BBQ Cauliflower Wings

These vegan BBQ cauliflower wings are sweet, smoky, saucy, crispy, and perfect as a game day and party appetizer or side dish! Lightly battered and baked (or air fried) until crispy. Just a handful of ingredients, oil-free, egg-free, and gluten-free optional!

The Ingredients for Cauliflower BBQ Wings

This easy cauliflower BBQ wings recipe is made even easier with an ingredient list entirely of inexpensive kitchen and pantry staples.

• Cauliflower: Use a cauliflower that is heavy for its size with no brown spots/blemishes.
• All-purpose flour: Alternatively, use whole wheat flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour/ chickpea flour (GF).
• Plant-based milk: Use any unsweetened vegan milk option. Water would also work.
• Seasonings: These BBQ cauliflower wings use a combination of onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.
• Brown sugar: Use coconut sugar for an unrefined option. This will enhance and encourage more caramelization while cooking.
• BBQ sauce: Use your favorite BBQ sauce (yes, even flavored versions if you’d like). Use a Keto version if preferred.
• Liquid smoke: (optional) Liquid smoke is perfect for adding a grilled depth of flavor.
• Vegan ranch: (Optional, to serve) Because where would cauliflower wings be without their perfect sidekick?!

Optional Add-ins & Dipping Sauces

• Spice: You can mix a small amount of hot sauce into the BBQ sauce OR sprinkle the baked BBQ cauliflower wings with red pepper flakes before serving.
• Black pepper: Season the batter, to taste, for subtle spice.
• Herbs: Garnish the freshly cooked vegan cauliflower wings with chopped parsley, green onions/scallions, or dill for freshness.
• Breadcrumbs: I find the batter is enough, but if you want even more crunch, roll the cauliflower wings into breadcrumbs (regular, panko, or gluten-free) after battering them.

Along with vegan ranch, there are several other dipping sauces you could choose from, too:

• Vegan garlic mayo, garlic sauce, or vegan garlic yogurt dip
• Spicy vegan mayo
• Avocado dip
• Nacho cheese

What do you like to serve the BBQ cauliflower wings with?

How to Make BBQ Cauliflower Wings?

• First, preheat the oven to 450F/230C and line a baking tray with parchment paper or spray with some cooking spray.

Adjust the size of the ‘wings’ to your liking. Larger florets will be more like traditional wings. Chop it into smaller pieces for BBQ cauliflower bites.

It saves time to throw them all in the bowl and toss well. Lightly shake off any excess batter.

Step 5: Meanwhile, heat the BBQ sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat. After the 15 minutes, toss the cauliflower wings into the sauce (or dip them). Then return them to the oven for a further 5 minutes and enjoy!

For extra crispiness, use a broiler for a minute or two at the end.

I love to serve ours with a vegan ranch or vegan Caesar dipping sauce.

FAQs for Cauliflower BBQ Wings

Toni’s Recipe Tips and Notes

• Use even-sized pieces: Otherwise, the BBQ cauliflower wings will cook at different rates.
• Don’t crowd the pan: The airflow around the BBQ cauliflower bites/ wings is essential for achieving crispy results. If there are too many, too close, then they will steam.
• Cooking time varies: Based on the exact size of your cauli wings and your oven. So keep an eye on them the first time you make the recipe.
• Tweak the flavors: BBQ sauce is already naturally sweet, so feel free to reduce or eliminate the amount of added sugar. Want more smokiness? Add some extra liquid smoke? Etc.
• For less sauce: Use a brush to brush over the barbeque cauliflower rather than dipping them into the sauce.
• For crispier results: Spray the vegan cauliflower wings with a bit of oil/cooking spray before cooking them.

How to Make Ahead and Store?

Prep Ahead: You can chop the cauliflower and prepare the batter a couple of days in advance, storing them separately in the fridge until you’re ready to continue with the recipe.

Fridge: I recommend consuming the barbeque cauliflower wings immediately for the best texture. However, any leftovers will store in an airtight container for 3 days.

Reheat: To reheat the cauliflower wings, place them back in the oven or an air fryer at 400F/205C until heated through.

How to Serve Vegan Cauliflower Wings?

Along with serving these BBQ cauliflower wings as an appetizer with your choice of dip and other crudités (carrot sticks, celery sticks, etc.), you can also add them to other meals, such as:

• Wraps: Serve them inside BBQ Cauliflower Wraps or Cauliflower Tacos.
• Pasta: They make a great appetizers for classics like Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese or Easy Cheesy Vegan Mac or switch it up further with Roasted Spaghetti Squash.
• Pizza: Make it a pizza & wings night with Mediterranean Hummus Pizza without Cheese, BBQ Tofu Pizza, or Portobello Mushroom Pizzas.
• BBQ: Embrace the BBQ flavor with more favorites like Southwest Black Bean Burgers, BBQ Tempeh, BBQ Seitan Brisket, or Vegan BBQ Jackfruit.
• Salads: While these wings are already secretly healthy, serve them alongside a fresh healthy salad, like a Rainbow Salad, Coleslaw, or Pita Panzanella Salad.
• Game Day: Be the queen or king of game day with the best snack spread, including vegan Chips & Nacho Cheese, Buffalo Tofu Wedges, Crispy Garlic Baked Wedges, Vegan Pizza Rolls, and Stuffed Roasted Sweet Peppers.

More Crowd-Pleasing Vegan Appetizers

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Vegan Dinners

Quinoa Tater Tots

Vegan Dinners

Mushroom Pâté

Vegan Lunches

Spinach and Mushroom Puffs [Vegan Hand Pies]

If you tried this BBQ cauliflower wings recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!

Photos by Alfonso Revilla