BBQ Cauliflower Wings are such a perfect appetizer or snack for game day. Made with a handful of ingredients, these will keep everyone coming back for more!
I think by now you know I have a thing for cauliflower. These are recipes I’ve created where cauliflower is the star: Cauliflower Buffalo Wings, Cauliflower Meat Tacos, Cauliflower Fajitas and Sticky Sesame Cauliflower.
I don’t really care for raw cauliflower at all, but it gets super delicious and even takes on a “meat-like” quality when you prepare it in certain ways. Of course, not in a way that would fool a meat eater into thinking they’re eating real meat, but I bet they won’t be able to stop eating these BBQ Cauliflower Wings anyway!
The BBQ Cauliflower Wings are first coated in a flour/water/spices/salt batter, then dipped and coated in panko breadcrumbs and baked. Add some BBQ sauce, and you have one of the most delicious appetizers or snacks I’ve ever tasted!
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How to cut cauliflower for BBQ Cauliflower Wings?
Start with a large head of cauliflower. I like to cut the florets into fairly large (but not huge) bite sized pieces. I wouldn’t cut them too small. I also recommend you leave a little bit of the stem on the cauliflower florets. It looks good and it gives you a handle for picking up and eating! Plus, less food waste.
How do you make BBQ Cauliflower Wings?
After you have your cauliflower florets cut and ready, mix the water, flour, spices and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. In a separate, smaller bowl, add the panko breadcrumbs. Line a large baking sheet (or two if needed) with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Add the cauliflower to the bowl with the water/flour batter and stir to coat all the florets well. One floret at a time, roll in the panko breadcrumbs, and then place on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flip and bake 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven, and toss the baked florets with about 1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce (using a large bowl). Coat well, then return to the pan and place back in the oven to cook for another 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Brush a little more barbecue sauce onto the cooked cauliflower wings, if desired and serve immediately with Vegan Ranch for dipping.
Can you make BBQ Cauliflower Wings Gluten Free?
To make these gluten free, substitute either almond flour or a gluten free mix for the all purpose flour. And in place of breadcrumbs, you could use cornmeal, gluten free breadcrumbs or simply skip this step.
Will the leftovers save well?
Yes, if you have any leftover BBQ Cauliflower Wings you can keep them in a covered container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. The best way to reheat them is in the oven until warm, but you could also use a microwave if needed.
BBQ Cauliflower Wings
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower (about 5-6 cups florets)
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 18 ounces your favorite barbecue sauce OR Quick and Easy Vegan Barbecue Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Wash and cut cauliflower into bite sized pieces. I like to leave some of the cauliflower stem on each piece, it makes them easier to pick up when eating.
- In a large bowl, add water, flour, garlic and onion powder, and salt. Whisk until well combined. In a second, smaller bowl, add the panko breadcrumbs.
- Add the cauliflower to the batter in the large bowl, and toss to coat. Remove the pieces of cauliflower, one by one, and tap off the excess batter a few times on the side of the bowl. Roll them in the breadcrumbs, coating on all sides, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Flip them over and bake for 10 more minutes, until brown and crispy. Remove from the oven.
- Toss the florets with 1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce to coat in a large bowl, then return to the pan. Put them back in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, brush with more barbecue sauce before serving, if desired. Serve with Vegan Ranch for dipping. Enjoy!
Notes
- To make gluten free, use a gluten free flour mix, or almond flour in the batter. You could omit the breadcrumbs, use gluten free breadcrumbs, or try using cornmeal instead.
- Panko breadcrumbs work the best for this recipe, but you could substitute another kind of breadcrumbs if desired. Just check the ingredients to make sure they are dairy free. This brand of panko breadcrumbs is accidentally vegan and I can find them at many normal grocery stores and on Amazon.
- To store leftovers, keep them in a covered container in the refrigerator. Reheat in the oven until warm, or even in the microwave.
- You can use your favorite store-bought barbecue sauce (check ingredients to ensure vegan) or make my Quick and Easy Vegan Barbecue Sauce. You will need about 18 ounces, which is the average bottle of bbq sauce and how much my recipe makes.
Made this delish recipe with Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all purpose flour and used crushed rice cakes with seasoning for breadcrumbs. Heavenly!
We made this for dinner, and it was delicious!
That’s great!
Ahh!! I love these BBQ Cauliflower too much.. I have even tried them with broccoli wings. Awesome.
Hello! This recipe seems completely sublime. However, I’ve completely run out of parchment paper. Could I grease a glass container with oil? Would it work?
Yes you can just grease a pan or probably a glass container (though metal will work better). Aluminum foil also works well! Hope you enjoy them.
This turned out so delicious! It really tasted like chicken nuggets! I added a teriyaki sauce marinade I had made before to the barbecue sauce and it turned out deliciously! It was finished in a day ?
