Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook wholly veggie buffalo cauliflower? ›

Cooking Instructions: Oven/Toaster Oven: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Arrange frozen cauliflower into a single layer on a baking sheet. Parchment paper preferred. Bake 23-25 minutes to desired crispness, flipping halfway.

The best side dishes to serve with buffalo cauliflower are coleslaw, spinach artichoke dip, chicken wings, cheese curds, fried shrimp, blooming onion, garlic bread, sweet potato fries, Greek salad, cucumber salad, baked mac and cheese, grilled vegetables, and cornbread.

Cauliflower has a very high water content, so it won't get crispy if you bake the florets crowded together. "Be sure to give each floret a bit of room so that the they have space for airflow. I'd also recommend baking them on a silicone baking mat," says Blay.

Avoid overcrowding the baking sheet.

Placing the buffalo cauliflower wings too close together on the baking sheet will cause them to steam as opposed to crisp. Give them ample room – use multiple baking sheets as needed.

If you're planning to roast the cauliflower whole or slice it into steaks, slice off the thick stem at the base. Drop the whole cauliflower head upside-down into cool, salted water. Let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes to remove dirt, residue and bugs.

A common problem is either roasting it at too low a temperature or stopping once the cauliflower is tender—both mean that the florets do not caramelize. Roast until the color goes from creamy white to a dark golden brown before removing your vegetables from heat.

If you're looking for a healthy low-carb game day snack to add to your spread for Super Bowl Sunday, make these delicious oven baked Buffalo Cauliflower Bites. No, they don't taste like chicken wings. But they are definitely healthier and just as spicy and delicious!

Look for firm cauliflower with compact florets and crisp, fresh leaves with no sign of yellowing or wilting. Avoid cauliflower with small brown specks on the florets; they are a sign of aging. The size of the cauliflower head does not affect its quality.

Most recipes recommend blanching the cauliflower in boiling water for a few minutes for this initial stage, but it's important to pay close attention to this step. The watery problem happens when the cauliflower is either overcooked or not drained well enough after a quick blanching.

Bitter tasting cauliflower can be caused by too much heat or sun. It can also taste bitter from a lack of moisture, uneven watering, waiting too long to harvest, or overcooking.

Can you overcook cauliflower? ›

Overcooked cauliflower has a strong odor and yellowish color due to sulfur compounds that are released. Cook cauliflower rapidly to preserve color and flavor.

For the crispiest wings, use an oven-safe baking rack inset into a rimmed baking sheet (like in my photos and video). This rack lifts the chicken wings and allows some airflow around them. I use the same setup when baking bacon. You also want to pat your wings dry, which helps them crisp up in the oven even more.

Transfer the riced cauliflower to the center of a clean dish towel. Arrange the towel filled with cauliflower over a small bowl, then squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the cooked cauliflower. It might not feel like there's excess moisture at first, but you may be surprised by how much liquid is released!

Season the florets with salt and pepper, and cover the pot. Let them steam until the tip of a knife or fork can be inserted easily without resistance, 8 to 10 minutes, depending on size. The ideal steamed cauliflower should read al dente, never mushy.

Steaming allows the vegetable to retain its nutrients while softening the tough fibers, making them easier to digest. Steamed cauliflower is also gentler on the stomach and less likely to cause gas compared to other cooking methods, such as boiling or stir-frying.

The florets are great used raw in a salad or as part of a crudité selection served with dips. Cooked cauliflower florets keep their shape best when steamed (5-10 mins) – remember to place them upright in the steamer. It can also be boiled (takes 5-10 mins for florets; around 10 mins for a whole cauliflower).

The separated florets have to be washed properly under a tap. This removes dirt and large parasites such as worms. The next step is cleaning the cauliflower in mildly warm water in which a little salt was dissolved. This process – which should last 10-20 minutes - destroys several microbes and large parasites.