Everything Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Cauliflower buffalo bites have swept the nation! Vegan restaurants and nonvegan restaurants alike serve them, and they are popular among patrons far and wide. I wanted to add a touch of EPIC to these with the “everything coating,” but you should feel free to epic them up yourself. Get creative!

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American

Yield 8 servings

Author Dustin Harder

Ingredients

For Buffalo Sauce:

1 cup (235 ml) hot sauce
¼ cup (55 g) vegan butter
¼ cup (60 g) packed organic dark brown sugar

For Everything Coating:

1 tablespoon (6 g) dried minced garlic
1 tablespoon (6 g) dried minced onion
2 teaspoons (6 g) black sesame seeds
2 teaspoons (12 g) Maldon or coarse sea salt

For Cauliflower Bites:

1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (140 g) stone-ground yellow cornmeal or polenta
¼ cup (32 g) cornstarch
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1½ cups (355 ml) seltzer water
Canola oil or cooking spray
1 medium head cauliflower trimmed and cut into bite-size florets
2 scallions roughly chopped
Your favorite store-bought vegan blue cheese dressing for dipping

Instructions

To make the buffalo sauce:

In a small saucepan, combine the hot sauce, butter, and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, or until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To make the everything coating:

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, onion, sesame seeds, and salt. Set aside.

To make the cauliflower bites:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Slowly add the seltzer water, whisking until well combined and a thick batter has formed.
In a wok or large saucepan, pour 3 inches (7.5 cm) of canola oil. Heat the oil to 350°F (175°C) when tested with a candy thermometer or a drop of batter fries quickly and bubbles up to the top. Line a plate with paper towels.
Working in batches, transfer half of the cauliflower florets into the batter; mix around until all the florets are fully coated. Using tongs, pick up a piece of cauliflower, allowing excess batter to drip off, and carefully transfer into the frying oil; repeat with the remaining battered pieces.
Fry in small batches for 4 to 6 minutes, or until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cauliflower to the paper towel–lined plate. Repeat until all of the cauliflower is fried.
In a large bowl, toss ¼ of the fried cauliflower bites with ¼ of the buffalo sauce and 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of the “everything” mixture (you get a more even coating if you do it in batches). Transfer the bites to a serving tray and repeat for the remaining bites. Sprinkle the plated cauliflower with any remaining everything coating and the scallions, if using.
Serve with Blue Cheese Dressing on the side, for dipping.

Recipe Notes

Baked option: If you prefer to stay away from frying, coat the cauliflower with the batter as directed, making sure to remove as much excess batter as possible. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet lightly coated with cooking spray, and bake at 450°F (230°C, or gas mark 8) for 30 minutes, flipping once, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and continue with the recipe as directed.