That’s great to hear, thanks!
I usually do not leave a comment. I feel compelled because your BBQ cauliflower recipe was perfect. I used whole wheat flour and skipped the ranch dressing. It was delicious and perfect. I will reheat for lunch tomorrow. Have you tried freezing them? Also I put the breaded florets in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes so bread crumbs could set.
Your recipes are awesome and they work!! Any new ideas for steel cut oats for breakfast? Thank you very much.
Thank you so much Sheila! I haven’t tried freezing them, I don’t think it would be the best thing, the cauliflower would probably get quite mushy. But it might work okay! I’ll keep the steel cut oats in mind, I don’t have anything right now. 🙂
These are so good I ate them cold for breakfast! Added apricot jam to my bottled Barbque sauce and was delicious.
That sounds like a great addition!!
Can you do this in an air fryer?
You probably could but I haven’t tried it. Just cook them in the air fryer until crispy, shaking every so often.
I tried with frozen cauliflower and dipped them in cornmeal because I didn’t have panko breadcrumbs. It was delicious. I will try again with fresh cauliflower and breadcrumbs.
Hi Nora!! This recipe amazing!! I wish I found this sooner!!! By far, one of the best recipes I have tried to make and cannot thank you enough! Quick question, how many calories are in these again? I know it says 145kcal ! Once again, amazing recipe!!
1/8th of the entire recipe, that is one serving. Glad you love it!
Oh wow, these were SO SATISFYING. Exactly what I needed, and super easy to throw together. I can’t wait until there’s in person gatherings again so I can make them for friends.
So glad you liked them!
Been trying out a bunch of cauliflower wing recipes lately, none of them come close to this! I adjusted the seasoning of the batter to my personal preferences, and next time I may not coat them in the sauce, but rather dip them so they retain a bit more crunch. These were absolutely incredible & my new go-to recipe!
Hi Nora! I can’t wait to try these tonight! I was wondering if bread flour would work? There is absolutely no all purpose flour in the stores !!
Goodness, I know it! So frustrating! Yes, I don’t think that would be a problem at all. Hopefully we can all find more flour soon!
I made these for a party and they were a huge hit! No one could believe they were vegan. They were super crispy before I put the sauce on, then not so much after baking them again. Is this normal? They were still great, just wondering if I could keep them crispier.
Yes, that is normal, they will not be quite as crispy once the sauce is on. If you deep fried them, they would be crispier. 🙂 The other option is you could bake them and then just use bbq sauce to dip the cauliflower in.
The panko is a genius idea–makes them super crunchy. This is the closest I’ve gotten to restaurant-style cauliflower wings without deep frying.
I was worried about the batter/panko falling off when I tossed them in BBQ sauce, but I had no need to worry and they came out great. Thanks for another winner recipe!
I tried these in both BBQ and buffalo sauce and the consensus was that both were good, but that the BBQ was better.
I’m so glad you like them! Thanks for the comment!
Had these at a Christmas Party and wanted to make them for a New Years Eve Party. Can I put them in an electric skillet on low to keep them warm at the party before we eat?
That should work quite well, yes. Hope everyone enjoys them!
Can you make these with frozen cauliflower?
Side note: I have made many of your recipes and love them all!! You have helped me with my journey to becoming vegan.
I’m so happy to hear the recipes have helped you on your journey to becoming vegan, thank you! As for using frozen cauliflower, I haven’t tried it, but I think it would probably work okay. But probably works better with fresh. If you try it, let me know! 🙂
So good! Just made them and I love it! I am making tacos with it!
That sounds amazing!
I was a bit sceptical at first as I’m not a massive lover of cauliflower! BUT I absolutely LOVE these!! They are so tasty and now my go to recipe for a side dish or healthier alternative to chips! Would totally recommend that everyone tries this recipe!! 5* ❤️
Thank you so much!
These are absolutely delicious! So easy to make for a big group too! Thank you for sharing.
Has anyone made this with almond flour instead of all purpose flower? Making this tomorrow!
Almond flour will work for these. Thanks!
Delicious!
Yes!!!!! I’ve made this as written AND with a buffalo sauce instead of BBQ, and it’s SO good. I made mine in the air fryer instead of the oven. It was fabulously crunchy and flavorful. I’ve been looking for a go-to cauliflower wing recipe and this is it!
Thank you Lauren! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and it will be a go-to recipe! Love the air fryer idea, if only I had one! 🙂
I would’ve never thought about using cauliflower for a bbq related recipe! This would definitely come in handy for my low carb days! Thank you!
Thanks Bryan! Hope you enjoy them when you get around to making them!
Unbelievably good!! Couldn’t stop eating them. Thank you!