Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites – Easy, healthy, perfectly spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites prepared in the Air Fryer!
BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER BITES
Cauliflower stands as a delicious vegetarian alternative to chicken wings in this recipe for spicy Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites. Prepared with an almond flour breading and a buttery hot sauce, these cauliflower bites are low carb, Keto-friendly, and SO delicious!!
- Also? Grab this recipe for Sticky Sesame Cauliflower Bites – it’s a good one.
Actually, THIS dish tastes like you’re sitting at your fave hangout and having the best appetizer of EV.ER. Hot sauce and garlic set the tone for the cauliflower, a side of celery sticks join in, and some incredible bleu cheese dressing ties it ALL together. HOT DAMN!
HOW TO MAKE BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER BITES IN THE AIR FRYER
- Start with cutting up a head of cauliflower into florets and put those in a large mixing bowl <— CLICK to get my FAVORITE mixing bowls – I use them for everything!
- Next, melt some butter and mix in a good dose of hot sauce into it. I use Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. It’s DA best.
- Pour the hot sauce mixture over the cauliflower florets and mix them around. I use my hands for this part, but I make sure to wash my hands three times after mixing because it would freakin’ HURT if I touched my eyes without washing off the hot sauce, first. Been there, done that… still remember it. 🙄
- Then, you’ll want to whisk together a bit of almond flour with seasoning salt, garlic powder, and dried parsley.
- Sprinkle that over the cauliflower florets – use a handful of almond flour mix at a time and just gently stir them around so that all florets are coated.
- Air Fry HALF of the cauliflower bites at 350˚F (no need to preheat) for about 15 minutes. Stop and shake a couple of times during the cooking process. If you want them crispier, try cooking for 2 to 3 minutes longer.
- Remove cauliflower from the air fryer and keep covered while you cook the second batch.
- Serve immediately with a side of celery sticks and bleu cheese dressing. AND more hot sauce.
TIPS FOR AIR FRYER BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER BITES
- DO NOT crowd the air fryer pan. If you crowd it, the cauliflower bites will turn out soggy. This is why you want to cook the cauliflower in two batches. You need to have enough air flow to go all around each piece.
- If you’re not satisfied with the crunch, put cauliflower bites under the broiler for 2 minutes, then serve. 🤷♀️
HOW TO MAKE IN THE OVEN
- Place prepared cauliflower florets on a foil lined pan and bake for 15 minutes at 450˚F. Gently stir cauliflower halfway through cooking.
HOW TO MAKE AHEAD
- Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are also great to make ahead. Prepare each element beforehand – cut up the cauliflower, make the sauce, prepare the breading – and keep them in separate containers until ready to use. You WILL need to heat up the hot sauce and give it a good stir before using.
HOW TO STORE LEFTOVERS
- While Cauliflower Bites taste best when served immediately, you can still refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Now, let’s stuff our faces with cauliflower that pretends it’s chicken, and really, really LOVE IT! I think you will. This hot mess doesn’t even taste like cauliflower.
For real, though – in this recipe, wings or cauliflower, they just serve as the gateway, or the vessel, into Buffalo sauce. 😀
MORE CAULIFLOWER RECIPES
- Cauliflower Tots
- Lemon Paprika Roasted Cauliflower
- Instant Pot Loaded Mashed Cauliflower
- Cauliflower Cheese Soup
ENJOY!
TOOLS USED IN THIS RECIPE
Easy, healthy, perfectly spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites prepared in the Air Fryer!
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets (you'll need about 4 to 5 cups)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 3 tablespoons dried parsley
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoning Salt
Place cauliflower florets in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Melt butter; stir in olive oil and hot sauce until thoroughly combined.
Pour the hot sauce mixture over the cauliflower; mix around until all cauliflower florets are coated.
In a separate bowl whisk together almond flour, dried parsley, garlic powder, and seasoning salt.
Sprinkle about a handful at a time of almond flour mixture over the cauliflower; gently mix until everything is coated.
Transfer half of the prepared cauliflower to the air fryer.
Air fry at 350˚F for 15 minutes, shaking a couple times during the cooking process. Cauliflower is done when the florets are a bit browned, but not mushy.
Remove cauliflower from the Air Fryer; set aside and keep covered.
Repeat the same process with the remaining cauliflower florets.
Serve with celery sticks and your favorite bleu cheese dressing.
NET CARBS: 7
WW FREESTYLE POINTS: 6
TIPS FOR AIR FRYER BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER BITES
- DO NOT crowd the air fryer pan. If you crowd it, the cauliflower bites will turn out soggy. This is why you want to cook the cauliflower in two batches. You need to have enough air flow to go all around each piece.
- For more crunch, put cauliflower bites under the broiler for 2 minutes, then serve.
HOW TO MAKE IN THE OVEN
- Place prepared cauliflower florets on a foil lined pan and bake for 15 minutes at 450˚F. Gently stir the cauliflower halfway through cooking.
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These are amazing! My go-to for game day grub!
These tasted absolutely delicious! Looking forward to making these again
What a savory side dish! A restaurant worthy recipe, indeed! Delicious!
I know what I will be having with dinner tonight! This looks hands down delicious; a great side dish!
Looks seriously good! You’ve made me put an air-fryer on my amazon wishlist now 😉
I’ll definitely be game day ready with these! Love this healthier twist.
Yum! At first glance I thought this was a recipe for boneless chicken wings. I definitely need to give this cauliflower recipe a try!!
Could this be made without the butter to make it slimming world friendly?
Hi! Yes, you can definitely do without the butter, but you will need to add more liquid (hot sauce or oil) to make up for it. You can also use extra virgin olive oil in place of butter.
The perfect guilt free appetizer idea!
We just got an air fryer and have been wanting to use it more. This looks like next on the list to try. Perfect for game day!
If I could give this 10 stars, I would! My husband and I LOVED this!
What a great alternative to fried snacks.