes.
- Remove from the air fryer, cook the remaining cauliflower. Serve warm!
Jessie says
So good!!!
Ashlee Welter says
The best!